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! 

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! 

 

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! 

JHS 2022 season

The girls had an interesting 2022 season, playing nearly half of their games in the last 3 weeks of the season due to weather. Coupled with fielding extra-large teams due to record turn out and minimal cuts, it was definitely an experience. 

Regan and her pitcher Lizzie tend to pick up each season where they left off the prior season. They don't play together during the summer, fall or winter seasons as they are in different clubs. 

 Lizzie threw a no-hitter one game, with some credit to Regan for calling an excellent game and knowing where to send each ball.  They make quite the team. 

As high school ball would have it, occasionally we meet up with our summer teammates too. 

Regan and Shayden under the lights.

These girls earned Academic letters for their work in the classroom too. And of course, the ceremony was after a game so we all sprinted into the school, full of dirt and still wearing their uniforms. They sat front and center waiting for their names to be called recognizing their academic efforts. 

Regan worked hard behind the plate, serving as the primary catcher for JV. She caught all but approximately 10 innings the entire season. It was great to watch her improve and develop. 

By the time sections came along, there were more teammates playing in the same complex. They were getting pretty excited to get back on the fields together again. 

Sidney had an opportunity as well to meet up against a teammate. They were all smiles after the game, having split the double header and each taking home a win. 

I will never tire of looking at professional pictures of our girls in action. The focus and concentration, the form and all the hard work, paying off in a single image. 

Regan had an opportunity this season to dress/sit and occasionally pinch run on the Varsity team as well. She was happy to be asked to attend their game at the U of M fields one Saturday afternoon.

Playing on that field never gets old , and all the photo ops are pretty awesome too!

Especially when the moms jump in for a quick snap too :) 

With the weather as crummy as it was, Lincoln spent many games in my chair covered up like this, desperately wishing it was warmer so he could race around on his beloved dirt bike. 

Both girls had teams of 16 players, and unfortunately, that meant rotating positions. For the girls who primarily play club level ball, it was a little strange to spend time on the bench, rotating per the high school decisions on playing time. It also meant playing positions that aren't your first or second. Sidney was lucky to see most of her time at short and 3rd base, where she will spend her summer season as well. 

Regan attended the end of the season banquet (Sidney opted to skip and attend her summer club team practice), where she received her second letter of the year and Best Defensive Player. 

Congrats to your seasons girls, we're so proud of you both! 

 

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.