Batter up!

Last night of the co-ed league was last night... It's kind of bitter sweet. It was so fun to have something sociable to do with Tony and the family. The kids loved coming and getting a snowcone, I loved having a little "me-time." Tony loved just getting out and playing a little ball. This was at the championship game, taken with my awesome phone-camera, which seems to be the only way we get any pics on the bloggy: (Notice Uncle Scott coaching first base. Having him there cheering us on/coaching us made me feel like a kid again.)

AWKWARD. You know those couples who take adorable shots of themselves to record all their mischief and adventures? We will never be one of those couples. HA!

Some of the team:

Bonus:

WE WON!!

We got free tee shirts. Finished the season undefeated (not that I really helped. They only invited me because they needed girls and they wanted Tony to play.)

Still sooo fun.

I hope we can do it again next summer!

Did you know they have free parking at the zoo?

Well, maybe it wasn't free. But we didn't pay, so hopefully our assumption was right.

The kids loved the monkeys. Gage noticed that there weren't any chimpanzees. Sorry that the twenty other kinds of monkeys didn't take the cake. (And how does he know that specific type of monkey? I barely do!)

It was so stinkin' hot, I thought we were going to be puddles by the end of the afternoon. We thought we'd hide out in the reptile house (shady and cool) but sadly, it smells. BAD. So gag or melt. Dilemma.... Do you like how I did a really good job of lining my camera's frame up with the background? Yup, awesome phone pic.

Right after this, Lauren fell off the dinosaur backwards.
She's awesome like that.

I believe in miracles...

This is Jocelyn's baseball coach and his family.
Ian was on her team.
They are one of the most humble, gracious, fun, faithful families I have ever met, and they recognize this tremendous blessing.
iansinjury.blogspot.com

Summer Vacay...

Isn't summer supposed to time off? To me it feels like time ON! We have been so busy, that you must forgive poor little neglected bloggy.
The kids rocked at swimming lessons, we did Lagoon, and the library several times, and 4-wheelers, and playing with cousins CONSTANTLY since Jen's come to visit. Lots of yard work, and gardening, and the park and snow cones and BASEBALL out our ears!
For the last month, I have been at a ball diamond every night of the week. Now we've just cut down to Wednesdays and Thursdays for the adult leagues (Tony's mens' league is Wed, Co-ed league is Thurs.) I am embarrassingly bad. I used to say rusty, but that doesn't seem to quite capture the level of my ineptitude. Still, it has been so fun to sneak away for an hour and do something with other adults. I have some pretty fun cousins! Hopefully I can get a picture sometime during the season...

Long live summer!

My one-year-old can ride scooter better than your one-year-old.

This isn't even him at his fastest! Such a funny little boy... Now you can imagine how we have so many accidents.

Soggy city...

This post is only interesting to about three people. Sorry. But check out this flooding! No joke, this pasture had cows in it until about a week ago. They ran out of places to stand, and the farmer finally moved them.
Bye bye new fence.



This fence got pushed down by debris.

And speaking of debris- the septic tank at the folks place is full. It has been for roughly ten years. Last week it finally began rejecting new entries. One of the kiddos used the potty downstairs. It would not flush! I, being more resourceful and less intelligent, plunge the dickens out of it. DEBRIS begins backing up into the bathtub. Can't clean the tub because there is nowhere for the water to drain. Awesome.

I beg my dad to call the septic tank guy the next morning. Then cleaned the tub with the same vigor I used to plunge that toilet. I think I have chemical burns on my hands. But who wants to bathe their kids in the poo tub?

Happy Birthday Basement!

We have lived with you for a whole year, as of today! Maybe Happy Anniversary would be more appropriate.

It has slowly gotten more and more crowded here in the bat cave because there are things I knew I wouldn't need for a few months, but as time dragged on- I brought in more of our stuff.

Because you can live without your IKEA kid dishes for 6 weeks. Not a year.

I thought by now we would be starting a house. And now I wouldn't be surprised if we waited another 2 years for all the red tape to untangle itself. So maybe we'll rent a place. Or stay. We'll see how it goes... The kids honestly don't mind it here.

It is harder on me; I read this little ditty in a house magazine and thought how did that author know how I feel and think even though I can't articulate it myself? She must be one smart lady...

"For those of us who hold the title, mom-ness weaves through our lives like no other purpose, tapping ever corner of our creativity, our determination, and our love. And, I might add, forever changing the way we view our homes. Because, for moms, houses are so much more that a style statement; they're an integral part of our ecosystem for shaping healthy, happy kids. In a hundred subtle ways, our homes communicate to our children about the things we value; the basket by the sofa for books and magazines, the stool in the kitchen that invites a chat, the art supplies and backyard games." By Gayle Goodson Butler.

I would add the music that you choose to play, the movies, videogames and entertainment we allow. Pets. The possibility of adding more brothers and sisters. Dinners at the table together. Having friends over and having parties for no good reason. Parking in a GARAGE in the winter. Choosing colors and details in a child's bedroom so they feel like I see of each of them as an individual; so they know that I KNOW them.

And I know this sounds like crazy-talk, but I kinda feel like renting whatever we can find is not the answer.
My kids need long term. My son, especially, needs to not change to a third school by his third year of school. (He is still traumatized by our last move.) My daughters need me to know other families well enough that I know when it's safe to say yes to a sleep-over. Tony needs somewhere to work at home in the evenings. Krew needs to get out of the Pack-n-Play in our room. The chunker barely fits. And he snores.

Hmmmm. Renting. It is an answer, I just don't know if it's THE answer.