Halloween 2020

Today Evan had games at 1 and 3.  

I brought Chewie to Evan's first game.  Everyone enjoyed seeing Chewie and he loved all of the attention.

Evan played really well.

Morry picked up food at Chipotle for the kids on his way home.

Josiah came back to the house until his dad could get him.

I picked up Torchy's for Morry and me.

The boys ate as soon as they got home, they got dressed in their costumes and we took them to Reid's house to go trick-or-treating.

Evan was Marty McFly from Back to the Future and Noah was Maverick from Top Gun.

Morry and I took a walk after getting home.  We stopped by to see Mom/Grandma and Dad/Papa, and ate our food once we got back home.

We had a ton of trick-or-treaters from around 6-6:30.  We thought we might run out of candy, but then it slowed down by a lot.  We hardly had anyone come by the rest of the night.

Around 9pm we went to Reid's house to pick up Noah.  We stayed and talked with them for a little bit before we came back home.  Evan is spending the night there.

Evan got 12 pounds of candy and Noah got 9 pounds.

Here are a few pictures from Halloween over the last several years.

Backwards Baseball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

I had a meeting early this morning.  The woman I was meeting with in Boston.  She showed me it was already snowing.  It looked like it was at least 2 inches. 

Fridays are days that Rachel teaches at ATA.  So she left later in the morning to go to school.

We had a handyman come by to patch the wall where the alarm keypad used to be.

Rachel and I went for a walk when she got back from school.

Every year around Halloween, Evan's baseball team has a special Halloween practice.  All the kids wear their costumes and rather than fully practice, they do what they call "Backwards Baseball".  Everyone throws with their opposite hand so of course the glove goes then on their throwing hand.  They have to bat opposite and they have to run around the bases backwards - third, second, first, home.  The kids look forward to this particular practice.  This year, Evan is dressed as Marty McFly.  Rachel and I dropped him off at practice and then went to have dinner at a restaurant where we could sit outside.

The restaurant we chose is called Artemis Mediterranean Restaurant.  We had never been.  It's something we've wanted to try but never had the chance, then the pandemic hit, so this was our first time.  Rachel and I both liked it.  It was nice getting out to eat together without kids.  It's been a long time.

On the way back to the field, we picked up a pizza at Jersey Giant Pizza for Evan and Noah.  Evan ate half of the pizza on the drive back to the house.

Evan and Noah are playing on the Playstation.

Until next time...

Trees Trimmed

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

On Wednesdays, Rachel tutors online early in the morning.  So she is up and ready to tutor by 8am.  In addition to that, on this particular Wednesday, she had to get to school a bit early to help one of her students, so she left immediately after finishing her tutoring.

My morning was busy but I didn't have meetings until the afternoon.

During one of my meetings, the doorbell rang.  Rachel had called a tree service to come trim the trees around the sidewalk.  With Halloween this weekend, we wanted to make sure the sidewalks were clear.  He was able to trim the trees today which was nice.  I thought we'd just get an estimate, but he came prepared.

Rachel got home before the trees were finished so she could approve.  After that, Rachel laid down before more tutoring.

Evan and Rachel left shortly before 6 so Evan could go to bullpens and Rachel could tutor a student near the baseball facility.  Noah and I stayed home and we watched a movie.

For dinner, we had leftover ham.

The boys are upstairs playing on the Playstation.

Until next time...

Chewie's Trainer and Thrift Shops

 Today Chewie's trainer came by to show us everything she has worked on with Chewie.

Then, Morry and the boys watched the Steelers game.

After that, we went to two different thrift shops to find stuff for the boys to wear on Halloween. Evan was successful, but Noah wasn't.  We will have to find something for him online.

Then, we did our grocery shopping at H-E-B.

Evan went over to Reid's house to go swimming tonight.  He just got home.

Now Morry and I will sit down for a little bit and probably watch the last episode of Schitt's Creek.

Boys at ATA and Cold Baseball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Yesterday, the boys went with Rachel to school. Since they are remote, they can do school from anywhere.  They went with Rachel to school and got on to their classes from there.  On their break, they played tennis.  For lunch, Rachel took them to Einstein Bros Bagels and picked up bagels.

This morning, Evan had two baseball games.  They started at 8am.  It was 50 degrees, drizzling and very windy.  It made for a fairly miserable temperature for the game.  Evan played third in the first game.  In the top of the first, he fielded a ball cleanly but then the throw was not good and he got an error. He told me that he couldn't feel his hands when he was throwing the ball.  He made up for it in the bottom of the inning.  With two outs and runners on second and third, he lined a single over the shortstop to score two runs.  In the second inning, he fielded a ball with a runner at third.  The runner broke for home and he made a perfect throw home to get the runner.  In the second game, he caught the whole game.  He did very well, though he only had one opportunity to throw a runner out.  The throw wasn't as good as last week and he didn't get the runner.  Unfortunately the game ended in a loss on a wild pitch.  Evan did his best to try to stop it.  He then got the ball and flipped to the pitcher with what seemed like plenty of time to tag the runner from third.  But the runner managed to avoid the tag and scored the winning run.

We came home and got Noah and then met the Ramatis for some food at the Grove.  We had not seen them since Evan's Bar Mitzvah.

In the late afternoon, there was a block party (with masks) with pumpkin carving going on.  It was nice talking to the neighbors.

We picked up food from Via 313 for us and Subway for the boys for dinner.

The boys are upstairs playing and we're going to watch a movie.

Until next time...

Our Day

This morning I Zoom tutored and then went to school.

Today was my long day at school and I got home around 2:30.

While I was gone Chewie had training, Morry worked, and the boys had school.

I Zoom tutored again this afternoon.

Normally, I have in-person tutoring on Wednesday nights, but they canceled because he had a cross-country meet. 

So, Morry took Evan to baseball practice.

When Morry and Evan got home we ate dinner.  Morry and Noah had hamburgers.  I had leftover Chinese food and Evan had baked chicken.

Soon, Morry and I will sit down and watch some TV. 

Kevin the Handyman

 This morning I Zoom tutored and then went to school.

While I was gone Kevin, the handyman, came over and installed our new porch light fixture and put a keypad on our door.

Chewie's trainer also came.

I went for a walk in the afternoon and then Zoom tutored some more in the afternoon.

Noah and Grandma had their Facetime Hebrew session today.

Today was the last day of the Hebrew class I was teaching.  We had a fun class today and the kids seemed a little sad it was over.  They asked if I'd create another class for them.

Josiah came to our house before baseball practice and Morry took both boys to practice.  Josiah's mom picked him up at our house after practice.

For dinner we had leftovers.

Now the boys are playing video games before bed. 

Trent and Carter

 Today, everyone was home.  I made the kids lunches and then went for a run/walk.

Chewie's trainer came today.

In the afternoon I Zoom tutored 2 students.

Then, we picked up Home Slice Pizza and met Trent and Carter at the park in that neighborhood. 

Trent and Carter are checking out Austin because Carter and his girlfriend would like to move here.

We had a nice time in the park.

Carter and Evan played hackysack. 

We just got home and now I'm doing a little bit of work before Morry and I sit down and watch more Schitts Creek.

Here are some pictures from today.

Three Runners

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Friday, the boys had a dentist appointment.  It had been nearly a year since the last time they went.  With the pandemic, they just had not gone.  The dentist and hygienist could not believe how tall Evan had gotten.  No cavities for either boy and their mouths looked good.  Noah is on his way to braces in around a year.  Evan's teeth are perfectly straight but there is some gap so maybe he could do invisalign when he stops growing.

Later Friday, Evan and I went to a place called Marucci Clubhouse.  It's basically a fancy batting cage.  I think it helped to hit off the pitching machine.  

When we got home, we went to HEB and then picked up food from La Posada's.  It was pretty good.  

Yesterday morning, it was drizzling some.  Rachel made cranberry-apple crisp.  When it stopped raining, she and I went for a walk.  Then we made eggs for brunch.

After that, Evan and I drove to Kerrville for two baseball games.  Kerrville is nearly 2 hours away.  The fields were very very nice.  We had not been there.  They are sort of set in a valley with all these hills all around it.  It was done very well.  Evan's team is considered 15U (kids that turn 15 on or before April 30, 2021 or younger) but they were playing up in a 16U tournament.  They had 4 16U kids playing with them.  In the first game, Evan played third base.  He didn't have any plays.  But in his first at-bat he hit a single to right field on a 3-2 count.  It was a good hit because he saw a hole where the second baseman was out of position and hit it right there. He also rushed over to play peacemaker when the pitcher got mad at a bad call by the umpire.  

In the second game, Evan caught.  In one inning a boy tried to steal second and Evan easily threw him out.  Then the leadoff hitter beat out an infield single because he was so fast.  He tried to steal second on the first pitch and Evan threw him out easily to end the inning.  Everyone was going crazy cheering for Evan.  His team lost both games, but Evan definitely played well.  We got home around 12:30 at night.

He had a game back in Kerrville at 1:15.  To get there in time for warmups, we left the house around 10.  One of his teammates, Josiah, got dropped off here and then we all drove together.  Based on Evan's good outing last night, he started at catcher again.  The leadoff batter got hit by a pitch.  Then he tried to steal.  And like the night before, Evan threw the runner out.  In Evan's first at bat he walked.  Then in the third inning, there was a runner at first and second.  The batter singled to center and the 3rd base coach sent the runner home.  The throw game into Evan who tagged the runner at home as he was being taken out.  Then jumped up and threw to third to get the runner out trying to advance from second to third.  The home plate umpire inexplicably called the runner at home safe, so one out of two is still good.  Evan's coach got very angry with the home plate umpire.  It looked pretty obvious that Evan blocked the plate and saved the run.  In Evan's second at-bat, he hit a laser into right field for a hit. He came around and scored.  And in his third at-bat, he walked again.  All in all he was 2-4 with 2 walks on the weekend plus he threw four runners of directly and was responsible for 2 pick-offs.

When we got home, Rachel, Evan and I went to HEB.  Then we picked up dinner from Hunan Lion.

Evan is watching the NLCS, Noah is on his phone and Rachel is on the computer.

Until next time...

Early Voting

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning was a hectic morning.  I had a few meetings and was dealing with some customer issues that took up most of my morning.

Rachel taught her first class and then drove over to a polling station for early voting. The website said it was a 20-50 minute wait.  But it took her more than an hour to vote. Most of the wait was standing outside in the heat.  She's glad she's done with it, though.

She came home after her second class, rested a bit before she began tutoring.  In the late afternoon, she and Evan left.  She dropped Evan off at bullpens and catching practice and tutored near the facility.  Then she picked Evan up on the way home.

I made corned beef in the crockpot.  We had that for dinner.  Evan ate a ton of it.  Noah ate well too.  They both love when we have that.  Chewie also is a fan.

The boys are upstairs getting ready for bed.

Until next time... 

Daredevil Kitty

 Yesterday, the kids didn't have much work to do because it was the beginning of the grading period.

I Zoom tutored a new student from Colorado.  The mom found me by Googling "the best math tutors in the country" or something like that.  She went to my website and sent me a message.  It pays off to know about search engine optimization.

Last night we had grilled chicken quarters for dinner.

Today, I Zoom tutored in the morning, went to school to teach my two classes, and the Zoom taught and tutored in the afternoon.   I'm teaching a beginner's Hebrew class on Tuesdays and today was our second to last class.  Next week, we will finish the final letters of the alphabet and review.

Shane, my friend that needed to find a home for Pixel, texted me today to see how she was doing.  I went to find her to take a picture to show Shane, and here is where I found her.

Yikes!  Here a few more pictures of Pixel.  She's such a daredevil and gets into everything, but she is pretty cute.

Morry and Evan went to baseball practice tonight.  When they got home we ate dinner.  Morry and I had leftover pizza and the kids had pasta.

Now the boys are playing some before it's time to get ready for bed.

Baseball and Friend Time

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Yesterday, we relaxed at home for most of the morning.  Later in the morning, Rachel and I went for a nice walk.  Since Chewie is being trained on walks around the neighborhood, we left him at home.

We came home and Rachel made smoothies.

I took Evan to the baseball fields.  He had back-to-back games.  Evan caught all of the first game.  It was unusually hot - around 97 degrees so catching six innings was tough.  But he did very well.  We had played this team before and I guess they remembered Evan.  They did not attempt one steal all game long.  Evan did a great job calling the pitches and blocking.  The pitchers seem to pitch very well when he's back catching.

Rachel came out for the second game.  She brought Chewie.  He was really good at the game.  He liked the attention.  Evan played third base and first base in the game.  He didn't really get many opportunities defensively.  He got hit in the head with a pitch.  It was a curveball so it was pretty slow.  Evan just took his base.  He came around and scored.

Evan's friend from the team, James, came home with us.  We stopped at Chipotle.  Then he and James played on the Playstation and watched the Matrix.

This morning, we made eggs and cinnamon rolls. Then Rachel and I took Chewie on a trail to go walking.  Evan and James stayed at home to watch the Steelers game.

When we got home, I finished watching the game with them.  The Steelers beat the Eagles which was nice.  Then Evan and James went out to play football.  When they finished up, we took James home.

Rachel and I went to HEB when I got back home.  We got Domino's for dinner.

The boys are upstairs playing now.

Until next time...

The Week

 Here's what's been going on this week.

Morry left Tuesday morning to go to Tucson to help Jack/Zayde.  He came back this evening.

I taught and tutored.

The kids and I mostly stayed at home.  Evan missed his Tuesday practice because I was tutoring.  Wednesday's practice was canceled because the coach's wife had a positive Covid test.  It turned out to be a false positive and she's fine.

Yesterday, while I was teaching on my students noticed a coral snake slithering between our outdoor classroom and not of the other outdoor classrooms.  Of course, it was a big deal. Coral snakes are venomous and the kids were going crazy.  One of the coaches/teachers killed it when it slithered into the bushes.

Today the boys came with me to school.  They did their work there and we picked up bagels from Einstein's for lunch.

Morry picked up dinner for all of us from Simply Pho on his way home from the airport.

Morry and I just took a walk.

Here's a picture of the boys playing tennis today.

Last 2 Days

 Yesterday Morry and Evan were gone most of the day at a birthday party.  One of Evan's friends from baseball had a birthday party on the river.  They rented a cabana and rented kayaks for the kids.  It sounds like they all had a great time.

When they got home we went to H-E-B and then had Dominos Pizza delivered for dinner.

Today, Morry took Grandmom to the doctor and I had a dentist's appointment.

Later in the afternoon I Zoom tutored.

We had grilled chicken for dinner.

Morry and Evan just got back from a baseball lesson.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday

 Here's what's been going on the last few days.

Thursday: I tutored in the morning, then taught, and then tutored later in the afternoon.  The trainer came to train Chewie during the day.

Friday: I met Aunt Susan at her doctor's appointments to be there for support and take notes. Then, I went to my school and taught my afternoon class.  The trainer came during the day. Last night, Morry made ribs for dinner and we ate them outside.

Saturday: Late morning Morry and I took a walk on a trail and then picked up drinks at Black Rock on the way home.  Shortly after getting home, he and Evan went to baseball.  I met them for his later game.

On the way home, we ate dinner outside at Kerbey Lane and brought food home for Noah.

Now the boys are playing some video games before bed.