softball, pies & barbecue

Spring arrived in Moscow. At least for two days.

It was a beautiful weekend and we made the best of it. Saturday was full with pie baking and softball. Clay attended the first practice for the Christ Church men's softball team, affectionately known as the Moscow Whammers. This will be his second summer playing with them, and I'm looking forward to joining the cheering squad in the bleachers again. Perhaps we'll even be able to come up with some more whammerific words to use in our cheers. Margaret, Peshewa and I tagged along to watch the practice and soak up some much needed sunshine. Here Margaret cheers for her dad with her best bud Moo Chew:

Saturday evening I hosted a dessert and games night in celebration of Clay's upcoming birthday (which is today). Thanks to the Dimelers, Hardings, and Wights for making it a fun time! Pie, champagne, Taboo and Cranium were enjoyed by all. I can't believe Margaret went to bed with that much commotion going on downstairs. Speaking of Margaret, she has taken a giant leap forward and is now eating solid food! On Friday evening we had an adventure mixing up some rice cereal and milk and giving her her first feeding. She absolutely loved it! Two more feedings later and I think she's hooked. She can gobble it down like a pro. It hasn't seemed to help with her nighttime sleeping habits but we're still hopeful. She looks pretty cute in her horsey "feeding time" bib (thanks to Auntie Annie), and she certainly needs the protection! Her fists often go into the mouth with the food and come out white and sticky. In fact everything goes into her mouth these days. Including her new favorite toy - a nestle tollhouse chocolate chip package (it's wonderfully crinkly). Who needs expensive toys?

Sunday was even warmer and sunnier. Church service was good and afterwards we celebrated the Lord's Day and beautiful weather by grabbing some KFC chicken. It's been years since I've had any (always reminds me of Grandma Dey's house) but we caught a whiff of fried chicken as we were leaving church and neither of us could resist. The majority of the afternoon and evening were spent outside enjoying the weather. Peshewa could hardly be contained. Our house was in danger of being demolished if we left her inside so we put on her harness and leash and she joined in the fun. Without knowing it we unleashed (no pun intended) the pollinators worst nightmare. No bee was safe and her ferocious (though silent) roar frightened any that dare cross her path. Clay made some delicious hamburgers on the charcoal grill for supper and then we enjoyed some leftover pie and BBC's "Bleak House" after Margaret went to bed. Clay's parents got us a subscription to Netflix for his birthday and I think it is going to be a highly enjoyable new venture.

Today Clay turns 25. A milestone birthday! He also has a job interview at TerraGraphics (an enviromental consulting place in Moscow) this afternoon. It's a big day.