Hey, Slugger!

I finally got the tball video to upload. He cracks me up when he takes a "practice swing" then picks up that foot and steps into the ball (or whatever the baseball lingo is). I wish I had an upclose video of his face because I know he is concentrating so hard. This was his last year of tball. Next year will be coach pitch baseball. Should be interesting to see.

Now to figure out how to edit out the annoying mom voice from the video.

Yeah, We're In For It

Conversation in the bathroom that I overheard .

Please note this is not a typo or an episode from the Twilight Zone.

Although after you read it, you might think I got the names mixed up.

Luke: (splashing a little too hard in the tub)

Kevin: (gently) Luke, let's keep the water in the tub.

Luke: (splashing even harder, on purpose)

Kevin: (much more firmly) Luke!! Daddy said let's keep the water in the tub.

Luke: DO NOT talk back to me!

Kevin: Um, no. You don't talk back to Daddy like that.

Luke: You are NOT THE DADDY!

Kevin: Um, yeah. Yes, I am most definitely the Daddy. YOU are not the daddy.

Luke: (backing down in a small voice) I not the daddy?

Kevin: No.

Luke: Oh, ok. (I can't say for sure because I wasn't in there, but I think he might have gotten one last splash in there just to show whose could be boss if he wanted to).

His preparation for "I'm Three Years Old" has begun.

TBall Wrap Up

They finished the season undefeated.

Well, I guess you can call it undefeated since they don't keep score at this age.

Fletcher is waiting for his turn to bat. There are lots of rules at this age like "players must remain seated if they are not batting or out on the field" and "players may not pick up a bat until a coach tells them to".
Here's his team getting ready to meet their opponents.

I wish I could market this idea. I bought one of those under the bed somewhat shallow plastic storage bins with a lid. We filled it with sand and sand toys and brought it to the games and practices. It was lightweight enough that I could carry it and it fit in the Pilot. Luke (and several friends) spent the majority of the games and practices playing in the sand. Even if the sand spills out (which it did), it doesn't hurt anything and I can always refill it. I cannot tell you how many moms came up to me and told me what a wonderful idea it was. It is still in our garage and Luke asks to play with it all the time. So we drag it out on the driveway and play. Much cheaper than a regular sand box and we don't have to worry about the sand getting wet or critters getting into it. So for those of you reading who have little ones, file this idea away somewhere the next time you need to entertain them.

I have some great videos of Fletcher hitting the ball, but Blogger is being difficult tonight so I will have to post them later this week.

Summer Is Officially Here!

This was their first official dip in the pool for this summer. We were at a hotel on a little getaway trip. I thought the water would be freezing. They loved it anyway. Needless to say, I could barely get them to stand still long enough for a picture. I think we've been to the pool every day since it opened last weekend. Luke asks to go to the pool every morning when he wakes up. I think the pool will be our second home this summer. I probably need to get one of those wide brimmed sombrero grandma type hats so I don't get too much sun.

Tesselations

A tessellation is created when a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without any gaps or overlaps.

Here are some examples.

When I taught high school Geometry, I taught a unit on tesselations. The kids thought it was really cool and made some great picturesI'm glad to see that Subway has gotten on board with the tesselation concept so that the cheese will supply maximum coverage to the sandwich. I'm glad to know those sandwich artists are always thinking about their customers. You can read the full article here.

So check your Subway sandwich on July 1st to see if it is in compliance.

Now see if you can use the word tesselate today in a conversation so people will think you are really super smart.

Awards Day

Fletcher's school had their Awards Ceremony on Tuesday for K-6th grade. In assembly every morning, they've been studying who they are in Christ so the beginning part of the program was a recap of what they had learned throughout the year. I was amazed at how much scripture the kids had memorized to go along with who they are in Christ - deeply fallen, fully forgiven, eternally loved, His bride, weak yet strong, rich yet poor, His child.


Each child also got an award from his or her teacher. The award wasn't based on academic accomplishments. Instead it was based on the child's character - things like diligence, joyful attitude, servant heart and prayer warrior. It was very cool to hear the things the teacher said about each child. You could tell the teachers put alot of thought into those awards. Some of the teachers had a theme of sorts like Fletcher's teacher. She gave each of her 8 students an award based on a person in the Bible (Hannah, Jonathan, Peter, Paul, Miriam, etc) and the character traits that person in the Bible represented.


Here is Fletcher's award.



In case you can't read it, it is the "Timothy Award" for his knowledge of the Scriptures and his desire to study to show himself approved unto God. The verse she chose for him is 2 Timothy 2:15. We are so proud of him. It is sad to see this kindergarten year come to an end. He has learned so much and had such a great time. His teacher has laid an incredible foundation (and set a pretty high bar) for his education in future years.

Stalling

I've noticed a pattern.

I've started a few posts with the whole "I normally don't talk about bodily functions on the blog, but..." disclaimer.

Well, I've decided with a two and a half year old who is potty training, some posts are just going to have to be about bodily functions. So no more excuses or disclaimers. Now I'm just going to say that sometimes I do talk about pee and p00p on this blog. So now you know.

Because I spend the majority of my day with Luke, it is inevitable that I have to take him to the bathroom when we are out running errands.

I'm trying to think of a way to put this delicately. When it is just the two of us, he has to be with me when I have to go too.

(I can't believe I am telling this. He will DIE when he reads this when he is about 13.)

Imagine for a moment...

You are at the local mall and you feel the urge so you go into their public restroom into one of the stalls...

Then you hear a little voice in the stall next to you....

"Mom!!!! You're doing it! You are going in the potty!"

"Good job, Mom!"

"Mommy, I am so proud of you!"

"You are such a big girl, Mom!"

"Flush, Mommy. Then wash your hands!"

I haven't felt so encouraged in my bathroom habits in probably 40 years.

I hear you snickering in your stall.

Then, because I'm a germ freak, I flush the toilet with my foot. The first time Luke saw me do it, he thought it was hilarious. He busts out with "You don't flush with your foot, Mommy. You flush with your hands, silly!" (Yes, I heard you continue to laugh in your stall). Now at home he tries to flush with his foot.

You can just imagine how that's going.