Spoot,

I can’t believe that you’re seven years old – the time has seemingly flown by.  That old saying, time is a thief, continues to be true. In about a month’s time, you’ll be a second grader.  I can’t wait to see what all you accomplish during that year, but l don’t want to push time away even further.

I hope that you stay as curious and as happy as you are.  You always have a question (which, not to lie, can be daunting), but then you always have a smile.  It’s amazing to watch how you read people, and can pick up on moods and emotions quickly.  You know when someone is not feeling good about themselves or are sad, and you are right there to cheer them up.  I saw that time and time again this season during baseball.

You still love animals, and you still want to be a vet when you grow up.  You’ve added scientist and astronaut to the list too, but your number one love still continues to be animals.  You love to read, and you’re really good at it.  I love our lengthy trips to the library – even it means you playing Roblox on one of the tablets while making a friend who’s sitting right next to you.

I love how the first thing you do in the morning is give hugs and say good morning.  I love how excited you get when we say we’re going to visit someone: whether it be your best friend or a neighbor.  I love how, like your Dad, you always want dessert.  You love balloons, party pizzas, trips to the zoo, the beach and Legos.  Roblox and Ladybug are way up on the list, too, and you’re always up for Bob’s Burgers in bed with mom and dad – especially when we let you pick the episode.

You believe in the best in everyone and everything – you are the sunshine that breaks through the clouds on a rainy day.  I will never stop believing that.  You’re the best little dude – never stop being you.

Love,

Mama

We had a busy, but good Fourth of July weekend.  We are trying to jam pack so many things into the summer- I keep reading things that remind me that we only get 18 summers with these kids, and even though I am working every day during the week, we are trying to make it as memorable as possible.

We started out Friday by driving down to B’s parents house to celebrate his dad’s birthday.  There were steaks and cake and vodka drinks, and it was a good time.

We got up Saturday morning and drove down to my dad’s place.  Sheff ate a quick sandwich and then got straight in his swimsuit and in the pool.  Then we all followed in.  It was such a nice day, and the water was perfect.  We had happy hour with dad’s margaritas and snacks.  We had our Fourth cookout on Saturday (since we had to leave early on Monday), and then had an early 7th birthday celebration for Sheff.  My dad had gotten him an ice cream cake and a few gifts – after, we all got back into our swimsuits for a nighttime swim, followed by nightcaps on the patio and bed time.

Sunday was supposed to be our beach day, but the weather ended up being pretty crappy, so we settled for lunch out, and a pool party.  While waiting for the weather to clear, we got in about eight thousand rounds of Uno, and then even busted out the poker set to play some hands.  It was a ton of fun, and when we tried to order pizza for dinner, but were told it would be two hours for pickup, we threw in a frozen pizza and snacked on the leftover food.  We did sparklers and watched some of dad’s neighbors set off some pretty good fireworks.

We got up early on Monday to drive back home and hopefully miss all the holiday traffic.   It was glorious, as we ran into zero and made it home right around lunch time.  Sheff’s next-door friend came over, and they played in the pool and in the backyard until it was time for us to head to get our spot for fireworks.  We’ve sat in the same spot for forever – so we were lucky to claim it again.  Unfortunately, it did rain a good bit before the fireworks, so we didn’t get to actually “tail gate,” but was still fun nonetheless.  We ran into an old daycare friend of Sheff’s, and Sheff passed out glow sticks to everyone.  He loves doing it so much.

The Fourth has always been one of my favorite holidays, and my relationship with it was complicated this year.  Compounding that feeling was the shooting that took place in IL- it actually gave me pause when thinking about what we were going to do that night.  There truly are no “safe spots,” and it can absolutely happen anywhere at anytime and that is terrifying.  We, as a country, need to stop fighting over every little thing, and find a way to come together on the big and important things.  What we’ve got now is beyond broken, but not beyond repair.

Our first Saturday since March without baseball had us sleeping in late and lounging around all morning.  I got a book finished, and then Sheff and I went outside to get in the pool.  After being outside all afternoon, I went inside to get ready for our early anniversary celebration.  I had decided to start saving money on my hair, so I tried out Madison Reed hair color for the first time ever – I absolutely loved it.  No paid plug or anything – I took the quiz for what I was looking for, how experienced I was coloring my own hair, and then a week later, it was at the house.  I matched with the color Napoli Brown, and I absolutely love the color.  I highly recommend checking them out if you’re in the market of doing your own hair color.

Sheff’s babysitter got to the house around 6, and we took off.  We went to Red and White – a cute little wine bar in the Forest Park area.  We picked out a bottle of wine and shared a cheese plate, and it was all so good.  We had no idea what all they had at that place, but really glad we checked it out, because we’ll definitely be back.  Then we headed to Helen for a super fancy anniversary dinner.  Since it was Anthony Bourdain day, we both tried something completely new to us: fish collars, and they were so good.  After dinner, I made B drive by Sloss Furnace so we could see the new light installation.  Then my most favorite thing of the night – we went to Publix, got a bottle of wine drove up to the old Tip Top Grill spot, sat in the tailgate and listened to music while we drank the wine straight from the bottle.  It felt so rom-com: it was perfect.

Sunday – we went over to a friend’s house so the kids could play in the sprinkler and the moms could have a few beverages and chat.  Then, grocery shopping, and honestly doing nothing else but slugging around the house.  I don’t much care about screen time anyway, but especially during the summer, while he’s at camp outside all day, and then playing outside and having soccer twice a week – I don’t mind him chilling on the weekend with his pad or watching shows.

Yes, Sheff is now playing soccer, too.  With the camp registration, you get one free summer sport – and since Sheff was too young for the 3×3 basketball, he chose soccer.  He’s got one of his good friends from camp on his team, and they are so sweet together – plus she’s really good.  They had their first game last night – Sheff scored two goals and seemed to pick up on how to play pretty quick.  The game ended in a 3-3 tie – but honestly, I don’t even think the kids cared.

Sheff got to play 3 out of the 4 quarters – and this was him and his bud Jackson taking a break in the 3rd.   I love getting to watch him play sports – he’s always so determined and he has energy for days.

We’ve got some plans for the Fourth, so looking forward to the long weekend and hopefully things at work slow down as the week goes on.  Hope y’all have had a good start to the week.

This Joy League season of baseball was the most fun season ever.  It was an amazing group of kids that were inclusive and supportive and determined – and don’t even get me started on the head coach.  He was amazing – so patient and knowledgeable, and the kids loved him.  He told Sheff that if he got into a competitive fall league, that he would do everything he could with Joy League to get him moved up to 3A with him.

Anyway, last Monday, the Yanks had their first playoff game.  They had moved it up from Thursday to Monday, and we were playing at the baseball field instead of the softball field where they normally play.  The kids looked a little frazzled during the first half inning, so coach pulled them all aside, told them to forget about the score and just go and have fun.  And wouldn’t you know, that half inning, Sheffield hit a home run.  A grand slam to be exact!  His very first home run just happened to be a grand slam.  The Yanks fans went crazy, and this mama did too.  That was just the boost the kids needed, and they ended up winning the playoff game, so it was off to the championship game for the Yanks!  Sheff got the game ball that night, too.

Since we’d had a pretty hot week, they moved the game up from 10am to 8am on Saturday.  The Yanks were ready!  By the end of the third inning, they were up to the point where the other team couldn’t come back (can only score 5 runs per inning), so coach moved all the kids around.  It was sweet to watch Sheff play first and some of the other kids get to play in the infield as well.  The 2A Yanks completed their perfect season by winning the championship.  The parents had gotten together to have a little party afterward – complete with doughnuts, trophies, and treat bags.  We, of course, had to get a picture of all the kids with their trophies and a picture with the head coach.

I’m really glad that Sheff got to be a part of this season – he made so many new friends, and got more confident in his baseball skills.  We are already looking forward to next season!

We’re only halfway to the  next weekend, so we’re making some progress on these weekend updates y’all!

Friday was super fun – we took a late late lunch and went to Back Forty for some cheeseburgers and purple hull pea hummus.  It was so delicious.  Back Forty is definitely my favorite place in the Ham for cheeseburgers, and in my opinion have the most family friendly atmosphere, with plenty of green space for the kids to run around, and trains passing by frequently.  After that, we checked out the new Ghost Train Brewing location, and it was so nice.  In addition to their beers, they also had a really nice cocktail menu, and a really cool outside space.  B was going out with some friends, so I took Sheff to his school’s field to practice some fielding.  He did so good, so of course he got some time playing on the playground after.  We made some oven pizza and settled in for Shrek Ever After.  We were sleepy, so it was off to bed for us pretty early.

Saturday, we got a bye week from baseball since Sheff’s team is the #1 seed.  We got up early and went to breakfast and then went to the batting cages.  Sheff loves it – we go to D-bat over in Homewood.  The slowest the balls can go is 37 mph, so it’s really cool to see Sheff get a piece of some of them.  After that, it was lounging outside and in the pool for the rest of the afternoon.  The Y had parents night out, so we dropped Sheff off, while we did our new date night tradition of sushi and The Casual Pint.  It was a really fun time, and Sheffield had a blast at the Y getting to do crafts and swimming.

Sunday was a nice lazy day – we did our mile walk down to the little free library at Sheff’s school to swap out some books.  Sheff did have a 90 minute baseball practice Sunday afternoon, since they moved the playoff game up to Monday, but after that, it was just a bunch of doing nothing.  I made some friendship bracelet bobby pins, and to say I’m in love with them is an understatement.  I love the boho look of them, and I can make them in any color combo I want.  Such a fun and relaxing little hobby.

We’ve got the championship baseball game on Saturday this weekend, and a party to celebrate the kids win or lose after.  No real big plans for Father’s Day – we’ll leave that up to B, but hopefully will be fun for him regardless.