The Kindness of Strangers....

Noah loves baseball. Anyone who knows Noah, knows that when Noah loves something, he OBSESSES about it. He memorizes facts and tidbits, and could give you the batting average of any pro player you can think of from Babe Ruth on. He dreams of becoming a pro baseball player. He loves the Tigers best, and dreams of playing with them when he gets drafted out of high school. (His idea.)

We went to a Tigers game this summer, it was perhaps the happiest I had seen him in a long while. He is at that awkward age of 12, and I'm never sure what he is thinking, or how he is feeling. His conversations are often limited to a concise answer to the question asked. He hangs out in what we refer to as the "Bat Cave" and watches baseball, or Sports Center. While we were at the game, Brandon Inge got his 100oth hit. Noah was so excited for him. You would have thought Noah was the one with 1000 career hits.

Brandon Inge was in town today at a Children's Expo signing autographs. A couple of years ago he came to our little league opening day and signed autographs, he donates a lot of money to the hospital, and visits sick kids. He really is the kind of sports hero you can feel good about your kid looking up to. And Noah really thinks he is the greatest.

So after some hmmming and hawwwing, I decided to surprise the kids and take them to get autographs. We arrived and were pleasantly surprised to find that the place was not mobbed.

There were lots of vendors offering give aways, and free consultations, and Brandon Inge and Mark Price were at the back signing autographs.

By this time I had told the kids what we were doing, and they eagerly got in line to get autographs. As we neared the front, I noticed a table selling tickets, and asked what they were for. A man explained that in order to get an autograph it was necessary to make a minimum donation of ten dollars PER autograph to Jack's Place for Autism. My heart dropped as I looked at my five excited kids, and Noah holding his beloved baseball glove he was hoping to have signed. I didn't have fifty dollars for autographs! I had all of twenty dollars in my purse! I sadly told the kids to get out of line, and Noah attempted to be stoic as I watched his face fall. Just then, a lady behind me said, "I'll get him his autograph. My son is autistic." I looked up in disbelief as she handed ten dollars to Noah. I thanked her profusely and explained that he too is on the ASD spectrum, and that baseball is his current obsession. She smiled and said, "Well then that means I gave ten dollars to the right kid. He deserves it."

Noah walked up in awe and got his autograph. He shook Brandon's hand, and slid his glove forward. He's worried now that if he plays in the rain the autograph could get marred, but it's there, and he knows it, and that makes him smile. I asked him later what he said when he got his glove signed. He smiled and said, "I think all I could think to say was hi." :)

I donated my last twenty dollars to Jack's Place and Ricky and Matthew got their autographs too. The girls were happy with free face painting.

God is good. All the time.

Hi... My Name is Clara, and my dog eats cat poop...

Well, I've been a terrible blogger as of late. It's not that I don't want to blog, or that I have nothing to blog about, it just seems as if my ideas for posting come at awkward times. Like when I am in the shower, or on the way out the door, or about to go to bed...

We had a great summer. In an effort to keep the neighbors from getting a restraining order put into effect on the kids, we got a pool for the backyard. The kids loved it. It wasn't too big, it wasn't too fancy, but they loved it and spent many many many hours swimming in debris filled water. I really tried to keep up, but the teeny filter was not meant to keep up with five Boyers and half the neighbors. It's funny how popular a pool in the backyard can make you! But I digress...

Summer has come and gone, and so has Ricky's birthday. Traditionally I post the top however many years worth of things that I love about the birthday child on their birthday. But I missed the boat, and so let's just say I love Ricky 999 ways, but the best thing about Ricky is that he still holds my hand in public. :) You gotta love a mama's boy.

So if you've managed to read this far you are probably wondering what these random thoughts have to do with the title, and if you hang with me for just a moment... (or maybe two, I've been know to ramble...) I will get there.

The kids are ALL in school. Clara and Ruby started kindergarten this year! They go all day every day, and to be honest, Clara was less than thrilled. In fact she was SO less than thrilled that right before school started SHE stopped pooping and I thought she had appendicitis. Twice.

As you can probably guess, Ruby LOVES school. Like skips through the hall and giggles and glows, and could care less if I were in the building or not kind of loves school.

Clara has been a little more timid in her approach. She is not doing the crying, wailing, drooling that she did last year, but her response to the first day was, "It's not too bad."

The other day in the hallway, I noticed the paraprofessional who works in her room looking at me a little strangely. Later, she told me I no longer have any family secrets. Frantically I began to relive the last few weeks of my life trying to think of WHAT incidents I would have to try to explain to the now all knowledgeable coworker of mine. I tried to keep the panic out of my voice as I asked, "So... what did she tell you?" She laughed and said she mostly talked about her brothers, and I began to relax. I then smiled and agreed that they can be quite annoying. It was in that moment she let the cat poop out of the bag. She smiled and said, "She also says her dog Pepper is her best friend. Even though he likes to eat cat poop."

Out of the mouths of babes... (I guess we should be thankful it's not out of dogs....)

God is good. All the time.