Baseball Season 2010: The year of the rainouts!!!

You know it's been a wet spring in the northwest when you have to cancel an already rescheduled game due to rain. The crazy thing is that even with all those cancelled games, we still managed to experience playing in torrential rain, hail, sleet, and snow. That didn't stop us from having a great season though! We saw some major improvement, not to mention much more attentive, aggressive playing. Gone are the days of watching them pull grass in the outfield or play in the dirt around the bases. My favorite play was when Connor was up, the bases were loaded, he had two strikes and then came through with a double. I was so nervous for him that I didn't even think to try to capture it on camera. His teammates can't seem to forget it either! Here are some of the highlights of the season:

The kickoff Jamboree: Thankfully the rain on this day lifted just in time for the parade.



Little League Day at Safeco Field: The seats may be nose bleeders but the kids could care less. The boys are as happy as clams sitting with their team mates, eating cotton candy and watching Ichiro play. Even Sage made it through the whole game. This year I convinced Jack into only letting the boys pick one item from the overpriced snack bar. We had just hit up Mickey D's for some fast food on the way into the City so I figured this wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately my efforts to save a buck backfired when Jack then felt justified in taking them to the sports shop to pick up some memorabilia with all that money we had saved from not buying every item on the menu. As you can see it was all worth it since these tacky sponge hands have now found a home in our house. We'll see how long the fancy decks of baseball cards last too. I'm told "it's all part of the experience"! :)




My boys constantly accuse me of talking instead of watching their games. I can say this was the first year that I found myself not wanting to miss any of their plays or times at bat. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I didn't have my camera out too often but here are a couple shots I was able to capture on some nicer days:

Tyler on 3rd, trying to get home! And he scores!!!



The boys high-fiving each other after they make a good play in the outfield getting the batter out.



Tyler looking cute waiting to bat:



Connor was known for making his coach work hard for the perfect pitch. He wasn't going to attempt to hit just anything! I don't even want to think about what it will be like next year with kid pitch. I'm told it a true test of everyones patience...



Our cheering squad. I have to say it's so nice when Sage has a friend to play with at the games. For over two hours at each game, she and her friend would entertain each other!



The end of game relay: Sometimes we had to wonder what was more important winning, the game or the relay! I think in part this had to do with the fact that our team knew they were fast and pretty much unbeatable!



And finally, the end of year award ceremony! Nothing makes a bunch of boys happier than swimming, eating pizza, and getting their medals! (I love that most of these photos seem to include Ty in the air...)




Connor autographing the team balls. He's assured us they will be worth lots of money someday...



Posing with daddy!

And the birthday continues!

So after a fun packed Friday spent celebrating with her friends, Sage's official birthday was Saturday, May 15th. This was good timing since the week before she was telling me how much she "missed Santa" and was blasting Christmas music on the keyboard. Although Santa didn't make an appearance, her friends stocked her up on Friday with lots of fun new Barbies, bubbles, Littlest Pet Shops, etc. When we asked her what we could get her her response was a "pink girl fish". Obviously this stemmed from watching her brothers get fish for their birthdays which surprisingly are still alive. I knew I wanted to also take Sage to Toys"R"Us since I'm a sucker when it comes to coupons and I had Five Toys"R"Us bucks that were about to expire burning a hole in my pocket. After unsuccessfully walking down the aisles and her saying it wasn't her "favorite store anymore". We almost gave up. Seriously, what child can't find something they want at Toys"r" Us? Thankfully, we found a cute scooter. I don't know who was more thrilled, Sage over the fact it was pink and Barbie themed or me because between the sale price and my Toys"R"Us bucks, we got out the door with a lava lamp night light and a scooter for under $20!

Next up was a Starbucks frappachino and the long awaited trip to PetSmart. Luckily after searching through all the female beta fish in the store we found a white Beta fish that had a glimmer of pink in her tail. Sage was beside herself with excitement and I was happy to see that Sage's desire for a female fish paid off too since they were a couple bucks cheaper! :) Although I question why a female fish would be cheaper than a male one, I was happy with the $3 savings.

So here's London, the new addition to the family. Apparently we watch a bit too much of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody in our home...



And here are her new wheels. I was worried she wouldn't be coordinated enough to get the hang of a scooter but she surprised us and is quite good on it! If only these "wheels" would be good enough when she turns 16...



And finally we ended the day with pizza and cake!



I don't know what we'd do without our Sage. She brings so much happiness and joy to our family. Here are a few things that stand out most about our baby girl:

1. She's pretty much a girl version of Ty. Need I say more...
2. Her beautiful hair. We can't go far without someone commenting on what great hair she has. If only I knew what to do with it!
3. She loves things to be tidy and in their place. (Hmm, wonder where she got that!) It cracks me up to listen to her tell her friends that they can only play in her room "if they don't make a mess".
4. She loves food! Right now her favorite vegetable is asparagus. Her favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs, and her favorite dinner is pizza. She eats pretty much anything but has a particular fondness for anything sweet. And she LOVES bubblegum!!!
5. She loves to sing and dance around but don't think about singing with her. She's our soloist...
6. She still enjoys starting her morning drinking "milky" or "juicy" from her sippy cup while watching her favorite Disney Channel shows in my bed.
7. She adores her brothers and her daddy. She gets very upset if the boys head off to the bus stop without giving her a hug and kiss. Daddy is always greeted with a big hug and kiss as he walks in the door from work.
8. She loves to draw and paint pictures. They always include a picture of her with someone from the family (usually holding hands).
9. She's easy! Thankfully she's been an easy baby and toddler. I'm sure this means trouble for our future... :)

Sage's birthday beach bash!

Well, another birthday under the belt. It's hard to believe our baby is four. Jack and I were just talking about how much easier Sage has been as a toddler than the boys were. It's not that the boys were particularly difficult but boy were they BUSY. With Sage there's been no broken toy of the day, no need for reverse locks on her bedroom door and no worries about her tumbling out her bedroom window. I know this probably means we will be in for it during those dreadful, hormonal teenage years when she'll probably be locking us out of her bedroom as she tries to sneak out her bedroom window but for now, we are enjoying the moment.

Since Sage didn't really have a particular theme she was interested in for her birthday party, I was stuck on my own trying to figure out what to do. A couple weeks ago (in the midst of our unseasonably, dreary spring weather) Sage asked, "When is the sun going to turn on it's light?" We all got a good chuckle but it sparked the idea for a beach themed birthday party! It's no secret the Roddy family loves the beach so this was right up our alley. Even if it meant pumping up the heat and hanging a tanning bed over the dining room table we were doing it. Thankfully the sun "turned on it's light" and the weather was beautiful.

I'm no baker and definitely no cake decorator but I have to say I'm really liking cupcakes. I love that I can test out an idea on a cupcake and if it doesn't turn out there are a couple dozen more I have as backups. I am far (and I mean far) from being a domestic diva but I have to say these cupcakes turned out rather cute! The boys were especially angry that I decided to again have Sage's party while they were away at school so I tried to make up for it by making them some shark cupcakes that were waiting for them when they got home.



No need to worry about blowing germs onto everyone else's piece of cake...just concern that all the candles get blown out!




How cute are these girls!!! They decorated sun visors, played pin the sunglasses on the sun and tested out their their water balloon tossing abilities!





One of my favorite images was watching all the girls gather tightly around Sage with their presents begging her to select their gift to open next. Boy, what a different scene this is compared to the one I use to witness when the boys attended parties at this age. It's bad enough having to listen to all the complaining beforehand about having to give a gift that they would want to always keep for themselves but compound that with the shedding of tears during the opening of presents and a full on tug of war between them and the birthday child over the gift, made for one ugly scene. Thankfully, those days are now a distant memory and a memory we didn't have to revisit with Sage.




Now I better run and start thinking about next year's theme...

16 years and counting...

I remember shortly after Jack and I were married, meeting couples who had been married 3, 4, 5+ years and thinking how long that seemed. The jury was out on if we'd even make it to two but wow, we've made it to 16! I feel this is a pretty amazing accomplishment considering the times we live in and the scarey statistic that says more than half of all marriages fail after the first 10 years. It's no secret that Jack and I were complete opposites when we got married but over the years we've figured out that we are actually more alike than we thought and that we actually make a fantastic team! I feel so lucky to have him as my husband. I can't imagine life without him and tell him often that when the time comes for us to have to leave this life, I better be the first to go.

As most of you know, we hardly ever go out to dinner. I figure we get enough of eating out when we vacation and I just can't stand to spend money on something that I have nothing to show for, with the exception of maybe a bigger belly. Besides I enjoy cooking. Well, Jack received this fat gift card from a colleague at work probably close to a year ago. It was for a restaurant in Seattle called Canlis which I had heard was amazing. Being that the gift card came in a leather pouch, I knew this was one to save for a special occasion. So at 2 p.m. on April 30th (our anniversary), I decided it was time to dust off the gift card and head out on the town. Thankfully the stars were aligned that night and within a few hours we had a babysitter booked and were on our way into Seattle. Oh my gosh, we are hooked. Canlis just beat out Metropolitan Grill for our favorite restaurant. The service and food were amazing. The owner took us on a tour of the place giving us the history behind this three generation hot spot. Hats off to their valet service who had our car waiting for us (and heated) as we walked out the door. They must have some undercover person that texts valet alerting them when you leave your seat. We've had some amazing anniversary dinners but this was definitely one of our more special ones. Now we just need to save up so we can go back! Cheers to many, many more...

Spring Break in Utah!

We always look forward to our annual ski trips to Utah in Feb. and April but this year we came close to missing out on both. Since we did the cruise in February, it only left the April break and with Utah having low snow totals for the year I worried it would be a bust. After reminding myself that I would then be responsible for entertaining the kids during their break here in WA with most likely yucky, rainy weather, I decided I'd be better off gambling on Utah's weather than ours. As things turned out, we timed the vacation perfectly because during the 10 days we were out in UT the mountains received over 80" of fresh powder. Fortunately Jack was able to join us for a week of the time which was great. The boys bailed on ski school this year but proved themselves very quickly. It became very evident that perhaps next year when Sage attempts ski school for the first time that I should consider doing the same. No longer can I keep up with our speed demons...

One of Ty's favorite things to do is ski amongst the trees. I get a bit nervous at times because I can't see him much of the time and worry that if he tumbles in the deep powder or gets stuck, we may not realize he needs help but most every time he'd still beat us down. He's also constantly on the hunt for any bumps or jumps to catch some air on. Connor loves to head straight down the mountain at record speeds with his hands up above his head. Surprisingly, he has complete control and can stop on a dime. A special highlight for me this year was enjoying a date with just Ty on the slopes. Jack had flown back and another batch of fresh snow had arrived that I couldn't refuse to miss. I had hoped to take both boys up but Connor said he wanted to sit this day out and just hang out with Grandma and Sage. Ty, on the other hand was just as eager as me so we headed out. I think I may need to do more of these one on one ski dates with the boys. It was a totally different experience that I'd love to have more frequently.





Of course spending time with my family is a huge reason for these trips. With the exception of Steve who lives in San Jose and couldn't make it out and our nephews Teagen and Chaz (or Chase as we call him ...wink, wink) who were with their mom, we got to see everyone else. It was great that it coincided with Easter/Conference weekend. Poor Paul had to have his gall bladder removed while we were out so he was unable to hit the slopes with us but after some hardcore arm twisting we got Uncle Sean to spend an all expenses paid day away from his office with us. Gary, Kelly and the kids are temporarily staying at my parents house so it was great to have them around the whole time. The cousins all loved waking up and greeting one another. I was so proud of Connor and Tyler for being such good entertainers to Boston and Preston. Ty loved making fun balloon animals and swords for all the kids with his twisty balloon kit that he got for Easter. We were so impressed how he figured it out all on his own. I think he has a career in this... Also the boys were excited to get the other half of their birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa, these fancy remote control cars. Of course it was up to me to figure out how to get them home safely in my suitcase...






We love Sundance. This year we returned to our favorite sledding spot here. It's not as easy as the place in Midway that tows you up a hill and you glide down at crazy speeds (but they close earlier in the season anyways) but it's far more beautiful and peaceful. You can see that on one of the days, the weather was so beautiful that Ty felt the need to go shirtless. We also brought Grandma along on this day and Ty tried to talk her into sledding. Grandma felt more comfortable taking the 5 foot walking path as her hill... some things never change...






Thanks again mom and dad for being such wonderful hosts! We love you and we'll see you soon!