Thursday, July 30, 2020

Baseball and friends in town!

The Summer of 2020
-Baseball Style-

Baseball is the quintessential Social Distancing Activity. The kids on the field are already six feet apart, it's outdoors, and you can easily space out around the entire field and just enjoy the 360 views. I've truly loved going to the games and watching these kids get out all their pent up energy. 
Aaron: It was so much fun watching you become a "more mature ball player," as you put it in your own words. You didn't even play in the dirt until the last game of the season ha ha. 
Also, your hitting was awesome! There almost wasn't a time you didn't make it on base. And you have a great arm. Next year we will work on fielding. 
Maddix: You've come so far. Remember how you picked off a runner stealing to third in one of the two times you played catcher?? And remember how your RBI scored the game tying run in the final championship game? And how your run in pulled you guys ahead? I was so proud as I watched you and your tearful teammates accept your 2nd place trophies; and wasn't it fun that your final game was up against Silas, one of your best buds? 

And what would summer be without some friends? 
We were so blessed to have two friends drive cross country with their families to see us after their quarantine time. Our town has been blessed enough to stay very low on the covid cases and there is just a sense of real calm everywhere you go. People take it seriously and wear their masks in public, and sit far apart, BUT they also seem to understand that we can also enjoy life while being prepared. 

SO.... 
SATURDAY: We went to the lake and paddle boarded all day. 

SUNDAY: We drove to The Field of Dreams, as well as the Mississippi River. While eating in the park by the river, Addie fell through the back of a bench and hit her head against the jagged rock wall, splitting it open real good. Travis was amazing. Calm and heads up, he instructed us what to do, kept her calm, and used her own hair to sew her head back up so we could drive the 3hrs back home. At home we had a friend come over and the two of them glued her head back together. 

MONDAY: We took it easy and recovered. And that night we went mountain biking. 

TUESDAY: We took the kids hiking at Lime creek as our big outing. 

WEDNEDAY: We took all the kiddos to our Sandlot Days and Ben through the ball to all the kids; this was a highlight moment to watch.  And then that night Travis, Ben, and a few of the friends came with me to watch Maddix's first round and second round baseball games; they won both! 

THURSDAY: Haircuts, cleaning, grocery pickup, and then Maddix's FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP game. This was an intense game that was a nail biter to the bitter end. Maddix isn't at the same level as these boys who play travel ball and have far more experience, but it was his RBI that tues the game. And it was his run home that got them the lead. They ended up losing, but what a game to go out on. And the other team was amazing. And he played against his very good friend, Sylas.

FRIDAY: It took 3 adults and 10 kids to get the house out back together and then we essentially locked everyone outside to keep it out put together! Once Travis was home, we loaded in the car and hit the road for Utah!

Thank you friends for coming to see us! It meant the world!
And also, a bittersweet goodbye to our dear friends who will be moving next month! Still breaks my heart, but we are excited for them at the same time!









































Sunday, July 12, 2020

~Such a Fun Weekend~

Yesterday was one of those days that seem to stand out amongst the others in the week. Perhaps it was due to it only being yesterday and I can still remember the details... OR, it's due to the fact that it was just that fun! So much fun that we ended up all sleeping in this morning. Which also felt right; Sunday's were made for sleeping in! 

So while the week was full of quiet afternoons while the girls napped and the boys ran around the neighborhood with friends all day long. We had a fun/RAINY baseball day on Thursday. And had a bbq for the neighbors from our old neighborhood, yesterday is what sticks out in my mind :) 

Travis has promised Adeline that if she practiced on her new push bike that he would take her mountain biking, like he does with the boys. Since then she has been telling EVERYONE, "I gotta pwactice widing on my new bike, den Dad's gonna take me riding in da mountains." 
So she's practiced and practiced.  After Travis and I got home from out Mountain biking date, and we all had our weekly "pastry breakfast," we set out for some epic MoUnTaIn BiKiNg! 

In reality we took the family over to a small dirt track that's behind the boys' elementary school, but to Addie she'd made it. You could see the pride in her eyes when she'd succefully glide down a mountain side (pump track hill), or weave her way through endless path options without getting lost (figure 8 design :). And she was BRAVE! There were legitimately some pretty steep areas that she coasted down. The first time, she crashed. She just dusted herself off and said, "Uh, dad weally hurt. But when we fall, we get back up!" SO CUTE! And then another time down, she just rode right into the bushes! But she just looked so DANG cute following behind those brothers and then chatting with just her dad as we rode back to the truck. 

We drove out to Ventura to try a cute little pick up lunch and ice-cream shack. We took the dogs and let them ride in the back of the truck; this brought great joy and a little anxiety as we watched Lily soak in/learn the ways of riding in the truck bed. 

We took our VERY EXPENSIVE and basic food (but the experience was worth it) to a campsite picnic area and enjoyed eating by the water. Afterward the kids have fun chasing frogs out of the grass and down into their lily pads. The dogs LOVED being in the outdoors and everyone came home TIRED and WORN OUT! 

Travis and I cleaned out the expedition while the others napped/had quiet time, they watched a movie and then we had a DELICIOUS J-Dawgs mock dinner, made by Travis. So good. Then fueled and rested up, the boys went back out for night games until nearly 10:00; hence we all slept in. 

I love summer days. I love the outdoors. There is no greater proof to me that there is a God than the human body and the outdoors. And summer puts those two things together, and it brings me great joy! 
Heard her whining, but couldn't find her
at first. 

I'd go back for the ice cream and onion rings

Washed the dog and then the girls had a blast
playing in the bucket afterwards 



Came home from biking and slipped into her new
summer dress within minutes! 

She is a prodigy. We call her "Pooping picaso."


My girls are getting hair!
This was Avery's first ponytail! 


She stayed up all nap. I laid with her and napped myself while she
jumped all over me. I gave her books for the last 20mins, and then
I came back to find her passed out. 

I love these cuties




Bubble face

"Mom I hab a mustache!" 

Started raining so so hard and my trunk wouldn't
close after grocery pickup, so I hopped out to
force it closed... and came back soaked.

She loved Shirley's brownies at our bbq. 


This boys has beautiful green eyes

And this girl's curls! Love them! 




Bike talk with dad

She insisted we dress up for dinner.... and
that I match her



My morning run

~Friday Night Sleep Over~