The Barefoot Kitchen Witch

I Have a Son

Yesterday I took the kids out to lunch and then shopping for new shoes for their fat little feet.  Okay, not fat.  Just, you know, always growing bigger, for some reason.  Why is that? 

Anyway, after finally finding sneakers that were acceptable and fit right, we headed to one more store before the promised trip to the carousel in the food court.  (The carousel was my bribe for good behavior.)

We went in to this last store, and I waited while the sales clerk finished ringing up another customer.  Then I spoke.  "Um, my son is playing T-ball...and he needs a cup."

Ah, yes.  The boy's first plastic penile protective device.  They don't have a space for that in his baby book for some reason - just the walking and talking and teeth. 

Anyway, we got the kind that's like little white boxer shorts with a pocket for the cup - no straps or anything to worry about.  And we went home.

Later on, I was with him when he changed into his clothes for T-ball practice.  I told him to put on this new pair of "baseball underwear."  I'd already put the cup in the little pocket in front.  He looked at me with a slightly skeptical look on his face, then pulled on the shorts. 

He was both amused by and fascinated with the new bulge.  He knocked on it with his knuckles and looked up at me with that sweet almost-six-years-old face and said with a newfound look of manly pride:  "It looks like I have a really big, hard pee-pee!"

And so it begins.

First Day of T-Ball Practice

Alex had his first T-Ball practice this afternoon.  Bill helped him get his gear together, and the two of them headed to the field while I stayed home with Julia and made dinner.  It's cold and windy today, and we just didn't think Julia would be all that thrilled to sit on the bleachers for 45 minutes.

Anyway, I took a few pictures of Alex before he and Bill took off....

And then I thought it would be fun to try to get him to do the Papelbon stare.

I told him to look mean, and glare up at me just below the brim of his cap.

This was the look he gave me.

I told him to keep the mean eyes, but to lose the snarl.

We ended up laughing at each other as we made mean faces, and I had to look away so he could get his face under control.

You can see the little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  He fought it pretty well.

Then it was time to go...

      

(Sure, NOW he's serious.)

And off they went.

They got back around an hour later, and Alex had had a great time.  They learned to run the bases, practiced catching ground balls, and teamed up in twos to play catch. 

They have team pictures in a couple of weeks, and his first game is the weekend after that. 

It kind of blows my mind that I have a son old enough to participate in organized sports. 

But at the same time - it's so cool.

P.S.  There was another shot I took of Alex that I decided to play around with a bit.  You can see it below.

Coffee and a Ball Game

This morning, approximately 6:30, we were thus assembled:  Bill, with coffee in his travel mug.  Julia, clutching her pink elephant.  Alex, and me, with coffee cup in hand as well. 

And we are all watching the Sox play Oakland in Japan.

Interesting trying to explain to Alex that this game was actually taking place at night, far, far away.

And Julia knows who Big Papi is.

We're trying to raise 'em right.

I'll be back later.  We're ahead in the 10th, and now Oakland's up, Pap is pitching.  I need to watch.

Spring Training

The family that plays together...

We signed Alex up for T-ball this year - play starts in May.  He needed a glove, so we went shopping for that this morning.  His is the black and gray one on the bottome right.  And if you look to the left of that, you'll see a very pink and purple glove, smaller.  And you would be right in guessing that we got that for Julia - initially so she wouldn't feel left out.

Funny thing.  Bill was showing Alex how you keep your index finger out of the glove...and when we gave Julia her glove to try on at the store, her tiny little index finger was poking out too. 

And Bill figured he needed a glove, because he hasn't had a glove since he was twelve, and this way he can play catch with Alex and really show him how to catch with the glove, etc.  His glove is the one above Julia's.  And then I was feeling left out (never mind Julia - what about ME??) and so I got one as well, since my old glove upstairs is also a relic from when I was around 12 or so, too.  Mine's pink and black... both serious and girly at the same time, I suppose.

They're pretty supple as-is, but they still need some breaking in.

We also got Alex a batting tee so he can get used to that as well. 

 

Meanwhile, Julia was waiting her turn...

To be continued....