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. 

 

May 2021 recap

Things are starting to feel a little more normal, despite the pandemic and the ongoing difficulties it has created. The kids are getting back into their activities and spent the spring in-person classes, all of which has been incredible for them! 

Lincoln was so excited in 2020 to sign up for Flag Football. Unfortunately it was cancelled along with many other activities. Of course he was so eager to sign up again this year and thrilled when we learned they would be holding the season! 

He's played his heart out, learning to throw passes and make running plays. He has a lot to learn, and he's not the most aggressive at ripping off those flags. But he loves to play and is having a great time. 

We headed down to Quad City for another tournament with Sidney's team. Unfortunately for us, day 1 of the tournament was completely rained out so the tournament turned into round-robin games. We salvaged the weekend with a lot of team bonding and some extra indoor practices. Gotta love Mother Nature! 

Lincoln also signed up to play for baseball this summer; he always told us there was absolutely no way he wanted to play baseball. And suddenly this spring, he changed his mind and insisted he wanted to play. 

He admits that he loves hockey better, but he's learning about baseball and giving it a try. And he was sooooo very excited to play catcher like his big sister! 

Our neighbors headed out of town one weekend and asked us to keep Quinn. She is a sweetheart and such a well behaved one-year old 'puppy'. I loved watching her just hope and beg that Lincoln would share his snack. ha! 

Unfortunately, Regan broke her hand this spring, landing in an unfortunate manner while doing some conditioning drills. Although she and her coach heard the crack, we weren't convinced it was broken. And she insisted that she would catch the next day's game and only then, would we head to the doctor. 

See?, she was smiling the night of the fall. 

 

Well, she didn't make it to the next night's game. I brought her in around noon the next day because the swelling and bruising was getting pretty intense. 

And darn it, that middle bone, in the middle of her hand, had a displaced spiral fracture. 

Although the urgent care doc painted a grim picture, he sent us to an amazing specialist immediately the next day. She listened carefully to Regan's goal (get back on the field as quickly as possible) and we're on our way to achieving her goal. 

Unfortunately, she missed the rest of her high school season as a result. 

To help lift her spirits, my dear friend and UMD softball alum, invited us to attend alumni weekend. We got to hang out and have dinner with the current UMD coach and then take in some games. Regan was more than delighted that she got to also hang with her own coach (also UMD alum).  

Lincoln has spent nearly every waking moment cruising around on his electric bike. Grandma Jan gifted this to him for Christmas and he has been so in love with it ever since. We bring it along to all of the softball fields (even Quad City!) and he darts in/out of people and all over the complexes. 

It's hilarious to hear everyone comment about how cool he is on his bike; and grown men saying they wish they could take a spin! 

Sideline conversations with a 16U coach during one of Sidney's many games this spring. Regan loves learning from these experts, and I love that she is mature enough to hold conversations with them. 

With vaccines on board and sufficient PPE, I've been heading back into the hospital to work. And I'm lucky enough to get to see my BFF's service dog when I'm there. Sometimes I even get to dog-sit :) Pepper has a thing for giving me unprompted hugs, and will jump up on my lap and place her paws on my shoulder. She's even done this in the middle of a meeting!

Seeing her may be the best part about being back on campus.....

When I went to Lincoln's first game this spring, I noticed he was given #4. 

Which is ironic because Sidney is #5

And Regan is #6

It's been a very busy May, and likely a glimpse of what our upcoming summer is going to look like! We are so excited to have a busy calendar again :)  

 

Another track season

When Regan was in middle school, she had athletic opportunities like track and cross country. The school board had sent a message last spring that among other items, middle school sports were being eliminated. 

You can imagine our surprise, when we received registration information for middle school sports this spring. And Sidney jumped on the opportunity to hang with some friends and try track and field. 

Sadly the weather hasn't cooperated too much, but yesterday they were able to hold their first "meet". 

Sidney did discus, 4x4 relay, 100m and hurdles. 

It was so fun to watch her! 

Here she is (Lane 4) doing the 4x4. 
While it looks like her team isn't doing well, they actually placed high considering both blue teams were disqualified for passing the baton in the wrong part of the track. 

She had been terrified to try hurdles because if anyone remembers, Regan bit the dust big time trying hurdles (though she was speedy on them). Sidney came home from practice last week after trying them for the first time and was flying high. She claimed the coaches were impressed by her form. 

And by golly, she was right! 
Look at that form. 

And she is speedy quick leaping over those things. 
Most kids just jump over them, but she's doing it correctly!

Super proud of this one here :)  

Nice job kiddo! 

 

Go Jags!

Regan's high school softball team started their season this month and it's been so great to see these girls back together again. 

They haven't played on the same team in 2 years, as they are all on separate club teams. So when they all made the JV team this season, it felt like we won our own lottery!
And to make it better, their parents are pretty fun too :) 

I had to purchase their "Covid mask" team picture from the professional photographer. It certainly is a memory. 

Regan has been catching Maria since 10U and she absolutely loves to catch her now just as much as she did then! She's consistent and hits her spots; and it was so fun to see this duo back out there together again. 

She's having a good season, working hard behind the plate and getting some great hits at bat. High school ball isn't nearly as competitive as club. Her coaches move around the girls to various positions, she even played outfield last weekend. A place she hasn't played in years! She was a little relieved not to get any balls hit to her :) 

No matter where she's at, we sure love to watch her play!

 

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.