RiverCats! Mommy and Me Day

Both girls love to watch baseball with Ryan. While we only watch the Giants on TV, our local triple A team, the RiverCats, farms to the Oakland Athletics. We try and go to a couple of games a year because it's so close and the stadium is beautiful, but it has been a couple of years since we've caught a game. I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to take the girls to Mommy and Me Day just because I hate to have them go off in separate directions, but I promised they wouldn't miss out so we did it. The girls had a great time for the most part. Kate was not a fan of Dinger and let everyone in the stadium know it. The piercing, panic scream could be heard for miles and for a long time she didn't want to go onto the field. Once I convinced her I would "save" her from him, she did go onto the field and participate in the activities, but she kept an eye on him the whole time.
It's August so the girls were dressed in capris and tshirts...normally we would've had to worry about the heat. Today we show up and it's COLD. The wind was blowing the girls were all uncomfortably cold so we bought sweatshirts on the way in. It really was THAT cold. We walked down the stairs and the sweatshirts came off..oops. Our free day didn't turn out free after all. I'm calling it a souvenier, but Ryan still isn't happy about it.

I couldn't capture the feet positioning because my family would disown me. Allison still throws with her right foot forward. Really, I'm trying!

Nothing like pushing a ball that's bigger than you are around the field

Kate loved the jump rope

The girls posing with their friends Madeline and Lillian

She's rounding third

Inside the jump house

Painting and Big Girl Beds

The girls have been begging me to let them paint since they got a new paint set for Alli's birthday. Usually the set up and clean up process lasts longer than the activity time. But, I needed a mellow day to get the house in order and to do the mounds of laundry that have accumulated since the birthday party festivities so I gave in and the girls spent the morning and the afternoon painting. Allison preferred pink while Kate preferred purple as usual. If only we had a museum to display their works of art.


I tried to capture the moment but as soon as I walked in the room she was awake.
I set up the toddler bed in Kate's room this morning and I thought we would make a slow introduction just like I did with Allison. With Alli, first we played on it and then we would read stories on it, but it wasn't until much later that she actually slept in it. Once again Kate was in a hurry. After our story and rocking time, I went to put her in her crib to which she responded, "Bed." I was surprised and a little reluctant. Kate likes to battle everything and I was not at all prepared to do this battle yet. Much to my surprise, after a little chatter and a lot of music (via the Fisher Price Aquarium) there was silence and sleep in her toddler bed. YEAH, KATE! I'm thankful for today, but I know I've just set myself up for more battles.

The funny things they say...

When Alli first started talking I wrote down all of the funny things she said. Since we moved that list is buried somewhere but I think I need to start a new list. Almost 4 seems to bring out a whole new attitude. Tonight while starting bathtime I was attempting to talk to my grandfather on the phone. Now telephone conversations are never without interruption but tonight was better than most. She wanted a beach ball in the bath, but she had deflated it so I told her (while on the phone) I would blow it up when I was off the phone. Her response at the top of her lungs, "I WANT YOU TO DO IT RIGHT NOW." For those that know me well, the beach ball didn't get blown up at all tonight. We'll try again another day.
Later, we were cleaning the house before bed. A common saying around her is, "You get what you get and you don't get upset." I asked her to put her chair away. She moved it, but didn't put it away so I told her again that she needed to put it away. Her response, "I put it where I put it and you don't throw a fit."
Kate is at the really great age where she's slowly putting words together so we're getting two and three word phrases but very deliberate. She's still talking about her day with Nana where they saw an airpane and coco (airplane and helicopter) to kye (took off into the sky). It was Monday, but she loved the experience of just her and Nana on a playdate. She's also talking about the Sesame Street episode that she watched where no one was sharing. She's gets this concerned look on her face and says something to the effect of Elmo, Big Bird, and Zoe weren't sharing, but Cookie Monster (ahmumum as she calls him) must have a special place in her heart because he did share...but he didn't either :-)