Let's See...

...Blastball started. Diamond D (the nickname takes on a whole new meaning now that he plays baseball) joined a Blastball team. Blastball is the variant of baseball little boys play before they play tee-ball. There's no gloves, no outs, no scores, only one base and the ball is big and squishy. You hit the ball off the tee and run to first base. The base that they use honks when they jump on it. As for the other team, well they just field the ball and yell "BLAST". That's it. I guess that's why only one practice was required.

At practice you learn who the coach is...the big one.

You learn how to hit.

And you learn how to celebrate as a team.

Maybe best of all, you get your uniform shirt. Desmond's team is called the "Muckdogs"...they did not get to choose the name.

The first game was rained out. Luckily, Blastball can be played inside.

The first game didn't go especially well. Desmond thought that the goal was to get the ball before anyone...including your teammates. When he didn't get to field every ball he got upset and sat and pouted.

We went to a show called "Walking with the Dinosaurs" at the new arena. On the way to our seats D wanted to have his picture taken with Darth Vader...I was happy to oblige. The show was really pretty cool. Big robotic dinosaurs walking around, fighting and eating. Some were really big, and really loud. There were a few scary parts, I'll admit, but Emma sat on my lap and put me at ease.

More Blastball.

All of the games except the first one have been outside, and it's been nice too. After several discussions about teamwork and perseverance Desmond has gotten really pretty good at playing, and enjoys going to the games.

Sometimes D likes to talk a little smack to the other team before the game starts to gain a little bit of a competitive edge.

Other times the team has other problems that distract it from the task at hand. This team had a couple of kids that kept fighting...really fighting.

And when they weren't fighting, they were making dirt angels.

Other events include Mother's Day. Of course Jennifer is the master at milking holidays. In this case she started working on her present to herself in the weeks leading up to the actual holiday. We got a bunch of plants and supplies to clean up the back yard. The whole family got into working in the dirt.

Some of us got into the dirt and water a bit too much. It came of no surprise that Emma was the dirtiest and soaked through by the end of the effort.

On the actual Mother's Day Jen got breakfast in bed on her new plates which were designed by D and E. We went to the zoo early that day...before the crowds.

We got to feed the giraffes for the first time.

I guess it was a good day. At least Jen thought it was, and that's all that counts.

One last photo.

Some lunatic ran onto the field during one of Desmond's Blastball games. The funniest thing about this photo is perhaps not the Blastball goon being chased down by security, but the fact that some of the players are altogether oblivious to what is going on...sometimes kicking dirt is too much of a distraction.