I'm highlighting all of Drew's T-ball games for our baseball loving family around the country who can't be there for every game. This is the only sport I intend to do this for.
Spring Break starts next week, so the league gave everyone the weekends on each end of Spring Break off. So last week was the last game for two weeks.
I was so preoccupied watching Drew's first at bat that I failed to take a picture of it. Here he is on third base...
For his second at-bat in the second inning he got on base. Here he's getting instruction from Coach Steve who is working 1st base.
The coaches alternate between first base and getting the kids prepped for their next at bat. Dave, who's the manager, is always getting the kids set up on the tee.
Here's Drew's final at bat (notice the weird man in the right side of the picture? Yep, that's GrampC). If you look carefully you can see Drew hit the ball just in front of the tee along the first base line.
I believe they managed to get him out, but like I've touched on previously they don't count outs at this stage in our league.
After the game and the boys all got their snacks and drinks, Manager Dave told everyone how he managed to play tricks on the Leprechaun and he stole all of his loot. Keep in mind this game was on March 16th, the day before St. Patrick's Day.
The kids loved it! Dave gave everyone a little frisbee, a green necklace and some gold coins that were really chocolate. Yes, he spoils these kids rotten!
Last week Dave and I met with Drew's Transitional Kindergarten Teacher for his second report card and final conference.
The short and sweet, he's come a long way emotionally/socially since the beginning of the year. Where she was concerned about his overreaction to issues that arise, he's done a lot better, but she still thinks we need to watch his impulse control - a lot of which is normal for 5 year old boys. I'll go into the story she shared at the end.
Here's how he's "Graded"
P= Proficient (highest achievement possible)
OT = On Track (age appropriate)
E = Emerging (needs a little work)
AC = Areas of Concern (serious problems)
X - Not Yet Taught/Assessed
There were four categories in which he's graded:
1. Social/Emotional
2. Language Arts
3. Math
4: Physical Development
5: just teacher comments
His previous "grades" are in parenthesis.
1. Social/Emotional:
Seeks adult help when appropriate - OT (E) Notes: He's come a long way, minus the incident the day before the conference (I'll touch on this at the end)
Engages in cooperative activities with peers - OT (E)
Exhibits impulse control and self-regulation - E (E) Notes: working on this (this goes along with the first bullet point, again to be discussed later)
Works Independently - OT (OT)
Participates in group activities - OT (OT)
Demonstrates caring for others - OT (E)
Follows Playground Rules - OT (E) She made several comments about how Drew is actually too competitive on the playground when he's racing classmates, she'd like him to work on this. I think this is a father/son trait.
Follows classroom rules and procedures - P (OT)
Separates from parents/caregivers without stress - P (P)
Follows Directions - P (OT)
2. Language Arts
Writes own first name in Titlecase - P (P)
Uppercase letters 5 10 15 - P (P)
Lower case letters 5 10 15 - P (P)
Exhibits beginning sound awareness - P (P)
Exhibits rhyme awareness - OT (X)
Listens while others are speaking - OT (OT)
Shares ideas with others - P (OT)
Actively engages in writing activities - OT (OT)
Actively engages in reading activities - P (P)
3. Math
Understands that numbers represent quantity - P (P)
Recognizes numbers in random order (0-12) - P (P)
Uses one-to-one correspondence to count objects (12) - P (X)
Recognizes common shapes - P (X)
Counts orally 1-20 - P (P)
Sorts by one attribute - P (X)
Extends simple patterns - P (X)
4. Physical Development
Demonstrates gross motor skills (balance, jump, run, climb) - OT (OT)
Demonstrates sense of body in relation to others - OT (OT)
Demonstrates fine motor skills (cut, color, draw) - OT (OT)
Performs basic self-help/self-care tasks - OT (E)
Uses Small Manipulatives effectively - P (OT)
5. Trimester Comments
Drew continues to show good growth in kindergarten. He loves playing imaginative games with his friends and is well liked. He is a creative thinker who thinks "outside of the box". He is a strong student and interested in all areas of the curriculum. At times he jumps to conclusions, loses a game or race and becomes very upset. We are working on this. We will focus on comprehension in language arts and number sense in math. Keep up the good work Drew!
When we first arrived for our conference his teacher told us about an incident that happened the previous day. Ironically Drew started telling me his version of it the previous day as well - and changed his tune as soon as he realized I was going to be speaking with his teacher. Funny how that works.
Anyway the incident involved another little boy that was continuously getting in trouble from the teacher put into "time out". Well on his last time out, he was instructed he no longer could play with the other kids, but had to find something to do independently. The boy listened like most 5 year olds do, and proceeded to try and interrupt what Drew was doing - apparently playing with some science stuff that involved a timer. The teacher said she was was unusually busy that day and while she saw the other little boy go over to approach Drew she didn't think much of it until she heard a blood curdling scream. Apparently Drew started screaming because the little boy snatched the timer out of his hands and then the boys began brawling. (While Drew used to hit kids in preschool he has yet to do it since about the age of 3 or 4).
Well the teacher quickly broke them up and told the one boy he was now in time out for the remainder of the day (10 more minutes of class left). Drew had 2 minutes, which she said he took and they talked about how while even though the boy made the teacher mad, the teacher didn't hit the boy... even if she thought about it. Drew took his punishment, but after his time was up, he went to the teacher and said "It should count for something that he hit me too". Apparently he was punished for not following directions and bothering Drew, not the hitting. The teacher said she got a good chuckle out of that.
In addition to the story, she went on about how he will still be challenged in Kindergarten, and why he shouldn't advance just to 1st grade (I think she was fielding a lot of questions from parents who thought their kids were ready to move on). She said he is amazing in reading and math - advanced for his age. She still said they want to keep an eye on him to ensure he's not just a sight reader, but she's no longer thinking so. In her opinion he's such a math wizard and language is so high he'll be a CEO when he grows up.
So another great conference! We've loved having her for our teacher.
And so it's not just a long winded post - here's a little picture of Drew from my phone from earlier this month when he was getting ready to sing Praise Him, Praise Him for the Children's Choir at Church.
If you know anything about my husband, he loves any holiday where he can dress up like a fool and get away with it. St. Patrick's Day is one of the holidays - he thinks he's Irish and feels a little green.
This year we made it to the St. Patrick's Day parade in a nearby city (we skipped last year because of weather). Drew loves parades and all the free loot he gets thrown at him.
This year we changed up our seating location - we usually sit right at the start of the parade, and this year we moved to the other side of the bridge more toward the staging area. So while we weren't on the official parade route (we missed the first 3 entries) we still had an awesome spot. Time was of the essence - we had to pack up quickly and get Drew to his T-ball game immediately following.
The first few things we missed were the police and fire kicking off the parade, but we managed to snap a photo with Daddy and Drew in front of the firetruck while they were still staging.
But once we got through the first few entries, we saw a steady stream of participants.
Drew always loves the Geico gecko.
What's a parade without a few clowns...
And I really like this shot.
... I believe he was trying to score more freebies.
Of course Dave got dressed up for the occasion - would you expect anything else? While Dave had his photo snapped about a dozen times by various reporters and was interviewed briefly by one, sadly he didn't make the paper this year. (He and Drew made it the first year we went to the parade when Drew was 2).
And here's a short story before heading to the next picture. Before the parade started Dave and I were talking about the Rose Parade we saw 6 years ago before Drew was born, and how George Lucas was the Grand Marshal and we saw Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers. Drew was so excited about that and was promised to see pictures/videos of that later.
And then we saw this at the end of the parade...
Oh. My. Gosh. Did I have an excited 5 year old! He's in love with anything Star Wars right now (thanks to Angry Birds Star Wars).
Dave captured this video on his cell phone as the Empire walked by:
After the parade we hustled home to get ready for T-ball and a Birthday Party.
Sunday after church, on the actual holiday, we continued our St. Patty's crawl by heading back for the annual Festival. We like strolling through the vendors and seeing what's out there - with a beer or two in hand - and Drew likes going for the rides.
This was the first time we've lived here and the weather was amazing for the weekend - so that meant it was even more crowded than years past. But as always we had a good time - until they started running out of beer..... party foul.
Last Saturday was Drew's 2nd T-ball game. I know some of you may get sick of the T-ball highlights but for our baseball loving family around the country - they are interested and this blog is for them anyway... so there you have it.
Drew at shortstop for the first inning...
And then his first at bat of the first inning...
Don't you love the action!?
This shot was when Drew made his way to third base by where we were sitting - a few batters later. The kids can only advance one bag at a time at this level, no matter where they hit it. There are no outs.
Again the entire National's team did great and Manager Daddy was proud of Drew making two outs in the second inning while he was manning first base! I managed to miss the first shot I was so excited and captured a nice picture of tree branches... but I get these shots for his second out.
The gentleman in the green shirt is one of Dave's assistant coaches. The gentleman in the white shirt above is one of the coaches from the Diamondbacks - the other team.
While I didn't catch the actual out, you can sort of make out the ball to the left of the first base. Drew got it in his glove and got the kid out.
At this level they play three innings and everyone gets a turn to bat. The last batter then clears the bases - essentially getting the grand slam.
That was Drew at the end of the third inning clearing the bases. I love our baseball Saturdays! We have another game tomorrow before a 2 week Spring Break hiatus.
On Thursday night we got the text that Matt's wife, Rana was going to have a baby! And little Avery Joy made her appearance shortly before 11am on Friday weighing in at 7lbs and 19 inches long. It was all I could do to focus at work before leaving to get Drew and Dave to head over to the hospital and give her our first cuddles.
We asked Drew what he though of his new cousin - yes, Drew's the only boy among a sea of girls - and he said "She's cute" in a shy quiet voice. I think he was intimidated, but liked what he saw.
And here's Grammy with Avery...
Grammy and Great-Grandma Geri were at the hospital all night waiting for the big delivery.
Uncle Dave with Avery...
And then his own baby....
I think Drew's grown a little since his infant days!
GrampC with his 4th grandchild.
And GG with her 8th (I think I counted right) great-grandchild.
And Rana's Mom Jan - a.k.a. Granny.
Have you seen a prouder Daddy? Tough guy Matt melts with a baby girl in his arms.
He actually begged to sniper the baby away from whomever had her. Quite the change from the day Drew was born and we forced him into Matt's arms. That's what time and your own child will do for ya.
And the family photo... awwww
Welcome to the family little Avery!
At Rana's shower everyone was asked to guess the day she'd come, the weight, height, and hair color. no one guessed the day, but Nancy C. picked the 7th, Grammy Kathie picked the 9th - Avery arrived on the 8th. Nancy guessed the weight at 7lbs, 19 1/2"... gotta say that's pretty much spot on if you're going for the tie. Grammy picked 6lbs 15 oz, and 20 3/4". I tried to get Rana to cross her legs until the 12th - the day I picked, but Avery had other plans. Her Auntie will remember that.... ;)
Saturday marked a big milestone in our house - our first Opening Day! Dave is a baseball freak and has since turned our lovely 5 year old into one as well. It's a good thing Drew likes baseball otherwise we'd be in trouble.
Dave is the team Manager as well and so they had their first game scheduled for Saturday at 11am. Before Daddy left to get the field prepped, we took a few candids outside.
Then Daddy went to the field and we met him about 30 minutes later. Drew started running on the field to warm up with some of his teammates.
Then they had to line up on the bench to get ready to have their first ever at-bat! Dave put numbers 1-10 on the bench and the boys were instructed to sit on their number until called up to get their helmet on and grab a bat. (one of the boys is already on the field)
Drew is the second one in, # 65. Oh and a cute aside story... Dave let Drew pick his first Little League number before he gave the jerseys to the other kids. While Daddy really wanted Drew to pick his former little league number (#11) Drew was adamant he wanted 65. When we asked why... "Because it's the age I'm going to be and the age I am now". Who can argue with that logic.
Back to the game...
Drew was number 3 in the line-up and I was wearing multiple hats, I was instructed by the team manager to take control and get the boys ready with helmets and bats so he could focus on the tee and getting things moving. The same said manager also instructed me to take lots of pictures of the game and video.... I tried to meet all of the bossy manager's requests ;)
Here was Drew's first ever at bat. I missed getting the video turned on fast enough.
At this age and in this league, they don't keep track of scores, outs or any thing. All kids get an at-bat and then the inning is over. Then they head out to the field to play defense - this happens three times.
Here is their first outfield experience...
Notice Manager Dave is reminding the boys to throw to first - and Drew (front center) and his new teammate are more interested in the batter at home plate.
The boys then have another at-bat and head back to the field. Second inning Drew was playing 1st base! There's another Assistant Coach who was helping the boys who played 1st base know where to stand and how to handle the ball.
It was a great first game! All in all, the team made three legitimate outs by fielding the ball and getting the runner at first base out. Some of the kids weren't understanding why they got the kids out, yet the kids remained on base. It was kind of cute.
And as Manager Dave said, the boys were crushing the ball!
Drew and the team had a great time and were already talking about the next game. I think they had a lot of fun - which is always great to see. And a couple of the boys stopped playing in the dirt long enough to try and go after the ball - a big accomplishment with 5 year olds.
The night before the Oscars, Dave and I had the chance to walk the red carpet...
This was for the formal dinner/auction fundraiser for Drew's school. The theme was an Evening of Lights. It was really cool how they literally had the red carpet and the Oscar statues. There was even a "reporter" asking all the ladies who they were wearing to then be given a glass of champagne.
We found our seats and grabbed a few drinks before dinner - which was steak and salmon. After dinner they brought out a casino and I played craps the rest of the night for a chance to win raffle tickets.
We came home with a raffle prize win of a Magnum of red wine and two bottles of port. Then we won a silent auction item for tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon. We can't wait to head out to San Francisco to enjoy that one.
We had a great night. That was the first night I finally felt better (after more than a month of being sick). Of course that all caught up to me the next day - and no I wasn't hung over. I didn't drink that month. I wasn't used to stay up that late.
Dave and I are looking forward to doing this again at Drew's next school - he only went to this school for TK and he'll move to our neighborhood school for Kindergarten.
