Day Eight Hundred and Twenty-Three

The 12-Year-Old Flashback

One of the boys Adam gives pitching lessons to had a game last night. So, we went! And though he didn't pitch at all, he sure did hit! Atta kid, Nathan! We love #6! This Little League stuff is so much fun! Last night brought back a lot of memories for Adam…and me…I was off in the future making new memories with my someday kids. Haha :)

Day Six Hundred and Fifteen

The Baby Boy's Baby Shower

Morgan is having a baby!

And yesterday, we gave the two of them the cutest Rumble in the Jungle baby shower ever!

Welcome, friends!

 The roaring jungle waterfall!

Once-Starbucks glasses, re-decorated and used to enjoy the Jungle Juice.

Baby Man's coolest present!

Ryker's future cousins...all excited to meet him!

Family and friends.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty-Nine

The Hart-y Boys

Meet the Hart boys. Their mommy was our honeymoon travel agent...and their daddy was Adam's hitting coach in Jupiter this season. You might better remember these handsome lads as the three little munchkins dressed head-to-toe in Marlins baseball uniforms at some of the Hammerhead games. Ah! They're just too fun! We were invited over to dinner last night after running into their parents at the Christmas party the night before! Stacy was at work, so Coach Corey did the cooking!

We ate at 5:15 and after...played and played. Apparently, they're guitar lovers just like Mr. Adam! This was maybe the only time all night that the three boys weren't on their feet, jumping around, kicking, punching, laughing, or flipping over each other. So precious!

With guitars aside, they soon transformed into superhero maniacs, all trying to tickle Mrs. Kendall to her demise.

1...2...3...Attack!

Their usual bedtime is 7:30. Last night, they weren't in bed until 8:45. Oops! The boys, dad, and the two of us had far too much fun to call it a night after only 2 and a half hours! But eventually, they calmed down (sort of) and we were able to read them a few stories before tucking them in. We had an incredible time, but we think for now, we're good with being able to leave the kids at a different house to sleep!

Day Four Hundred and Sixty-Two

The Tacky Christmas Party

Our sweet friends Amber and Zack hosted a Tacky Christmas party last night...upon my begging (some might call it encouragement). They were on the fence about whether or not they could plan an event like this in a week, and I said, "Heck yes you can!" So, they gave in, invited a bunch of friends from Family Church to their beautiful new home...and we had a blast! :) True to theme, Adam and I created some awfully tacky powered sugar doughnut snowmen, complete with chocolate chips eyes and buttons, marshmallow noses, fruit roll-up scarves, and frosting for glue! Haha! 

The cupcake Christmas tree was our next creation, complete with a Styrofoam cone for support, toothpicks for the backbone, Crunch Bells for the lights, and of course, green frosted cupcakes for the needles! We added a few sprinkles and topped it off with a golden star! How's that for tacky? (Ok, actually, I don't know if it ended up being tacky at all! Too cute!)

In lieu of ugly sweaters, Adam and I opted for ugly snowmen! Adam did his best work in forming the foam carrot noses and foam black top hats. He even added a little ribbon to spruce it up a bit! Safety pinned to our all-white ensemble are three foam buttons, and like any real snowman, a scarf completed the look! Oh, and yes, we have stick arms, clearly.

Up next was the Christmas Glow Punch! Like everything before it, I found this recipe off Pinterest and it was a HUGE success! The entire half gallon of raspberry sherbet sure didn't go to waste on this one! Oh gosh it was good! I'd never made punch before...who knew that fruit punch, cranberry juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, ginger ale, and sherbert would taste that much like heaven?! Mmmmm!!

Add in precious little kiddos, silly games, stimulating conversation, and hearty laughter...and you can guarantee that we had a sweet time! Thanks for hosting such a fun night, Zack and Amber! You're such a blessing to all of us!

Day Three Hundred and Ninety-Seven

The Newest Member of the Family! 

Meet Miss Zoe (with the two dots on the "e")! My newest baby cousin was born three days ago, on October 8, 2012. At 8 1/2 pounds and 19 1/2 inches, she's one healthy baby who loves eating, sleeping, and peeing on her dad! We left Olympia this morning and made a pit stop in Yakima before heading back to Spokane. She's wonderful. And so very beautiful! What a little blessing!

Adam can't seem to get away from all the babies around...and it's beginning to make me nervous! He's a certified daddy natural; just so good with children. We talked about babies today, and I'm pretty sure we came to the conclusion that maybe a few years down the road, we'll introduce another Conley into the world. For now, the world isn't ready for another one. At least that's what we think. God might have another plan though. I suppose we'll see. My grandma just told us that we ought to invest in a nursery. I think she's lost her marbles.

Big Sister Claire and Adam hanging out with Hulk the Hedgehog. She's been an only child for 6 years now, so getting used to her new role may be a bit of a challenge for her. She told us today, "Zoe is taking all my attention. I want all the attention." It was sweet and sincere, but my aunt and uncle are doing a wonderful job making sure she's getting the attention she needs. It'll take some time for her to adjust, but I know she'll make one amazing big sister.

Gosh I love babies. Especially Zoe Eliene. I had way too much fun today. 

Her teeny tiny hands are just too precious! It's a miracle that each of us start so little and grow so big.

Man hand. Newborn hand.

Claire Ani and I! When she was born, I was living with my aunt and uncle...so the two of us spent a lot of time together! I've missed my little friend (and cousin) dearly and was so excited to see her today! She's growing up so fast and it bums me out that I can't see her more. But we decided that we'll start Face Timing more often to remedy the distance. Be a good big sister, Missy!

We sped back to Spokane and headed immediately to the Dougherty's apartment for a homemade dinner. Boy do I love homemade dinners! We haven't had a lot of them in the past month, so this was a nice change of pace. Katie's become quite the homemaker and certainly knows how to make her guests feel right at home.

I LOVE THIS WOMAN! Katie is the greatest. We haven't seen each other since April, and I was sure missin her. We became immediate friends toward the end of our college days and have remained very close over the year that we've been apart. It's always a riot when I'm with her...a never ending session of laughter and smiles and I hate that I can't see her more than once or twice a year. I always feel fulfilled after saying goodbye...a perfectly content heart and a happy happy soul. I'll miss her.

The four of us - Seth, Katie, Myself, and Adam - all showed up in gray shirts and blue jeans. That's the definition of friend soul mates! Ha! Love them.

We turned 12 years old tonight and laughed immaturely over a ridiculous photo shoot I put on.

It was imperative that we got an 8-year-old sleepover pose for the record books. Like, so cute, right?! Too much fun!

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-Six

The Ninth Game 

Adam pitched a GREAT game tonight. Absolutely outstanding. With a tired arm and more innings in him than he's ever thrown in his entire life, he's continuing to accomplish new things every outing. This evening, he proved that he can get himself out of jams. Twice, he left the inning with a man on third and no harm done to the scoreboard. He's throwing all of his pitches and becoming progressively more comfortable with his slider. Just a bunch of good things! Oh, and I can't leave out the fact that he struck a Tampa Bay Rays big leaguer out twice tonight. Wahoo! 

Usually, when a pitcher finds himself stuck in a jam - or he's just not throwing strikes - the pitching coach will walk out to the mound to discuss the issue. Tonight, Joe Coleman (Adam's pitching coach) did just that. Adam had two outs in the fifth and was looking like he had everything under control. And then the next two hitters found themselves on first and second. So, Joe went out to have a word with my boy. And whatever he said must have worked because Adam ended the threat with a strikeout! 

His line for the night looked like this:

5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 Ks, and a no-decision. 

His velocity was 90-92 tonight and that's incredible considering the amount of innings he's already pitched this season. If his arm were mine, it would have already fallen off by now.

Ok, it rained all day today. The whole day. And it finally decided to stop this evening around 6. So, you know what that means? HUMIDITY! Oh gosh, humidity like you wouldn't believe. This is what Adam looked like at the end of 5 innings. I've never seen him so sweaty before! Ever! But gosh, he's still so handsome, even with all that wet and greasy hair! 

Cory Hart is the Hammerhead's hitting coach. He's the father to three little boys that run around the ballpark in matching Miami Marlins uniforms (yes, even the little cleats). Ages 3, 4, and 5, they've all got huge personalities and are just the cutest boys around! Naturally, I found myself drawn to them...and Adam and Coach recognized it immediately. After 5 innings, Cory walked over to Adam and said, "You'd better be careful...those boys might just steal her from you." Adam's response? "You'd better be careful, Coach, or she might just steal them from you!" 

I mean, c'mon! Who wouldn't want to steal this little boy away and keep him forever?! And better yet, there's three of them! So stinkin cute! This one, though, took a liking to me (and my camera) immediately. And look, I taught him well! :)

It's our last night here in Port Charlotte and we're both wiped out. Can't wait to sleep in our own bed tomorrow!!

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Three

The Eleventh (Noisy) Game

I learned a lesson today. A very important one. And it's this: if a game is ever scheduled for a 10:45 AM start time, run the other way. Fast. If you don't, your ear drums might never forgive you. 

This is what 8,000 screaming 3rd graders looks like. It was elementary day at the field this afternoon, and sure enough, it was also Adam's turn to pitch. Don't get me wrong, Adam and I love kids. Like, we're crazy about them. But if they're in excess of, oh, three, then we have problems. And excess is certainly what this day brought. When Spaz said SCREAM, they screamed. And screamed. And screamed some more. And just when my ears were beginning to recuperate, they'd scream again. It was outrageous. I've never seen such a thing in my entire life. So, lesson learned. The kids are cute, precious, and certainly God's blessing...but...The next time they host one of these kid days, I might just find myself a quiet spot on the beach instead. Unless, of course, Adam is pitching...and then, well, my ear drums already hate me anyways! 

The rest of my day was a busy one. I said goodbye to Adam immediately after the game (he's headed on a 4-day road series in Savannah), and took Addi to the Raleigh-Durham airport, which is an hour away. On my return trip, I passed a homeless man on the side of the road. He was holding up a sign and it made me laugh. It said, "In need of rich wife. References a must!" I gave him a big smile. But I didn't have any change. So I rolled down my window, complimented his sign, and asked him specifically what he was most in need of. Larry, known to the world as "Turtle," told me that he really needed some pants. As the red light changed green, I promised that I'd bring him some. So, I went to Wal-Mart. 

Remember little Nick!? The one whose arm Adam signed? Well, it turns out that he's a decent ball player himself! I've been meaning to catch one of his games, but every chance I get, I'm in another state! So this evening, I made it a point to go and cheer on my young friend. He is so incredibly talented! I knew going in to tonight that Nick's baseball knowledge goes way beyond his years...I just didn't realize that his abilities did too! Look at him! He's a smaller version of Adam! All legs, baby! And one stud arm. The Hoppers better keep an eye on this future star! 

Look who I found cuddled in my bed!!! She's baaaaaaaaack!!! And I am SO happy! I picked up Alejandra from the airport tonight, and we've been giggling ever since. The best part? I don't have to sleep alone when Adam's gone!!!

Oh, and before I forget, Adam's line for today's game:

In 6 innings, he gave up 7 hits, 3 runs (all earned), and 1 walk. He struck out 5, sat 91-94, and got the W. He's now 6-1, with a 2.83 ERA.

Day Two Hundred and Forty

The Narcoleptic is Awake Now

But this guy isn't. Maybe it's the North Carolina water? Whatever it is, it's found a few victims and we're suffering relentlessly. And to think I had it the worst? Not so! It's bad, yes, when you have to take two naps in one day. But at least I do it at home. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky. The bug caught him...during the game. Yikes. And what's worse: he's our K-Zone man. When your K-Zone guys can't even stay awake during an 8 punchout game, with 6 thousand fans screaming obnoxiously, you know it's gotta be bad. Hahaha. Classic.

But I'm officially back. And after two days of a brief hiatus, I'm awake too. Still really tired though. I don't know what's wrong with me...Oh yeah, something about this crazy baseball life I'm trying to live. Late nights. Every night. It's likely that we won't get to bed until 2 AM tonight. I don't understand how Adam does it. Call me a newbie. That's alright with me.

Keeping my tired eyes entertained tonight was this precious little gem of a man. Wow. I melted just a bit at his sweetness. If my children are as well behaved and love baseball as much as Sawyer does, well, let's just have one right now! He's two years old and already can throw an impressive ball. In his arsenal, he has the hand motions of "safe," "out," and "homerun" down pat. Gosh, give him to me! (Ok, not really). I think we'll wait a bit longer...but after tonight, and after watching Adam play along with Sawyer, I'm way more excited to meet our little Jackson. (Jakson? We haven't decided yet). Someday!

Day Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight

The Phoenix Graduate

By: Adam

I didn't have a smile on my face this big when I got my diploma, oh yeah, I haven't graduated yet. Heather has though! After all the stress, revising, homework, and research papers, Mom has her psychology degree! I didn't like school much when I was trying to focus on baseball. When I think about having 5 kids, a mortgage, a spouse, 4 dogs, a crazy schedule, and a full time job, I realize how good I must have had it. Being a full time student doesn't fit well into that schedule if you haven't freshened up on how many hours there are in a day. We are so proud of her, and wish we could have seen it for ourselves. When she tells people about her degree, they will probably congratulate her on her accomplishment, but we truly know how much dedication this took. She's such an inspiration. We love you Mom!!

This is Nick...remember? That's my autograph on his arm - he's pretty pumped. Today, I got assigned to autograph signing before the game, and Nick, along with the rest of his little league team, came to the game. I greeted nearly all of them with an autograph on their hat, and an autograph on their arm to match. I can't say for sure why they all wanted my to sign their arm, but wasn't going to ask. 

Nick watched the Hoppers win their fourth straight today sitting right next to Kendall, Bob, and the rest of the crew. The last few days have been very exciting and a little bit hectic.

Speaking of exciting and hectic, Kendall and I are working on buying our first home! Well, it's a condo, but we couldn't be happier with the property. We sent in an offer today, and will hear back hopefully early next week! Everyone around here keeps saying, "it's a great time to be a Hopper," and I think they might be right!

Day One Hundred and Fifty-Nine

The Little Leaguers

I met a pilot at the gym last week, with two boys who play baseball. I sensed a trade coming on. He'd teach me to fly. Adam would teach them to play. And that's exactly what's happened. Toward the end of the month, I'll be flying the skies with the American Airlines pilot. But today, the boys got to pitch alongside a "professional baseball player." With their eyes wide and ears tuned in closely, the Little Leaguers paid close attention to the words and instruction that came from their "guest" coach. Each boy was given a one-on-one lesson, and by the end of their "bullpen," they were throwing more and more strikes. Seeing Adam in this environment was inspiring. These children listened to him. Really listened. With that sort of attention, Adam could have an effect on them so much, so much bigger than baseball. And tonight, we saw exactly that. The little boy on the rubber (above) is talented beyond his years. And he has two younger brothers with similar skill. At age 11, CJ is already throwing in the 60 MPH range, with 2 pitches, and a new arsenal of glove signals that he learned tonight. Beyond that, however, we learned that two of the three brothers just recently accepted Jesus into their hearts as their Lord and Savior...and on Sunday, they're getting baptized! Praise God for them! And for us, this is what baseball's all about: spreading the truth of the Lord using the platform God's blessed Adam with. And as he told the boys tonight, "Baseball's temporary. It will end someday. But God, He's everlasting." On Sunday, we'll be praising with their church as the boys are baptized. 

God is so Good.

And because it's baseball, little boy baseball, there were ultimately many Overheards to laugh at:

Kid: "How fast do you throw?"

Adam: "97."

Kid: "How much money do you make?"

Adam: "Not enough."

We're learning more and more that kids tend to be missing a filter...Haha.

Dad: "Go give your brother your cup."

Son #1: "Ok, besides, this thing is really itchy so I don't care!"

- Ten minutes pass -

Son #2: "I don't think you'll be wanting this back!"

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Seven

The Everything-a-Kid-Could-Want-in-a-Park Park

Being a kid in Florida is super awesome. Yes, I said super awesome. It's January and these kids are doing everything most kids can't do. They're playing roller hockey outside and getting stuck inside half-pipes wearing shorts and t-shirts. Can't say I've ever seen anything like it. Then again, they can't take joy rides down the side of a snow covered mountain either, so I suppose it all comes to preference. I'm still (sort of) undecided, but if I could move the state of Florida to Washington, I'd do it in a second. Best of both worlds? You bet. Unfortunately, that's just not an option. So for now, I'll stick with watching the cute little boy getting stuck in the half pipe, calling on his big brother and mommy to help him out. Seriously adorable. His slight hesitation before taking on the giant drop was nerve-racking, but he took it like a champ! Thoughts about dressing up little skater boys weren't far from my mind, but when I considered the broken bones that would find their way in and out of our home, I dropped the dreams. No skater boys for us. Baseball. They'll like baseball. And if not, we'll force them to. (It was a joke!)

In the same plaza, we embarrassed ourselves in a friendly game of tennis. If you could call it that! We're just pathetic. It's bad. But we enjoy it, so we'll keep practicing. However, I don't know if Adam could ever remove himself completely from his baseball mentality to focus completely on sharpening his tennis skills. Today, while practicing his "baseball" serve as I picked up the runaway balls, he nailed me right in the rib! 

And the Overheard quote of the day:

"I've got a good poker face, but I have a big poop in my pants."

Day Sixty-Six

The Princess Makeover

A "Yes Girl." Definitely. A "Girly Girl." Certainly. A "Momma's Girl." You bet. 

Mixed together, this recipe created the perfect canvas for an artist-in-training. And Avery was quick to realize it. Armed with a tray of colorful princess makeup, my three-year-old friend turned me into a beautifully sticky mess tonight. Since attending our weekly Bible study group, we've made some unique and special relationships, and instantly, Avery and I bonded. This little fire ball is energetic, curious, and sweet as pie. She gives me glimpses of what motherhood might look like someday and my heart fills with joy. I've always had an undeniable connection with children and dream of the day that I'll get to meet my own. Fortunately for now, I can get my "baby fix" on a weekly basis...because let's face it: there's no going back to what Adam and I have now, once the kids are here. And we're just not ready for that yet! (Well, that's not entirely true. Adam's recently been raving about how he just wants a 6-year-old Little League prodigy to pop out...unfortunately it just doesn't work that way, Honey!)

Day Fifty

The 2nd Annual FC Trunk or Treat

A zillion kids. Christian music. Bounce houses. Face Paint. Popcorn. Baseballs. Footballs. Costumes. Sunshine. Rain...And candy. Lots of it. 

Family Church was apart of something big today, and we were happy to be there, helping spread the gospel in a way that I'd never seen done before. Florida is a cultural and racial melting pot. People come here from all parts of the world, with various backgrounds, and defining, unique stories. With an overwhelming majority living without the gospel, Family Church took advantage of the pagan holiday and used it as a platform to unite the community of Abacoa, in the hopes that even just one family would hear, or see, or feel led to ask real, life changing questions about our purpose and the God we serve.  

In the pouring Florida rain, FC decorated their trunks for the children of Jupiter. Parked on the warning track of Roger Dean Stadium (where Adam plays), the kids were able to "Trunk or Treat" through the maze of so many cars and silly costumes. In the midst of all the candy commotion, the kiddos were also welcomed to enjoy the bounce house that Adam and I "refereed." Soaking wet, and fully mudded, they were a joy to watch, protect, and serve. I love our city. I love our church. And I really love Our God.