Weekend Endeavor: Win and Fail

Happy summer, everybody! School's out, and it is time to celebrate! We kicked off our summer season with a trip to the pool with our across-the-street-neighbor we adore, a rousing success. Then we got to stay up to watch a few extra Looney Tunes, before bouncing to bed. They were so excited, it was well after 9 before they dropped off.

Then we had Andy's game this morning. Coaching the T-Ball has been an adventure. The other team look snappy, but they are handling things in ways I just think aren't good for 6-year-olds. Encouraging base-stealing in T-Ball? Trying to play through a thunderstorm? Seriously, there are ways of teaching competition without teaching to put others down or that you're so-all-that and better than the other. Our team is learning about respect, teamwork, and having fun. We're working on hitting the ball and what the different positions are. We change up and let kids try different things, and rotate who is in the busier parts of the field so everybody gets a chance to make a play.

"You need somebody else on first base!" the volunteer-parent-umpire pulled me aside to whisper. Yes, we have a kid who is a great first base player. We decided to put him back on first base for the third inning, but let a couple other kids try it out for the first two innings. And yeah, they needed help and work and instruction and practice. So we gave them some. It isn't like we're keeping score, people!

Then there was the irate parent who had a kid who was supposed to be on the other team, but was then told they had moved him to our team, but the wasn't on our roster, he was on the other team's roster, and naturally the parents were upset. I solved that one quickly. "Thank you, Ma'm; he's now on the Red Team, and we're happy to have him. Here, dear, put on this shirt. You're number 6. Go Red!" Yes, the kid needed lots of extra help today. He actually hit the ball on his second at-bat, and was so proud. In the third inning, he made it all the way to homeplate. He was almost as proud of himself as I was of him!

Respect, Teamwork. Fun. It will take them much farther in life than "screw the other team."

Then we got Joey to Toy Story 3, and I believe my son is in love. He went with his Daddy, just him and his Daddy, and saw the movie he has been waiting for... for months. Dreams can come true, people.

Andy and I went to Walmart. I am making some trellises for my morning glories and I wanted paint. He wanted Zhu Zhu Pets. He settled for a couple new beds for the new pets Grandma just got him. We will not discuss how it might take me about 15 minute to stitch one up at home, and be a tenth of the price. No, we will not. We then went home and let him play with his Zhu Zhu Pets while I made fruit salad for a picnic-party for some folks I knew in high school.

Now, I must say the point of me going to this picnic was a little complicated. For one, I had actually been invited. I was never invited to anything when I was in high school. For two, the person who invited me was not only the person setting it up, but it is a person I would actually like to see and speak to, and there aren't many of those from high school. If you remember me mentioning it before, I hated high school. There was also a possibility of there being plenty of other kids there, since most of the folks I knew who had been invited to the party has micro-blogged about having kids.

So picked the boys up from the movies, picked up JoeyAndyDad's shiny new toy (a blue Jeep!), and then after a nice spin in the new car, we were off to the party. I am sure most of you are screaming or moaning at the screen already. How much of an idiot can I be? All that in one day? And Joey at a party full of people he doesn't know, after having been to the movies? Please don't break your computer screen bonking your head against it. They're expensive to replace.

So the picnic was Epic FAIL. Joey was hot. He was tired. They had a DJ, and the volume would be normal for most of us- we were having conversations without having to raise our voices or anything- but it was too loud for Joey. Andy made a little friends, but that was the only other child there over the age of, oh, two. I tried taking him to the far side of the house, to increased shade and muffling of the music, but it was already too late. I should have known when to pack it in. Poor JOey was completely overwhelmed, and the meltdown as dramatic as I have seen in a long time. My friend who invited me kindly helped me get Joey to the car, with our chairs and cooler, and grab Andy, and everything, to facilitate our hasty retreat. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We stopped at Grandma's for hugs and kisses and regaining our bearings before heading home for dinner and bed. The boys played with their Zhu Zhu Pets in the nice quiet, cool basement for a bit before being dunked in the bathtub and passing out. I then proceeded to read Joey's eval report that came in the mail today. Eep.

Ups and downs. And that was just the first day of summer. Whew!