Sisters

So, I intended for this post to be titled "Friends" but changed my mind as I started writing it. Let me tell you why.....

I am one of four children, 3 boys and me. While I love my brothers dearly, my whole life I wanted a sister. When my youngest brother was born, I cried because he was a boy (granted, I couldn't imagine life without him now.) I wished and hoped, but stinky socks and Star Wars toys were what I got!

When I went to college and lived with girls, for the first time it dawned on me that maybe being the only girl was not such a bad thing. My brothers never wanted to borrow my clothes and my brush was always where I put it. Being the "favorite" and only daughter wasn't all bad.

Even so, I wished when I got married that I had a sister to be my Maid of Honor. A sister to share with me in the excitement of the birth of my children, and me her. One that I could tell anything to without feeling like I might be judged.

What I have come to realize over the years is that I don't have to have a sister through birth, because throughout my life, I have found my sisters along the way. I have been blessed with wonderful girls/women who have come into my life and become my sisters.

One, I met the first day of Kindergarten,

In one case, we were friends while still in the womb!

Dance Class

Junior High and High School

Others in the College Dorms

Some appeared while in the midst of raising little children. They were there to love my children and at times help me find the strength to love my children!!

At times some were my workout partner.

And

some are the girls my brothers married.

We have been there for each other through love and loss, breakups and breakdowns, heartbreaks, weddings, babies, fertility issues, the list goes on. We have laughed together and cried together. We have shopped together and traveled together.

They have been there for me when I need them most. Once it was showing up at my door to clean my house when my morning sickness was too bad for me to get out of bed. At times it has been simply giving me a shoulder to cry on when I feel the weight of the world coming down on me. They have watched my kids to give me a break. Brought me dinner, given me a ride to the airport or to pick a car up from the shop. They have driven hundreds of miles when I was moving or needing someone to keep me awake in the car.

These truly are my sisters. I love them unconditionally. My heart aches when they are sad. I am happy when they succeed. There have been times when even from a distance I instinctively know they are hurting, or we think to call each other at the same moment. We are connected.

So here is a shout out to all those women in my life!! I am truly blessed with wonderful sisters!

BASEBALL

My family loves BASEBALL. By the end of February, we live, sleep, eat, and breath the game! It controls our lives and determines our time. But you will never hear a soul complain.

We have played football, soccer, baseball, tennis, dance, to name a few. While they don't mind participating in these sports, there is something different when it comes to baseball. There is never a moan or groan when it comes time for practice, a game, or just throwing the ball with dad.

Maybe it is genetic! Not something they got from me, but from their dad. Since the day we met, there is one thing that is a constant, BASEBALL. I did not grow up watching BASEBALL. My brothers played some Little League, but I didn't know much about the game, except that you hit a ball with a bat, run around some bases, and games take forever! However, over the past 15 years, I have gained a love and respect for the game.

Here is what I love about Baseball

1) I love that my kids love baseball.

2) I love that my husband takes the kids individually to Giants Games to spend time with them

3) I love it's history.

4) I love a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon at the ball park.

5) I love everyone cuddled on the couch on a Sunday afternoon watching a game and eating

popcorn.

6) I love it when a teammate makes a good play or hits a home run and my sons meet them in

the dugout with a high five or slap on the butt.

7) I love the Ken Burns Series on Baseball.

8) I love that my husband coaches their teams.

9) I love listening to my kids talk strategies with their Dad.

10) I love the crack of the bat.

So, from now until the end of July, WE ARE BASEBALL! Let's Play Ball!

The Lake

I have had to opportunity to travel a fair amount in my life, but my favorite place in the world is my parents vacation house. They bought the property right after Rick and I were married. The house was older, but functional (besides the 4 feet wide kitchen.)

We used and abused it for 10 years. In 2005 they knocked down the old house,

and built one that would accommodate the masses, and it does! Many have been welcomed over the years!

Wintertime = skiing, sledding, ice skating, snow mobiling, snow cones, hot chocolate by the fire, to name a few.......

Summer = wakeboarding, windsurfing, seadooing, tubing, skipping rocks, smores in the campfire, hiking, biking, .........the list goes on!

All year = Fun, Family, and Friends!

Our Baby

Just 16 months after we had G, we welcomed baby #3! His alias will just be ID for now (tried just I, but that got too confusing!) ID arrived 2 weeks early and weighed 8ibs 4oz (I think the ounces are correct!) He still lets us call him our baby, he always will be, unless we have another one!

Labor with him was days it seemed! ID had many sleepless nights full of contractions, and even with an epidermal, I was exhausted by the same he made his entrance. Exhaustion might have had something to do with the two other children, one of which was barely walking! I had a bit of a breakdown the first day home alone with all three. But, it passed, and life was all good.

I never would have purposely (once again, Isaac was a bit of a "surprise") had children that close together. But, besides those first few months, or maybe years, it has been nothing but a blessing! ID and G are the best of friends, and will always look out for each other. They crack us up!

Back to ID though, because this is his post!! Being the youngest he always gets raw end!!

ID is a super fun kid! He is silly, energetic, smart, and athletic. He is always the first to give me hugs and kisses! We say we love him best at night! While G is the first to bed, at 8pm, ID likes to stay up and get some alone time with mom and dad. He climbs in bed and reads or watches baseball with Rick.

ID also tends to unknowingly get himself into trouble. Once I received an email from the teacher that he was selling baseball cards at school for a dollar. When I confronted him he looked at me confused, said sorry, but wondered what the big deal was. Rick thinks this is a great sign of his entrepreneurial side! Another time he got in trouble for climbing on the urinals in the boys bathroom at school. That might have been one that was intentional, but he didn't realize it was such a big deal. There are many more of these stories, but of course, I didn't do as my mother suggested and write them down.

ID is a natural athlete. He doesn't love extreme sports like his big brother, but he excels at team sports. It is a good thing too, because where we live, it is very competitive!

While I haven't written much down over the years, here are a couple of funny ID conversations;

ID's friend, "Kylee likes you." ID, "No she doesn't." Friend, "Mason said she likes you." ID, "Not anymore, that was Yesterday."

Conversation in the back seat of the car one day," G, did you know that Fergie got married?" Ya, ID, to some guy named John or Steve." ID, "I think they should kick her out of the Black Eyed Peas now that she is married."

We love our baby! He keeps us on our toes!

Our First Boy

Baby number two arrived March 17, 2000, weighing in at 8ib 10 0z. And no, we did not name him Patrick or anything Irish in celebration of St. Patricks Day. We will just refer to him as G for now.

G was the easiest baby ever!! Maybe because I wasn't trying to graduate from college or something, I had more patience. He slept through the night by 6 weeks, and has loved to go to bed at night ever since!!

KJ was excited to have a baby brother. She adjusted to him right way. He was mostly content. I do however remember one time, Rick and I had taken him with us to New York to go to a Yankees game. It was in fact Rick's Law School graduation trip. G was about 2 1/2 months old. We left him with my brother and his wife while we went to the game. When we got back, his binky was secured in his mouth with Band-Aids. I guess his was cranky and having a difficult time keeping his binky in, so my brother (aka Dr. Knight) got creative. I have since heard a story about a kid that chocked to death that way.......Good thing he isn't a Pediatrician.

Although G was an easy baby, he was probably and still is, the most attached to me. I must admit, it kind of makes me feel special! His older sister never was, so I'll take what I get from him!

G has always had a witty sense of humor. He likes to make people laugh. Even at a young age he was doing silly things. He also has zero fear. He will try anything! He is great at any sport, but due to his fearlessness, he is great at any extreme sport!

Grant loves his froggy, the Yankees, his bed, Star Wars, skiing, wake boarding, hiking, windsurfing, and anything baseball.

Any coach that G has ever had, tell us he is a coaches dream. G puts everything he has into whatever sport he is playing. He is 100% there when it comes to practices and games. He listens and applies whatever he is taught. This is one of my favorite things about him and I know it will be a characteristic that takes him far!!

The following is one of the few things that I wrote down on paper.

One morning as I was getting lunches made and kids out the door, G asked me if I was coming to the school to work that day (as I always do on Friday.) I told them of course I was. To this he responded, "Whatever you do, please do not show up in your workout clothes (as I do every week because I go straight to the school after working out) it is totally gross and embarrassing!"

He is very sensitive to such things. He told me later I also smelt bad after working out!

Although the previous story might not seem so, G is very tender hearted! He is always the first to help or say sorry. He is a deep thinker which sometimes isn't the best for his tender heart!! He loves music and can tell you what any artist signs. We love him and are so happy he is part of our family!!!