Rangers and Yankees

Well the baseball season is well underway and Yuri and Victor are doing great. Our little slugger cheers and practices until he is old enough to play.
Yuri's team is called the Yankees and he mainly plays first base and he is at the top of the batting order. He is playing machine pitch which is where a machine is fed by the coach and guarantees the same placement for everyone. He was just as thrilled to get all his new baseball stuff as he was when soccer started. The excitement for us is to watch him light up when he knows it is time to go put on his baseball uniform and go to a game. They now require them to provide their own batting helmets and we found that he must have a bigger head then other 7-8 year old's because his helmet just looks enormous. He is a strong hitter and really "gets" the game so far.
Victor's team is the Royals and they are a hoot to watch! He is playing tee ball and gets a kick out of just being able to swing the bat and actually hit something (mostly the stand but occasionally the ball too) It is like watching the bad news bears but is very entertaining and he loves getting out there and running for the ball wherever it may land. I do have to admit that he is one of the more well behaved kids and the team. Something we are pretty happy and grateful about. His helmet just bounces up and down as he runs and he has perpetually has a smile on his face whether he hit the ball or not as well as if he got out or not. It's nice to see that he is a good sport and plays very nicely with the other kids.

Now as for Vanya, this one I believe will be our biggest challenge. Sweet, loving, outgoing, well coordinated and often times very humorous Vanya has some very sneaky and precocious actions and words. He is good at whatever sport he tries and commands an audience wherever he is as well. Travis got a kick out showing him how to hold a bat and was pretty shocked when he whacked the ball on about the first try and it went about 25 feet. He enjoys going to his brothers games and loves to cheer for them even when they aren't up to bat or even in the game. Of course he asks at each and every game when it is his teams turn. With him if he hasn't asked the same question 50 times then he hasn't decided to accept the answer the first 49 times. We aren't sure if he just doesn't understand what we said or if he is just waiting for us to get thoroughly worn out and give in. We were hoping by now that that would have subsided but as he has learned more word he simply talks more. He is a real joy most of the time and his hugs are truly genuine but the other side of that is that when he doesn't get his way it is fairly unbearable for all. So at our house "if Vanya ain't happy, ain't no one happy". We are still working on that. That little face is so expressive it really make it hard not to just crack up when he is being so totally serious about why he does not want to take a bath or why he should have another lollipop from the bank lady.

Since the baseball schedule is so odd it seems as though we are going some where or doing something almost every day and it is different every week. It is great to see all the kids progress throughout the season and for our guys they just enjoy being there and playing. Everyone has a hard time believing that less than a year ago they spoke no English and have never played an organized sport before. They really have come a long way and although there is quite a bit more work to do with all of them we are very proud of thier progress in sport and school and with their social skills. I wish we could learn things as fast as they do! I think God does that by design!
God is ever faithful to give us the strength and wisdom to take care of these guys and love them the best way we know how. Most of the time when I have run out of patience for the day, Rob has enough left to make sure no one has perished from being in time out. It works the other way as well so we are glad that it works that way because when we have both exhausted our energy and resources for the day at the same time it makes for a very difficult day for all. Thank you God for meeting us where we are and for giving us such wonderful gifts in the smiles and giggles of our boys!

Mama mama mama