Batter Up!

My kids have a little plastic pre-school t-ball set in the backyard. They love it and play with it a lot. Wednesday evening the kids and I hung out in the backyard and they insisted that I had to play with it with them. Raia was the batter, Errol was the catch (with an empty MegaBlocks bucket serving as a "mitt"), I was the pitcher, and Patrick was the outfielder who retrieved the balls from whatever direction they were hit in, as well as the audience, as he would clap enthusiastically anytime the bat made contact with the ball. It was so much fun watching him get so into the game. Clapping for his siblings, skipping off excitedly after a ball, and bringing it back to me, holding it out in front of him in one hand, with the proudest little look on his face. He took his job seriously. Niether tall bushes nor dusty, unused barbeques stopped him from his mission of retrieving the ball.

Patrick is on Cloud 9 anytime he gets to play with his older siblings. The saddest time of the day for him is bedtime when I shut the door to Raia and Errol's room, and he can't get in to see them (if he wasn't in bed first) Sometimes if I let my guard down one of the big kids will open the door and soon giggles and squeels will start coming from their room as Patrick jumps on their beds and tries to get them to get up and play some more. Sometimes, when he's not hungry or poopy or in need of some mommy-loving, I become a part of the background as he plays with Raia or Errol, and the quickest way to tick him off is to try to interfere with their play. I'm not wanted then. :op

I feel so blessed to have kids who are all eachother's best friends.