Finally....

Ten weeks.
70 Days.
Two months and two weeks.

That's how long it's been since my last day off. This weekend, that changes.

The team is on a road trip this weekend, and we have no other events at the ballpark, so for the first time in just over two months I will be spending the weekend with my family without distraction. We will have the opportunity to attend church together, eat meals together and just hang out. I really don't care if we do anything at all, as long as we are doing nothing together.

The pregnancy is in the home stretch, and Melinda is ready to have our baby. We have a name picked out, but we are not telling anyone, so for the sake of conversations you can call her Agnus. Agnus is very active, moving a lot, keeping Mom awake at night and making her uncomfortable. We are far from prepared for her arrival, but we could not be happier that she is coming.

Chandler is doing much better in school, and he is now on medication that will help with his ADHD. The medication is proving it's worth, and he seems to be doing better in school. This week, Melinda is taking him to the University of Iowa for further testing and evaluation. The greatest thing through all of this is his willingness to participate and "get better". He fully recognizes his issues and wants them to get better. He really has a sweet spirit.

A couple of weeks ago, Chandler took another tumble down the stairs (a result of his desire to walk down the stairs with his eyes closed, not the best choice), he bit through his tongue and bled for quite a long time. Of course, there is nothing the doctors can do for that, so he was on a ice cream diet for a few days - he didn't mind the diet.

Alyssa continues to grow and do new things every day. She is an amazing little girl, and I often wonder where the last four years have gone. She promised me that she would live next door to me for the rest of her life (after she gets married to someone that I totally approve of, just after her 40th birthday). She is a fantastic big (and little) sister, and has now moved into the Haanah Montana stage of her life. I think Alyssa sings better.

Spencer can throw better than most of the infielders on my team, and that's not a slight on the infielders. For a 19 month old, he has a fantastic arm, with tremendous accuracy. I'm not saying we throw him into the majors right now, but in the future - I know some people, and salaries are only going up.

As for me, I think I am finally adapting to life in the mid west again. The hardest part is how much I miss everyone we left behind. You don't realize how much you rely on those around you until they are not around you anymore. I am still working 14 hour days, but it only takes me six minutes to get home, so when I leave work at 7:00, I am home not to long after that. I get to take Chandler to school every day (and next year, Alyssa too!), and the three minutes we get to spend in the car every morning are the best three minutes of my entire day. I have an amazing family and I am so grateful that I found Melinda and that she agreed to spend the rest of eternity with me and our children. She amazes me every day. Just looking at her humbles me and reminds me how lucky I am.

Tomorrow - well I don't know what we will do tomorrow. All I know is we are going to be doing it together. I could not ask for a better way to spend a Saturday.