Lincoln turns 9

Tomorrow marks this little man's 9th birthday! 
He is the sweetest, most talkative and energetic one in this family and we love him to pieces. 

I love that he still wants me to lay with him at night, reading stories until it's late. He will try to chat with me to avoid going to sleep and often I will have to remind him it's time for bed, no more talking. 

Lately I've been asking him to help me in the kitchen. It helps when he's cranky and hungry, engaging him in a task; plus, he loves that he gets to use the sharp knives! I have to say, he is getting quite good at chopping vegetables my little lefty sous chef.

He often tells us that one of his most favorite places to go is the MN State Fair. He doesn't so much love it for the same reasons we do (like Ryan's giant pickle), but he does love the rides and the animals and a lot of the attractions. 

But his absolute favorite summer event is the annual cabin trip with some extended family. He adores driving the pontoon, fishing as much as possible, riding the jet ski, catching frogs and going tubing. 

I think we could probably make his 9th birthday even brighter if we would buy him a faithful companion, but alas, that is not likely to happen. So instead, he gets to enjoy the occasional visit from either Pepper or Quinn. He loves it when they come into his toy room so he can narrate to them his video games :) 

For 9 years, he has graced the sidelines of a softball field, and done so with a lot of patience. Some friends laugh because he hollers pretty loudly if we accidentally move our phones too far away from him. He will often scream: MOM, THE WIFI!

Between both girls, this kid has been to more tournaments, scrimmages, practices and lessons. We've waited it out in the car, found local playgrounds, explored area drive thrus and spent far too much money at concession stands! 

Regan seems to be the sibling with the most patience for him lately, and he adores her for it. Having a license has opened up a lot of opportunities for them. Over the summer, the two had many adventures, going to Valleyfair, Como, Minihaha and lots of ice cream treats. I love their relationship, and it brings me to tears to think she'll be in college before we know it. I hope he cherishes these memories forever! 

As he turns 9, he is less and less into traditional toys, and more and more into video games, exploring or board games. 

We're heading into the cold weather which brings along with it the regular hockey season. While he's excited when we get there, he does a lot of complaining as he puts on his hockey gear. It's a lot of work and he's our little "Princess and the Pea" when it comes to adjusting his skates and elbow pads and shin guards, oh and his neck guard, breezers and helmet! 

As is tradition (minus that one year we went to Hawaii and couldn't find leaves), he was super excited to remind me that we had to take a "9" picture. 

I love that he has core memories, created from the little things. 

Happy 9th Birthday Lincoln Ryan! 

 

Happy 14th Sidney

We wished sweet Sidney a Happiest 14th Birthday this month. 
In true teenage fashion, she had loose plans for the day which ended up being re-worked a few times but it was a happy ending! Our little ball player spent the morning at practice and then a quick trip to Valleyfair before ending the night making TikToks with friends in the basement. And from the sounds of it, they sure had a good time. Oh teenage girls can sure be loud. 

In no particular order, some photos (new and old) to commemorate her big day :) 

A favorite black sand beach on the southern part of the Big Island of Hawaii

Oh the love these two had for each other at this particular age, melted my heart. Someday it will return! 

The day Sidney showed up to her hitting lesson wearing the same sweatshirt as her hitting coach (who happened to play for the Gophers at one time)

One of my most favorite photos of our sweet Sidney, with her mischevious smile :) 

The requested "cake" again this year for her 14th was actually a cookie cake

She was lucky this summer to get a ride on Uncle Mike's 3 wheeler....just don't tell Lincoln because he wants to go too! 

Happy 14th Sidney! 

 

Thanksgiving Eve

 As I seek to find gratitude and teach the kiddos the same, I know we have so very much to be thankful for. Even when we weren't living through a pandemic, the hospital setting where I work is a constant reality of how much we should all appreciate our health, our families and our lives each and every day. It is never lost on me just how grateful I am for all that we have. This week we tend to express that even more, and I found myself in a constant state of 'thanks'. 

A bit of thanks in the form of photos 

Our favorite fur-neighbor. She holds your arms when you pet her and makes it incredibly challenging to get any yardwork finished.

My amazing suite-mates/team at Abbott. I only get to see the other 2/3 of my team in a virtual platform most of the time, but I'm grateful for this amazing group! They are dedicated and work tirelessly but most of all, make work more enjoyable.

My favorite 4 legged suite-mate that I get to dog-sit every once in a while. 

A new team for Sidney that she has embraced and loved and they have welcomed her with open arms. These girls are fantastic and just what she needed

My AMAZING mom who is there for me every morning when I call; and who loves up on the kiddos with all of her heart. 

This group of friends from freshman year in the dorms at SCSU. We created a bond that we never have let go and the memories just keep coming. 

Lincoln's gathering his own group of buddies, and though they are l-o-u-d and crazy, they are a fun group of boys! 

I am forever grateful that Sidney has finally found a love for reading books. Her dear friends introduced her to a romance author and she is hooked. 

Bonus, she puts her phone down for hours at a time when she gets going on a new book. 

We are all thankful for Regan's friend group. She is in the midst of some challenging years and making the safe choices can sometimes be hard. So so grateful for that head on her shoulders. 

Much of those good decisions are influenced by Regan's strong desire to play softball at a higher level. I am grateful for the opportunity to chase her around the state as she attends prospect camps and tours colleges, searching for the perfect fit. 

But I am even more grateful to that woman on the bucket below, and the countless hours spent together.

 Coach Becky loves seeing Regan's passion to put in extra work and is always willing to stay late after practice whacking balls at her, or giving Regan private lessons.

They spend hours together and never tire, and I'm so thankful that she shares her talents.

We thought we were going to lose her at the end of the last season, and man were there tears! Lucky for us, we're still together :) 

But most of all, I'm thankful for each and every one in this picture. 

Yes, we have our moments. And yes, occasionally we need a break from one another. But they are my everything and I love them to pieces. 

Find ways to give thanks and wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Great Lakes Nationals-Peoria, IL 2021

We lucked out in that our girls' teams ended up both attending the same National tournament this summer: Great Lakes Nationals in Peoria, IL. The complex is impressive, and with all games being played at the same location, we jumped from field to field watching game after game after game. 

Over the course of 5 days, we watched approximately 20 games. 

We went through a lot of sunscreen, water, and money for concession stand food! 

Peoria doesn't have a lot to offer beyond the fields, but we checked out the local Bass Pro Shop which Lincoln found to be quite entertaining! 

And always a playground nearby to get out those mid-day wiggles. It was so dreadfully hot several days, he found himself just needing to take a break. 

Sidney had a night out with her team/coaches where they dressed up "fancy" and hit up Olive Garden. 

They clean up nicely, I hardly recognize these girls without any dirt on their clothes. 

We absolutely love watching the girls in their element. And both of them seemed to have peeked just at the right time. 

Sidney has had a great season, she is so fun to watch both offensively and defensively. I love seeing her Hit and quickly scoot around the bases. She's a sneaky one on base and so quick! 

Sidney's team struggled to pull off many wins at Nationals. They had a good run for a couple of games, but in the end, were eliminated. 

Regan's bat was on FIRE as she hit singles, doubles and triples scoring plenty of RBI's.

Her team took 3rd place  at National's to finish out the season. We are so proud of her persistence in working hard and battling through her broken hand this spring. 

Saying goodbye to a great group of coaches brought some tears. 

Turns out she made their team again for next year and will be joining them back on the field once again!

 

Inaugural baseball season

Lincoln had always watched the girls play softball. Initially, dragging his toys from field to field, eventually upgrading to bringing his bike around to all of the fields. During these years, his feelings never waivered as he would exclaim "never sign me up for this game". He had zero interest in playing ball (baseball or softball). 

Then one day this winter, while we were dog-sitting and he was playing fetch, he had an "aha!" moment. 

He realized he could throw a ball pretty well and declared he was going to play baseball. 

I had no idea how we were going to manage getting the girls to their respective practices and tournaments, simultaneously getting Lincoln to his weekly games and practices. 

Thank goodness for great friends! We somehow made it work....until the final tournament. 

Lincoln's team was heading into playoffs just as we were leaving for the girls' National tournament. We had no choice but to skip Lincoln's tournament (and frankly it didn't bother any of us because his team was like watching Bad News Bears). 

Throughout our trip out of state, we were getting updates from Lincoln's team. They somehow were suddenly winning games!, and as luck would have it, we were going to make it home just in time for Lincoln to join his team for the 3rd place game!

Regan was lucky enough to help first base coach, for what turned out to be the longest baseball game in history! He was so excited to play catcher for a inning, and have his big sister help him suit up. 

Ok, it probably wasn't THE longest game in history, but it sure felt like it. A normal little kid (coach pitch) game lasts 6 innings, or roughly 2 hours. That's a very long time. 

Our team was up 7-1 heading into the 6th inning and unfortunately, the other team tied it up. We ended up going 3 more innings before it ended. Another full hour of ball! 

After 9 innings, our boys pulled off the win (even the scoreboard couldn't keep up with all those innings)! It was such an exciting game! 

Lincoln struggled this season with his hitting. He couldn't seem to make contact early on, and then figured it out, only to go back into a slump mid-season. We worked hard outside of practice time and he was able to pull out of it again just at the right time. 
We are so proud of his hard work and constant effort to get better! 

He made new friendships this summer and had a good group of boys cheering him on as he tried a new sport. I think he's hooked too, but he admits hockey is still his #1.