What hath T-ball wrought?

'No, that's OK, you're not very helpful, Cate. I'll just go and micromanage him myself.'

-- Cate's response, mock quoting me, after she offered to take Robert to T-ball and I declined

Party weekend

Last weekend was a pretty busy one in the Coleman household, as we celebrated Colleen's fourth birthday party, Elizabeth made her First Communion and Robert had his first-ever T-ball practice.

Saturday was a beautiful day to be outdoors, so we tried to make the most of it.

The weekend hadn't started off so hot, however. I tried to take the new grill that we bought Mom for her birthday and Mother's Day out for a test drive, and, lo and behold, the Weber grill caught on fire. Spent a couple hours Friday night at Home Depot and on the phone with Weber, so I was less than happy. Thankfully, our neighbors let us borrow theirs for Saturday cooking.

Colleen's aunt and uncles and godmother and family came over Saturday afternoon for cake and presents and the fruits of the grill and we had a great time. Nonna made Colleen the traditional doll-in-a-cake cake, similar to what she made for Elizabeth's third birthday when we were here for Thanksgiving in 2000.

Colleen got a great set of clothes, a kickball for backyard playing, a tricycle (honest-to-goodness red metal trike with assembly required and everything), books and Wii paraphernalia. Too often Colleen has been forced to play a spectator role while the older two play, but now she has her own Wii controller.

On Sunday, Elizabeth made her First Communion, part of a gigantic class at St. Thomas the Apostle, 60-some kids split over six Masses. We've been doing her preparation work ourselves so she didn't have to sit in a class full of 7- and 8-year-olds, and that was an interesting experience. I'll be glad when Robert goes through the class with everyone else and we just get to sit back and smile.

And Robert had his first T-ball practice. Today they actually played their first "game" -- you know, the one where everyone bats, they play about three innings, there's a minimum number of outs, everyone changes positions, coaches stand in the field. Mostly a lot of hitting and running, sometimes throwing the ball in the general direction of first base.

Robert got a new glove for the occasion (don't ask whose signature is on it, though at least Derek Jeter hasn't tested positive yet), but we drew the line at cleats. There are a couple kids on the team who wear them, though, one who has his own baseball pants.

And this morning, everyone had a coat. Brr.

What reading level is required to put someone to sleep?

Colleen seems to be able to go to sleep with someone of a fourth-grade level reading out loud to her. Robert brought a very nice reading progress report home with him from school today that has him reading at a fourth-grade level.

We got a full display of this tonight, as Robert and Colleen kicked Cate out of their room at bedtime, and Robert read poems to his little sister. Cate and I heard one of our favorites, Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too, in which Robert didn't even hesitate with the words "mulligan stew."

After that poem, Robert came out to ask us if we'd heard it, and I went back in with him to "close" bedtime and get what I was sure would be an easy save. Colleen surely wouldn't need more than a couple verses of Silent Night and she would be out like a light.

Except when I got in there, Colleen was already in her bed, out like a light. So Robert gets a complete-game win.