Laura playing softball

      Laura has this violent softball swing...incredible actually if i may say so myself....doing great behind the plate too.

     Laura has been all out for her softball team  She has been doing real well and today was actually the first time that she made an out when she was thrown out on a ground ball to second.  She catches alot and is very good at not letting the ball get by her.  She's very competitive when the ball goes to the backstop the runner on third can try to score and Laura isnt gentle when she tags the runner out.

                                             Getting down to grab one out of the dirt

MS walkathon...our 15th year

 

 

     and for the fifteenth year in a row umple eddie has shown up a with a doctors note.  Here he demonstrates for the kids how he pulled his hamstring.  They werent buying it....

 

 

The Shrine and a cookie crunching hit from Jackie

Everyone once in a while on Fridays, I head out to the old Shrine church, a place mom used to go to quite frequently. When she moved to the old folks home she would walk to this church every day, rain or shine. We would warn her against it but off she would go. she would always sit in the same pew, first row after the aisle of the second section. I go and light candles at St. Jude, St. Lucy and Mother Mary. Then I go and sit in her same pew and just relax there for a bit. I really dont know what my beliefs are, but i know what hers were. I do it for her and the hope that maybe she was right all along.
Today, I got dropped off there and found my way in. There were actually quite a few people there saying the rosary but there were plenty of seats available. Only some lady was sitting in mums seat. I went and lit the candles and didnt know what to do after lighting Mother Mary. Sooo, I went the long way into the pew and went all the way close to the aisle where this lady was sitting. So she wouldnt think I was weird for sitting next to her when there was ample seating, I whispered to her that this was where my mother sat all the time and I was just going to sit there for a minute. She started by asking me my name and we continued in about a fifteen minute conversation in the middle of a quiet prayer filled venue. She told me she saw me come in and I seemed to know exactly where I was going. We ended up knowing a quite a few people in common and she told me funny stories of her life growing up in catholic schools. I never did get to pray any....not that I would pray that much anyway. And my version of the Rosary is not the same as the others....but it was still pretty neat to talk to her. She just had to know she was sitting in the holy seat though....
Tonight, there was a baseball game of coach pitch baseball. Yes, I'm the coach and yes, i'm pitching. Jack batted sixth and was, as usual, very amped up about the matchups. We had our usual pre-game pep talk followed by the usual silliness of six and seven year old boys. I started by losing my old, old glove and found out that the other team had mistakenly taken it over to their side of the field. Now, my glove is as old as Lincoln so I dont know how anyone mistook it for theirs but there was happiness and relief that it was found. I've had it for a while.
Anyway, the cast of characters came and went until my little Jackie strode up to the plate. With his serious face he got ready to hit a home-runner, as he calls it. I have to say, he's hitting the hell out of the ball and is really impressive. Well, here we go with a heater down the middle of the plated. KABOOM, the little stinker slammed it right back up the middle in a line drip that struck dear old Pops in the midsection. Plenty of laughs all around, from both sides as dad got dropped to the ground with the solid contact. He apologized to me later because he thought I was mad. I saw him chuckling with his fellow humorists on the sidelines...the little buggah. Good thing the factory is closed because he isnt getting any more brothers or sisters after that episode.
The other kids came and watched the game, thankfully they missed the Charlie Brown moment. Its a fun team and the kids cant help but have fun.
Tomorrow, all four have games throughout the day and it proves to be a very interesting and busy day.

Catherines' Softball season begins

The other three came to see the opening game for Catherine for the 2013 season.  Her first at-bat she turned on the ball and popped it into left field.  She played like an old pro.  When I got home from work today I was getting dinner ready and Jim took her out to the batting cage.  It must have worked because she went 4 for 4 and her defense was stellar....and of course with a great smile.

      She was on the pitchers mound for an inning and had to wear this head gear

      and then she caught.  She looks so cute behind the plate.

      Jack found his friend Cooper at the softball field.  They played the whole time at the second field, along with Jimmy and Laura.  Thankfully, I was able to relax and just watch my little angel play.  I must add that I love that name Cooper.  I have used that name several times when someone I dont like asks me my name..or if we are at a restaurant and they ask me for my first name...so immature arent I.......

A Cold, April Baseball night-game in Boston

     Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah what a wonderful cold time at Fenway park.  We have two birthdays in April and I got to combine both in one night of baseball.  The weather was beautiful when we left for the game but thankfully we prepared for the cold, which it was.  I gave Jimmy the option of doing a one on one or having Cat come along with us.  Those two have this special bond so Jimmy wanted to go with her.....

     I gave Cat the option of driving right into Fenway or taking the T....she loves taking the train so off we went on the green line.  it was effortless.  I took this phone photo of her as the train was passing by.

    

     We have this tradition when we go to Fenway Park that we eat some ice cream in sixth inning.  Usually, its about 37 degrees though.  They still wanted their ice cream though.

One of her favorite things is to do the wave at Fenway park. Here, she is starting her own wave prior to the start of the game.

     All those years of going to Fenway all i had to show for it was a skinned two middle fingers one time on a foul ball.  I have been tons and tons of times but never caught a ball.  Last night in one inning, we got two balls.  Mike Napoli threw a foul ball at us and then there was a fly ball to center which Jacoby Ellsbury caught to end the game.  That ball was thrown at us and we caught that one too......How exciting to have both of them leave with balls.

Catherine's First communion

                                              She was so darn cute!!!  My precious little angel was waiting so long to recieve her first communion and it almost didnt happen.  Here, she is standing in front of the First Communion tree.  Its in the side yard of Joanne's house and we took it over when Jimmy had his first communion and its continued until now with Catherine.

She is so adorable

Goofy Gals

She didnt only look frightened....she was petrified

     She was petrified.  All through the rehearsal and the days leading up to the event she kept saying she was nervous about eating the host and drinking the wine.  Catherine allows herself to get all uptight about these things and there really is nothing you can say to her to make it better......but she always ends up doing it and glad she did.

Another tradition on the first communion bench

     The time for eating the host (cookie) finally came and she was just a mess.  I walked up with her up to the pastor.  She just started crying and crying that she didnt want to do it.  Of course the pastor looked at me and said she doesnt have to do it today, we can always come back next week or the week after that....yeah, i dont think so.  The food was ready, desserts all set and there were people over the house.  soooo, we went back and sat in the pew and I had to think....and fast.  There were alot of people at that mass so we waited just a bit and I whispered over to Catherine and asked her if she'd go over to the other priest and do it for Daddy.  I gave her a hug and she wheepingly said Okay Daddy.  Like a pro she went up to the other priest with the pastor giving us dagger eyes.  so there goes her hands with the right one underneath and the left palm accepting it.  Right inside her mouth it went....welllllllll....she went back to the seat with the pastor's eyes following us the whole time.  Out of her mouth it came, a crowd of people still in line hopefully blocking the view to the altar.  She had taken a very tiny piece and had injested that much....she had made her first communion.  I ate the rest of it.  Whew....she returned to church the next week for her friend Catherine's first communion and went up with no drama at all.....Depending on a ruling from the vatican that may have been her actual first communioin.

Auntie Paula was very proud

Cat with Nana and Doe

Cat with Baby Erin

Amazing how difficult it is to get all four of them in a picture together

Our First Communion tree in front of Joanne's house

     Except for the non-eating of the host incident, she smiled the whole day.  She is so darn cute and adorable.

We love our Rings!!!

Baseball season for Jimmy

There are going to many more pictures during the course of the baseball season.  One of the things I just cannot believe is how big Jimmy got, just from last year.  He's is growing at an amazing clip.  He came in in relief the other night in the town league and I was shocked at his fastball.  I have been catching him in the cage and I only see the pitches from my swollen hands.  Seeing it from the sidelines really amazes me.....whoa....here was go again.

A sleepover....OH BOY

Last year for Jimmy's 11th birthday we had a sleepover.  There was an attempted escape at around 3:15am but it was harmless really.  Ever since then, Jimmy has asked over and over about doing the same thing for his 12th birthday.  I guess it was a big hit.  10 boys, 12 years old.....OHHH BOYYY.  Well, we all survived it.  They played hockey, basketball, football, flashlight tag, manhunt, xbox.  We had some pizza, french fries and eventually pancakes in the morning.  I forgot that kids that age can stay up all night....and stay up all night they did.  A couple of them wanted to go to sleep and did finally go to sleep.  I remember the whole night...I "slept" on the couch just listening to the goofy boys. 
    One of the good things about Jimmy is that he has, for the most part, picked out really good friends.  They had some innocent fun running through the neighbors yards playing manhunt and flashlight tag.  At some point they all walked about a half mile to get ice cream.  At first I hesitated but then I realized that they are in the sixth grade and i have loosen the noose eventually.  I still drove ahead and believe me, i watched and listened for them.  I dont knonw if they knew I did that..they probably did, but didnt say anything.  On the way back they all climbed inside the minivan.  Reminded me of the old days in the hood. 
     Overall, it was a good night.  I just wish I didnt have to go to work the next morning....