Serafin Scene: a little catch up

I haven't had much time to write lately and there are just no words. Really. So many thoughts and feelings each day, but I think I've been just a wee bit too tired to put them into any meaningful form. I sit down to write so I can remember this special and very fleeting time, but it's all pretty jumbled. But I know I'll forget the details so something is better than nothing I guess.It's been a wonderful two months since the birth of our little Evan. He is just a delightful baby. We joke that he is going to think his name is "yummy." He is such a yummy little baby. All his precious rolls and jiggles are irresistable. And that double, or make that triple, chin.

He has a million sounds and I just can't get enough of that sweet purring. I have loved watching the kids love him as well. And their excitement at his accomplishments, be it finally hitting a dangle toy on the bouncer or his first smiles. They are surely his biggest fans and offer tons of encouragement! They don't smother him, but no one can stand to hear him cry. Rollin holds his ears in the car and Nina tries all her tricks to calm him. She has the coveted seat right next to the carseat.

We have finally fallen into something resembling a routine and he's made some major progress on the sleep front. He's slept through the night for the past few nights, sometimes waking up once to eat. This just started happening on its own. I don't like to let him cry, he's just so tender, but I have gotten better at watching his signs and laying him down when he starts to appear tired and that has really helped. He just falls right to sleep if I catch him at the right time. And he weighs 14.5 pounds which was quite the shocker. He sleeps with me and I love it because I know all is well during the night. Unfortunately, I'm taking those extra evening hours when he first goes to sleep to try and catch up on life, keep the house on track, do some planning for the summer months, and I have to admit, being fairly unproductive on the computer while enjoying the calm and quiet in the house. There are many mundane home projects waiting in the wings, but I suspect while the sun is still shining, I won't be touching them. I can't express adequately how much I have loved the first few weeks of summer. To not have to wake up and rush out the door is just what the doctor ordered for my sanity. It's bliss, truly.

The other kids are doing well, also just loving the freedom and the endless options for play that the summertime provides. The yard is their campus :) They love the hours and hours of unstructured adventure and the built-in playmates across the fence.

And now a word about sports. A week or so ago we were talking to the kids about which sports or activities they might want to participate in. Nina was hoping to do a horse back riding camp (I'm still looking for one) and Sela enrolled in soccer with our neighbor, Sophia. Just once a week for an hour. But I can tell she loves being with Sophia and their wacky coach, Anton, as much or more than she loves the game. Lots of giggles, those girls. Which is all good. Trust me, I'm not pushing for soccer..at all. The vision of me cold and shivering on the sidelines every weekend does not appeal in the least. But, we live in Seattle, and it seems every little child plays soccer so I think Sela needed this opportunity to just make sure she's not missing out on something she might enjoy. And if she enjoys it, well that's okay too. I guess I can deal. All the kids are taking swim lessons next door at the Glover's house which is just so perfect. They have a fantastic teacher, Ryan, who give the lessons to their kids and mine. No driving, no packing up endless bags, towels, goggles, snacks for the pool, just a quick trot across the yard.

But then Sela expressed interest in new sport ...one in which I had to keep my opinions to myself and not let Sela see my true feelings. I have learned that either my enthusiasm for something or my disdain creates either more interest or the lack thereof. So I just went along with it. She said, "Mom, I think my sport might be softball." Hmmm. Really, Sela? That came out of nowhere. And can it please go back...haha. But, I continued the conversation and discovered something. It turns out the Husky women's softball team came to school to sign autographs at the end of the year. Sela is very proud of her big piece of white paper with three names scribbled on it. She keeps asking people if they know so and so. And did you know they won this championship?!! Of course no one does but she guards those little autographs with her life. I waited for a couple days and resolved to get the kids on the tennis court no matter what this summer. They've had lessons a few times and done a camp here and there. We've taken them out to play (whine) off and on, but this summer I really think Sela is old enough to start enjoying it.

So we headed to the courts last Saturday morning. All six of us. Evan slept and Zig and I did little drills with the kids and fed them lots of balls. It was so much fun. Sela is finally getting the hang of it and she and Nina could hardly wait to hit their next hopper of balls. Nina has always liked tennis and her ability is finally catching up with her enthusiasm. She is able to hit most of the balls over the net. She tries so hard, that Nina. We headed to the farmer's market afterwards and rewarded them for all their hard work with a huge bag of sugar snap peas, a big ole sack of cherries, and shaved ice.

Monday, I decided to try again with Zig gone. Evan sleeps a lot in the morning and I can park the car right in the shade next to the court so it's perfect. Again, we had so much fun. I have to say, I get a huge kick watching their trimphs on the tennis court. More than I would for softball, I'm afraid (just kidding!). I do love the game and have so many fond memories of doing this same thing with my dad. How many thousands of balls he must have tossed and countless matches must he and Mom have watched. When I was telling Sela to practice bouncing a ball on her strings during the times when Nina was taking a turn (to improve her hand-eye coordination), I saw myself at her age doing the exact same thing at our tennis court at home in Fredericksburg. I could almost hear myself saying "Dad! I just did it 300 times!!" It just doesn't seem that long ago, truly a blink of an eye as the saying goes. Such treasured memories. It's a great sport, and I love that it is one we can really enjoy as a family, especially as the kids improve a bit. So I have a little goal for myself to get them on the court at least twice a week this summer, but more if I can swing it.

And Rollin, well he actually did quite well hitting the ball, but quickly became more interested in picking up balls with the hopper. He is always ready to go....somewhere. He loves his bike so much, he tried to ride if off the bike rack. Crazy child, that one.