A Long Time Coming

Since, eh, December I've been wanting to go to San Francisco.  Since The Lime just started baseball, and our Saturdays are now booked until June, we thought this weekend would be the perfect time to go. 

We didn't necessarily rush out the door yesterday morning but we did make it to San Francisco before lunch, so I call it a success.

Our initial plan was to go to Tartine Bakery, grab some pastries, head across the street to look at some knives for LaVor, and then take our treats to Dolores Park and enjoy them while the boys played.

Here's how the plan actually turned out:

As we were crossing the second span of the Bay Bridge, The Lime exclaimed he REALLY had to go to the bathroom (he got a new water bottle and has been drinking water non-stop.  It's great for his health, bad for road trips).  I told him we weren't stopping until we got to the bakery so he'd have to hold it. 

We got off the freeway, drove through the city, and ended up in the extremely crowded Mission district.  It was a glorious day and everyone was outside enjoying the sun...and I mean everyone.  We drove around and around and around looking for a parking space while The Lime crossed his legs in the backseat.  We went this way, that way, backwards, and forwards and there was NOTHING.  I repeat NOTHING.  So after an hour, I dropped The Lime and LaVor off at the bakery to pee and told them I'd circle around to pick them up.  Another half hour later, and still no parking space, I picked them up (with treats in their hands) and we decided to forego our original plan and go straight to lunch (since it was after 1:00 by this point).

We drove to North Beach where, once again, I dropped LaVor off at the restaurant and the boys and I drove around and around looking for another stinkin' parking spot.  This time, we only had to drive for about 5 minutes before we found something.  I grabbed their scooters from the back and we raced our way to LaVor.  We had about a half hour wait so we scooted around Washington Square, admiring the grown men playing laser tag.  We saw them on the way to the restaurant from the car and they all had the same shoulder bag with a Giants logo on it.  I also noticed some sort of device strapped to the side.  When we saw them in the park, they were talking into headsets and shooting things.  The Lime thought they were "police guys" so I had to stop them and ask them what was going on.  They were an urban laser tag group and invited me to play.  I graciously declined and we all got a good laugh out of it.

Doodlebug was especially quick on his scooter as he weaved in and out of people, accidentally clobbering some guy in the ankle.  Thankfully, the man was nice and thought Doodlebug was cute.  What wasn't cute was the little stinker thinking he could take the hills and me biting my finger, hoping he wouldn't crash (he didn't).

Our table was finally ready and we ordered right away since we knew exactly what we wanted.  The Caesar salad arrived first, with three anchovies adorning the top of it.  LaVor and I teased each other about trying one and The Lime pestered me to try one.  When I offered him the same opportunity, he became SO offended that he refused to talk to us, look at us, or put a smile on his face.  Then I cut Doodlebug's extremely large slice of pizza in half and he went off the deep end.  I managed to finish one slice before we asked our waiter for boxes so we could leave.  This trip was not going as planned  :)

Since we were just down the hill from Coit Tower (and none of us have ever been), we decided to take a peek.  What darling houses along the way, I must say!  The view up there is pretty spectacular, too.

I spy with my little eye...

We had the opportunity to go to the top but the line was long and after the issues at lunch, we didn't want to risk the boys going cuckoo...again.

On our way down, LaVor took advantage of the stair railings and did a little sliding. A couple was walking in front of us and the gentleman commented (sarcastically) on what a wonderful example LaVor was being. So LaVor slid down the next railing and had The Lime do it, too.

Thinking we might be able to find a parking space in the Mission since it was later, we headed back to the knife shop before they closed at 6. This area was still packed so I dropped The Lime and LaVor off and sleeping Doodlebug and I filled the car up with gas.

The Lime REALLY wanted to go to the beach so after I picked them up, we drove up Van Ness, took a left on Geary, and drove as far as the road would take us...directly to the beach. The sun had already set but we could still see where we were going. LaVor stayed in the car with Doodlebug while The Lime and I checked out the Sutro Baths. Good golly, we wished we could have seen what it was like during its heyday.

I asked The Lime if he wanted to go down to the beach and he did. So we pretty much felt our way and enjoyed the sound of the ocean since we couldn't see it very well.

The lack of light didn't stop him from having fun. I'm glad we made the effort to stop, even though it was dark, because it made The Lime so happy.

Rather than driving all the way back across the city, we took the Golden Gate bridge home. One last hooray for our day in San Francisco.

Baseball 2017

We heard from our coach last week but with the rain we've received, there's been a delay in practices. Finally, we had a break in the weather, the fields were able to dry up a bit, and The Lime was ready to play.

This is the coach's first year participating and he seems really excited about the opportunity. The coach The Lime had for the last two rounds of baseball moved up to the AA division, which we were sad about, but I think Coach Travis is going to be super. He's a firefighter in Redwood City and recruited his dad to help him out. So far, so good.

The Lime is excited to be one of the older/more experienced players on his team. Two boys from his t-ball team are playing with him again and a friend from his class at school. It's always nice to see some familiar faces!

Since it was their first practice, they reviewed the basics of throwing, catching, and hitting. The Lime jumped with eagerness as they moved onto the next exercise.

His favorite place to be...the outfield  :)

LaVor was thrilled with everything in this picture

While The Lime practiced, Doodlebug whipped around on his scooter and begged to pet every dog that walked by. He's such a riot.

He does this thing where he keeps his head down but looks up with his eyes. It's creepy but hilarious all at once. Here he was, snacking on Goldfish while giving me "the look", except this is a toned down version.

This is going to be a great season and we can't wait to get things rolling! Play ball!

1,000 Post! And American Symbols

10 years and 1,000 posts later, this blog is still alive and kicking (for the most part).

The Lime, and the rest of the first graders, have been practicing for the past month getting ready for their American Symbols play.

The Lime's class represented the eagles and, by golly, they were pretty darn cute.

Only a few kids per class got a part to say and The Lime was chosen to recite, "I saw a great seal balance a ball on its nose at Sea World once." He memorized the heck out of it and did a great job when it came time to perform.

The Lime is the black eagle  :)

After the kids recited their parts, each class sang a song pertaining to their symbol. I didn't record the Liberty Bell's song (since my kid wasn't in that class) but it was pretty cute. In fact, all the songs were pretty dang cute.

I thought I was recording the kids when they sang "You're a Grand Old Flag" but it turns out I pressed record when I was done. Thank goodness they performed it a second time so I got a chance to re-record it!

Doodlebug was anxious to see The Lime after the performance and The Lime was anxious to take a picture with his buddy, Jordan.

Trying to get a picture of 25 first graders is quite the task. Trying to get a picture of 25 eagles is just as difficult :)

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 33

I felt like I needed to do an update, mainly because he's doing new things.

-Has to sleep with his Marshall blocks, Sky toy, and Zuma toy.
-Shrugs his shoulders and says, "I on't know" when he doesn't know something.
-Tells me to "hold on" numerous times a day.
-Asks me to turn the car radio up louder and louder until we're all deaf.
-Really hates sharing his toys.
-Loves eating Raisin Bran for breakfast.
-Says "orry, Mommy!" when he apologizes to me.
-Is a terror if he doesn't get a nap.
-Hates having his hands dirty, or really anything on him dirty. I have no idea where he gets that from :)
-Still calls water "awa", still has his little saying when he wants something and when he doesn't.
-Fits right in (or at least he thinks he should) with the big kids when we visit The Lime's classroom. All the little girls try and carry him or pick him up but he just wants to be one of the guys.
-Calls himself RieRie.
-Does an awesome job riding his scooter.
-Closes his eyes intensely when we say prayers.
-Has started using "cause" as an answer...gets it from Big Bro.
-Knows how to have a good time and makes us very happy.

Sunshine!

After nearly a month of steady rain, we have blue skies and sunshine today! We are ever so grateful for the much needed rain but the break was welcomed with open arms.

I've been wanting to sing "There is sunshine in my soul today!" and "Sun is shining, weather is sweet! Make you want to move your dancing feet!" But rather than singing, we've practiced baseball, played outside, and opened all of the blinds and windows in the house. It's been wonderful.

Doodlebug got a scooter from Santa but hasn't been too keen on using it...until now. He hopped right on that thing and raced The Lime up and down the street.

Every time he'd scoot by me, Doodlebug would say "Cheese!" and insist I take his picture.

Both boys got haircuts last week and, although I didn't think it was possible, they're so much cuter when I can see their sweet faces.

Our daffodils started poking up through the dirt about a month ago and have been beaten down with rain storm after rain storm.  They blossomed this week and I was so afraid they wouldn't survive the beatings.  But they did and I can tell they're loving the sun just as much as we are. I am anxiously awaiting our tulips to start popping up, too!

The boys got some sidewalk chalk for Christmas that we've only been able to use a couple times. So we put it to good use today by drawing a globe, a train, and plenty of hearts for Valentines Day.

It's amazing what a day of sunshine can do for your mood. We are rejuvenated and ready for the next round of rain!

The Lime - Tally Mark 84 - Part 2

-Still has Lucifer and gets a little freaked out when he doesn't have it
-Loves having his back rubbed before he goes to bed.
-Wears a size 2.5 shoe, 8 pants, and 7 shirts.
-Will put on the BMX shoulder pads our neighbor gave us and pretend he's a football player.
-Thinks he's a Warriors fan.
-Says "I believe so" quite often.
-Only brings home books about animals from the school library.
-Watches YouTube videos about Nerf Guns and has become quite the connoisseur.
-Spent the evening of his birthday on the toto. Poor kid.
-Has a tendency of bossing kids around at school and telling his tablemates who can stack chairs and for how long.
-Always orders pizza and french fries at Chilis. Also, he likes to tell waiters what he wants. And always asks if he can have a side of ranch.
-Still calls substitute teachers "step" teachers.
-Still sucks on his tongue when he's relaxed or getting ready to go to sleep.
-Always has a plan ready in case he runs into a bad guy.
-Loves to wrestle and snuggle.
-Likes to spend money as soon as he gets some.
-Still takes naps on the weekends.
-Blessed our lives 7 years ago and has continued to do so each day since.

The Lime - Tally Mark 84 - Part 1

Dear Freddy,

At dinner tonight, you said that you were ready to turn 7. I'm glad you're ready because I'm not!

I don't know where to begin...

How about with how big you are, literally and figuratively. When you stood up in Primary on Sunday for them to sing to you, you towered over the little girl next to you who happens to be a day older. I shouldn't be surprised because you've always been a long, lean boy. I know it's coming soon but I'm not looking forward to the day you'll be taller than me. Perhaps we should get you signed up for basketball sooner rather than later.

You are a wonderful big brother and help with Doodlebug all the time. Even though it's tight, you two love sharing a room and I love hearing you say goodnight to each other after I've closed the bedroom door. He usually wakes up before you do but on the mornings where I don't get him first, you kindly wake up, get him out of his bed, gather all his essentials, and bring him to the family room (unless he makes a beeline for our bedroom). You aren't shy to give him hugs and kisses when you line up with your classroom each morning and after school when we pick you up.

Speaking of picking up, you are a bit of a worry wort (like me!) when it comes to us picking you up. On two different occasions, we met you in a different spot and you did NOT like that. Your tender heart worries easily and you like routine. So I make sure to be at the same spot every day, on time, so the second your leave your classroom, you can see us and be at ease.

You scored big time at Christmas and your pre-birthday with grandparents in the "school" department. When we play school, you love pretending you're the teacher and I can tell what your teacher does in the classroom because you like to replicate it. She has been a blessing in your life and I love that you love learning because of her. You've improved leaps and bounds in just a few months and I know you'll keep improving in your reading, writing, and math.

You still love your bike and love being outside. Except it's been rainy rainy rainy and is going to continue to be rainy rainy rainy for the next week. Sort of like when you were born. But I can guarantee as soon as the sun starts to shine, you'll be begging to go back outside. Especially since your friend/neighbor/classmate, Emma, is home from vacation.

I love that you don't care, yet, about friends being boys or girls. We won't be able to have a friends party this year but you still want to have a special event with Emma. Talula is also one of your friends at school and you treat both of them with kindness and love. The boys are a different story. You seem to have a new story every day of someone griping about something that happened at recess. Silly boys.

You strive to be good, most of the time. You want to follow the rules and we encourage you to be a good example. We want your light to shine through because we know it's in there. Teachers, friends, and family always compliment us on what a great boy you are when they spend one on one time with you. You give us a run for our money at home but I'm grateful you're on your best behavior with others.

Six was an eventful age for you; getting glasses, breaking your arm, learning to ride a skateboard, learning to tie your shoes, eating coleslaw on your pulled pork sandwiches :)

Seven is going to be just as awesome!

You make me smile and my heart swell. I can't believe it's been 7 years since I held your tiny body in my arms and took care of every single one of your needs. I try to gather as much of you in my arms nowadays but it's not quite the same. So I will take whatever I can get and treasure each hug, snuggle, and kiss you'll let me sneak in. Continue to be kind, thoughtful, push yourself, and remember that you are capable of so much!

I love you, my sweet boy!

Mommy