A Day of Firsts

It was cold and drizzly this morning-- the sort of morning where you really just want to stay in your pajamas and lounge by the fire. It never got above 39 degrees, and it's LATE APRIL! It was seriously insane. This has been the longest winter ever. I can't wait for the warmer weather to come back and actually stick around for a few months, at least!

Anyway, I had told Niko we could take his bike out to the rail trail today, so he could practice riding it on level ground. He was convinced that he'd at least need a push to get started, but I was a little more optimistic. But of course, it was raining when we woke up. I hated to miss the opportunity. He was so excited! But when the rain slowed down to a very, very light drizzle, we quickly bundled up and headed out!

Moments later, the kid was doing this. I just stood to the side and watched as he went up and down the path for about 40 minutes. UNREAL!! I was so, so proud!!! Despite working with him on this for YEARS, it really just took him being totally ready and working it out on his own terms. He was so incredibly excited! YAY!!!

We left the trail when it started to rain a bit more, and headed home to warm up by the fire (because yes, we are still running our pellet stove in LATE APRIL. Insanity!). We got Niko off to school, and Maya and I cleaned up around the house. Then it was crazy time. Niko got off the bus at 4, then we had karate from 4:30-5:30, and then we had our first t-ball game at 6. The real crunch was between karate and the t-ball game, where I had to get Niko changed out of his karate gi and into his baseball uniform, all while shoving the world's fastest dinner down their throats because, hey! I'm the coach! And that means I need to be at the field 10-15 minutes before everyone else to set up! ACK! Luckily, it's a small town, and both karate and the baseball field are within two minutes' drive of the house (and each other). But it was tight!

By the time we got to the field, though, it was COLD. 37 degrees can actually feel very pleasant, but the windchill made it feel like it was in the 20s. It was HORRIBLE! We played two innings, then called it quits-- nobody wanted frostbite. Half of my team had ditched their baseball gloves and were just wearing snow mittens in the outfield. And I was jealous. Still, they were excited to be there! I had a mommy friend take a group picture before the game (minus three kids, including her own)! Go Ninjas! :)

And now, I defrost... Here's hoping our next game is warmer and more spring-like!