Ever since I became a mom, I have been obsessed with having a routine. At first it was because I needed it to keep me sane, but as the boys got older, I did it for them as much as me. From the time they wake up to their milk and Mickey Mouse, to the time they go to bed with bath, teeth brushing and books. They even know that we say a prayer for their school day at the second light before we get to the church. Last week I tried to say the prayer at the third light before the school and they absolutely wouldn't say it until we got to the next light. They know their routine backward, forward and upside down. If anything is off, they let me know immediately. I guess we have all become little creatures of habit. Then came baseball.
No one was more excited than I was, for my little Colt Colt to play t-ball. Well, I take that back, Colt was pretty darn excited. After his first practice, he said, "Mom! I LOVE LOVE LOVE t-ball!!!!!!" He was so happy. With his little glove and bat, all dressed up in his long socks and baseball pants, he was ready. Practices started, twice a week, then games started on the weekends. Chloe was playing soccer as well, also twice a week, with games on Fridays and Saturdays. Long gone were the days when Bryan would come home and take the kids on a bike ride for an hour while I cooked and then they came home to complete three course meal with a protein, starch and vegetable. Then I would run while Bryan played with the boys outside and when I got back, it was bath, teeth and bed all done by 8:30.
Now, we were eating peanut butter sandwiches and corn dogs for dinner in the car as we're rushing from field to field. I gained 10 pounds and two pant sizes. Then, some genius threw in games for four year olds that took place at 7:15 on a week night. Our little world was turning upside down and I didn't know how to handle it. Bed times were getting so late, that in lieu of bathing them, I would wipe the dirt off of their legs with a wipe because they were falling asleep standing up. I felt out of control for myself and my boys. I was starting to get bitter. I was seeking advice from moms with older kids, begging them to tell me how they did it. I felt like I was washing washing washing uniform after uniform constantly, all the while trying to come up with excuses in my head that I can convince Sam that he isn't old enough to play a sport until he's ten. The lack of organization in my life was overwhelming and I was completely on edge.
Last weekend, we had been going 100 mph as usual, then Sunday came. We needed to go to church, go to the pumpkin patch to take our yearly picture and then we were going to a kids Halloween party with some friends...booked as usual. Then, as we were sitting in the living room watching Mickey, the boys asked me to tie their blanket around my neck so I could be a super mom. I did and then they asked Bryan to do the same. They told us they would be right back and they ran upstairs and got their super hero capes. We proceeded to spend the next hour chasing them around the house "saving" and "capturing" each other. We were out of breath (remember the 10 pounds of corn dogs) running around like little kids having so much fun, doing absolutely nothing but playing together. So, I made an executive decision to skip church, the pumpkin patch and our party. We stayed home and rode bikes and had such a fun day. Our day of nothing was an amazing day and I'll remember it forever.
The week started and we jumped right back in our routine. I was feeling a little better, still stressed, but I was coping. Then, on Saturday, the thing Colt had been wishing for since his very first game a month ago, finally happened....his coach gave him the game ball. He got the two best hits of the game, hitting in the outfield past second base and scored a run both times. He was fist pumping, high-fiving everyone and smiling from ear to ear. It was better than Christmas morning. I realized then, that just like everything else in my life, I do what I do for my babies. They have a routine because of me, them coping or not coping depends on me and my attitude. Kids are resilient. They will always be okay, as long as we are loving and supporting them every step of the way. We are their home and we are their comfort.
I'm not kidding when I tell you the last month has been borderline misery and I know that I have another baby coming up into sports and as they all get older, it's just going to get worse. However, I have a new outlook on all of this. I'd do this next month and the month after and the month after, standing on my head with a mouth full of corn dogs to see that same big smile spread across my baby's face one more time. This is life and although crazy, it's also crazy wonderful. There was a time when I used to live for me and what brought me happiness, but now, it's all about my babies. They are my happiness, my love, my joy. I wanted boys and I got them. Here's to another 15 years of baseball!
So much has happened since I've last written, that to tell the tale, would require days worth of writing. To condense the last three months and catch up, I'll be short and sweet. In April we accepted an offer on our old house and sold it on May 3rd. While waiting on the new house to close, we spent the month of May at my Aunt's house, in a hotel and in Lake Charles, just hanging out and being homeless. We closed on the new house at the end of the month and have spent the better part of June getting used to our new surroundings. We moved from the Sugar Land area to the Katy area, while never actually leaving the city of Richmond, which is what our address reads. Whew, there, that brings me to present day.
We spent our Fourth of July camping with Bryan's parents in Canyon Lake. The boys were SO excited to have an actual "camp-out" and they couldn't wait. They had seen other people camp on tv and they were more than ready. Upon our departure, Colt was only concerned about what thing: marshmallows! His only concern was making SURE we had them, because it would be impossible to have a successful "camp-out" without them.
We did indeed bring marshmallows and roasted them both nights. It was scorching hot during the day, but really cool and pleasant at night. We found that naps were out of the question when we put them down in the tent and they kept slapping their own faces every time sweat rolled down because they thought it was a bug. It was pretty funny to watch actually.
Colt absolutely loved the water (much like his Grandma) and swam until I was sure his arms were going to fall off. Sam, on the other hand, was not so crazy about it. He made us hold him the whole time because he was afraid of the "waves." And by waves, I mean, the wake that passing boats would make. This should make our beach trip at the end of the month enjoyable, ha.
Needless to say, it was a fun experience and the boys were asking to go back as soon as we put them in the car to go home.
Today, we introduced them to a foreign object, or at least it was to them. A slip-n-slide. Bryan took it out and decided to put it up in the backyard. He was meticulous in setting it up just right, making sure it got the most amount of water possible and sloped down in the right direction. We brought the boys outside and yelled "surprise!" They just looked at us like we were crazy, so we attempted to explain how this strange water thing worked and what they were supposed to do. And they just stood there, looking at us iin a dead stare. So Bryan took one for the team and decided to demonstrate. Well that was it, they got the slip-n-slide bug. They proceeded play on it until we forced them, kicking and screaming, to come inside. Colt got the hang of it quick, weighing only 36 pounds, he flew from one side to the other. Sam, was not so successful. He would run to the end, stop, throw his belly onto the plastic and inch like an inchworm all the way down to the end. It might have been the funniest thing we'd ever seen. He was VERY serious and would give high-fives, saying "yeah, that's how you do it!" It was SO cute. My precious boy. I'm still laughing. I've put up pictures, but you can't get the full effect, so next time I'll take a video.
Colt's new thing when he tries to explain something to you, is to tell you when it happened. Just today, Bobba came to visit on his way to work, then Bryan got home and took the boys fishing in the neighborhood and then set up the slip-n-slide in the back yard. Well if you asked Colt, he would tell you that he went camping today, caught a fish with daddy last week and slipped on the slide yesterday and Bobba came to visit tomorrow. He gets frustrated when you don't understand or correct him, so I don't. I know eventually I will have to teach him this, but for now, it's pretty funny. He is very serious and proud of himself for describing when things happened. For instance, he told me tonight, "I caught a big fish with daddy last week, I TOLD YOU!" ha. My little buddy. Oh well, it works with the blog this time at least. I think I'm caught up now on yesterday, today, tomorrow and last week. Until next time....
It's something you will reference for the rest of your life. Whether you are 10 or 45 years old, either you or someone else will say "It's like riding a bike." It's a staple, like driving a car or riding a horse. It's something you are taught to do and it will never be forgotten. It's rare that you see a child learning to ride a bike that you won't think back to that time so many moons ago, when you learned to balance perfectly on those two wheels. However you see it, it's a milestone, a big one and my baby crossed it.
My mother-in-law told me that Bryan rode his bike on two wheels at three years old and my mom told me that Tate also learned when he was three. Colt is a little perfectionist and I knew that once we started, he was going to get it, but I wasn't ready. Bryan had been pushing me to let him try and I kept making excuses saying he wasn't ready, knowing good and well that he absolutely was. This was huge for my little, three year old and ultimately, it would confirm what I fear more and more every day: my baby is growing up.
One day a few weeks ago, I told Bryan that we should take the training wheels off and let him try to ride on two. Bryan must have gone up and down the street 50 times, holding the back of that seat running with the bike. He'd let go and Colt would ride right into the grass and fall. It was funny though because it was almost like he got it instantly, because he could ride into the grass and THEN fall. I think he just couldn't believe it himself, so he panicked and bailed out. That was day one. On day two, we went out there to try again. Bryan put on his running shoes and workout clothes because this was quite the workout! He put Colt on the bike one time, let go one time and that little boy wobbled from one end of the street to the other and didn't fall! In the last few weeks, he has learned to turn and stop without falling. Ahh, the success of a three year old....it's so sweet to him, but bittersweet to me.
For six months, at least, we have been trying to get Sam to ride his tricycle. It has a push pole that sticks out of the back and that hard-headed little child refused to ride, he wanted to be pushed. Well, the day that Colt started riding his bicycle by himself, Sam pulled his little trike out of the garage. We didn't think anything of it because he would always pull it out so we could push him down the street. But on that amazing day, he started to push the pedals with his feet and ever so slowly, started moving himself down the street. We couldn't believe it!
His smile went from one ear to the other. He was so proud and we were so proud! My two babies reaching milestones on the same day...it was too much for my heart! We were proud, oh so proud, but it told us something about our little Sammy, he was competitive. He was not going to let Colt leave him in his dust for a minute.
We have one mild mannered, calm, perfectionist child and another that is has such a competitive, comical, wide-open little spirit. There is never a dull moment and I can honestly say that the next several years will be interesting. I love those crazy, precious boys of mine and I can only imagine what they will have in store for us next.
