End of Little League

Incase you were not aware, I've always had a 'thing' for baseball.  Not boring TV baseball, but baseball with players I actually know or even share my towels and toilet paper with.  Players who subtly listen for my voice in the crowd, yet slightly cringe if I'm too obvious.  Players who want to 'warm-up' with me in the front yard before the championship game and take my advise, because for some bizarre reason, it sorta works.  I warm up with him in the itchy grass and think of all the chigger bites I'm going to get.  And when he overthrows the ball, I chase after it.  I do it again and again, not only because I can, but because he asked me.  

Besides, that's what mom's do.

Maybe it's nostalgia from Long Grove little league days.  They days where Mom 'warmed-us-up' in the backyard before each game.  The days where we ate barbecue rib microwaveable sandwiches from Sams Club after warming up so we wouldn't be starving on the field.  The days where we had a case of Snapple and a huge box of Blue Raspberry Blow Pops in the basement.  Where a glass of pop was 50 cents and a lolly sucker was 10 cents in the concession stand.  Where you didn't wear cleats, have your own helmet or have fancy bats.  

Just lots of bug spray and tennis shoes.

So when Ross finally decided to give baseball a shot this summer, I was secretly pumped.

He got on a team with experienced players.  They had awesome pitchers and catchers, and if town ball taught me anything, it's that you can win a lot of trophy's with a good pitcher and catcher.

So they made it to the championship.

However, the game was stopped in the 4th inning for a sudden downpour.

During the rain wait, Ross devoured a plate of nachos in the dugout.  

 We waited for the rain to stop, yet the forecast looked at through we may see a hurricane at any moment

.

The remaining 2 innings were made up the next night, and they won!  

Which meant they needed to play another game for the actual Championship game.  You have to lose twice to be eliminated.

The second game started, but once again got rained out in the 4th inning.

The championship would take place the next night.

Everything was soaked.

And as soon as we arrived at the ball diamond, Molly lost a rubberband to her braces.

She was being stabbed by the loose wire, so we spent a large chuck of the game trying to play orthodontist and re-hook the rubberband.  Luckily the lady sitting behind me had an eyeglass repair kit with some small flat head screwdrivers I borrowed.

Still, I couldn't get it to work.

Looks like someone needs to brush her teeth...

Meanwhile, Ross was running bases like nobodies business in his signature pink socks.

When the final inning came to a close, everyone cheered.  Not only because the game didn't get rained out, but because I-35 White won the championship.

They had to play against some of their bsst friends.  

I-35 Blue came in second place.  

.

I think he's glad he decided to give baseball a shot.

And this is how we closed the evening.

Wire removal. 

She's good.

Passions and Beauty

My oldest girl possesses a unique passion.  

Perhaps you've picked up on it through the years, or maybe not.    

She couldn't care less about sports.

She was blessed with beauty and a sparkle in her eyes.

Whether she tries or not, her smile can steel the show.

The joy in her giggle is the butter to my bread.

She has a way with nature and peacefulness.

She can get inside her head and become anything.  

She has no limits.

And inside that enormous mind of hers, lives an even larger imagination.

She moves with grace and intention.

And this is who she is.  She is art and beauty, kindness, peace and a giggle.  

And she secretly loves the limelight.

So when the opportunity for Theater Camp at the Winterset Stage became available, she decided to take her passion to the stage.

All week long, we listened to 'Hard Knock Life', 'Gary Indiana', 'Wells Fargo Wagon' and 'Oh The Thinks you can Think'.

She was in heaven.  And making new friends along the way.

 And when the day of the final performance arrived, she was a natural.  Doing what she loved, with a ginormous smile.

It's amazing to see the amount of beauty a person can possess in the midst of their passions.

My prayer is that her passions reach heights beyond her wildest imagination.

Circumcisions, Camping and Record Heat

Jay completed his first surgery last Wednesday.  I've never really noticed the before and after transformation of a penis prior to this experience.  And for some reason, I can't help but wonder who in the world decided to experiment with circumcision in the first place?  And more importantly, who volunteered to be the initial patient?  

He wasn't exactly sure what was happening, (I told him the doctors were going to fix his skin to look more like Ross' penis).  

He was fine with that explantation as he trusts me 96%.

But 45 minutes later he woke in my arms as the anesthesia wore off and I soaked up the snuggles.

Until he became slightly nauseous, then he hovered over a barf bag.

There was a little drama the next day when the bandage was to be removed (if it hadn't already fallen off).  His was still snuggly adhered.  Although baths were not allowed, he didn't trust me around the gauze pad (which must have been stuck to the bloody incision).  It didn't come off in the shower (no matter how many times I doused his head with water in a determined attempt to saturate the gauze.  At one point I filled the Barbie swimming pool in the living room and convinced him to sit in the ocean  as 'beach waves' splashed around.  

Desperate times folks.

Two showers later, 3 pairs of Paw Patrol blood soaked undies and a swollen penis base led me to call the surgery center for removal advice.  They suggested I bring him in.  Because I'm not at 100% trust level with him yet, some things are better left to medical professionals when pain or anxiety is involved. 

While my 4 big kids sat in the waiting room inhaling as many complementary snacks possible in a 5 minute time span, the nurses were able to remove the bandage while I held his tiny wrists and tear soaked face back with my arms.  

And because we are who we are, we took him camping for the weekend.  

Come on, there are only so many weekends in a summer.

This photo makes me realize how badly I need to vacuum my van...

We camped with Mikes cousin John, his fiance and Johns daughter Charlie.

Molly helped prep corn on the cob.

We camped through record heat...

and made it through the first night with only one puker and another with diarrhea.  Note the pile of laundry setting to the right of the tent.  It has chunks in it.  We decided Maisie had one too many Smore.  At 4 a.m., Molly told me she needed to poop.  I walked her over to the bushes, which is where the farting started, followed by liquidness.  She found the whole experience hysterical.

But the sun came up in the morning and all was well.  

Molly's camping face.  I found selfies on my phone.

Molly taught Jay how we wash hands when camping.  Given the circumstances of the previous night, this was a great habit to adopt.

Molly was loyal to her corn and was responsible for foil-wrapping each ear.

Kabobs were a fun way to get everyone in on prep work.

Did I mention there were heat advisories in our area?  We seemed to have a lot of smoke as well.

Eventually Molly's camp chair tipped over and ironically she landed in a plate of chewed up corn cobs.

She was covered in corn.  

Naturally.

Jay discovered a fondness for the black pepper shaker.  We'd catch him dumping the pepper into his mouth like a shot.

I just didn't't know what to do in this situation.

He'd had a tough week, so I let him indulge.

Yet despite the heat, Jay's sore penis walk which made me think of Urkel, the fact that most our food tasted like ash, and the mosquitos were fierce...

The adventure and excitement of camping with kids, catching fireflies in Mason jars, throwing snaps, eating smores till you puke, the abundance of adult beverage, devise-free time, feeling uglier than ever, and spending time with cousins, both old and new,  can't be replaced by anyTHING.  

Time is non-refundable.  Use it with intention.