April 29, 2012

  • Play Ball!

     

    Baseball season has been launched at the Smitheroni house.  Well, actually...  you can't say "baseball" without someone correcting you.  Shaeleigh plays softball with a pitching machine and Chance plays t-ball.  YiLin plays a hybrid.  But let's be clear - no one plays "baseball."

    Sadly, just about all of Shaeleigh's games and Chance's games are at exactly the same day and time.  Since I signed up to be an assistant coach on Shaeleigh's team, Kenn has Chance's games and I've got Shaeleigh's.  Luckily, YiLin plays on a different day. 

     

     

    Shaeleigh's team is the Pink Panthers.  They are currently 3-2.  She got her first (and second) hit on Saturday which pretty much made her weekend.  She's a pretty good fielder and has a good arm.  She played catcher for a few innings on Saturday as well which was not her favorite.  The gear pretty much consumes her.  Everytime a ball got past her she'd have to lumber over to get it - looking like she could barely move.  Coach Bruce starting shouting, "game speed Shaeleigh, game speed."  HAHAHA - I could hear her mumbling, "Well, I can't really move in this stuff.  I can't see through this mask.  Where's the ball?  I can't bend over.  Is this innning over yet?"

    I'll have to get a few action shots of her before the season is over.

     

    Chance plays for the Spiders.  They started their season later so he's only had one game. 

     

    Here he is, "sitting on his bucket" as his coach says.  Kenn reports that Chance has a lot of enthusiasm.  Coach Mike drew lines in the dirt to keep him from poaching.  This seems to be a key difference in the sexes.  The girls are yappin' and yappin' and playing in the dirt and when the ball is hit they just keep on yappin' and ball will roll by 2 or 3 of them before anyone notices.  The boys are yappin' and yappin' and playing in the dirt but when the ball is hit there's a free for all as they all run and chase after the ball in a swarm. 

     

    Chance, ready for the ball.

     

    How cute is that?

     

    Little boy.  Big bat.

    So while we are on Chance...  I think we will have to rename him to, "The boy who will not stop talking."  I think most of the time we must tune 50% of his noises out because it's never so apparent that he talks so much as it is when we go to church.  Whenever the rest of the church is quiet, there's Chance's voice always going.  Usually saying something embarassing.

    Some recent examples:

    • I tell him to stop talking.  He responds with, "Mommy, your breath is stinky."  I smile and kiss him on the top of the head to which he shouts, "MOM!  Now you're getting the stink on my hair!"
    • A woman walks past after communion and he says, "WOW, that lady smelled GOOD!  Did you smell her?  She smelt GOOD!"  (and yes, he's standing an pointing her out."
    • There's have been multiple, "This is SO boring!" and "Was that the last song?" which is always nice for your kid to say loudly during the lull.
    • And then there was Easter Sunday when the priest was getting enthusiastic with the delivery of his homily and Chance looks up and shouts, "What's he getting all mad about?" 

     

     Our little angel.

     

    YiLin has been watching his siblings closely and has mastered the art of looking ready.

     

     

    He is playing in a league for kids 6 years through high school with various disabilities.  We weren't sure how that was going to work out but he had his first game last weekend and it seems to be a good fit.  He definitely understands the basics (hit the ball, run to the base, field the ball and throw it first or at least in the direction everyone is pointing) but with this league he can also change positions every batter pitch and no one is going to care.  The coach pitches to the kids.  Some of the older kids get regular overhand pitch.  Most get an underhand toss.  And after about 15 pitches or so, they will bring out a t-ball stand.  I liked that they always started out giving the kids a chance to hit a real pitch.  YiLin ended up with the t-ball stand his first two times at bat but actually hit a pitch his third time up.

     

    YiLin running to third.  Both Kenn and I have noticed how much his running and general coordination has improved.  He used to trip and stumble so much.  Now he's getting pretty fast and bends his arms when he runs.  He rarely squats down because he's out of breath like he used to on short walks.  He's really gaining ground.

     

    Look!  I made it to third!!!

     

     

    Thinking about the steal.

     

    A kid free photo.  I took this in our backyard one morning last week.  It was so beautifully foggy.

     

    Aw... speaking of beautiful.  Brotherly love.

     

    Okay guys, that's enough of the love.  There's a reason they sell boy's suits for under $20.

     

    Happy Easter!

     

    How about a smile boys?  This isn't Vogue.

     

    That's better.

     

    In China it's tradition to pose with the peace sign.

     

    But YiLin is already catching on.  Here in the Smitheroni house, we pose with Moose antlers (or something).  Remember this guy:

     

     The pose that's sweeping the nation.

     

    And with a final sad note....

     

    We lost our dear sweet Pea-Eye.  We never knew exactly how old he was but was not a young fella.  Never the brightest bulb on the porch but he could chase a tennis ball until he reached the point of exhaustion and always seemed to have a smile on his face.  He was cheeful to the end.  We miss you buddy.  The house seems so strange without a dog to trip over.