Labor Day Weekend 2021

Labor Day weekend is one that our kids always look forward to. It has changed over the last 15 years, with sports impacting attendance at the annual cabin retreat. But we keep up the tradition, no matter how tricky it gets. And this year was no different. 

Ryan and Regan once again had to stay back for a tournament. They were both sad to miss out on the fun, and we sure missed them! 

We found lots of fun to keep us busy. Lincoln never stops moving and adores every second of lake life. He sure lived his best life this year! Sidney had a blast driving the jet ski (escorted by Dave of course), tubing behind both the boat and jet ski, because "mom, the jet ski whips faster in a circle", and hanging out with her cousins that she only sees once/year. 

Lincoln took me kayaking

Late night lessons teaching Hope to play Super Smash Bros on his switch

I mastered driving the pontoon without much fear this year. I don't mind driving it, it's parking it on the lift that has always concerned me. This year I didn't even get nervous, despite the waves earlier in the day.

Lincoln loves going "full rottle" on the pontoon. I taught him not to start and stop so abruptly and we all had a much more enjoyable ride :) 

Dave took Linc/Sid out on the jet ski each day both to drive it and to be towed. He has the patience of a saint and I'm so thankful for him. 

Each night, Lincoln and Lila would go frog hunting while the rest of us sat next to the campfire. They'd come back with this tote filled with frogs. It was seriously shocking how many frogs they could catch in just a few minutes. 

And what's a campfire without s'mores! 

Lincoln fished everyday, catching mostly seaweed. 

He and Grandma Jan love this bench. 

Our little daredevil had to jump off the pontoon any chance he could. It wasn't until after he was in the water did we realize there wasn't a ladder to climb back up :) 

Olivia, Sidney, Lila and Lincoln 

(missing Regan)

Sidney was not interested in her photo being taken this year. You should've seen the face she made until I told her this was going on the blog. Thanks for smiling! 

Shane and Lila took Lincoln out on their boat a few times to fish. I'm not sure who talks more out there: Lila or Lincoln. Poor Shane had to listen to all of it :) 

Early morning fishing, with bedhead and squinty eyes. 

Thankful for Grandma Jan for pulling us together every year, even if we had to leave 2 behind. 

Just a boy and his rod/reel

We have the ultimate swimming set up with a slide, lilypad and diving dock. The kids love it! 

Their expressions and looks just before the tube took off. I think they were plotting how to intentionally fall off! 

Hope was able to drive 2 days all the way from California to spend a night with us; and we are soooooo happy to see her! It's been 1.5 years since we've seen the whites of her eyes. 

Sidney stayed up until midnight soaking in all of her advice and stories. 

That's a wrap! 

 

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. 

 

Gopher stadium game 2021

Regan's team had an opportunity to play at the University of MN Gopher stadium this summer. She was definitely on cloud 9 during this whole experience. What a fun evening of ball for these girls! It was a Vortex vs Vortex game so the stands were filled with all sorts of familiar families as well. 

And to make it even better, a mom on the other team is a professional photographer so shared her gorgeous pictures to all of us!  

Regan had an awesome Hit to the outfield and managed to get a triple out of the deal. So proud and such a fun day! 

 

Colorado 2021

We spent the last week in Colorado fort a softball tournament; extending it into a family vacation as well. 

Regan and I took off ahead of the rest of the family since Sidney had another tournament in the metro area. While she wrapped up her final 2 games, we headed across a few state lines with the car packed to the brim! 

We drove and drove, through pouring rain and a gigantic storm, finally calling it a night as our eyelids grew heavy somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. 

We got up early the next day, ready for the last leg of our road trip. Regan took over for a few hours and we got a good laugh at how challenging she finds it to eat and drive,….or talk and drive for that matter! 

We arrived in Boulder by early afternoon and packed in a lot of fun over a couple of days seeing all of the great sights to this mountain town. 

I absolutely fell in love with Boulder, it is magical and beautiful and full of adventure. We hiked, we biked on e-bikes, we explored and we ate! 

We hiked the Flatirons, which may be one of the best hikes I have ever done. It was absolutely gorgeous. See that peak on the mountain on the right (considered the first flatiron), that's where we headed.  Though we didn't scale to the top like some crazy folks, the view was incredible. And the elevation rose so quickly that it was very difficult to catch our breath. I would pause, ask Regan if she wanted to stop to catch her breath. She forged ahead and later told me it was pointless to stop the hike "because in 5 more feet, I was out of breath again!". 

We found Boulder Creek Path and enjoyed a short walk along the creek. Sadly, we also learned about the homelessness population in Boulder that lives along the creek. Although we initially were startled to find a group of tents in the woods, it led to some good conversations with her about the housing challenges in our country. 

Regan took us on Boy Scout Trail near the Sunrise Ampitheatre. She walked off the beaten path while I was trying to take a photo. I kept telling her to come back and she wasn't listening. As I turned the corner towards her, I joined in her amazement at the view she had discovered. 

The University of Colorado-Boulder is a spectacular campus. Regan is going to struggle to find a college just as pretty. Every building is made out of the same beautiful brick that comes from the mountains. It's amazing both up close, and the aerial from up on the mountains. 

Eventually we had to leave  Boulder and head north to Fort Collins for the start of the softball tournament. The vacation portion of the trip was paused and the focus turned to softball and the team. 

Lincoln spent much of his time at the games reading these "Who will win" books as well as playing with his buddy Malcolm. Linc is such a sweet boy, letting Malcolm play with his cars, helping Malcolm retrieve foul balls, and sharing his snacks. 

Let's not forget his most favorite thing to do during games: ride his dirt bike. Can you believe we dragged that bike all the way to Colorado?! Because it makes him so happy :) 

Regan, Sidney and I were able to go Whitewater Rafting one day with the team. What an amazing experience riding down the river. We went through a few Class 4 rapids as well. Thankfully none of us fell into the cold water although one of the coaches did :) Sidney was saved a few times by Coach Madi who would push her forward into the boat so she wouldn't fly out. Forever thankful to Madi! 

Regan and I ducked over to Colorado State to check out their softball field and take in the campus. 

Team dinner lasted 3 hours in these short-staffed Covid times. The girls looked so cute all dressed up; they clean up well out of their dirty uniforms. 

Regan had a team breakfast one morning, so we left her with the gang and decided to hike Horsetooth falls. Colorado has a lot of views and so many hikes. Unfortunately, this one didn't exactly have "falls" at the end. We were expecting some rushing waters, we got barely a trickle! 

Regan joined a friend on a horseback ride through the mountains one morning. They took this picture, and I'm in awe of the beauty.

Meanwhile, the rest of us went to a nearby farm so that Lincoln could also ride a "pony". Only it turned out to be a full-sized horse! He loved every second of that farm, and later proclaimed it was probably his most favorite part of the trip. 

We had some stupidly early mornings, where multiple alarms had to be set to ensure we were awake. 

And then there was soaking in the tub, because I didn't trust the hotel laundry to get those clay-soaked whites clean again. 

But it was all worth it to see these kiddos play their hearts out in yet another state. 

I'm so happy that Regan had this opportunity, and that we all decided to make the trek west to cheer her on, and make some memories. 

Before we embarked on the long ride home, Ryan and I decided to take a slight detour and hit up Mount Rushmore. Because it was the 4th of July, I was very worried about crowds and that we wouldn't find parking. Turns out, it was a perfect day to visit. Ryan admitted this was his favorite part of the trip.