Another Week

It's been another busy week. I'll start with baseball updates.

On Wednesday, Luke's Cobra coach sent out a text asking if anyone was available to fill in at another game. A few kids said yes but the coach responded that he still needed more. Because it was at the park near our house, we asked Luke if he was interested. He was excited about the idea of playing a kid's pitch game (his age is still machine pitch). So, we went. It turned out to be 7 kids from Luke's team playing on a team with only 3 kids. We were nervous, but they ended up winning. Luke had a triple, a walk, and a strike-out along with some good plays at second base.  

I asked one of the moms what happened to their team, and she said their coach got in a screaming match with an umpire and was suspended for 2 games. So, he stepped down and then the rest of the kids (well, their parents) opted to not play as some form of solidarity? But three of the kids wanted to play the last game of the season. And the rules say you can get players to fill in, as long as they are from a lower division, so there we were. I really don't like the ultra-competitive side of kids' sports. At this level, the stakes are really low. Of course, no one wants to lose, but IMO it is so much more important to set a good example and use opportunities for life lessons (i.e.--the umpire made a bad call, but sometimes that's how things go and we need to accept it and move on). I personally struggle with being a good sport and I know it is easier said than done sometimes.

On Thursday, Luke had his team party. He had a great time. It has been a really good team, the kids and parents are nice and supportive (and no one yells at the umpires).

The team mom gave Luke this note. It made my day.

On Friday, they had their second playoff game. They won and played in the championship game on Saturday. We all went to cheer them on and they won! They beat an undefeated team. Both teams played really well. 

They got trophies and championship hats

Jack had a basketball game Saturday. He played well and his team won. He has really made huge improvements this year! 

In non-sports news. I took Kara, Jack and two of Kara's friends to see the middle school production of the Wizard of Oz. The cast was really talented and the kids enjoyed it. It was nice to meet more of Kara's friends. They are a nice bunch.

Saturday morning, I drove carpool for Algebra tutoring. They are preparing for their big test next week and doing the final push. 140 kids showed up! Jack and Anna have a really great teacher who is doing all he can to make sure his kids all pass the exam (required to receive high school credit). He had 3 hour reviews the last two Saturdays, plus some morning sessions. Anna went to all of them. Jack missed one because of an orthodontist appointment. They have both passed all the practice exams, so I am confident they will be fine, but the extra tutoring can't hurt! 

In orthodontist news, Kara gets her braces off in 10 days. To say she is excited would be an understatement!

We spent a long time shopping for clothes for the 8th grade formal. We found Jack a good outfit, but did not have any luck finding a dress Anna liked. That means more shopping is in my future.

Final yard update--the sprinkler people came out on Monday. When the pool people drove in the stakes for the slurry, one went right into the main line water pipe. My guess is that it was a slow leak at first because the stake was blocking some of the flow, but then the lawn people came and drove near the area, causing things to shift enough to create the massive flow. The repair was only $128, which the pool people covered. I can't wait to see this month's water bill...

And to end, some random photos from the week:

Luke wanted to be carried to school, Thomas obliged

They had healthy kids day at the YMCA, which included a fire truck spraying all the kids.