First Game

We decided to play Little League this year. Jack decided two years ago that baseball was his game, and so last year we played Multi-League. Multi-League is a less competitive league in our city. Coach pitched, boys and girls, no keeping score. You get the picture. Jack was one of the stars of the team, it was a ton of fun, but not competitive enough for him. For ME it was perfect. One practice a week, one game a week, the sweetest coach in the world, and my son could do no wrong. I 've also heard horror stories about the parents of little league players, and how some kids never get to play, it's so competitive, and so I had concerns. So we lucked out...Jack's coach is great. He emphasizes having fun, while teaching them a TON about baseball, something we sort of missed in the other league...so in the end he was a little behind in the actual playing skills area, even though he has quite a bit of natural ability. He's learning so much and loving it, so I'm really glad we made the switch, but wow....it it soooo much more demanding. Monday night was his first game with the Blue Jays. It was a tie 3-3.

I tried to sneak a photo...but he was too far away...uh oh....I may have to upgrade, and buy a new lens for my camera...darn!!!

Just a cool photo, the first I tried to take of him, and just liked the way it turned out.




And Husband...the light was so beautiful, and he looks so content.

Lunchtime!!!

I've always made the baby food around here...and with Jack had a lot of luck...he would eat anything I made with glee, and I followed a great book, Mommy Made, to the letter, and he did great. With Alexa and Travis it was more hit and miss. Like hit the pears apples and banana, and miss anything resembling a vegetable. I never mixed anything for the older kids...just gave them their fruit/veg, a grain, and then a protein. But along came these twins, and being a little shorter on time, I make them things, and if they don't like then, they get slop. Meaning I mix things they don't really like with something else they don't really like, and voila!!! A new favorite.

So today, for lunch they had 3 cubes of pears and2 cubes of carrots all mixed up with multi-grain cereal, and half of a Yobaby vanilla yogurt..they don't like vanilla yogurt...and about a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.,

They scarfed it up, and were so happy!!!

Some other favorites are zucchini and apple, or carrots and yams, this is good with some yogurt and cinnamon as well. Alexa thinks it smells like pumpkin pie. Peas have to be mixed with something, anything. And now I've discovered this website...perhaps thru Arizona, Wholesome Babyfood that gives all of these great, and some kind of scary, combos as well!!!!

Don't Fence Me In

Well, I broke down, and bought a cage for the babes. Husband calls it 'the pit'. Don't ask me why. He thinks it's funny. My mom has always tried to get me to use a playpen, and I've never really wanted to, or felt like I need to, but here we are. It wasn't so much to keep them in.

It was to keep the monkeys out,

and their hazardous toys. They are everywhere!!! No matter how much I pick them up. But the cage is a big pain in my behind...to open, and to negotiate...so I barely use it. But I am trying to get better about it. And also trying to find a cuter one. For some reason, it seems as though it will be less prisonlike.

The Zoo

We had a great day at the Oakland Zoo on Friday. The weather was good, the kids in good spirits. I haven't been in a while I guess. The Children's Zoo has been completeley renovated, and is wonderful. We do struggle a bit now with the age gap and finding things to entertain the span of ages in our family, but the zoo is pretty good in that respect. It's better than The Jungle anyway. For me that is. And the babies. The older kids asked for it, but I denied them. I'm so mean.

Jack planning his escape.

There are lots of creatures to climb on.

And people to watch.

Great Grandma loves Elephants, this was for her.

Oddly, I met this woman with twins, she had an amazing double bassinet carraige type stroller. It was stunning. I was talking to her about the twins, and she said they were identical, and she knew because they had an early ultrasound that showed....and she mumbled something, but that the twins had Twin to Twin Transfer Syndrome. I told her that my girls were monoamniotic, and she freaked out. Apparently this was what she was mumbling, but didn't bother because no one ever knows what she's talking about. She was misdiagnosed....and her membrane was found at 11 weeks. I have to say it was pretty neat to run into a random person that knew what Momos are.

So much FUN!!!!

I am loving the new camera!!! I am having a little trouble avoiding the shake, hence the blurry photos....I even like those! I'll just have to keep practicing! I LOVE that I can put it on the 'sport' setting, and take about a zillion photos a second,

without getting caught.

Or get LOTS of photos, when the kids are feeling like indulging me.

My Dilemma

My monkey wants a style change. A mohawk. I'm struggling with this decision. I'm not sure why...I suppose it's a stigma thing, and that irritates me as well. I have always let the kids express themselves stylewise, Jack had long hair, Alexa dressed in dress-up clothes for two years...but a mohawk? I took him to get his hairs cut, and got a fauxhawk, but it isn't satisfactory. Not spiky enough, or bald enough. Oh, what to do. Part of my issue is that he has a little bit if a 'rep' at school. He can be a little impulsive(hits), and very energetic. He has grown up and improved so much I am afraid a mohawk would be the final straw in a kind of tender situation. I am lobbying to wait until school is out...Husband wants to go ahead, but he went to boarding school from the age of seven and loves to let the kids make these "creative calls" since he was never allowed to. I have to think this one out. And maybe remove my feelings from the mix, and let Monkey make his choice.


The current look

Jack's long hair...looking a LOT like Shaun Cassidy

Alexa's Diva Ballerina stage