Easter, Baseball and Moving to Portland

Hello Everyone.

You are probably thinking," What is going on? It has not been a month since the last blog update." And you are right, by some pretty fast moving events I find myself with some free time. You remember free time. That time after lunch when the teacher let the kids do whatever, while she popped an aspirin and wondered when the parents were coming. So how did this free time find its way to me? More about that in a minute....


Easter was a great day, even though was rainy and cold and not the spring renewal you would hope for. After the kids tore through their Easter baskets in record time, we went to church and then headed out in the afternoon to our friends the
Sleeper's house. I can not, in all seriousness, think of a better way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, then with wine, craft beers, great food and even better friends. The kids had an egg hunt and carte blanche on candy. I think we made it home around 10pm. A little late for a school night (sorry Ethel).


It is baseball season, I mean softball season. Ethel has to remind me everytime I ask her," how was baseball?"

"It's softball Dad."

Well softball is going well. We had decided that softball was going to be too much of a commitment this year and were planning on not playing. A parent from Ethel class asked if Ethel wanted to play on their team, they needed two more players. We said yes, with the understanding that we would probably miss some practices and some games. With all that said, Ethel is enjoying softball much better than baseball last year. I think the fact that it is a team of all girls and the dugout is a calm, civilized safe area is the differnce. Last Saturday at Ethel's game she had two hits. At a softball game consisting of 7 year old girls if you hit the ball in fair territory you are going to get to first base. She had two dribblers towards thrid. A pull hitter just like her old man. What is better than two hits? How about a 6-5 bang bang play to end the inning and kill a rally. Ethel smothered a shot to short and gunned the runner out a third. Her coach told me that was the best play she had seen all season. It was pretty cool.

Not to be out done by big sis Katherine has turned into quite the hitter. We were playing some wiffleball last week and on the first pitch she smacked the ball and it split in two. I was stunned. It was like in the Natural when Roy Hobbs knocks the cover off the ball. She wasn't sure it be proud of her hit or said because the ball was broken. Luckily we have got plenty of wiffleballs.


Ruthie continues to be a little ham. She has got the cutest little laugh and smile. She is starting to talk more. Actully she is talking the same amount, all the time, but we are starting to understand her more. She loves cats and dogs. She goes crazy when we see a dog and does everything she can to get closer to it.

So in other news, Julie's Dad (Pappy) is making the move to Portland. He found a place to live during his visit last week and should be arriving sometime in May. Julie, Katherine and Ruthie left yesterday to travel back with Jim to help him get started packing his house. I think Julie will be doing more of a junk intervention/ councelling type job. Ethel and I are holding down the fort in PDX. Thus the free time. Ethel is at school for like 6 and 1/2 hours. Having one kid is pretty easy when you are use to three. When you only have one you do not relize that it is easy untill you have another. It is one of life's little jokes.

I hope all of you are well.

Paxton

Really, once a month?

I guess it is that time. We really are on a once a month blogging schedule. Is that really blogging then? Anyway here are the latest adventures...

Pax and I went away at the beginning of March for our 10th anniversary to the Oregon Coast for 2 nights. We actually left all 3 girls for the first time. Poor Ruthie got left at the age of 1, while Ethel had to wait until she was 7! enough said about the third child and baby of the family.
I would love to say we had a great time but I think Pax and I are both looking forward to our 11th anniversary getaway. It wasn't that we had a bad time, it was just not the weekend we thought it would be. For starters it was freezing cold and snowing on the beach-it was so windy the snow was going sideways. Pax nor I really gave any thought to that since we were both sick the whole weekend. I laid in bed and crooked my neck to the side to look at what I could see of the Pacific Ocean through all the snow. We left our room only once to go to McMenimins Sand Trap and have a beer. I recieved the wrong lunch which I didn't even care because I couldn't taste it anyway. (For those of you who know me, know that I would never accept and eat a meal I never ordered, it shows you just how sick I really was). I had a Rasberry Ale there that was on special. I would like to tell you more about it but I really couldn't taste or enjoy that either-so that was a total bummer. Although I will tell you that the Sand Trap McMenamins in Gearhart, Oregon is one of the cutest, quaintest McMenamins locations I have ever gone to. The bartender also had great recommendations on doing a beer crawl in Portland and where the best places to go are. So that will be Pax's blog I guess-if you want to join him on a beer crawl of the best brewpubs in Portland send him an email or 2.
The girls all did fine and survived 2 days without their parents.

Pax and I made it to a Blazers game. Well, at the cost of one of our friends being very sick (Thanks again Holcombs). It was a great time. We got to go with our friends Amy and Jono (Maggies Mom and Dad). The Blazers lost to the 76ers who in my opinion stole the game but it was still a fun evening. By the way, one Large Popcorn can feed 4 adults for several days!

We spent a week watching our favorite dog Maggie (AGGA, as Ruthie calls her). At first Katherine wasn't so sure she was going to enjoy it but after day 1 the two of them where best buddies. Well, Maggie and Ruthie are really best buddies but Maggie and Katherine are now sisters. Maggie would spend a good hour each day playing fetch with Katherine. I don't know any child that could just through a ball over and over but it was a favorite for those two! Every night around 8:30 Katherine would show Maggie to her bed and tell her it was bed time, put her blankie on her and Maggie would fall asleep. By the end of the week Katherine was the only one who could put Maggie to bed. It truly was the cutest thing I have ever seen. It reminded me of the bond Ethel had with our dog PJ. Those two where insperable.

Pappy arrived alive and well at the end of March just in time for Ruthie's 1st birthday. We had a small family dinner on March 29th. Ruthie enjoyed a meal of Honey roasted chicken, rosemary oven baked potatoes, broccoli and milk. We quickly learned Ruthie now eats as much as Ethel and Katherine! A week later we had a friend Birthday Party. Ruthie had an amazing turn out and fully enjoyed her cake. She had a small cake all to herself and proceeded to eat all the frosting off and none of the cake. It was great seeing all the kids and parents and hanging out with them. I thank them all everyday for being such a huge part of our lives as well as our kids lives.

Pappy has been busy looking at several places to live out here in Portland. It looks like he will be making the move in early Summer. The big question now is 55 and over or just an apartment? I think he has narrowed it down to 2 places, one of each-both places are amazing and I see why he can't decided. Katherine has gone with to see all of the places and if she had her pick she would have Pappy move into "the place with the ice cream soda shop" tomorrow!

Ethel has started playing softball this year. She is pretty excited and only knows 4 girls on her team of 13. She is always so happy to meet new people-I love that about her. I think she is most excited about the team name and colors. The colors are Hot Pink and Black, the team name is "The Pink Panthers"!

Katherine like I said is enjoying checking out retirement property with her Pappy. She has been learning more and more math and now is starting to subtract. She is taking an afterschool gym class at Ethel's school and of course loves it.

Both girls are looking forward to Summer Sun and taking swim lessons. Ethel will FINALLY join a swim team this summer (she has been asking to be on one since she was 5). She can hardly wait.

Ruthie is growing like crazy. When we went to her 1 year appointment she was 23lbs and 11oz. and 31 inches long! In 1 year she gained 14 lbs and 1 foot! She eats everything and is always looking for her sisters. She is starting to repeat anything you say. The other day Pax was changing her diaper and he said "Poopie" and of course in this cute little voice Ruthie said "Poopie" and smiled the biggest smile! Don't tell Ethel but the first thing Ruthie says in the morning is "KK". Although when you get her up from her nap all you have to say is that you are going to pick up Ethel and she starts kicking, smiling and bobbing her head for "Yes"! Oh these girls are so darn cute, Pax and I are just so blessed to be able to have this chance in our lives to just slow down a bit and enjoy them.

We hope you all are enjoying some warm weather and sunshine. We miss you all and hope to see you soon.
The McBees