Day 3,674

The Last Ones Out

Rays Babes all day!

Errrr, all night, rather! Seems every time we leave the stadium, we’re the last ones out. Must be a Conley thing—we manage the same thing at church every time too!

(Side note: excuse me, Amelia? You got something to say, little lady? You go right on ahead and pop that hip back in before I come do it for ya!! Gracious!)

Day 3,658

The Last Tampa Trip

We checked out of our Airbnb at 10AM on Wednesday (Mom got four hours of sleep woo!), stopped to say goodbye to The Property (we can’t wait to share the land with you, peacocks!), ate breakfast with Gammy (you’re a treasure!), went and bought a new phone (salt water is no joke—be warned it’ll kill your mother board)

said goodbye, and headed West. 

Daddy played his last game of a ten-game road series while we drove to our new home in St. Pete for the month. 

I think Bearett must have read 15 books on the way, including the Wizard of Oz which claimed the title of his favorite. This boy continues to be enthralled by his ability to get lost in stories, of which I am so excited about! His love for reading is incredible and though I’m still not sure exactly how it happened, I’m just so happy it did!

Hello Central Florida!



And hello Pineapple Palace!

We are home for the month!

Day 3,649

The Thirteenth

We said goodbye to Grandma, turned on the baseball game, and drove three and a half hours back to Stuart. 

In the coolest, most insane game I’ve maybe ever watched, the Rays came back to beat the Red Sox in a marathon of a afternoon that saw a not-really-but-basically grand slam, and in the park home run, a deficit of 6 obliterated, and an extra inning nail biter that was all the excitement we could need for the duration of our drive. Ella Mae begged the Rays to win, asking every half inning if we were winning yet. She kept an intense eye on the score, even skipping her nap to watch until the end. That’s my Kate for ya. Alas, we won, Daddy pitched great, and Ella Mae was totally satisfied. My girl. Also, for the first time in his career, Daddy caught a pop up right to him without any other fielders calling him off of it. Even made it look easy. What a guy.  

And now for our 13th home since March. 

I said it.

Thankfully we had a meal already prepared for us upon arriving, as our favorite girls served us in a way that was just the sweetest and SO helpful!! It’s the little things that always end up being the big things. Thank you for loving us well, ladies. 

Hey! Let me in!



And as if on cue, more servant hearts popped out of the woodwork, giving this mama a break not only from preparing supper, but from cleaning it up solo too! 

We are well and the Lord is so kind. 

Day 3,642

The Trop Return

New house. New tree. New imaginations!

And another Tampa Bay win!

We’re currently 84-48 (84 wins, 48 losses) and leading the AL East Division by 8 games and tied with the San Francisco Giants with the best record in baseball, with 30 games left in the regular season! 

Rays Up!

Day 3,639

The Biggest Two Thumbs Up

While Daddy was in Baltimore,

we got to be with Gammy and our new friend!! And what a treat it was enjoying their company. We’ve sure been missing our Gammy. 

The smiles have literally been nonstop while we’ve been home. Everything is fun and fresh and new and we’re soaking in all the moments!

We stopped by Mr. Keith’s to check up on Daddy’s car—something that the kids asked me to do. It’s come quite a long way since I last posted this beast, but we sure are excited to finally get it finished and take it on a date!!

Right across from where we stayed this week (another Airbnb) is a couple fun restaurants that play live music well into the evening. Molly said, “Mommy, can we go over there to eat supper and dance?” 

Why, yes Molly, that sounds fabulous. 

Directly behind Bearett's head is our little condo!



You got that right, girl. 

Day 2,933

The Marlins Park Farewell

In order to expedite the last bit of packing and cleaning of the Little House, I sat my big gremlins in front of the TV and didn’t even feel bad about it. I was able to actually KEEP the house clean AND clean it some more. Sometimes, I have to be ok to be ok with that. This was absolutely one of those times. 

As we finished up packing our house, we said goodbye to the little bean we planted and watched grow into a little shoot. Then, we got in the car and drove away. Bye bye Little House! Hope to see you again someday!

Marlins Park for the last home game of 2019. 

I’m surely going to miss this view, though I’m definitely ready to be home for the offseason. 

The kids don’t quite understand what’s going on, other than we won’t be back here for...awhile. They spent the day with their friends and alongside their “ladies,” whom have all served us so dearly this season. A huge thanks to the nannies at the field - the six of them have been such a help and blessing to us. 

Leaving 2019 with a W!

I think though the results of this year have definitely not gone our way, taking this win was sure hopefully a welcome sign for things to come. 

Until next time(?)(hopefully) Marlins Park!

The Conleys truly had our best year ever, regardless of what actually happened on the field. 

And for the last time, driving back to the Big Home!!!

Day 2,932

The Last Saturday 

The last Saturday Spectacular at Marlins Park 2019. And we did it well! Saw most of the game with the ladies in our special suite for the night. 

Managed to laugh into the big screen one more time. 

(Cuteness times infinity - minus the banner blocking Ella Mae)

Not to worry. She came through big in her ultimate “take that” moment when she looked straight at me and peed her pants. LAUGHING. 

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, EVERYONE. 

And even still, smiles abounded as we spent one last night dancing under the stars. 

And taking in big fireworks. 

We’ll miss you, Marlins Park - though, the photo does speak somewhat of how our season went this year...great as a family, somewhat windy and unpredictable on field-level execution. 



Basically, 2019 defined. 

Day 2,918

The Winding Down

Miami sun and summer fun!

We’re soaking in all our days here while we can!



Our second to last firework night of the whole 2019 season. I can’t even believe I’m writing this. Wow. That went by WAY too fast. Not sure how my kiddies will fare without their bi-monthly firework display, but I’m sure Daddy can find a way to rig something up in the meantime. They sure do enjoy this special time together. And I especially love watching their little faces light up under it. Ah. I love you so much, my babies. 

Day 2,900

The Marlins Who Like Popcorn

We’re goin to a BAE-BALL game!

The “Whoa-ohhh-ohhhhaooohhhh” one in Atlanta!

Everybody just as happy as can be! 

(Mostly thanks to Mr. Castro’s uncle who’s favorite child is Bearett and who purchases him gigantic containers of popcorn when he sees him. Considering popcorn is one of Bearett’s favorite food items ever, he has no issue accepting the gifts with the biggest, most adorable smile.)

We got to see Daddy and cheer him on...even though he didn’t pitch. 

Maybe next time. But until then, she’ll just sit there looking perfectly adorable. 

Though they’re baseball babes for sure, sitting through even five innings of a game is hard. So, we bring toys. This time, it was making slime they Amelia chose to bring. Popcorn everywhere. Yep. Slime everywhere. Double yep. 

But the cuteness overload was worth it. 

Always. 



Love you, Papa Bear!

(Good job taking the picture, Bearett!!)

Day 2,894

The New Baseball Normal

Daddy holds baby. 

Mommy teaches school. 

It’s only fair! 

But really though, since these first few weeks of school are mostly review, it’s actually worked as a sort of buffer for us to find a new normal. And that definitely includes Dad’s help when he’s home. Homeschooling last year added such freedom and grace into our lives - certainly something we enjoyed more than we initially though we would. But the schedule of baseball does pose a real challenge to the continuity of things, and after adding another child to the mix, well, if we have to scrape and claw our way to October when the two of us are able to go at it together, then that’s what we’ll do. However, I trust we’ll fare far better than just merely surviving! 

And so, yesterday was on to Day 3! Woo! So far, we’re chugging along and everyone is doing well.

 I’m not actually doing a curriculum for Amelia since technically, she’s not old enough to start kindergarten yet. If she could, SHE would. She’s all about it. But she is getting plenty to do with her reading and writing and block building and coloring. And so, I went ahead and asked her those same questions I asked Bearett the other day:

1) What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a mother and take care of all my babies. 

2) What do you like to do? I like to have babies. 

3) What’s your favorite food? Noodles with white sauce and chicken and broccoli. 

4) Who’s your favorite person? Molly and Mama and Mae Mae and me!

The school bell rang, we visited a new friend(!), took our naps, and headed to the field to see our Daddy. Hiiiii Daddy Billy the Marlin!

Bear brought balls from home to give out to the crowd. 

Amelia brought her dance moves. 

And we enjoyed a night together at the park. 

Lately, when we come to games anymore, we usually come an hour late, spend some time in the family room with friends, and then if/when Daddy pitches, we run out real quick to the third baseline to watch...and then we run back in. It’s the one way I’ve found that both lets them be apart of Daddy’s work but also keeps their eyes and ears and hearts protected from the natural atmosphere and mentality of professional sports, of which we don’t believe they’re yet ready to take on and understand without being normalized to it.  



The family room has turned into a fun place for the kids to spend time with friends and with ladies who aren’t their mommy. Learning to listen to directions from other people has certainly given our children opportunities to grow...and though we fail at it often, we’re both making progress and making memories as we go!