Catherine's opening day

It was Cats turn for opening day... She was terrific hitting and pitching.   She did so good as a pitcher,  striking out most of her opponents....I love the smile!!!!

     I know I say it quite often, but I really love watching these kids play.  Catherine gets so into her softball and we are quite impressed how much she's improved with Laura's help.  I'm half expecting her to cry if she walks someone but she is an intense warrior who buckles down and doesn't get flustered at all.

Muckfest with Kara and Laura

Definitely refusing to give in to the thought that I might be getting too old for this stuff.  Kara did the Muckfest last year and I thought it would be a fun thing to do to join the Mother Muckers.  Muckfest is this 5K race with a bunch of obstacles where you run and fall into mud and muck and mire, climb all these rope challenges and fall into a pool of muddy, cold and disgusting water.....and we have to pay for the honor of doing this.  Here I am with Kara and Laura....Kara did pretty darn well too

It was a very fun time though.  Laura just breezed through it and did all the challenges.  I skipped one that I knew I couldn't do, and the other two I skipped was because I just got sick of being in cold disgusting water...ewwww...but the other ones I did....muck indeed!!!

Opening day for jack and Laura

He's got the pitching mindset.  This is some serious business.  He was very excited all week.  He got in there and struck out the first two batters he faced, let up two walks, hit a batter but then toasted the next batter.  Not too bad for his first time pitching.  I had asked him about the batter he hit and he told me the guy was crowding the plate so he had to move him off...ooooo, I don't really think that's why he hit him...but what a little buggah......

 

    

Laura's game on this cold day featured less players because they appartently were all on vacation so they had to do some borrowing.  She has quite an arm for her catching duties.  She has done wonderfully after playing up all of last year and is great with this goofy bunch.

2014 MS Walk

For the 17th year in a row we have participated in this walk...This time we got all the kids and then some to do some walking.  We don't usually make a fuss about it and most years we put it out there the week of the walk, and we still raise some decent cash for them.  It was a fun time and all the kids were able to coast along the five mile course just fine.  Auntie Paula even got into the fun of getting her face painted.  A lot of the kids got their faces painted, the sun came out and later on when they washed the writing off their faces, everything that was written got tattoo's onto the faces......it was pretty funny.    After the walk, we all went over to Patricks house for a BBQ.....no swimming yet though.  It was a fun time had by all....

Can't sit still can we!!!

Jk

  Another day on vacation, but this time it's laura, jack and Emily out and about.  It's a little chilly out there but we are still running around.

 This is our wall ball area...sometimes the tennis ball gets through the openings...

  Love to hang around Black Gordon and the Train that doesn't move.  We started out just going to the owl for some breakfast, because it was so cold we weren't going to do the rest, but these kids don't feel the cold air.

Laura told me I'm not much of a gangsta 

Jackie is pretty good at selfies

Vacation week

This April vacation has been a busy one for the kiddies.  They don't like to sit around so they are out in the yard early, of course they want company but it's been fun.  Catherine Q joins us all the time... And that's a good thing!!  Yesterday, we gained Jacks buddy Matthew and we've had Erin over for a while.  Charlie slept over the other night too...it's been smoother than you'd think

Today we went on the bike trail with three gals and jack....that was pretty fun...the worst part was fitting all the bikes in the swagger wagon but with bungee cords all worked out just great....from there we went and got some moo lag from city hall and off to the bank to cash that check....I mention that because it's fun to do both things.  All these kids busting through the halls trying to act civilized, yeah right.  The bank trip is still kind of cute.  The kids still go to the deposit slips, fill them out and present them to the teller, who gives them a dollar, which I had given her to give them.  Maybe it sounds boring, or lame (as Laura likes to say) but during the time they like it.  

    The trolley pulled up during our wall ball game so we jumped right on for a quick trip...

  After this we went to a museum exhibit that laura and I have been looking to go to, but it hadn't been open.  Well it finally was, of working mill girls during the Industrial revolution.  Surprisingly, they all were attentive and seemed to enjoy themselves.

AND then we went over next to Black Gordon and played some wall ball...I had to stand next to the street to keep jack from chasing it there.  It was a busy day, busy, but fun and memorable.

     Jack has a sour puss because he said the bucket hurt his bum..ouch!!!

We also made it to the coffee shop for some make believe coffee and muffins...

first communion....he ate the cookie

     Thankfully, there was minimal drama.  We knew there would be a little bit because of the nature of the wafer, but when all was said and done, he at the cookie.  Before the mass he insisted that he would not go to his first communion mass because he would not eat the cookie.  We knew that he would lose this one.  After all the complaints he did just great.  It was cute to watch him all mass just sitting there paying attention to the mass.  When the priest was up doing the sermon of course Jack got into his act being animated when the priest made a hypothetical comment and jack would point to himself and get involved.  That's my little buddy though, never a dull moment.  We took lots of photo's at appropriate times (because they limit your photo taking during the mass) and everything went so smoothly.  Before the mass Jack did his little dance outside right next to the statue of Mary....Bordering on sacrilegious, it was cute nonetheless......its jack, he's gotta dance ya know!!

     Here is Jack with his good friend Addison.  He and Addison have been together since his first year of preschool.  She's a cute little gal and a firecracker that keeps Jack in line.

     Look at what a little angel he started out being.  Then all hell broke loose

     After the mass was over we all packed up and went to the Outback Steakhouse for some grub.  Of course all the cousins were there with us, as we are lucky enough to always have them there.  Its so good they are so close in age and as close as brothers and sisters.