From "t-bawl" To TBALL!!!!!

Ok, so the kid didn't win the World Series or anything, but for this Mama, he may as well have!!! That's right, today Alex Geppert became......"A-Gepp" (Successor to A-Rod). Ok...I may be overstating things JUST a bit.

Our dear friend and neighbor, Mr. Andy (who will be inducted into the Neighborhood Hall of Fame) took Alex to T-ball practice and ACTUALLY convinced Alex to play and HAVE FUN!!!! Noah and I followed behind in our little rental "blend-in-with-the-world" Kia and stealthily parked in the parking lot and watched. For the first time since organized Tball started, Alex was out in the field, playing catch, hitting balls and running bases!!! WITHOUT CRYING!!!! In fact...I saw a HUGE smile on his face!! I am SO proud of him for overcoming his shyness and enjoying himself!

I wish I had pictures to post, but the closest I got was a tree line on the opposite side of the field so Noah could play on the playground. Ms. Amy and Eddie were out walking and stopped by the field to watch too. I must have hugged her 10 times in all of my excitement--if she had not been there I would have been forced to hug trees!!

Sadly, our game for this weekend is cancelled, but I hope to keep the momentum going by taking Alex and the rest of the Kenwood Krew Kids over to the field to just play play play and have fun. I truly have the best neighbors in the world--as a single mom, it is incredible to have so much loving support from those that live right by us....what a difference community makes!


GO SCRAPPERS!!!!!!

Noah-isms

I was thinking it's about time I update the wonderful phrases that Noah comes up with:

1. " I have a thought"(my favorite!!!!)
2. "My body needs rest now" (before going to bed)
3. "Bo Bo's!!!!!!!!" (he yells this usually before he does something that will lead to self-inflicted bodily injury such as jumping off of a chair, hurling himself down a hill or running into a wall )
4. "um..........." (when asked to choose between two things.)
5. Singing: the kids SINGS all the time, especially as he is going to sleep. Last night I heard this coming from his room: "Mamma Mia, here I go again...oh oh, how can I resist you...." Seriously!

"T-Bawl"

Saturday. 9:00 am. Game Time. Mr. Dan graciously volunteered to walk shy Alex to the field and have a little man-to-man talk with him. Eddie, Noah and I followed behind and enjoyed our walk in the misty morning.

Mr. Dan trying to entice Alex to play....

And THIS is why we call it "TBawl!!!" Alex DID get up to hit, but then he had to run the bases, so the coach held his hand the whole way....and the whole way, the child did cry!!!!

The rest of the Scrappers taking on the Muckdogs:

Guess who!!?? I jokingly asked Noah if he wanted to play, and he said YES and headed to the field!!! Here he is after hitting a single--he DID have a hard time running to first base because he could not see with the batting helmet covering his eyes!!!

Could my sons have any more opposite personalities??????

Elmo's Green Thumb

It's that time of year again! Sesame Street Live comes to Indy!! Alex and Noah have gone every year since they have been home, and this year, we got to take their special amigo, Eddie along!!! Thank you, Coici, for being willing to be outnumbered by three Guapos!!


Praire Dawn came into the audience to say hello!! (I am sure I blinded her with my flash--heehee)

Coici layin' down the law....

Mommy and her boy waiting for the show to start!! But where are Noah and Eddie???

Hangin' with their favorite red monster of course!

The Guateposse was on their BEST behavior....
Need I say more.....

More Springtime Fun

We Are The Truth

Adoption has been a wonderful thing for our family. Both of my children seem to be happy, well-adjusted boys. That’s not to say they are better off with me than they would have been had they stayed with their first families. As someone who’s really only benefited from adoption (no losses for me at all since it was not after failed infertility treatment--This was my first attempt to become a parent), I really can’t imagine my life without these two amazing children. I am beyond lucky to get to share them with their first families and call them my sons.
I will always be indebted to my sons’ first families who, indirectly, entrusted me with their care, and to their first country, Guatemala, which entrusted me with its most valuable resource, its children. While we have gained a family, it will always remain that Guatemala has lost two of her sons. I will always be mindful of that.

Is it always easy? NO

Is it ALWAYS worth it? YES!!!

Lend your voice to the JCICS Campaign and Call to Action here.

My Son, The Scrapper....sort of

Last night was a milestone night: Alex's first practice as a member of The Scrappers T-ball Team. The team is for 4-5 year-olds, but they are letting Alex play at the age of 3. He was SO excited prior to practice.
The field is right around the corner from our house, and thanks to a door in our backdoor neighbor's fence, we have a nice shortcut. Here he is proudly marching to practice.

Upon arrival at the field, the "Shy Alex" kicked in big time. He wanted nothing to do with his coach, teammates or tball. He just wanted his Mommy. About halfway through practice, he DID get up and hit (with Mommy standing REALLY close to him) and then he went to field some balls....sort of. Coici was watching Noah and she got two shots of Alex....those legs you see are mine.

I DID finally get to go sit on the sidelines and leave him on the field (10 feet away). He just sat there to catch and throw....sorta reminds me of the Christmas Pageant from school!!! His default is to sit. The little boy in this picture is Will, age 4, also from Guatemala. We had met them at Holliday Park a couple of weeks ago, and now the boys are on the same team. Small world!!!

I am hoping next week will be better....it's frustrating watching him miss out on all the fun--I know once he gets comfortable, he will love it! Just a note on Noah, who is too young to play: He looked at his brother like he was crazy. Noah was ready to field, catch and hit....he would not have thought twice about going out there. Next year...