My Favorite Brother

Happy Birthday!

kid pitch tourney

JT and two of his buddies were asked if they wanted to play in a kid pitch tournament. While I was hesitant JT was ecstatic and talked about the tournament during the two weeks leading up to it. Why was I hesitant? I guess it is that silly mama bear syndrome, I was just worried for JT. Moving from coach pitch to kid pitch is a huge leap. The field is bigger, the rules change, and well you are batting against a "real" pitcher. 

The team was great, the tournament was great, JT played well for someone that has never played, and I managed to keep myself together the entire weekend. We lost all three games we played but it was a young team (most of them new to kid pitch) and a mix of kids that don't normally play together. Most importantly, all of the kids had fun. I admit that I am glad we have one more season of coach pitch and plenty of time to practice playing kid-pitch rules. I guarantee I will struggle with staying calm in the fall and not biting off my fingernails but I know JT will catch on quickly  (just like he has every other season) and will hopefully continue to love playing the game as much as I love to watch him.

The cutest part of the game was JT giving the "time" signal to the umpire. This is one of the many new rules from coach to kid and one that JT was ready to use.

It is great to see these photos after the game.  He has his eye on the ball just where it should be and didn't swing. It was close but looks like this one was inside.

JT checking his swing and looking to the ump for a call.

life in pville

There seems to be this odd trend in Pville of people moving. JT has two classmates that won't return after the holiday break because their parents have bought houses in Round Rock. Lucky for me I had the chance to chat with both parents at kid pick-up about their decision to leave. For both it sounds like a bigger house and just a good time to go. All of this moving has made me think about moving and whether we should move.

1. A bigger house would be good but is it really necessary? When I think about what I would look for in a new house there are some "bells and whistles" that I would like but nothing essential. I think the only real thing I want  is one extra room; either a media/game room or an additional bedroom/office.
2. The thought of cleaning out our closest sends shivers up and down my spine and makes me want to hide under the covers. It also makes me think that clean closest should be my #1 (or maybe #2) 2011 resolution.
3. Where would I really want to live? We like Austin (maybe even bordering on love Austin) but I can't say that there is a neighborhood I dream of living in. Sure I wouldn't turn up a chance to find myself in a house in the Hyde Park neighborhood but I don't think we are suffering because of our location. And while we are constantly talking about moving closer to family, we aren't sure where that would be either.
4. My dream is to live on a lake or the ocean and sometimes I feel like moving to anyplace other than that house sounds like too much work.
5. And then I stop and think that all the above reasons are really silly and maybe we should start the process of looking.

And then there are nights like tonight, when we walk out our backyard and get to watch a parade go down the street. It makes me realize how lucky we are to live in a smaller neighborhood, to know everyone who lives around us, to recognize faces in a parade and say hi, to have a school where we know most of the teachers and they know us (or rather they know our kids). And then I revamp my list and realize that what really is  important to me right now is being/living in a community and being in a place where my kids can ride bikes with their friends, walk to a buddies house, and see a parade out their back door. The only thing that would make it perfect is to have everyone move here. (So come on Nguyens, get those boxes packed and get down here.)

The boys waiting for the parade to start.

The headliner of the parade.

I Did It!

I can't tell you exactly what because it is a Christmas gift for someone but I promise you two things:
1) I will take some photos and post once I am sure the recipient has opened the gift
2) I am doing a happy dance around the house because of my success (and I think I am annoying Rick because I keep asking him if he likes it)

Now on to Christmas cards...

Jedi Gingerman and Santa

Lord my last post depressed even me, which is really sad because being in possession of OK magazine (UK edition) is totally awesome.
But alas, nothing can be as awesome as what came home in Zach's folder the other day.

In case you are stumped, that is a Gingerbread Jedi Guy and for some very important reason he is linked to the tree. Not sure why but I was instructed to keep them together.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we made an impromptu stop at an outdoor mall where we came upon Santa reading outside. JT didn't want to talk with Santa but Zach was definitely interested. I think JT logically questions the whole Santa thing but his imaginative side wants to hold on to the idea. Here are a few of the shots of Zach with the man in the red suit.

I love this shot because of his stiff legs. Hanging with Santa really causes some conflict with the entire Stranger-Danger message.

Big surprise but he asked for a spinning light saber and legos.

Guilty Pleasure

As luck would have it or Murphy's Law, the next few weeks leading up to the holidays are packed with work. It seems like everyone wants something done prior to 12/17, which means my holiday spirit is a bit dampened. I am slowly coming to terms with the possibility of not making cookies or at least not making them at my house, who knows what will happen when we get to Nana's and Grandpa's and I have limited the holiday decorations. And of course we have a baseball tournament this weekend, which means two days will be lost (all for a good, enjoyable cause but lost all the same).

Despite my completely ridiculous workload and numerous holiday activities, the one thing I really want to do is curl up the following guilty pleasure that I was gifted to me when my sweet friend returned from her stay in London. Working from home has gotten me hooked on the Today show, which means I was closely following the big engagement!

I ♥ Shutterfly

So you hung with me when I shamelessly promoted the blog and Shutterfly to help get my holiday cards. Well I have to tell you a few things:

1) My Christmas cards are ordered and I am excited. There were way too many choices and I may have over-photoed but I am excited all the same. I would love to give you a sneak-peek but I don't want to spoil the surprise.
2) Shutterfly is so absolutely awesome that over this past week they sent me a coupon for some free photos and on top of that they sent all sorts of other "deals" this week. I successfully knocked out a few gifts and projects.

I feel so accomplished I just don't know what to do with myself. I tried sharing my joy with Rick but his nose is stuck in a book and the boys are busy transforming the living room in to monster-train-track playground. So thanks for bearing with me as I shout my excitement about my recent experience on Shutterfly. I guess I will sit back and drink some wine and think about what to do next.