Little Sluggers & Our Community Organizer

The twins are doing much better at T-ball this season. I think that having a year of experience under their belts, plus an extra year of maturity, has definitely helped. And speaking of belts, it also probably helps that this year we bought them real baseball pants and belts, too. The belts aren't even real baseball belts like the ones their teammates wear, but the boys haven't seemed to notice or care. If it looks remotely like the belt Daddy wears to work, it must be cool. Even though they hate tucking shirts into their pants, they are willing to do so when they're wearing their Yankees uniforms, since it'd be a shame not to show off such a classy accessory.

Unlike last year, in which you might recall Caleb refused to participate in his first game and was therefore excluded from a post-game outing to Roy Roger's, this year the boys look forward to practices and games and you can actually see them smiling while they're batting, running, and even playing the infield. The outfield remains an unpopular outpost, but who can blame them, since the ball rarely travels that far. And whereas last year the boys basically ignored all balls that were hit or thrown in their vicinity, this year they chase after them aggressively. We knew we'd come a long way when, at their second game of the season, Caleb got up to bat and their coach warned the other team that he's a "big hitter." Upon realizing that our boys might actually have some potential at this sport, this past week we made a point to practice batting and throwing with them in the back yard, and despite Moses launching into a screaming fit every time one of his brothers caught a ball that he felt entitled to possess, it has really paid off. At last night's game, Joshua smacked a ball into the outfield. Way to go, boys!

And let's not forget about Moses. He enjoys batting and throwing with his plastic bat and ball, too. Baseball actually seems to come quite naturally to him, as he just appears to know how to achieve the perfect stance and form, sans instruction. I think one reason is because he pays attention so well when his brothers' coach is working with the older boys. His opportunity to play T-ball next year as a 4-year-old can't come soon enough.

In the meantime, Moses stays busy drawing, picking flowers for Mommy, building "fire places" with sticks, and looking for his "sweetie birdies." At his parent-teacher conference last week, his teacher asked if she could clone him. It was no surprise that she said that his fine motor skills are outstanding for his age, but what I didn't know is that he's taken upon the role of being an "organizer" in the classroom. I asked her if that was a nice way of saying that he's bossy, since I know he has those tendencies, and she said that no, he actually keeps his classmates organized in a very peaceful manner. For example, she said that if the toy parking garage is out on the floor during free play, Moses does a very good job keeping track of who was playing with which car, and if someone snatches a car from someone else, he will insist that they return it to its rightful owner before anyone resorts to violence, crying, or tattling. She said she doesn't have to worry about the children fighting as long as Moses is overseeing the operation. Seeing that he is such a gifted "community organizer," I think it's safe to say that Moses is already well-qualified to be President of the United States. Whether or not he pursues a career in politics, he's certainly shaping up to be a strong leader, just like his Biblical namesake.

And since I managed to skip the entire month of April, I have quite a compilation of thing the boys have been saying over the past month:

"Ow! I hurt my head. Don't kiss it." - Moses

"Don't eat too much! I don't want my mom to be hyper." -Moses admonishing me not to eat too many jellybeans.

Moses, wearing a Santa hat: "I'm hungry."
Joe: "You're already hungry, Moses?"
Moses: "I'm not Moses, I'm Santa. Say, 'are you hungry, Santa?' Yes, I am." 
Joe: "What are you hungry for, Santa?"
Moses: "Candy canes."

Moses, being contrary: "What is Larry's last name?"
Me: "I don't know, maybe it's Cucumber?"
Moses: "No, it's not. His name is Larry Cucumber."

Joshua: "Look, that person has four dogs!"
Me: "Four dogs? That's crazy."
Joshua: "I don't know why some people just want to have a-plenty of dogs."

Moses: "Ohh, look. It's my sweetie birdie. Hi, sweetie birdie."

Moses, yelling from the porch loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear: "PRAISE THE LORD!"
Me: "What are you praising the Lord about?"
Moses: "Cocoa's fur growed back. Praise the Lord!"

Joshua: "Is it turtle season yet?"
Me: "It sure is."
Joshua: "Oh, I'm so glad it's turtle season! I like to catch some turtles."

While getting ready to disembark the Metro at Woodley Park/Zoo, after repeatedly telling the boys our destination...
Caleb: "Where are we going? Are we going home?"
Moses, clearly annoyed: "What do you think?! We are going to the zoo!"

Joshua: "I love Mommy better than toys."

Caleb: "Thank you, Mommy, you're the best woman!"