Night out at Braves Game

A few new things happened tonight during our night out at the Braves game:

1) I cheered for the Braves. Yep, that is right. Jeff Delp cheered for the stinking Braves. My hope is that they make the playoffs and win a series so that I can watch the Phillies play in Atlanta. So for the next 1.5 weeks, Go Braves (I did not do the chop)!

2) Sam road the bus with one of his friends Tobi. The bus was full of high school kids and no one was nice enough to get out of their seats for a couple of 3 year olds. So, stood they did. They took their job very seriously, and despite having one of the craziest bus drivers that i have experienced on MARTA, they survived standing up and very proud of themselves:



Sam has loved peanuts for a while now, but he fell in love with shelled peanuts tonight. And boy are they a time waster! Next, we need to get him to enjoy some southern boiled peanuts!



After the game was over, Brent and I decided that we had the skills to open a day care center on our own. It would be a baseball themed day care of course:

Puddle Walk

After 3-4 weeks with no rain, we finally had a storm that helped to usher in fall over the weekend. On Monday, fresh off bouts with sicknesses, Daddy decided to take the kids on a puddle walk through the neighborhood. Here is what ensued:

Cycle of Love

We are taking a commercial break from blogging for this public service announcement:

On November 21 & 22, I will be riding in the Cycle of Love (www.cycleoflove.org) from Birmingham, AL to Atlanta, GA with 10 other colleagues from various ministries around Atlanta. I am doing this ride for a couple of reasons:

1) I am raising money for Pride for Parents (www.prideforparents.org) and FCS Community Economic Development (CED), which runs the South Atlanta Marketplace and Community Grounds Cafe (www.communitygrounds.org). I am now the part-time executive director of CED and I believe strongly in the value of having strong, viable local businesses in our community to provide life and jobs to residents in South Atlanta.

2) I want to help support the other riders and their ministries. Together we make a great team and supporting each other is a great way of supporting our own ministries. The other riders have been an amazing support to me while doing ministry in South Atlanta, and without them, I can't imagine still going strong.

3) I am riding for personal reasons. For the past 3-4 years I have really struggled with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and having the energy that I need to be a good father, be a good husband, and do good at my job. I am using the next 2 months, culminating with the bike ride, to get myself back into shape. I owe it to myself, Katie, Sam, and Maya to have a healthier lifestyle which will ensure that I can keep up for many more years to come.

I am writing you because I would love for you to consider supporting me in this ride. Riding 174 miles is not going to be an easy task and neither is running two businesses in South Atlanta. Having your support will mean a lot to me and will no doubt help my motivation during the hard miles of the ride and the hard times of running CED.

If you would like to support me, please go to www.cycleoflove.org and click the Donate Now button under my name. It will send you to the FCS Donate page and follow the instructions from there. If you want to write a check, please send it to:

FCS Community Economic Development
PO Box 17628
Atlanta, GA 30316

There are several levels of support that you can choose from, or you can decide on a gift on your own. Any amount of support would be appreciated. I have set a goal of raising $5000 during this ride. It is a lofty goal, but one that I think is obtainable. Please consider giving.

Thanks so much!

Jeff

Soccer Sam

A few weeks ago, Sam played in his first soccer game. We signed him up to play in an AYSA league with Inter Atlanta FC and he plays with 3-4 year olds. Playing soccer is a liberal term as what ensues is a bunch of kids running around the ball being distracted by everything else going on in the park. Nonetheless, Sam really enjoys it and has had fun the first two weeks.

We actually missed Sam's first week of soccer because Katie and I were in Chicago at the CCDA conference. Mom Mom and Grandpa Ed took him to his first game and took most of these pictures. What we saw from the second week was kind of what we expected. Sam loved to practice and shoot the ball, but when the game started, he was fine just running around the outside edge of what was going on and really doesn't mix it up with the other kids. I think this past saturday he may have kicked the ball one time and that was even accidental.

I am thankful that he enjoys running around and being active during the games. As a former soccer player, I hope that he becomes less timid in his approach to the game, but I am thankful for the opportunity to share this with him. However, I am going to predict that we do not have the next Landon Donovan in our midst in the Delp household (unless that's Maya).

Maya and the Potty

Over the past week, Maya has decided to be interested in going to the potty again. She had a brief bout with interest a few months back but this time she has been a bit more successful. However, it still seems like she is a ways off from being potty trained. But even though we think it is still a ways off, we are giving it a shot to see what happens. Here is a shot of Maya in the potty and in one of "Sam's" pull-ups. Sam still claims that they are his even though he barely used them and only used them for a few weeks a year ago.

Sam and School

We are amazed to think that this is the third year Sam has been at pre-school. Throughout Sam's time at school, we have wondered what exactly goes on during the day. Since about the middle of last year, we have been able to get a report from Sam as to what his view of the day was (which usually differs from other kids views). Talking about his day usually means letting us know what Mr. Coach did and what other kids had to eat for lunch or what they brought for show and tell.

This year, one of Sam's teachers is taking pictures during the day and posting them on Shutterfly, so for the 1st time we can actually see what they are doing during the day. Here are some pictures from the previous week at school:

It is neat to see Sam in his world at school. He has loved it so much and looks forward to going everyday. We are grateful for this part of Sam's life over the past 3 years!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is Katie's birthday, and all the Delps wish her a happy one! Katie is a special women, a wonderful mother, and a great wife and she deserves to be celebrated today.

Sam decided earlier this week (with a little prompting), that he wanted to buy something for Mommy with his own money. We have been trying to teach Sam a little bit about money and he has a great bank that he got from his Pop-Pop that helps us a lot. I asked him what he wanted to buy with his own money for Mommy and he said flowers. So we went off to Trader Joe's this morning in search for flowers. Sam carried his money in his front shirt pocket, pretty hard to take seriously if you ask me! Sam chose blue hydrangeas for his Mommy (I am going to assume he knew hydrangeas were her favorite flower and that is why he chose them, not because they are blue). It was really sweet to see how seriously Sam took the whole thing. He really appreciates and loves his Mommy!

Maya and Sam helped Daddy make Mommy a special Texas treat for breakfast this morning: Kolachis!

We're not ready to take on the Kolachi Factory yet, but they were good enough to impress Mommy. Happy Birthday Katie!

Boys day out

Even though Sam loves baseball, we only went to one game all year. I saw an afternoon game on the schedule this week and decided that another game was in order for him and I. Sam didn't quite understand why Ryan Howard and the Phillies would not be playing but he was excited to go see baseball.

We had a fun time riding the bus to the game together. I have not had the chance to take Sam on the bus that much lately, so it was fun showing him the ropes, literally. He found the bus stop, found the right bus number, and pulled the rope when it was our turn to get off the bus.

Sam is in the midst of a phase of life where he is asking questions about everything. Why? Why? Why? We answer that question about a hundred times a day. This day was no different. He asked a million questions on the bus, but that was nothing for the baseball game. He asked about everything from the foul pole, to the ball boys, the Braves Tomahawk, the Bull Pen, etc... The amazing thing is that I really feel like he is taking the information in and not just asking a million questions. I am amazed at how much he is learning right now.

Here are some pictures of our boys day out at the ball game:

Dance Class!

This week was the start of Sam's class at Moving in the Spirit. Ever since he saw the "Big Show" last year, he was excited to dance with the boys at MITS. This lead to a little bit of disappointment when he found out that girls would be in his class, and not just boys and that Mr. Chris was not his teacher. But he LOVED the class nonetheless.

We are excited for the class because Sam has some friends from school and some friends from church in the class. It is great to have the two worlds meet in the class. Maya also loves the class. When she got home from watching Sam, she continued to practice her moves by jumping around the house for about an hour.

We can't wait for Sam to participate in the big show at the end of the year at the Rialto in Atlanta. We'll let you know when his big debut is coming up!

PS. As someone that has never danced in his life, I am glad that our son has on a hockey shirt and soccer shorts for his dance class!

Growing Up

It looks like Maya is going to beat Sam in the race towards using the big swing first! Maya loves to think that she is big. The boots are just part of the act. She thinks she can do everything Sam does. Maya wanted no part of the baby swing at the park today, it was just the big swing for her. She even knew how to get herself moving which amazed me (of course, she barely moved, but I was still amazed).

Eating cookies is a passion for Maya and she loves to be outside. So what better way to spend the evening but on the front porch dipping my favorite cookies in milk with Maya! She loved them of course and we had a great time together. It was one of the first evenings that we were up with Maya without Sam (Sam had a 7 o'clock bed time due to his inability to handle all the activity of school, dance class, and a friend over). We are realizing how much we enjoy time with each child one on one. They are such unique and special individuals and we love to see them flourish when they are by themselves.

FInally Outside

It has been a long hot summer in Atlanta. For the past month, we have all be itching to get outside but it has just been unbearable. The temperature finally broke this weekend and it has been amazing. The kids have wanted to go outside for the first time in a month of two (you know it is hot when your 19 month old says it is hot when she walks out the door).

Sam and Maya have had fun discovering or rediscovering their outdoor world. There should be no surprise that this means Maya has discovered sidewalk chalk and that Sam has reinstated his love for the baseball tee. Here are some pictures of our weekend outside:

The bicycling road crew is ready to go. Sam has been very interested in Daddy's long bike ride coming up. Maya is just discovering the joy of riding a bike. I cannot wait to take them on the Silver Comet trail in a few years!

Maya loves body art and that is no different with sidewalk chalk. She is either trying to "paint" her toe nails or just drawing on her feet. I am not quite sure.

Sam has finally found a friend his age to play baseball with him . Sam's friend Jon shares his love for baseball. They enjoyed playing together yesterday after the church potluck.

Sam's perch on the school playground. We love that smile!

Maya and Babies

There are a few things that we know Maya likes: cookies, doggies (at least from a distance), Thomas Trains (she likes to be like her brother), drawing, and babies.

Her favorite books at the moment include any books that have babies in them, she loves to push her babies around in the stroller or the grocery cart, and she has started to care for her babies. This last part has been absolutely ridiculous. These are some pictures that I took of Maya trying to care for her baby. She brought diaper changing stuff over and asked to undress the baby. She then gave the baby her blanket and put her "night, night." It was quite a funny example of how she tries to care for her baby.

More Random Maya

We wish we had a camera ready at all times with Maya because she does so many random funny things around the house. Here are just a few more examples of ways we find Maya:

Are you surprised that Maya loves cookies? We aren't either given that it is her favorite word after Mommy-Daddy (which is often said as one word).

Maya has started to show an affection for playing dress up. Here is one of her most recent attempts at getting clothes on herself.

Maya loves her grocery cart and her baby. Today she decided that she needed to push the cart while on her knees.