The excitement around our house is palpable. I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen a four-year-old and a five-year-old so giddy about something — not even birthday presents.

We’re signing up for baseball next week!

It took us about a month to track down the exact date and time for T-ball sign-ups. It seems as though they send home paperwork for this sort of stuff through the public schools, but they aren’t old enough! Silly, huh? Furthermore, our town has two kinds of summer baseball leagues: Little League and Babe Ruth / Cal Ripken. Adding to the confusion is the fact that just this year, they’re starting a brand new “Junior T-ball” league for just four-year-olds. They’ll expect less of these kids and they’ll play fewer games. (Andy will play “regular” T-ball for five and six-year-olds.)

We seriously made about a dozen phone calls trying to be sure we didn’t miss sign-ups. Poor Andy has been waiting for summer since he turned five in December. Brady was expecting to have to wait until he turned five to get to play, so he’s beside himself. They’re going nuts anticipating the fact that they will get “a hat AND a shirt WITH a number on the back!” (Andy’s league gets pants, too.)

We just got all of this information (along with the list of identification items needed to sign your kid up, which is about like obtaining a license from the DMV) last night, so the boys will be full of questions until Wednesday night. So far I’ve heard:

• “How many games do I get to play?”
• “Will our coach give me lessons?”
• “We’re on different teams?”
• “Can I be on the Cubs?”
• “Will I be on the Rockies or the Reds? I don’t want to be on the White Sox?”
• “Can you play baseball when you’re six, too? Seven? Eight?”
• “When will Connor get to play?”
• “Will you come to my games, Mommy?”
• “Can I yell really loud when you’re up to bat?” (OK, that one was from me to them.)

As you can tell, we’re all really excited. I’m sure I’m overlooking the thought that I’ll be trying to wrangle / entertain a two-year-old, a one-year-old and a small infant during each of these games and practices…. But since I literally grew up at the Little League diamonds in my hometown, I’m sure I’ll figure out a way to survive. I hope.