6U Softball and Angel’s Game

6U division Spring softball continued with the twins mostly letting other girls run after the ball. They did enjoy their turns at bat and almost always hit the ball without a tee (each batter gets three tries to hit the ball from the coach’s pitch, and then they bring the tee out).

The first few games, everyone got to run to base and there were no outs. Toward the end of the season, they started playing with outs– Samantha was very upset to be tagged out before she reached first and refused to play for a few more innings. Meredith eventually coaxed her out to play toward the end of the game.

Many of the girls on their team are pretty competitive. When asked why she doesn’t run after the ball and at least attempt to catch it, Samantha just shrugged and replied, “Someone else will get it.” Way to take ownership.

Samantha and Amelia’s cheerleaders. Meredith wants to be a part of the team so badly– she hangs out in the dugout with the other girls and interacts with them more than the twins do!

Best part of softball: post-game snack.

 

Team photo lol. Go Pink Penguins.

Samantha had to be bribed for this half smile.

Amelia at bat.

The girls’ favorite part of the season was going to see an Angel’s game with the Capo Softball League. I stayed home with Eleanor, but received picture updates from Jake and random texts from people I hadn’t heard from in a long time saying they had seen Jake and the girls on the jumbo-tron! Unfortunately, Jake didn’t notice they were on the screen quick enough to take a pic of themselves on the big screen.

Before game-time, their league got to walk onto the field in a parade.

Go Capo!

Take me out to the ballgame.

 

They gave out Angel’s jerseys to the team and the girls were super excited. When Meredith got home, she couldn’t wait to show me her jersey, shouting, “I’m part of the team!!!!” She feels pretty official now.

   

 

 

Lots of love,

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March 2019 Fun

We had a very rainy and unusually cool winter, which bled into spring. All the rain made everything green and gorgeous! We didn’t have time for everything on our bucket list this summer, but we did check off quite a few.

 

Hiking at Casper’s Wilderness Park.

Meredith loved school and begged to go more than two days. On Wednesdays, all the girls stayed for an extra hour and loved doing fun projects with Miss Erica, who is the Queen of Pinterest Projects. Every Wednesday, the girls would groan when I came to pick them up and asked to stay longer.

Samantha and Amelia were jealous of the fruit loop rainbow project Meredith did in her class, so we did it at home.

St. Patrick’s Day chocolate pancake breakfast.

St. Patrick’s Day at school.

Visiting with Great Grandpa!

During one horrible week, the girls were sick with fevers, snot and coughing, all within a few days of each other. Amelia was so sad about going to school by herself… until she got to go on a special Daddy Daughter date for waffles.

Once Samantha was all better, she went on a Daddy Daughter sandwich date.

Helping with treehouse construction.

I am Meredith. Hear me ROAR.

Playing 52 card pick-up.

Building epic block towers and screaming when Monster Baby Eleanor crawled over to destroy the city.

Eleanor’s favorite homemade mac n cheese.

Someone went overboard on the bubbles.

So proud she can stand!

 

Scooter ride around the neighborhood while sisters were in school.

Tennis practice.

In March, the twins stayed after school for an art class with the 1st grade teacher, Miss Iumi.

Their final cute paintings.

Softball was in full swing, with a practice and game every week. While the girls tolerated practices (mostly because of the tag games they played plus donuts), they alternated between staring off into space and refusing to run after the ball at all during the actual games.

 

Jake: “Why don’t you run after the ball, Sammy?”

Sammy: “Because someone else will get it.”

They did like trying to hit the ball and running the bases! The first few games, they played the game with no tagging outs, but the last few games, the coaches decided the girls were ready to play for real. The first time Sammy got tagged out, she cried hysterically and refused to play. She sure ran fast the next game though and never got tagged again.

Art and writing projects!

Amelia was no match for this 27-pound baby.

Meredith and her bestie, Maple, at our Tuesday park date.

The girls climbed the tree at the end of our cul-de-sac every day after school.

Sammy the sloth.

 

Eleanor’s favorite pastime.

Sammy in her natural habitat.

More science and art projects!

Lots of love,

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Softball Season: Team Pink Penguins

Starting in February, the twins joined their very first softball team. While they generally enjoy tennis, gymnastics, and other individual sports more than being team sports girls, we wanted them to at least have the experience of playing on a team and learning the game. Capo Girls is a really fun girls league that starts at the 6U level, which was perfect for beginners Samantha and Amelia. They’ve unfortunately inherited my lack of coordination when it comes to throwing and hitting balls, so we practiced in the weeks before the start of the league and the girls actually enjoyed playing catch and learning to hit the ball. Tennis definitely seemed to have helped their hand-eye-coordination! Amelia, especially was doing awesome hitting the ball without a tee, until she broke her arm. Bad timing!

Their coach, Coach Valerie, coaches high school softball and has a niece on their team. She makes the game fun and is so positive and encouraging. For their very first practice, she had the team playing tag to teach them running to the bases, and she always makes a game out of practicing catching, throwing and hitting. At the first practice, she announced their team color would be pink and asked the girls if they had any suggestions for their team name. Amelia came up with “Pink Penguins” and Samantha immediately seconded her sister. There were several other suggested names, but it came down to Pink Penguins or Pink Cocoa Bears from another girl (which I personally thought was adorable). The team voted and chose Amelia’s name– I guess it’s very useful to have a twin sister and always vote in a block!

Aunt Sarah had been in town for a few days visiting before going to Palm Springs for a conference. She had to leave before the twins’ first game, but as a former softball player, she was proud they were trying it out.

Their first game the week prior was postponed because of rain, and it was pouring on the morning of the rescheduled Opening Day and game too! Everyone huddled under tents and drank hot chocolate/ate breakfast burritos for an hour waiting for the rain to stop. Eventually, it did, and it was finally time for a little team parade and then their first game.

Go Pink Penguins!

I have to admit that half the appeal of softball is the adorable uniforms.

 

All the older girls made a big deal out of the younger players to get them excited.

Batter up.

The actual softball field was too muddy to play on from the rain, so they improvised and played on a field nearby. It was quite entertaining to watch the girls at bat!

Learning the rules…

Go Samantha!

They remind me of old-school Nintendo Mario Brothers running around. Those little legs!

 

It was hilarious watching the twins in the outfield. Amelia sat down half the time and chewed her mitt. When we asked her why she wasn’t running after the ball, she said that the other girls were, so why bother? Can’t beat that logic. We started bribing them with gum and tic tacs to at least TRY to run after/catch the ball and Samantha, in particular, started getting more into it. Amelia could have cared less and stared into space most of the game!

Games are very low key at the 6U level. They don’t keep score, everyone gets as many tries as they need at bat (toward the end of the game, they do coach pitch), the outfielders’ only job is to throw it to first base every time, and the last batter up in the line gets to do a home run! As far as team sports go, it’s the perfect low key environment for non-competitive Samantha and Amelia.

Meredith is the team’s mascot and cheerleader. She’s already made friends with everyone on the team and everyone requested to play with her on the playground afterwards. She DESPERATELY wants to be on the team. Maybe she’ll be more in to team sports than the twins?

We make it fun by hitting up the snack bar after the games– food always seems to leave a good impression on the twins so that they are more motivated to play!

Lots of love,

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Everyday January

Eleanor tried lots of new foods in January! Green beans are not her favorite, but everything else she gobbles up. I’ve been experimenting making baby food in the Instant Pot… she still prefers store-bought pouches because she can feed herself.

GIVE ME THE SPOON.

 

 

January alternated between lovely, sunny days and freezing, rainy ones.

We attempted to teach Meredith the concept behind leapfrog.

She decided riding on her sisters was more fun.

Eleanor giggles at her sisters’ antics.

Every night before bed, Meredith asks to give Eleanor a little hug. She’s been begging to let Eleanor sleep in her room too, but that won’t happen for a while.

Rest stop on a hike.

Perfecting magnatile towers.

On one rainy Saturday, Jake took the girls to do crafts at Home Depot. They were proud of their Valentine’s box creations.

Eleanor continued to crawl backwards and even learned to spin around, but still didn’t quite get how to crawl forwards.

The girls created a car for themselves out of a huge box and styrofoam.

Meredith loves to fill the basket in her bike with random toys to bring to the park.

Samantha and Amelia went to Harper’s birthday party at Zoomars and spent almost the entire time feeding and petting every single guinea pig.

We had one week that was straight up torrential downpours every day. After school one day, I announced we were having a read-a-thon. I had to explain what that was a million times, but the girls eventually went along with it. We pulled out all of our bins of books and binge-read picture books all afternoon.

Eleanor’s favorite toys.

Playdate with Maple and Gavin inside on a rainy day!

Wearing one of Maple’s old size 2T sleepers!

We got to meet Amy’s new baby– sweet Carter!

Meredith’s playgroup for 2016 babies. Many of the moms also have 2018 babies like Eleanor, so both toddler and babies have some friends!

Art and projects from school this month:

At teacher conference, Samantha and Amelia’s teachers showed me the little word books they’ve done recently and said how impressed they were by the drawings! I’d say those are pretty detailed for a five-year-old!

 

We practiced catch and batting to get ready for the upcoming softball season. Hit a home run, Amelia!

 

Lots of love,

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