Baseball Boys and Bleacher Babes

Joey wrapped up his second session of fall baseball this week, putting away his baseball pants and gear until the spring, when his first coach-pitched season will get underway.

He relished his last at-bat in the batting cages with the Campolindo High School baseball coach, and loved it every time the coach yelled out, "That was a laser!"

More importantly, he learned the importance of hustling, and gained some new skills with fielding pop-ups and ground balls.

We couldn't end the season without capturing some last-minute bromance with his beloved baseball buddies, Isaiah and Andy.

Joey and Isaiah

Joey and Andy

Meanwhile, back in the bleachers, Molly and Clara got their first taste of what will surely be many, many seasons of being along for the ride during baseball practice and baseball games. While I remember toting a blanket and book to Little League events when I was a little girl, Clara and Molly passed the time with a small menagerie of My Little Ponys, all packed away in Clara's new little pony carrier (thanks, Grandma!). With ponies to groom, talk to, and prance around, who has time to be bored?

Shuttered

We regret to inform our valued patrons that The Cecchina -- which enjoyed an immensely popular debut season -- is officially shuttered for the winter, due to rain and inclement weather. No one is more saddened by this news than our proprietor, Tim, who is facing the gruesome prospect of watching sports indoors (shudder) during this closure.

His children are not pleased, either, having become accustomed to impromptu parties in the backyard with dozens of friends throughout the summer and fall. Left to their own devices while their parents sip from adult beverages inside The Cecchina, they enjoy unprecedented freedom inside and outside.

They'll also miss outside playdates that have them belly-up to the bar watching Superman, sleepovers with cousins that feature late-night Tangled screenings, and an outside refrigerator that is perpetually stocked with juice boxes and OtterPops.

Finally, The Cecchina's dogs are steeling themselves for a period of time in which hot dogs, hamburgers, and all sorts of delicious snacks will not be dangling from childrens' hands or left abandoned at kid-height tables. The droppings from the indoor high chair are a poor substitute for the treasures to be found outside during a party.

'Till next year, Cecchina!

(Thanks to the random window washer who first called our outdoor bar a cantina, our good friend Thomas who Brangelina'd The Cecchin Cantina into the shortened Cecchina, and my parents who made it official with our new sign!)

Chatterbox

Outings with Clara Jane are always an adventure. We're never quite sure what kind of quirkiness will be on display, and even a 10-minute run through the grocery store usually results in perfect strangers marveling at our monkey of a child.

At Safeway last week, after overhearing Clara interrogate me loudly and incessantly on whether aliens do, in fact, reside in outer space, an elderly woman pushed her cart up next to mine in the frozen food aisle, gave me a knowing look, and said, "You have a chatterbox on your hands."

Clara, unfazed, looked at her and said, "I'm four."

I have to admit, it was a perfect rebuttal.

After her accuser ambled away, I turned to Clara with a sigh, and asked,

"Clara, does Miss Margaret tell you that talk all the time in school?"

Without missing a beat, Clara responded, "No, just 24 hours a day."

Pirates of Moraga

Halloween this year turned out to be a multi-day celebration, but luckily, our crew was ready!

We started out with parties at both Joey and Clara's schools on Friday ...

(Clara, second from left, debuted her alternate Halloween costume, Rapunzel.

She obviously fit right in.)

(Joey and Grace Gafni were thrilled to be in the same small group for the Rheem Pumpkin Festival.)

On Sunday evening, we hit up a not-so-scary haunted house in Lafayette, and invited a horde of costumed kids and their parents back to our house for pizza and playtime!

 

Yes, these kids were sleepy, but we still had the final leg to go on Monday morning!

While Clara headed to school with her costume packed away in her backpack -- per teacher's orders -- Joey left the house in full pirate regalia. And by full pirate regalia, I mean, of course, his pirate jammies ;) Here he is rocking his skintight look at his elementary school parade.

Molly showed off her pirate skivvies, too, and checked out her future elementary school with her best "Little General" strut.

Joey was lucky to have both grandmas on hand for his first lap around Rheem's playground... and cousin Lucy (Ladybug Girl) was even around for the festivities!

The parade finally came to an end after a rousing dance performance by the fifth graders to "Ghostbusters." Hard to believe that song made its appearance more than 25 years ago... and even harder to believe that when Joey takes his place among the 5th graders for this annual dance number, Clara will be in 3rd grade, and Molly will be in 1st grade!

We hurried home to start celebrating Daddy's birthday, and finish decorating his cake!

And then we were off for the serious business of trick-or-treating! We met up with several good friends and many silly kids for a trek through the Campolindo neighborhood of Moraga.

Halloween 2011 finally came to an end with our little pirates counting ... and sampling... their booty from the night!

May all of our friends and family with little ones recover from the sugar highs ... and lows... of Halloween!