Last Saturday baseball games

First up was Serafina's game.  Here she is stretching with the team before taking the field.  

She saw a lot of action during the game and did a great job of fielding the ball and throwing it to first base.  This was the first game the coaches were pitching to the kids.  They got four pitches and then they could hit off the T.  Serafina ended up with the T for her first two at bats, but hit a pitch on her third turn batting.  The pitching made the game take longer and the kids were pretty tired by the end of it.

Serafina and I had to boogie to another park to see Leo playing on the big field.  He looks so tiny in this picture.  He had a good game too.

And after we had his team party and I gave the coaches their cards.

Each kid has a final night game this week and then we will be done with another season of baseball.

Wrapping up

Next week is the last week of school.  It's hard to believe it's here already but I'm also very ready for this year to be over.  Dealing with two schools has been exhausting and I'm feeling worn out by the situation.  But only five more days, so yay! 

Today is the last time she'll wear her panda Friday shirt since next Friday she'll be dressing up for her "graduation".  

 It's almost the end of baseball season.  I'm "team mom" for Leo's team, of course, so I was in charge of setting up the end-of-season party and coaches gifts.  Leo had six coaches (SIX!) this season.

I did handmade cards for all of them.

 And handmade gift card holders.

Memorial Day with the Aquamaids

Happy Memorial Day!  I took the kids to a special exhibition performance by the Aquamaids, the synchronized swim program based in Santa Clara that produces lots of champions.   My kids have seen them practice at the swim center where they take lessons.  

We brought our lunch and ate while we waited for the show to start.  There was a big crowd.  

 The show started off with a fun number using intertubes, which may be cheating.

 The props were quickly put aside and the girls showed off some immense talent and dedication.  Serafina was enthralled through the whole thing.

 It may be hard to tell but the performer on the left is Bill May, a rare male in the synchro world.  He's performing with Christina Jones and both of them are former Aquamaids who now perform in Vegas with Cirque de Soleil.

 Final number.

 All the Aquamaids in the pool.

 After the show, the kids were given an opportunity to try out some syncrho moves with the Aquamaid coaches.  Serafina is in the pink cap.

 There were a lot of kids but Leo wasn't one of them.  He wasn't interested in getting in the water.

 Getting in.  It's the same pool and lane where she takes lessons.

 Getting some instruction.

It was a fun experience and Serafina definitely wants to do more synchro.

Serafina's room

After two and a half years of sharing a room, the kids have been separated into their own rooms.  It has needed to happen for a while since they need their own spaces and I need to be able to separate them when they are driving each other (and me) crazy.  Serafina was very excited to move into "the office".  Her walls are pretty bare but we'll work on that.  She's been asking for a "pretty room" since visiting friends on playdates and seeing their girlie rooms.  Here's a happy girl ready to sleep in her new bed.

The kids are so close and really do well together a lot of the time, but they need to start respecting each other's privacy and having their own piece of the house.  I'll miss hearing them chat before they fall asleep and in the mornings, but it's all part of growing up.  And as much as I want to freeze time, they are growing up.  

Farm Field Trip pictures

Here are the farm field trip pictures I promised.  The morning started out a little rocky since the kids were all ready for the bus, but there was a mix-up and the district didn't know they were supposed to dispatch a bus.  The issue was corrected pretty quickly and the kids were very patient.  

 Loading up.

 After a long drive (and apparently a directionally-challenged bus driver), the kids arrived and got some information from the farm hosts.  The main rule...no running.

 It was drizzling a little when we got there.

 Our first stop was the sheep barn. Serafina wanted to feed them but was also a little timid.

The kids and their teacher pose before learning more about sheep and wool.

 Serafina got to model one of the wool items.

 Fellow models (left to right) Brynn in a wool hat, Rosario in the sheepskin, Lyra in another wool hat.

 Serafina working her pose.

 The teacher got a piece of wool to wear as a bracelet.

 Then the kids were brought into the goat pen.

 And they brushed some goats.

 Exploring some bones.

 This baby goat was so cute and very "talkative".

 She was less timid about the chickens and held them three times.

 She cooed reassuring words to the chicken while the other kids were petting her.

 Goat in a snow saucer.

 After washing hands, it was time to try some vegetables in the garden.  She wasn't a fan of the chard.

 I'm not a fan of raw chard either.  I put chard in her favorite beans but it is much better that way.

 She liked the kale better.

TK Farm Field Trip and more

Serafina's TK class had a fun field trip to a Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay.  It's a fully functioning educational farm that is also a hour away from her school. The kids road the bus, but the parents drove separately.  I took over 100 pictures that I still need to sort through but here's a cute one with Serafina and a chicken.  My little city girl really liked holding the chickens.  

 Because the ranch was a big field trip, the TK students put in a long day and didn't get back to school until 2:30.  Leo got out earlier than her and went to a friend's house after school.  I picked him up and it was a quick change to make it to swim class.  Serafina's original swim teacher is back and was teaching Leo's class today.

After swim, there were quick showers and off to a baseball game for Leo.  They have a few evening games as we get to the end of the season.  They are also counting strikes and outs now.  It made the game go quicker and the kids did great.

And if that wasn't enough, in the middle of it all the refrigerator's water dispenser leaked and water was all over our kitchen and living room.  Billie took advantage of the massive puddle to have a sip.  Tom was the hero and came home to deal with the mess while we were at swim class.  

Sigh.  It was a long day.  I'm going to take a hot shower and post more pictures tomorrow.