First Game

Late last night I got a phone call. The boys were going to have their first game ever tomorrow. Immediately I texted Dionys to let him know the news. "Do the boys know?" He asked.

"No, they were asleep before the coach called."

He didn't like my answer. "What? They can't even anticipate their first game and be able to dream about it?" Fortunately, the boys were excited enough as it was when they woke up and I let them in on the big event that would take place at 5:30pm.

Of course, their first question would be their uniforms so I let them know that their coach would have the uniforms there. "Will it be in our locker?" AJ wondered. Sleeping or not, they can still dream.

As we arrived at the field you could feel their excitement. The big boys were playing underneath the lights on the big fields. AJ really wanted to be there.  But we walked for a while looking for their field.  Finally, clear back in the back we found those cute little t-ball fields that are just big enough for little 5 year old legs. There was no dissappointment at all as the boys got their jerseys straight from their coach, put on their new team hats and suited up right out in the open with no clubhouse in sight.

Their team was up to bat first and DJ was the lead off hitter.  He walked up to the plate, smacked that ball as hard as he could and ran to first.  AJ was second in the line up.  As he hit a line drive right through 1st and 2nd, DJ ran to 2nd base and AJ ran to first.  And so the game continued with each player getting one turn at bat in every inning and running all the bases for 3 innings.

After each one of their teammates got a chance to hit and run, it was the next team's turn to bat. The boys got to play defense.  Sometimes, I think the other players got confused thinking it was football and tackling eachother for the baseball but, since our boys don't really know anyother sport there was no confusion on their part.  DJ was placed in the pitcher position and AJ got to play first.  This made for some GREAT plays between the twins since they teach them to throw to first on every play.  It did kind of throw DJ off a little because he kept wanting to make the play at home but since there are no outs he followed his coach's advice and kept throwing to the solid first baseman, his brother. 

There were a few highlights of the game:

*1st inning: DJs on third and getting ready to come home.  The ball is hit.  DJ runs!  He SLIDES into home and scores!!!  "That was AWESOME!" He let us know while walking off the field.  (The highlight being that DJ SLID into home.  There is no sliding in t-ball.  His coach quickly reminded him.)

*2nd inning:  AJ's up to bat.  He swings and line drives it straight into the outfield.  Could have been a double if they would let the kids run more than one base.  Oh, who are we kidding?  That would have been a home run the way those kids play defense.  Nice hit AJ!

*3rd inning:  After a quite a few very good plays between the Cesar boys the coach's wife leans over to me and asks, "Is this the first year your boys have played?"  I let her know it is their first year.  "They're really good", she replied.  Couldn't help but smile at that one after all it is in their blood.

The next game is Friday, four days away.  I don't know if they can wait that long.  But I guess it's good because now they'll have four days to anticipate and four nights to dream.

Some T-ball Videos

Chicken Bones

Any of you who know Papi, know of his taste for chicken bones. All this time I thought it was cultural but apparently it is in the DNA.

What's For Lunch?

We have LOVED our garden. It's a little overgrown with weeds, okay a lot overgrown, but the veggies still grow and we are taking advantage of every last broccoli floret and green onion stalk available. It's great to look out the kitchen window and see the kids out in the garden picking red ripe tomatoes and green peas right off the vines and popping them in their mouths, no chemicals that need to be washed off, no germs from being handled by other people just yummy home grown food. Alexandria brought in this harvest for us today. So for lunch we had a lettuce, spinach, broccoli, green onion, cilantro, cherry tomato salad mixed with some chicken - apple salad, using the chicken bottled by yours truly. It was delicious! The kids gobbled it all up, ALL of it right down to the last cherry tomato seed. And I was satisfied knowing that if there was a food shortage we could at least have one meal covered.

And So It Begins . . .

Today was a BIG day for these guys. I'll give you a hint. See this picture.


They had their first official baseball / t-ball practice. The excitement was tangible in our home today as I was fielding questions left and right from early morning until practice time:

"Will we get our own lockers?"
"Should I take my baseball clothes and change at the field like Papi does?"
"What color pants should I wear?"
"Will you ask what color we should wear for the games?"
"Should I wear my own hat?"
"Do I need to take my batting gloves?"
"Do they have a club house?"
"Will we get something to eat?"
"Will there be people watching?"

After all the experience these guys have with Papi's practices, I was a little worried they would be let down with a just simple practice in an elementary school field and no clubhouse, drinks or even bases. But I was wrong.

As soon as we got there DJ jumped out and with his mom at his side walked right into practice. AJ stayed in the car and watched first. I'm sure he was scouting out the talent to make sure he would be better than they were. Once he was confident enough that he could not only keep up but that he would be the star he decided to join the team too.

The lack of professional baseball amenities didn't hold these boys back at all. They laughed, played and really enjoyed their practice time that was cut a little short because of the freezing cold weather.

AJ's wrap up of the day, "That was a good practice!"

Lemon Hero

CUTE PIC OF ISABEL HERE
(I am seriously lacking in my picture taking duties just imagine one until I get one up.)

Every so often we get random people coming by to pick lemons. I've always said yes have at it. That tree gives us all the lemons we need and a lot that we are happy to share. But when Alexandria came in from outside and told me there were 4 men that wanted to know if they could pick some lemons I was a little hesitant. Why do four men want to pick lemons? Either they are landscapers looking for work or they want to clean the tree to turn around and sell our well watered lemons! I was about to get in the shower so I told her to just ignore them and maybe they would go away.

The nice hot water of the shower was just beginning to warm me up when Alexandria walked back in to let me know that they had filled up one box and that they were using our citrus picker to do it. Then, I knew. They were going to clean off the tree! Our citrus picker was in the backyard, locked in the shed. They had brought their own. Oh, no I thought. I still need those lemons! (I'm really behind this year on juicing and freezing the lemon juice.) I started to quickly rush through my shower routine. Lather . . . rinse . . .

"Mom, they have two boxes." . . .eeerrrr. . .do I have to repeat?

"Mom, they have three boxes." Leave on 1 -3 minutes?

"Mom, they have four boxes!!" Legs will just have to wait until tomorrow, I'm getting out.

But there was no need. It seems we have a super hero in this family and she's three. Isabel took the situation in her own hands. With a little encouragement from big sis she grabbed her brother's wooden sword, marched her fiesty, little three old body outside and pointed the toy sword at those four grown men. "Don't do it!" She threatened them.

"What?" One asked.

With her sword still in both hands pointed directly in their direction she ordered them again. "Don't pick the lemons!"

This darling little girl can be pretty intimidating and with a sword in her hands . . . well you can only imagine how those men must have felt. So they left. Our brave, three year old Isabel had scared them away or chased them away. But no matter. They were gone and we still have lemons. Isabel was our lemon hero that day. Her reward? All the lemonade she could possibly drink.

Look What I Found

Random pictures of my kids in the car. Courtesy of this guy who only got caught because he happened to take his own self portrait.

Swim Boobs

"Look Mom here's boobs for you for when you swim." Just what I and everyone else in Old Navy needed to hear today.

New Toy

This was me everyday after the kids went to bed, checking emails, reading blogs and catching up on Facebook and doing any other computer related task that needed to be done that day.

But then Papi told me to get one of these.

So I did. And now since I can do all that with this while I'm out I have time to blog again. :) Yea!! Now if I can just get into the habit of taking pictures again. . .

Plus I can text all I want and you can text me all you want because hey, why not? Bonus!