River Cats -vs- RedHawks

Last night our whole family went out to a ballgame. John got the tickets from work, enough for all of us. So off we went to West Sacramento to see the River Cats play in their first playoff game against the Oklahoma RedHawks. We were in section 106 which is on the first base side in row 19. The seats were very good, the kids could see all the action. John and Jonah brought their mitts in case a foul ball came our way. It was amazing how many foul balls came our way, landing several times just a few seats away, unfortunately none landing in either glove. Plenty of home runs kept the action going as well as John getting on the big screen. Ok, Ok, it was as he was returning to his seat that he crossed the camera's path, but he was up there! To the kids delight, we ate cotton candy, ice cream, hot roasted peanuts and hot dogs.

Remember the Chicago "fanatical fan"? Well, it applies here as well. Jonah learned the art of "making noise" every time something exciting happened or the big screen told us it was time to "make noise" just the same as his dad. What a combo they were. By the 7th inning Keira was done, she had just passed her wild cranky won't sit still phase (that lasted about 3 innings)and just sat quietly on my lap for the rest of the game.

Jonah, still looking for that special foul ball, was surprised by a nice man (who had caught a foul ball just a few seats away) who handed him his ball. What a nice thing! Jonah's excitement could not be contained, he had a real foul ball! Katie John and Sariah had fun for a while, but soon tired out, we took a lot of trips to the potty and to the drinking fountain. We hadn't planned on staying the entire game, as it was a school night, but the game moved along quickly and didn't go into extra innings. On our way home all the kids but Jonah fell asleep on the short 15 minute ride home. I'm sure the kids will have great memories of our family trip to the ballgame.

Jonah hard at work

Recently Jonah decided he needed a new bike. He had discussed with us several times the possibility of getting a new bike. To his initial dismay, he would need to earn the money to pay for his new bike. His attitude soon turned positive when he discovered money jobs. Mowing the lawn is one of them. Funny story: John and I had talked about how much we would pay Jonah for each lawn. We figured $2 per lawn was fair, not too high, not too low. Meaning we'd be paying him $4 each time he mowed the front and back yards. When I sat down with Jonah to talk about how much we would pay, I said, " We'll pay you $2 to mow the lawn." And he said after pausing a moment, " One dollar a lawn, yeah, I think that's fine." A little surprised with his interpretation but willing to go with it I said, "Do you think it's a fair amount?" He said, "It's a lot of hard work, I sweat a lot, but I think it's worth it." Apparently $1 is big bucks at our house and I didn't even know it!

Jonah is a really hard worker, and mows the lawns with great efficiency. We really appreciate his happy attitude and gladly pay him his hard earned $2 each week.

Melt Down!

BREAKING NEWS! Yesterday, on an ordinary stove on an ordinary day, disaster struck the innocent. Mr. Taco Seasoning was quietly sitting after assisting with dinner in the kitchen. The night was quiet, the kids were in bed and the dishes washed. The air smelled of fresh baked brownies.... when suddenly a distinct burning sensation was felt by Mr. Seasoning. He couldn't move, the air thick with a burning, horrible smell. The heat intensified and began to take it's toll, there was no way out. The unrelenting heat badly contorted his once smooth exterior. Seasoning knew his time was coming to an end as he slowly slumped over.

Mr. Seasoning was later found by his associate, John Matthews, but sadly it was too late. After a quick investigation, it was determined that Matthews had set the oven to Self Clean and neglected to move Seasoning from the stove to the counter, his regular hang out. Mr. Taco Seasoning will be missed until his replacement arrives later this month.

Case Update: Mr. Matthews was charged with spice neglect and fined $8.00 in restitution.