visit to the country

a few weeks back, i visited my mother in the country side...the countryside i grew up in is still so tranquil and peaceful --when mom's not dishing out her chore list, that is.

i woke up one morning and decided to just go out and do some photo journaling of our farm.

the animals were very cooperative that day...and so were the blooms. oh such beautiful colors!! and against that sunrise?

...and the spider...

my sister rides her horses pretty religiously and i even went out for a ride with her. i was pretty sore the next day with just 15 minutes of loping---ouch. she's such a cute cowgirl.

my nephew looked so much better than me mounted up on that handsome Chief, for sure.

upon arriving to the country, i never knew how much elena was obsessed with animals. with cats and dogs and ducks and chickens and cows, her fascination never ceased. she would point and switch to "temporary checked-out" mode. she would reach out to touch and experience each animal with joy -- but be wary of that stinkin' poodle, Scrappy--he's a grouchy dog. she learned quick.

Freckles, on the other hand, by far thee best dog on earth. she is definitely the greatest with kids. you can see by the torturous behavior she endures not only from elena, but from my nephew as well.

once you visit Moomie in the country, get ready to be spoiled. this time it was colored sugar cookie dough. the boys made hearts for me (aww, so sweet) and dinosaurs and a giant robot smothered with colorful sprinkles.

and what do you do when you're out in the country? you go-kart. 

i've never seen lil sis go out on the go-kart so this was new---wait wait, i bet you're asking yourself how she rides wild animals at galloping speeds but won't ride a go-kart?  

i know, right? i asked her the same thing and she just chuckled from embarrassment. different people, i guess. 

we celebrated my nephews 2nd birthday that week by eating great burgers + cake and going to the local water park.

i love this shot of all four cousins...(taken with iphone)

the country is about messy faces, afternoons eating chips and salsa outdoors, family, chasing chickens, taking naps, and doing chores. yes ma'am. 

if you're city folk, you should try it out sometime---aranda farms is open for business ;) (you're welcome, mom)

have a great weekend everyone! 

baseball 2015

our season began early in the february of 2015. it was tough start with 14 eager little boys. half of them with no knowledge of the game and one first-time coach. 

it was rough, pocket-wise too. thankful for relatives who helped pitch in so these boys could learn the game (truly thankful).

the season was was so exciting, boring, strenuous, stressful, prideful and disappointing, cold & hot...and so on. it was everything a season of sport should be. 

the boys did have fun though. they created friends in the outfield (literally) and played around in the dugout. it was funny watching them get ready for games--one boy preferred his socks way up and the other preferred them down. and both needed help putting said socks on because baseball socks = hard, man. truly.

the boys did great, even with jonah being the youngest player in the team. they finally learned the basics of  baseball although they didn't quite enjoy spending their afternoons at practice.

i enjoyed a lot watching them come across that home plate. they were incredibly proud of themselves as was baby sister who would escape from our seat to give the boys a high five. 

gary was impressed watching his oldest run his little heart out. jojo liked to pretend his shoes had turbo boosters in them but no matter how hard he tried running, his legs just couldn't go fast enough and that's ok because he was the cutest thing out there. 

andrew, no matter what position he would play, could not contain his excitement and would bounce up and down maniacally in the field...there were a few missed balls because lets face it, outfield is SO boring for kids in little league. i don't know how many times we yelled "baseball ready" "watch the ball" and so forth just to get them to pay attention...

but one thing they each loved about the game? was snacks! they lived for it, they played their hearts out for it, and they inhaled them after each game. i was impressed at andrew's dedication to grab his equipment and carry it all himself--to me, there's nothing better than a self-sufficient kid and this kid is doing a great job of it (not just in baseball).

our season was so long because of the rains here in south texas, i lost count of our reschedules and cancellations and i was so thankful when they finally cut the season short in the middle of may and offered trophies.

these boys were in baseball heaven! they held dearly onto them! andrew wanted his trophy displayed proudly on my living room shelf...
i'm so glad the season is over though! baseball really is something else.... i really think the boys enjoyed themselves as much as i enjoyed being a proud baseball mom. i'm more proud of my husband volunteering his precious off-time, not only teaching our boys to properly throw and catch a ball, but teaching it to the other kids on the team.

i know you could have enjoyed spending your time doing something else, bobo, but your kids will forever remember you teaching them baseball and being part of their team. we love you!

how long was your baseball season? how involved are you in your kids team? let me know how you handle those disappointments and frustrations of being a baseball team, i need some pointers from seasoned baseball moms!

have a great hump day everyone!