Grand Slam Opening Day

Jaden and Cody's Little League season kicked off with a big series of opening events. The boys couldn't wait to put on their Red Sox uniforms that morning. Their uniforms made them look so grown up!

Cody...

Jaden...

This is what they wanted to do when I asked them to pose for a picture. :)

The first event of the morning was a Little League parade. Each team decorated a trailer and rode in it down Main Street.

Our "team mom" rode along with the players and coaches. She took these next two pics and a video of the boys chanting, "Go Red Sox, Go Red Sox!"

Daddy, Adley, Grandma, Grandpa, and I found a spot to sit (briefly) along Main Street to wave at the boys and to cheer on the Red Sox team as they passed.

After the parade, we met the team at the ballpark, took team pictures, and then finally went to our assigned field for our very first game. Go team!

Cody played either first base or right field.

Jaden covered left field or third base.

Because of the busy morning, our game was a little shorter. Cody and Jaden were some of the last two in the line-up, so they were each only up to bat once. In their 5/6-year-old league, the boys are allowed 3 coach pitches, and then, if they miss, the coach puts up the tee. Both of our boys hit the ball on one of the coach pitches.

Cody

Jaden

Cody had some action at first base but didn't quite get the ball soon enough for any outs.

Adley was a decent fan throughout the game, although after the long morning, she was fairly tired! Keeping her occupied now at age 1 is a lot more challenging than when she was a non-walker during the boys' soccer seasons. We read a lot of books, ate some snacks, and walked around behind the field.

At this point in the season, fielding the ball and getting a player out is pretty challenging for most teams in their age level. So, the league rule is that each runner can advance one base per hit, unless the ball gets behind the outfielders (and then the runner can advance 2 bases). The teams switch after either 3 outs or 5 runs. Because of these rules, I think that most of the time, teams end the game at a tie. Cody, however, ran off the field excitedly at the end of this game, claiming that, "Our team WON 5 to 2!" Regardless of the game's true score, both boys seemed to enjoy themselves and definitely continue to learn a LOT about all the finer rules and strategies of the game.

Following each game, each ball player is allowed one free snack from the concession stand. Cody and Jaden were quite pleased with their post-game popcorn!

Finally, the last event of the Grand Slam Day was an opportunity to ride carnival rides. I ended up taking Adley home (she fell asleep before we even reached the first stop light, poor girl!). Grandpa, Grandma, and Daddy walked around with Jaden and Cody as they enjoyed various rides and inflatables.

What a full, exciting morning!

Grandma and Grandpa Time

At the beginning of March (hooray for finally blogging about activities in the current month!), we were blessed by a visit from Grandpa and Grandma. They drove down from Minnesota to help celebrate Adley and cousin Isaiah's March birthdays and to spend time with each of their Texas kids. Our home was Grandpa and Grandma's first stop. The day that they arrived was Grandpa's birthday, so we had the Schleicher clan over for dinner that night to celebrate. 

Jason creatively used our leftover birthday candles to come up with a math problem that displayed Grandpa's age on the cake (a yummy, moist carrot cake that Kim had made). 

Of course, all the boys like to crowd around at every birthday gathering to help blow out the candles. This usually ends with some boy complaining that he didn't get a chance to blow, so usually we re-light and re-blow out the candles several times.

Adley and cousin Noah had their own birthday cake to play with. :)

After dinner, we had a little time to play outside, and then Grandpa opened his birthday presents. We loved being able to celebrate with Grandpa this year!

During their 4-day stay at our home, Grandpa and Grandma were so helpful-- watching Jaden and Cody while Mommy, Daddy, and Adley attended a wedding; mowing the lawn and doing other yardwork; constantly keeping our kitchen counter free of dirty dishes; and helping us prepare for Adley's birthday celebration. We loved having Grandpa and Grandma here to participate in a number of special events (yet to come on the blog!). They also got some focused playtime with Adley while Jaden and Cody were in school.

Thanks so much for your visit, Grandpa and Grandma! We always enjoy our time with you! Our whole family loves you bunches!

One Year Old!

Happy 1st birthday to our sweet Adley Grace! It's amazing to think about how much this girl has grown over the past year. She has been such a ray of sunshine in our lives, and we are so thankful that God placed her into our lives. We love you bunches, girlie!

A few Adley stats at 12 months old:

PHYSICAL

• Cut 3 teeth this month for a total of 7 teeth (4 up top and 3 on bottom)
• Fast walker; often turns and "runs" from Mommy when she has something she shouldn't

SLEEPING HABITS

• Sadly still wakes up one or two times through the night
• While teething, it was hard to console her back to sleep
• Takes two naps around 9:30 and 2:00; First nap is usually 1 1/2 hours
• Wakes up frustrated if her head is pushed up against the edge of the crib

EATING HABITS

• Continues to LOVE table food-- favorites include any fruit, pancakes, cheese, yogurt
• Loves eating and trying whatever we're eating (especially enjoyed lasagna and stir fry this month)
• Still nurses 4 or 5 times daily and at least once through the night

LANGUAGE

• Started to say "ba-ba" for bottle and "no" anytime she gets close to the stairs or other forbidden places
• Can understand and follow basic directions to go places in a room
• Will bring a select few books up to Mommy or Daddy and sit in our laps to "ask" for a reading
• Favorite books include How Big and Where is Maisy?

PLAYTIME/OTHER

• Loves exploring in the pantry when we forget to close the door; Has learned to open bags of food and knows which foods are yummy to stick into her mouth (including wrapped Starburst candy!)
• Understanding more (picks up shoes and tries to put them on her feet, takes out hairbow and then tries to put it back in her hair, zooms cars back and forth)
• Gets VERY frustrated when anything she's playing with is taken away
• Loves playing outside with push toys and the Cozy Coupe
• Starts bouncing to music from her toys or the radio
• LOVES chewing on her brothers' water bottles
• Favorite playthings aren't toys at all (markers, toiletries, anything she finds in the kitchen...)

Our poor girl started the month with RSV and
had to do breathing treatments for several days.
Thankfully, she recovered quickly from what
the doctor said was a mild case.

Adley loves playing with shoes and attempting
to put them on. Often, if she finds one shoe, she
will actively seek out the second one.

Taking walks in this new wagon from Grammy and Papa is
such a fun experience. What a perfect birthday gift!

A few videos from the past month include Adley's deep belly laughs...

and Mommy attempting to capture a few of Adley's new words.

On the day Adley turned one, we let her have her first taste of ice cream. She made some pretty funny faces and seemed surprised at how cold the ice cream was. But, Adley continued to reach for more with an open mouth and ended up finishing the whole bowl.

Our sweet girl will likely have a sweet tooth just like the rest of her family members. :) We're praying for a great year of being one, dear girl! We love you!