Party Time, take 2...

Back in April, when the "strong winds" (as my children have come to call it) blew our trampoline into the lake and the playhouse into a crumpled mess, we had to cancel Jackson's backyard birthday party and reschedule it for a later date.  Kevin kept telling me, "I can fix it," referring to both the trampoline and playhouse.  He didn't have to tell the kids that, because the day after the storm, they told me, "Daddy will fix it."

I wasn't sure anyone was seeing the same mess I was seeing.  Oh me of little faith.

Problem #1...When Kevin pulled the trampoline out of the lake, he realized he might have some problems there--some pieces didn't make it out of the lake, and others were bent beyond repair.  If you've never priced replacement parts for trampolines online, let me just say that buying a new trampoline is cheaper.  Especially when you, um, borrow, from the kids' piggy bank to do it.  Problem #1 solved.

Problem #2...The playhouse was in pieces.   Lots of them. Some of the pieces were in pieces. 
(At this point you might be wondering why we didn't just file an insurance claim for all of this.  Because we are cheap, that's why.  We raised our deductible to a number we could still afford to pay out of pocket in an emergency, but this number was higher than what we paid for the trampoline and the playhouse together.  It's not a decision we regret, because we saved a LOT of money.  It just stunk in this particular case.)
...Anyway, as Kevin surveyed the damage, he still said, "I can fix it."  I smiled and nodded and patted him on the back.  Yes, I knew he could fix it.  However, I thought that our kids might be graduating from high school before it would happen.  Boy, he showed me.  It took a couple of weekends, but before we knew it, the playhouse was back in one piece.  We made a few modifications--we didn't replace the monkey bars because the kids are still too small for them anyway, one swing still needs to be hung, and the roof  still has a "sky light."  (So if you ask Jackson, "Did your Daddy fix your playhouse?"  he will say, "Yes!...well, not quite...") But it was fixed enough to reschedule Jackson's superhero party.

My original plan was to have an outdoor party with superhero capes as party favors.  We could sit and visit in lawn chairs while the boys saved the world, the playhouse, the sister, the trampoline...whatever. Let me just say that my plan was good in theory.   A May outdoor party is significantly hotter than an April outdoor party.  The boys were good sports at first, but finally they came to me, redfaced, and begged to be allowed to play inside...I totally understood, so upstairs they went, capes and all!  I was pretty proud of those capes--especially when you consider I didn't sew them--however, they weren't the sturdiest little suckers.

I think this is my favorite birthday cake yet.  Jackson and I sat at the computer looking at superhero cakes one night, and this was a combination of his two favorites. Only better.  It was as delicious as it was cute.  Jackson LOVED it. April did a wonderful job!

This is the only picture I have to show the new and improved playhouse.  Trust me.  It's fixed.  Note the capes.  Aren't they swell? :)

In the end, it was a great party.  The boys (and girl) had a wonderful time "heroing up."  It wasn't quite the outdoor extravaganza I envisioned, but it was everything Jackson wanted it to be, and that's all that matters.

Play Ball!

When Kevin and I married, there was really only one thing we disagreed on--baseball. Neither of us are particularly baseball fans, but my childhood summers were defined by the softball schedule. And I loved every minute of it. Kevin's opinion? "No way are we giving up our summers to sit outside in the heat to watch, of all things, baseball." I also think he probably used the phrase, "I'd rather lay down and pee straight up."

It was one of those bridges that I knew we were years from crossing, but I was pretty sure he was set in his way. Sooo...imagine my surprise when earlier this year he asked me, "You think Jackson will be old enough to play t-ball this year?"

Huh?

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

Turns out being out of coaching and not having a stressful schedule mellowed my husband to a degree about summer activities. After some investigating, we found out that Jackson was (or would be) old enough to play. We decided to let the finally say be Jackson's. He was thrilled. So was Sadie, who thought that since her big brother was playing it only stood to reason that she too would have a team.

So we got all signed up and paid our fees and waited for the draft. Jackson was picked up by the Dodgers--a pretty great team full of good kids. The first few practices were a little rough though. Jackson's circle of friends are all younger than he his or very close to his age. He's never had a negative experience with bigger boys, but being on a team with mostly bigger boys was a little intimidating. He liked being there. He liked his coaches. But practice was long and I think he realized that he wasn't as fast or as good as the older boys. We even had some discussions about pulling him and waiting another year. But deep inside I knew that once games started he would be fine. After all, games only lasted one hour, twice a week. Sure, there would be tournaments, but there would only be a few of those. So we held our breath until the first game.

Games are definitely more fun to him than practice. There are a few aspects of the game that Jackson really likes. He likes batting. Even though he's not great at it, he can do it, and Coach David makes him laugh. He knows what to do after he hits the ball. He usually gets out, but he has a good attitude, and sometimes he even helps other runners score.

There is also a perfect position on the team for four year olds with short attention spans. It's called catcher. See, apparently, since there is no pitching involved, the pitcher covers home plate and the catcher gets to look cute. And occasionally play in the dirt. It works out well for the boy.
Another positive is that even though all the boys get to hit the whole game, the little ones only have to play two innings. Which leads to two innings on the bench getting to watch!
But Jackson's absolute favorite part of the game comes after the last out (or the sixth run, which happens more often than not in t-ball)...high fives! I don't have a picture for this part, but the thing he loves most of all is lining up and telling the other team "Good game!" Win or lose, doesn't matter. This is the part that he can do just as well as any other boy.
The first few games of the year involved tournament play. We lost the first four games we played. But apparently, when you lose out of a tournament, you get a medal. He loved those medals. And the funniest part? After all the tournaments were over and we were in the middle of the season--and after we'd won a few games in a row--a realization hit Jackson...if you WIN, you don't get a medal! :)

I assured him that winning gets you a trophy. He's willing to hold out for the trophy.