Birthday and baseball fun

This past weekend, we had the chance to visit my sister, Deb, brother-in-law Andy, and niece, Leah. Saturday was Andy's birthday. So we all got together for some grilling and Gator football viewing. I'm happy to say that the Gators finally decided to show up this season, starting in the second half. So Andy had something to celebrate, unlike last week's abysmal victory over Miami of Ohio.

Anyway, Andy's parents, Phil and Marsha, were also there. It was great to see them. Madeline Bei really took to Marsha. So she had her hands full with two little girls wanting to play while the rest of us watched football. Oh don't get me wrong, she would've loved to watch the game too. She was just gracious enough to play with the kidlets and watch the game later on DVR. Caleb, Madeline and Leah all had such a great time playing together. It warms my heart to no end to see them all playing together and having fun.

On Sunday, Patrick and Caleb went to Mandarin class while I hung out with Madeline Bei. And since I had to meet my sister half way between our houses to get my cell phone (it was a fun little visit at McD's), Madeline Bei had already taken her nap. So while the boys were away, we really got to have some good quality time together- just the girlies. I try to show affection to Caleb and Madeline equally, but it's hard. So I had the chance to love on her without Caleb feeling left out. We truly had a great time together. I just love my little girl so much. She is such a ham, just like Caleb.

On Monday, Caleb had T-ball practice. Last week, he joined several of the other boys who decided to just watch during the first practice. But this week, he joined in on the fun! And you should've seen the smile all over his face. It was electric! He could see just how proud we were of him out there. And that did it. He said he had fun and couldn't wait til next practice.

Since we pitch to him a rubber ball and tennis ball, we thought we should actually get him a tee to practice hitting off of. No surprise there, he makes great contact. But now he's practicing shifting his weight to get more power when he swings. I can't wait to see how next practice goes.

Homeschooling is going very well. This week in math, we are working on number concept from 40-100. Then next week, we're supposed to start adding with carrying and subtracting with borrowing........except, he can already do it! I gave him some problems, and he got them all right! You should've seen his face light up. Naturally I'm still reviewing the material with him. But he already gets it. That's how great Singapore Math is with teaching concepts. We're almost finished up with 1st grade math and will start 2nd grade math next month. I'm floored to say the least. Caleb is such a little smartie pants. No way was I doing the math that he's doing at 5.5 years. Caleb continues to learn new cursive letters for handwriting and does very well. And his reading is also getting better each day. This week we introduced compound words, and he handled them like a champ. I am just so proud of my boy.

Sorry I don't have any photos to post. But I'll get some up soon. Promise.