Day Thirteen Hundred and Fifty-Eight

The Tenth Daddy Start

<Babybum photo here>

This is what Daddy would tell you he pitched like yesterday.

HAHAHAHA!!

Not a happy camper after his game, that boy. But you pitch and you learn and your wife cracks fats baby jokes at you and then you get over it because there's nothing you can do once it's over and done with...except laugh and giggle at how undeniably hilarious and adorable Amelia's baby bum is! Now you can fully appreciate her Four Cheeks nickname.

Baseball and rings...

These are a few of her favorite things.

Well, more like Mommy and rings, but who's keeping track?! Nobody has to know that she really couldn't care less about Daddy's games at this point. I don't even think she can see the field from where we sit, let alone realize what's on the tiny computer screen when we watch him from home. But Mama wouldn't miss it for the world, so we watch!

His line:

5IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 4BB, 3K and a No Decision

Bet you can't guess why he was mad...

But four walks or not, this family is still smiling!

Well, everyone but the girl behind the lens. Ha! ;)

Day Thirteen Hundred and Nineteen

The Third Start and Day at the Park

Daddy pitched in his third start of the season yesterday. 

We had the best set-up to date, while watching Dad. He was on the big TV, Millie was in her swing, and Mommy was in her gym clothes, doing an Insanity workout for the first time since giving birth. I'm out of shape, so it was pretty pathetic...but Adam wasn't!

It was a 12:00 game, and even though he's yet to play a regularly scheduled night game without a delay (or on a travel day), he did outstanding! After such a long offseason and not having touched a mound since last July, Adam seems to finally be finding his groove again, and that's certainly something to be excited about. Hopefully, he'll be able to continue performing as he did yesterday with an arm that feels just as good as it looks! 

His line:

5.2 IP, 3H, 3R, 0ER, 2BB, 7K, ND

We gotta get those walks down though!

_____________________________________________

All cleaned up and ready to go, we went to the park.

And this is how it went:

Oh, and we met Uncle Joey...

And GiGiMa Joy too!!

What a day!

Day Three Hundred and Eighty-Eight

The Late Arriver!!

I forgot my camera. And my nights just keep getting later. Bad start. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to offer a full insight into my life as of now...but until then, short little snippets will have to suffice. This is the gym I grew up in. Northwest Gymnastics Academy. I spent 24+ hours a week here as a kid...and if I do say so myself, I was a decent little gymnast. Until I grew 6 inches in 6 months. Then I was too tall. Too clumsy. Then I found pole vault. The rest is history. 

 Mike Armstrong was my coach for years. He and Dad were very good friends. And I have a feeling that they'll find a way to rekindle their friendship after all these years. Mike was around when Dad was first diagnosed, back in 2001. Everyone was so incredibly supportive at that time...and now, Mike is battling his own cancer himself. Hopefully we can be there for him just like he was for us. 

ADAM IS FINALLY HERE! He landed at 7:30 PM!! I couldn't wait to plant a big fat kiss on his cheek! He looks incredible and I'm more happy than ever to see him!

All three of us siblings are finally able to sit at a bar together! Only two more Mays children to go! Tonight's celebration was Adam's homecoming (really, more like awaycoming)! We all were happy to have him here!

The Conleys love the (almost) Gates! Notice just how much we love each other! The two boys picked black plaid. The two girls picked white. Can't get much more in sync than that! 

Oh, and Joe serenaded Ellie tonight. It was karaoke night at the small little bar and Joey got ahold of that mic! Surprisingly, he's an INCREDIBLE singer! That's talent if I've ever seen it!  

We're all just a bunch of happy campers now that Adam has arrived! I'm so excited to see him...and looking forward to the 2 weeks to come!

Day Ninety

The Sixty-Fifth Year of Papa

You can't beat family. Especially on Papa's 65th birthday. And even though some of the crew was missing, you wouldn't have noticed amidst the raising decibel level of the crazy household. We enjoyed a yummy winter meal and topped it off with a Costco red velvet birthday cake. Mmmmm. We LOVE coming to Grama and Papa's house! They're always spoiling us with the best stories, the best recipes, and the best laughs. And if you ever get caught alone with Papa, you've got to prepare yourself for the long haul: he's a walking encyclopedia of the most bizarre information you couldn't even try to make up. And he's sure to paint the most vivid picture possible. He's one heck of a character, and we're so blessed to call him ours. I've yet to meet a man who's as hospitable and thorough as Papa, and nothing beats his hugs. The giggles, collections, shouts, and finger pickings of my dear friend are uniquely his own, and one day, if nothing else, we'll convince him that hotdog-mayonaise-honeymustard sandwiches are just wrong. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA! WE LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Check out our professional Blue Steel family photo :)