Halloween 2022

Halloween 2022 was a little more normal in comparison to the previous 2 years, so much so that we barely were able to squeeze in time for pumpkin carving! 

Sidney was my biggest helper of the night, not only did she scoop out the guts, she created her own carvings as well. She was creative and laughing at how silly her pumpkins looked as she carved them freehanded. 

Lincoln did some of his own scooping and then abandoned Sidney and me at the table to finish up the job.

I'll leave it to you to guess which of the 3 I carved, and which ones Sidney carved. 

The kids each hung out with friends on this Monday evening. Regan and her friend handed out candy to our 17 trick or treaters so that Ryan and I could take Lincoln with his friends trick or treating. 

Sidney and her friend split one costume, but spent most of the night on Tiktok. 

Lincoln might look a little more like a prop in this picture....he's on the far left. 

Yep, his request back in August was to find a blow up dinosaur costume, with bones only. It took some time, but we managed to find his perfect costume! 

Watching Lincoln waddle around the neighborhood was the highlight of the night! He was so cute and did amazingly well keeping up with his buddies all night, despite not being able to see well. There may have been a couple of close calls where he nearly ran into a tree or a parked car :) 

Lincoln made out with quite the stash of candy as he wrapped up trick or treating. He slept great that night after all that walking door to door dressed up as a blow up dino! 

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Halloween! 

Girls Night Out

 I have a deep appreciation for this group of gals who met long ago in the dorms of SCSU. For the friendships that have grown over the last 25 years, the laughs, the memories and being able to pick up right up where we left off. So when we decided on a whim to gather up on a Thursday night, someone booked hotels, someone else found the happy hour patio, another found the dinner reservation, and everyone found the bar to close down :) Afterall, some things never change! 

On the softball field

People often ask how (or why) we can spend all of our free time each summer running the kids from field to field, covered in dirt with sun-kissed skin and sweaty clothes.  

We usually chuckle at the question; we truly couldn’t imagine life any other way. This has been a part of the girls’ lives for as long as they can remember, and they love every second of it. (And Lincoln is just starting his adventures on the field) 

The sense of community, the friendships, this is their home away from home. And frankly, ours too. We look forward to the weekends just as much as they do. Gathering with the other families before, or in between games: Bloody Mary bars, “safety meetings”, Fitness Plus, we have created so many memories with each team. 

I recently read that if your family doesn’t look forward to the weekends, you haven’t found the right team. 

I’m thankful beyond words for both girls finding their right teams. 

It is behind those backstops that Ryan and I are making just as many memories as the girls in front of the backstop. And we are very aware that at some point, it will come to a screeching halt. So for now, we are going to soak in all it has to offer us. 
Giant Freeze pops included :) 

So while we laugh about horrible chalk lines (foul, fair, foul, fair), inquire about who has the best chair, or decide who packed the best cooler "dude, your mom hooked you up!", there is no where on earth we would rather spend each weekend. 

These girls and their coaches make some amazing teams and we are grateful for their dedication and drive to help them improve not only as a player, but as a human. 

Because we know it's not always about softball skill, it's about the life skills. Learning to be a great member of a team, learning how to work through difficulty and picking each other up when feeling down.

It's about greeting the umpire behind you during warm-ups, introducing yourself and not being shy to politely ask why a pitch was called a ball and not a strike. 

It's about taking control of your infield and hollering out plays, not being afraid to let the crowd hear you.   

Win or lose, at the end of the day, it's about feeling like you belong. 

Our home away from home. 

On those dirt fields, with sun-kissed cheeks and sweaty clothes. 

 

Twins opening weekend

Sometimes you just have to pause and take it all in. 

I had an opportunity to take Lincoln and his good buddy to a Twins game on opening weekend this month. With nothing else on my calendar for the day, we spent over 5 hours at the field and had a great time! 

Of course there was an obligatory glove picture

The boys asked to climb to the tip top of the stadium, where they sat and chatted and enjoyed nearly half the game! They loved having the whole section to themselves. I laughed as I wondered what they were talking about, like two old men "solving the world's problems" watching a game.

I stayed several rows down, enjoying some ballpark snacks and watching homer after homer hit into the stands. Such an exciting offensive game on a beautiful spring day.  

At one point, they heard an announcement that after the game, all kiddos under the age of 12 were allowed to run the bases. And I knew we were destined for an entire 9 inning game, plus running the bases. 

Boy were they excited! 

What a fun experience for a couple of 8 year old baseball players. To be right down on the field, Base running where the professionals play. I'm so glad we took the extra couple of hours to enjoy not only the full game, but to take in such a wonderful memory!

 

The Homecoming that wasn't (2021)

 Last year, plagued by an evolving epidemic, the High School Homecoming was cancelled. There were no dress up days, no dance, I don't even remember if they played a football game because spectators weren't allowed anyway. 

Fast forward to 2021. While we are still in the middle of a pandemic, we now have some mitigation tactics and Regan was beginning to look forward to a more normal Homecoming week. And then, she looked at the calendar. Homecoming fell smack dab in the middle of her Fall State Softball Tournament. And there was no way she wanted to leave her team on the field. 

I was feeling a little disappointed for her as we waited for the schedule to be released, in hopes she would still make it to the dance. While we waited, we bought a dress (with a good return policy), shoes, and even a ticket to the dance! At last, we pulled up the schedule and discovered if they won their first game of the tournament, her team was finished for the day and would return to the fields on Sunday morning. 

But then they lost. And the next game was at 7pm; right as she should be gearing up for the dance. To my surprise, she wasn't phased a bit. Sure, we headed over to meet up with her friends for a few photos. But she happily climbed back into the car to return to the (very wet) field. 

I quietly asked her if she was disappointed. In a matter of fact way, she declared "I'm right where I want to be" as she walked back onto that field with her team. Her determination and dedication to chasing that little yellow ball amazes me everyday. And as long as she loves it, we'll support her chasing that dream. 

Tournament season

With high school season started, most of the older girls' club teams are on "pause". However, Sidney's age group is in full-force and has started their tournament season. 

They've been practicing hard, even though it has mostly been all indoors thanks to Mother Nature. 

With just a few outdoor practices under their belts, we packed up and headed south to Des Moines for the first tournament of the season. And Sidney's first ever out of state tournament.

Sidney had a great weekend, playing all 6 games in their entirety, never sitting a single inning. I love watching her do her thing on that dirt. She is an incredibly aggressive baserunner, sneaky and loves to delay steal (shhh, don't tell the opposing team her secrets!).

They didn't come out as the top winner, but they played their hearts out, learned a lot and made so many memories. 

Third base is by far her most favorite position. Since giving up pitching last summer, she loves playing the corners with third being on top of it all. She enjoys being in on the action. 

These girls are a great team, and their parents are pretty fun too! 

Looking forward to the next month and two more tournaments before things get real crazy this summer! 

 

Birthday week

It was my turn this week for a birthday during the pandemic. A very strange birthday at that. I loved all of the messages, phone calls, surprises and treats! 

Since Sidney and Uncle Ben decided to bake an elaborate cake the day after my birthday (thanks to a lot of FaceTime), we decided to use that special cake for my birthday. 

Sadly, it looked a whole lot sweeter than it tasted! Something didn't go quite as planned with her cake and we all took one bite and then tossed it into the garbage. She was a fun surprise cake though! 

I was elbow deep in a pretty intense work case when our doorbell rang. I flagged to the girls to answer the door so I could wrap up with the doctor on the phone. To my complete surprise, it was a dearest softball mom friend with birthday treats!! She knows my love for chocolate, wine and candles, and is desperately trying to get this #rulefollower to have a little fun with the fireball! 

And that dearest mom friend, along with another mom, surprised me again at Regan's domeball games this weekend with "mom juice" in the parking lot while we watched the live stream games. 

Sure was a birthday like none-other, and one for the record books! 

 

Goodbye my fluffy friend

I still can’t type this without tears rolling down my cheeks....

We learned suddenly that my friends service dog was diagnosed at just 7 years old with a terminal cancer. Little did any of us realize, he would be gone in just 8 days. 

Sweet Lincoln had been VIP at school the week prior, listing Baylor as his "pet" on the VIP poster. Although we all know that Baylor was more than a pet, Lincoln believed he was a little bit his own.  

To say we made the most of those days is an understatement. He was spoiled and loved and snuggled and fed. 

For his entire service dog career, he would come into the office suite every day and march right into my office. He'd even open my door if it were closed, all just to come in and say hello! His last morning was no different. My door was almost closed and he stuck his nose against it and pushed, letting himself in for a good morning rub. He looked fine and sweet and almost healthy. He was gone just a few hours later.

Rest in Peace sweet boy.

Preschool Christmas Program

We are blessed that Lincoln attends a preschool with teachers who love him and take good care of him. He has made close friendships and is learning all he needs before Kindergarten. This past week they held a short Christmas program for the families and Lincoln was so excited for us to watch him on stage. 

His most favorite song was Hippopotamus for Christmas and his subtle dance moves on stage were adorable! Click to watch a (super long but worth every second) video. 

Lincoln couldn't wait to find his best buddy after the show, along with the Big Guy himself :) I may have to gift this photo to these two friends on their 18th birthday or senior graduation! 

Snuggly little boy

As the girls get bigger and their snuggles less frequent (or non-existent from the oldest), I am forever grateful that Lincoln wants nothing more than for someone to "sit by me". Each night he snuggles into my shoulder as he gets a few minutes on his iPad. 

And I love every second of his affection. 

I also love that he willingly shares his snuggles with his favorite Godmother, who happens also to be one of my favorites too :) He doesn't shy away from her tight hugs either! 

Or another one of my favorites....some time with Hope. She helps us out with a few hours of watching him and I got this quick photo while I was at work one day :) I'm pretty sure it was another "sit with me" moment. This boy sure loves to love. 

Love you my snuggly little boy, never stop snuggling. 

That's a wrap: 3 National Tournaments

The summer softball team has come to an end, following 2 weekends of some exciting ball and 3 National Tournaments. Say what!?  Yea, three.
Regan's team earned their berth to a national tournament way back in May by taking home the Championship in the Gold bracket. With two National options this year, our coaches decided on taking the first of two weekends and attending NAFA nationals. 

It was a very rainy weekend. Very. I'm pretty sure I sat through rain Thursday from 7am-7pm. 

And so did my side-kick :) 

I had taken the full week off from work which meant he was out of pre-school all week and got to tag along to every. single. game. 

By the end of the weekend, he was bored out of his mind. 

Sadly they didn't seem to play well in the rain and lost out unfortunately, but they are a team that grew together and had an incredible year filled with memories.

And thankfully, most of them would be coming back for round two the following weekend!

As for Sidney's team, while they did not earn a National berth, being a host team for the tournament was sufficient to allow them a berth.
Day one is always the parade, and those girls were busy the weekend prior coming up with a theme for the team. Fitting they choose Emojis.
Weren't they cute!

Sadly's Sidney's team this year was not strong enough to face the competition at nationals. There were a lot of newer kiddos on her team to this age division (her included) and those who were experienced, didn't seem to shine. Sidney was our lead off batter all season, she was nervous and it took her a few games to realize this was privilege and should be taken as a complement.
She did so incredible well as lead off; but I cannot get out of my head the silly chant they would sing to her all year long: "Lead off Lead off Lead off, we want a double....."

Though she was a "new to 10" kid, we were surprised to see that she got quite a bit of time on the mound, which only helped her to grow. When she can get past the devil in her head, she will do great! In the meantime, she needs all the support from her teammates cheering her on. The muscle memory is coming, and I'm so proud of her for having the courage to get on that pitching rubber and do her best. She was one of only three pitchers on her team.

Back to Regan's team.....the berth to the MOA National tournament came in the form of sponsorship. They had the talent (sadly we lost a few players when we added this tournament on at the end, so we had to recruit some other talented girls) and the berth, but it required extra funds. The team was lucky enough to have several sponsors pay the way on their behalf. On day 3 of the tournament, these girls battled through 3 International Rule innings where they hung in there just until the end before losing :( That one game was the equivalent of playing 2 full games when we looked at the clock. Two hours and 4 minutes.
And it was intense. Like, really really really intense!
I, like many other parents, spent the bulk of that game pacing in the background. 
And sadly, it was lost only on account of a new umpire who didn't know the game. Shucks.

As their tournament weekend came to a close and the season ended, I couldn't resist taking a picture of these long-lost cousins who were fortunate enough to meet up on this team.
We didn't know it at the time, and wouldn't have known it, except my mom happened to be at the first game of the season back in May and asked my new friend-Dana (the mom of the cute girl on the left) if her parents were Carol and Jerry. Um....what!? Yep, turns out our grandparents are siblings.
Which means this pitcher/catcher duo are long-lost cousins. 

We hosted Regan's team party on Sunday to wrap up the season. Proud of these girls who now have the option to spread their wings and fly as they make the big decisions to head off to Club level fastpitch. They're sure growing up too fast!