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! 

 

Easter 2021

Our Easter was not as traditional as most years, but we had a surprise up our sleeves that may turn into a new tradition. 

Lincoln woke up early for an egg hunt and to see what the Easter bunny had left him. Since he's super loud, it didn't take long before Sidney was awake and joined him. Eventually we dragged Regan out of her bed, to let her know we were headed to....

THE LLAMA FARM!!

All three of the kiddos had been begging us for months to take a trip to the llama farm. Apparently it's been a big hit since the pandemic (great for social distancing!). I had tried getting a reservation in the fall before the snow but struck out. 

And then I tried again about a month ago, only to find out they were booked out 4 weeks. At that point, the girls' softball schedule was unknown and it seemed impossible to schedule something without risking overlapping with a practice. 

So when the farm offered an Easter appointment, we knew it was perfect timing! There was no way anyone would have softball, and at the time, we had  no plans for Easter anyway (thanks to Covid). 

Everyone was screaming with excitement as we got dressed and headed to the farm. It was a beautifully gorgeous sunny day to pet, walk, feed and brush the llamas. 

And we had nearly the entire farm to ourselves :) 

Perhaps the best part of it all, was meeting baby llamas! 

They had 2 new llamas, this little guy only 2 weeks old! Regan was nearly crying as she held him, she was so happy. And boy are baby llamas soft. We had to go back before leaving to give them one more squeeze. 

Who needs a dog?, we'll just walk llamas. 

We headed back home to meet up with the grandparents in the backyard in the most safe manner we could: no food, stay outside and keep your distance from one another. 

My mom has been begging to recreate this photo for a couple of years; and unfortunately we haven't been able to get close enough to one another for even a few seconds to snap a photo. 

Until now, since Grandma Jan is fully vaccinated. We made this a quick photo and then everyone quickly scattered again. 

But sadly the girls aren't in the right order so we'll need a retake! 

Easter looked a little different, but it was 100% better over the last year. And I think it's safe to say, the llamas made everything better. 

 

February wrap up and into March

I'm a little behind, trying to catch up on February (just before March ends). 

A bunch of random updates coming up:

We spent the month cautiously starting to venture out more, while still keeping our distance and staying safe. As we nearly approached the year mark of the pandemic, the girls were still in distance learning, but thankfully enjoying their softball winter training. Ryan and I were still working from home and Lincoln had thankfully gone back to school full-time. 

Ben and Jon sent us this hilarious mask. We all took turns with it and the laughter was contagious! We needed this laugh! 

Regan, Lincoln and I went tubing at Buck Hill. Regan laid in this position and said "if you close your eyes and let the sun hit your face, it almost feels like you're in Hawaii". 

Almost kiddo. 
Almost. 

We busted out the Just Dance on the Wii and did some family dance offs. Regan is usually our winner but Lincoln and I are never far behind!  

Regan hit her first, and second home runs during dome ball. Fans weren't allowed at the fist game but I was lucky enough to be there to see the second one :) 
So excited for the summer! 
Photobomb courtesy of her BFF-Syd. 

We got to spend some extra time with our favorite 4 legged friend, Pepper while helping get her to a couple vet appointments. 
These kids adore Angie's dog(s) and we love our sleepovers and playdates. 

Thanks to vaccinations, Grandma Jan made a trek to visit one spring-like day. And lucky for us, she brought with her Regan's favorite: sauerkraut balls and ALL of our favorites: Happy Joe's taco pizza! YUM! 

Thanks mom :) 

We continued on with some house projects; this one a little more disruptive than we had planned. What started out as adding a couple of lights and changing out a light fixture turned into an all-day ordeal and a giant mess. 

Needless to say, I had to move my home "office" for the day as the mess developed. They did a great job and we are so happy to have it done. 

Sidney spends FAR too much time on screens, particularly Netflix. She's gotten into a show that is on regular TV and simply could not understand the single episode a week programming. She's so used to binge watching that it didn't make sense to wait 7 days between episodes!
But now, to watch her anticipation each week, it's so great to see her get excited for something!  

We purchased all new furniture back in November, and still anxiously awaiting it's arrival. 

However, we opted out of a new dining room table until Lincoln is a little older. Sadly, our chairs needed a facelift so I pulled up good old Pinterest and I got to work. 

Happy to say they look great! 

This girl wants a dog so so bad. She loves having a 4 legged friend to snuggle up with and keep her company. 

That's a wrap as we end winter 20-21. Ready for spring! 

 

Drivers

It's been under 6 weeks since Regan passed her permit test and started driving. In those short weeks, she has completed nearly half of the required driving hours she needs before she turns 16. 

That's 25 hours of daylight and nearly 9 hours of nighttime driving she has already clocked. (Thank you to Vortex for daily practices to allow for 45 minutes of drive time!). 

She's getting better, but has a lot of work to do :) 
Sidney and I are usually buckled in tight, terrified for our lives, trying not to get sick from her constant speed changes.

 (love you Regan!). 

Meanwhile, these two are loving the nicer weather and are out doing some driving of their own. Lincoln loves his dirt bike and he/Ryan have a great time tearing around the neighborhood streets! 

 

A long winter

 This COVID winter has been a long one. We're packing in some fun, but the days get long sometimes. Trying not to feel like ground hog's day. Or spend hours on end on screens. True confession: we spend way too much time on screens right now. So when Angie asked me to urgently pick up Pepper and take her to the Emergency vet, I had PLENTY of helpers! 

And not to worry, Pepper was completely fine. I think she just wanted to hang out with Auntie Liz for a few hours :) 

Thankfully there is softball, hockey and more softball to help break up the days. 

Lincoln's hockey season is at the point where he has been playing regular scrimmages and learning so much about the game. This week we gathered with 2 other teams and did a super fun adult vs kiddo game. Lincoln went to bed that night and said it was his most favorite night of hockey EVER! 

While Sidney is only able to practice right now (her dome season was cancelled due to Covid), Regan is having a blast hitting homers during her dome games! We're so proud of her hard work. 

Regan took to the slopes last weekend one evening. It's been tough to get out skiing this year, between softball and having to fight to get a lift ticket/rentals. Seems like everyone has the same idea. 

The warmer weather is making us all very excited for what lies ahead. We are dreaming of long summer days, filled with warm sunshine and lots of screen-free fun. 

Happy Golden Regan!

Fifteen years ago, on a bitterly cold morning (much like today!), I went into labor with our firstborn. She surprised us, ready to come nearly 4 weeks ahead of schedule. But she was ready to greet the world and we are so proud to be her parents! 

She's grown into such a beautiful teenager and it is so fun to watch her find her place in this world. As much as she tells me she's no longer in love with going to dance classes every week, she sure shines on stage and loves being in that spotlight. 

I love looking back at where she came from.
Up on stage, begging for a Hippopotamus for Christmas in a pink and black dress! 

And seeing her debut as catcher, just cracks me up! Sitting in the dirt. Not a care in the world as to how she is actually supposed to squat. 
My guess is she was actually playing in the dirt, and probably dodged every ball that came her way :) 

She's come a long way, playing this game she loves so much. In fact, when the pandemic shut down her club for a few months, we installed a heater in the garage so she (both girls actually) could continue working on their game. She holds a record for most recorded swings in the whole organization (they use some pretty awesome bat technology to track swings and provide feedback)! And all that practicing paid off when she hit her first dinger this winter! 

We scored a pretty awesome impromptu photo shoot recently. She was doing her thing, having a catching lesson with her club. Nearby a professional photographer was finishing up taking headshots for the website. He told her to remove her covid facemask for a quick picture, and then later sent her this image. 

I love it! 

Her golden birthday is not exactly how she planned it would be, pandemic and all. Little did she know, her best high school buds had a surprise up their sleeves. And with a little mom-coordinating of schedules, I managed to convince her to run outside in the -10F weather to grab the mail (for the record, it’s Presidents’ Day, there was no mail)! And out from no where jumped her two besties with silly string and gold balloons, hats and presents! She’s picked some pretty amazing friends (bonus: they have amazing parents too!)! 

So alas, her pandemic Golden wasn’t completely a bust. And her bright personality shines on, just like in this photo below. 

We love watching her grow up. She's loud and outgoing, friendly and an extrovert. 

Happy 15th Regan! 

15 things I love about her: 

-she makes friends wherever she goes

-she is dedicated and driven

-she does her homework, without reminders 

-...and her grades show it! 

-she can easily talk with adults 

-we jam out to music on our daily drives to softball 

-she willingly tries new activities 

-she knows what she likes, ...and what she doesn’t 

-she works hard 

-she has a passion for animals, even tho we don’t have one

-she has a giant heart 

-she loves a MN summer 

-she’s a great traveler! 

-she loves to explore whatever I come up with when we travel 

-she has a beautiful smile! 

Love you sweet girl! 

 

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! 

 

Outdoor fun

We've been spending a LOT of time outside this winter: sledding, skating, you name it, we're doing it. And by "we", I mean ALL of us! I'm not one to love winter weather, but I'm embracing it because it's about the only way we can see other humans :) I'm even sporting a battery operated heated vest to keep me warm! 

Lincoln is a pro going down the big hill near our home. He loves going off the jumps that the big kids have created!

Everyone (and their brother) has been frequenting the frozen Centennial Lakes for some skating. It's big enough to keep our distance although the ice can be a bit a bit rocky sometimes. Lincoln loves to dodge people (aka: cut them off!) while he and Ryan are playing tag, weaving in/out racing up and down the ice. 

Regan convinced her softball teammates to trek down to the local sledding hill and join in some sledding and ice skating outdoor fun. Thankfully we didn't have to call Coach to report any significant injuries! Her bubble is incredibly small these days. And if she is spending 6 days/week with these girls, might as well get together outside for some fun! 

My little dare devil wants so badly to be successful in snowboarding the hill. I wish he'd try a smaller bunny-hill to start out. He's doing quite well! Might have to take him to the ski hill next! 

 If we're going to continue spending all this time outside, I may have to also invest in battery-powered socks and gloves! 

Dome season 2021

It’s dome softball season. And a very unique one as we continue to cautiously play under COVID restrictions. 

Sadly it means parents are not allowed into the domes. 

I’m incredibly thankful for coaches and an association that have  figured out a virtual platform. It’s not the same, but it’s better than asking the girls for a recap afterwards. 

And since it’s quite the drive (on an early Sunday morning), us parents are getting creative and watching the games online while huddled around tiny portable heaters! 

There’s nothing better than watching your kids do something they love. 

And we are so grateful they continue to have an opportunity.