A Large Leap

Play Ball!

It may be strange for a 'play ball' post to be coming up at what is considered the end of the baseball season by many.  But, for the first time in school history (all three years), the Hawks baseball team is still rolling out this coming week.  A big congrats to Kirk for his patience and dedication and to all the boys for their hard work this season.  HVA won the District Championship on Wednesday night and will be playing 3 time defending State Champions (Farragut) on Monday at home.  Whit and I, of course, will be in attendance.

Whit has amazed me over the last week with his behavior and attitude at the ball park.  Always a curious and social yet content child he held up well through late nights, travel, and weather hot and stormy.  He seems to enjoy baseball thoroughly. He is the only 11 month old baby I have ever seen who actually sits and watches the game.  Sure, one reason may be that he can hear Daddy yelling from the dugout and he is trying with every ounce of energy he has to find him.  When we approach the ball yard and Whit sees the players in uniforms he yells out what were undoubtedly his first 2 words "Da Da!" and "Ba-baa!"

Also, I had to share this wonderful photo of Whit and I together at the ballpark.  In this shot I'm carrying Whit on my hip in a sling, one of many baby wearing techniques available.  I like to think that this global practice of keeping baby "close enough to kiss" contributes greatly to Whit's overall happy demeanor.

In Full Swing

This time of year I am amazed that I found a moment to sit and type.  Of course, as I type I can see clearly a mound of breakfast dishes in the kitchen and the edge of the laundry pile peeking out at me from the slightly ajar door to the washing machine. 

Spring is in full swing and with it baseball season (although that is actually beginning to wind down).  This means evenings at the ball park, Saturday practice and late nights attempting to keep the house in some semblance of order. Thank goodness for a generous mother-in-law who gave me a slight reprieve this weekend and at the same time managed to keep the ironing basket from overtaking the house.

I'm loving the longer days and the activities that are now possible.  Whit has developed his very first freckles on his nose and despite copious sunscreen use, he is working on his farmer's tan, which in this family we call the baseball tan.

I can hardly believe that in a few short weeks it will be time to address and mail invitations for his first birthday party - there are so many things left to accomplish between now and then.

Spring Fever

One of the joys of having a small child is the ability to blame your lack of organization, cleanliness and motivation on them. Seriously.  I have been very lax around the house recently and have not put in as many hours at work as I typically do because I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and attending baseball games and playdates at the park.  And I've rarely (if ever) even turned on my computer once I've finished work for the day.  (Hence the lack of blogging!) And I've loved every minute. Last week it seemed that spring was in full swing. Sunny baseball weather, mild nights (great for before dinner walks) and ever greening grass and budding trees.

Now, I sit in a small room in the basement of Wallace Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech. Thank goodness I have a window to look out of as I sit for the next 6 hours and write for my final Master's Degree Exam. And although it is officially spring and the first day of April, clearly God is playing a bit of a practical joke.  My favorite cherry tree is blossoming beautifully against a backdrop of blue sky and small flakes of snow!

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