Play Ball!

During Esme's school trip to the Meijer Gardens, we saw some really beautiful flowers.

Esme was quite impressed with the pussywillows - but I think she was unsure whether they were animal or vegetable!

This is my favorite sculpture in the whole park. There are much more impressive pieces of both abstract and realistic sculpture, but this one is the best in my book. Isn't he cute?!?

Aidan is a great batter, provided the poor adult pitcher (aka his mother) can get the ball to him...

Esme thinks baseball is about being cute...

...but she can be focused, too!

You go, girl!

Aidan and Esme played "PIG" for a little while. It went on a lot longer than I expected it to; they were both better at shooting baskets than I imagined!

His technique may not be all that perfect, but he makes it look good!

Aidan is a good pitcher, too. I think he's used to pitching to someone taller.

When Esme gets on base, she takes a break!

Go, Aidan!

Though Esme was feeling great for a few days, her runny nose and cough came back on Tuesday morning, so she is still on antibiotics (this is the last refill, so we hope it goes away this time). She missed school yesterday, and for the most part kept herself occupied quietly and productively. Consequently, the playroom is a disaster area! She is obsessed with her hair, now that it has been cut. She can be found in the bathroom several times a day, brushing it, changing her headband/barrette/hair clip, and generally primping. I believe the novelty will wear off, but I don't know when!

Aidan is finally off of antibiotics and has been back on his allergy medicine. He woke up this morning with a slightly sore throat. He has no other symptoms and his throat is neither abnormally red nor swollen, so he and I are hoping it is just a bit of morning dryness. School is beginning to get to that hectic time of year - even for second graders! He has a lot of things going right now - including the usual homework and spelling words, his animal research project (on the cheetah), and his marketplace project. He has already done the research for his cheetah project, so tomorrow he is planning to get started on the "placemat of facts" that he has chosen to make. He and his friend Mason are business partners for the marketplace project, for which I THINK we have them talked into making and selling their own candy. Their original idea, making models of their school, was just a little too ambitious!

Jim is working hard on the IBM project at Bank of New York - Mellon. He's even been spending part of the weekend on conference calls and working a bit - but at least he gets to be at home then! Some laptop problems cropped up recently but he has had his hard drive, A/C adapter, and battery replaced (along with a new backup battery) - and everything seems to be working fine now. We miss him and will be glad to see him again tomorrow.

We're finally (hopefully!) coming to the end of the spring maintenance projects around the house. I've had the recall on my car done, and also had a small dent fixed. The irrigation meter has been installed on the outdoor plumbing system, the deck has been cleaned and sealed, and a plumber is coming today to fix a burst pipe in the sprinkler system. (I don't have any idea how THAT happened, as we very carefully drained the system in the fall.) The landscape company will be coming by the end of the month to replace the spruce tree that died - the other four trees we had planted last year are doing just great! Our lawn hasn't yet been mowed, but it is just now beginning to need it. Nate will probably be by on Friday to take care of that for us. The first fertilizer of the season was applied Monday.

Thanks to Don DeJong, we also have a bunch of new plants in the garden! He very generously brought us a whole bunch of two different kinds of irises, four different cuttings of ornamental grass, a peony plant, several daylilies, and a lilac bush...all from his own yard! There's a lot of green in the garden now, and it won't be long before it will be a riot of color. I had to take out the two burning bushes that I planted last year - they didn't survive the onslaught of deer and mice during the winter. They were completely stripped of bark and about a third of their original height!

Today's agenda includes all sorts of things - five or six loads of laundry, sweeping and scrubbing the tile floor, dishes, and filing (where did all these papers come from?). I might even be able to finish the index on the Glander book. Then it will be ready for its LAST proofreading before I take it to be printed. Whoo-hoo!