If Only I Had a Camera.....

Last night Tristan's baseball team had a game. The first time he was up he unfortunately struck out, but the second time, well let me tell you, that is when the real fun began. The pitcher walked him, which isn't unusual since Bug is so little and has a small strike zone. He stole second and third again which seems to be a running theme with him, and still gives me a coronary when it happens. Well there was a bad pitch and the ball hit the backstop, Bug took off for home. He was still halfway from the plate as the catcher was starting back towards home. The catcher blocked the plate and then Bug tried to slide, it was the most awful, pitiful slide I have ever seen. He started to skid, his cleats dug into the soft red dirt and then lo and behold he was airborne. He literally cartwheeled, with no hands!, over the catcher and landed on the plate. It was the ugliest slide but it resulted in the first run of the game for our Orioles. When that umpire called Tristan safe, his dugout went nuts, they were picking him up and carrying him, while I cradled my head in my hands and took a much needed deep breath (because I had been holding it). I was thinking about the money I had lost from America's Funniest Home Videos, because I know Tristan cartwheeling over that catcher and still scoring a run could have won us some college tuition money!

SeaWorld Trip

This picture just says it all! We pulled the kids out of school and used our free SeaWorld passes (the military is good for that) last Thursday. It was an early departure from our house, but everyone was excited, except for Jaesen, it was way too early for him. It was a beautiful day and Jaesen slept part of the way so by the time we got there everyone was excited. We stopped by the sea turtles first and they were very exciting to Savannah who kept yelling, "Turtle" at the top of her lungs. They didn't move much and so we moved on to the stingray feeding. Jaesen bought some fish and we fed the rays while trying not to feed the vulture like birds who swooped in on unsuspecting kids trying to feed the rays. Everyone got soaking wet but had a lot of fun. We just kept going from exhibit to exhibit and enjoyed the beautiful day outside. For lunch we decided to live it up and hit the restaurant that is part of the shark exhibit. With Jaesen greasing some palms we were able to get front row seats to the sharks and fish.



Our only disappointment to the day was we missed the Shamu show because we let the kids ride the roller coaster one extra time and the stadium filled to capacity 15 minutes before show time. Tristan was of course distraught and the day went downhill rapidly after that, but I try to keep in mind all the fun we had up until that point. It was a fun day spent together as a family which will be few and far between here soon.

Opening Day

Aaaaahhhhhhhh, the smell of dirt, the crack of the bat, kids whining for Gatorade and Ring Pops from the concession stand, yes baseball season has officially kicked off. Opening Day was Saturday. It started at 7:45 (way too early) and it was foggy, gray and cold. We dropped both boys off at their floats and headed back to the baseball park with Savannah to wait for everyone to come our way. The fire truck was late though (they were on a call) so instead of starting the parade of floats at 9, it began about 9:30. Then they all get to the field and it's total chaos to get all the kids to the fields so they can be introduced and repeat the pledge, listen to the anthem, raise the flag and watch the first pitch of the season be thrown out. Jack didn't have a game, but Tristan's was scheduled to begin at 12:30. We got back at noon after a quick run home to grab a bite to eat, but because of the delayed start of the parade we didn't begin our game until 2. By that time it was sunny, hot and the bugs were swarming, it was really great. The nachos were good though, those drippy cheese with jalapeno nachos that are oh bad for you but taste like heaven. Our game was finally over at 4:30, we lost. Tristan was pretty upset, he didn't get to pitch and felt he could have contributed well to the team. I have a feeling we will have a lot of life lessons this season with him, the whole you win as a team and you lose as a team. On a personal note though he stole second and third, giving me an absolute heart attack and slid into home on a wild pitch to score the first run of the game. We aren't sure where he learned to slide since his other attempts looked like a sixteen year old trying to drive a clutch for the first time, a lot of stalling and not quite getting to where you are going. Monday, Jack has his first game against the Hurricanes, his team from last year, hopefully the Tigers won't resemble the Bad News Bears too much.....

Bicycle John!

I just got home from New Orleans where I attended the funeral of one of my Mom's best friends, John. It was a day we knew was coming but always hoped would be just another day away. I lived with John and Chris after I graduated from school and was waiting to get into the military. In that short amount of time I gained a greater appreciation for everything Star Trek, he was a devout trekkie and of music. We would sit around at night listening to music, and not just one type, he loved all music and we would karaoke before it was in fashion. He loved LSU football, KC and the Sunshine Band, and as I was reminded at the funeral, he never said goodbye, he always said "Bicycle". I had forgotten that little piece about him. He loved cinnamon toast every morning for breakfast and he loved his job at TWA. It was a wonderful funeral and I was able to see all of my old friends, more like family since we have known each other for something like 25 years. I sit here crying, writing this little mini obituary for someone I hadn't seen in many years, but I know he followed us closely through my Mom as he was extremely patriotic and loved discussing the military. We will all miss him, there is definitely a piece of my heart missing, but for all the memories that he provided just by being Johnny, I am forever grateful. Geaux Tigers and bicycle good friend.

And So It Begins......

Well we are fully into baseball season with each boy having three practices a week until the games start mid-March. It's a good thing I am not working right now so I can run my taxi service to the little league park. Jack has ended up with kids on his team which he knows which is sometimes a bad thing because he wants to play. He got smacked in the head the other night with a ball thrown from first (he was playing pitcher) which didn't faze him in the least. The coaches and other parents were freaking out, I didn't even flinch. I was calming everyone down, but I could see it on their faces, "Why isn't this Mom more concerned for her kid?" If they only knew Jack, they wouldn't be worried either. By the end of the season they won't react either when he gets hit in the head! Even though Jaesen has been home we have hardly seen him, gotta love those Navy hours. Although I have been so busy with my job as taxi driver, I have hardly noticed. Aaaaaahhhhhh, the smell of spring is in the air here, baseball has arrived!

It's Been Busy at the Yerger's!

Of course when is it not busy here. When Jaesen is at sea, the craziness seems to multiply like rabbits. First and foremost though I passed my boards and am officially an RN!!! The stress level has decreased dramatically here and for the next month I plan on enjoying being with my kids again, instead of wondering who mothered these children who seem to just know how to push every button, turn every switch and inevitably turn me into a queen b****. Of course I can't just blame them, there is that husband of mine. Just kidding, he is gone so guess I have to look into the mirror. At any rate, it's time for fun and relaxation and then a job. We couldn't sit idly by though and just let me study, that would be far too easy. So on Valentines Day we headed off to a 10 Commandment Hike in downtown with the Cub Scouts. We saw some beautiful churches and learned about the history of Jacksonville and of course the 10 Commandments. Thank goodness my Dad and Karen were here or it would have been a nightmare. With 3 adults tackling 3 kids we managed to make it through the whole event, even though we all wanted to head for home early. Tristan went to his first sleepover party that night and had a ball. Then we decided to head for the beach, even though it was cold and windy outside. We stayed for about 45 minutes before the fingers and toes went numb, although Jack and Tristan even got in the shallows to get water for their sandcastles. Those boys are tough. Last night was Jack's Kindergarten night at school and they sang a bunch of songs and he had some lines to recite and did great. We were all worried since he hadn't been able to keep his hands to himself with all those other kids standing so close to him. I mean really, come on, if someone is standing right next to you, shouldn't you be able to tickle them until they fall off the bleachers???? We also found out Jack will be on the Tigers tball team this year and their first practice is Saturday. All I can hope for is that the boys will have a lot of practices at the same time. Here's to hoping....

Tristan's Tryouts

Tryouts were last Saturday and I think I was more nervous than anyone. Tristan did great and got picked up by the Orioles and they even had their first practice last night. He is surprised by how different it is compared to t-ball. There is a lot more work involved and lots of running. He is the smallest kid on the team and all the kids are calling him Bug, as there is another Tristan on the team.