Party Time, Twice

Joy played her last baseball game of the season today.

Her coach called her the most improved player on the team, and we're proud of her for her sincere effort (even when she misses).  

Daddy got into the games, too, and often stood along the baseline to coach Joy when she was playing first or third base.  You can also see her official coach (Coach John) in the outfield behind her.

After the game we had a team pizza party at Round Table, and all the kids got trophies.  Phillip and I are a little dubious about the policy of handing out trophies regardless of effort or achievement (some of the kids weren't very consistent about attendance, and the team never actually "won" a game because they don't keep score at this age), but we kept our thoughts to ourselves and Joy thought the trophy was pretty groovy. 

Later in the day, Joy's kindergarten class had an end-of-year swim party.

In addition to swimming and eating cake, the kids created some murals on butcher paper. Joy painted two stick figures and the words "Daddy and me."  It's sweet to see how much she loves her daddy.

More Caution at the Playground

The kids and I had a great time at the park today.

The caution signs were long gone from the big tree (though it didn't look any safer than it was six months ago), but someone wanted to make very, very sure that nobody played on this particular toy today.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad someone is looking out for my kids' safety, but for some reason the five cones and caution tape around a seemingly innocuous toy kinda crack me up.

Different (Chalk) Strokes for Different (Aged) Folks

The kids had fun playing with our sidewalk chalk today.

Daniel scribbled on the ground.

Anna scribbled on herself (if you look closely, you'll see streaks of blue on her face),

Joy (after taking a refreshing dip in the pool) scrawled out a cryptic math equation . . .

. . . and this message.  Awwww.

Open House (Plus Pinwheels)

 We attended Joy's kindergarten open house this evening.

Anna's favorite part was checking out the flower boxes over by one of the first grade classrooms.  Wanna guess how many times I had to stick that pinwheel back in the pot?

It was fun to see the things Joy has written and drawn this year.

Daniel loved the creative play area.  I love kitchens, too, Buddy.

Time to go.  Anna says it's bedtime.

Waffles, Croquet, and Crossing Guards

We visited Pink Grandma today for an early Mother's Day dinner.

Before we left home, the big kids wanted to make her some Mother's Day art.  Note that Joy is working diligently on her picture, while Daniel scribbled for a few seconds then decided it's more fun to pretend the colored pencils are crossing guards at a train track.

At Grandma's house we played bean bag croquet . . .

. . . and a fun card game . . .

. . . then dined upon Belgian waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream.  Yum!

Familial Music Appreciation

Joy attended her first bona fide choir concert tonight.

She and I strolled across Daddy's campus and splashed in one of the fountains (along with a bunch of students - apparently it's tradition for them to wade in the university's fountains the week they graduate) . . .

. . . then we headed to the concert hall to hear Daddy sing.  Joy had a lot of questions during the concert, and she was pretty tired by the end, but I think she enjoyed it.  She later confided that she didn't let me see her yawn because she didn't want to leave early.

We're sure proud of you, Daddy (even if one of us is really, really tired).

Subtle Hint

How can you really tell when your toddler is ready to trade in her bottle for a cup?

HINT: She dribbles milk out of her bottle into a cup . . .

. . . then drinks it out of the cup.