The night before school starts

It's the night before the kids head back to school. Biggest Brother a 3rd grader and Big Brother a Kindergartener. We had to live it up a bit this weekend to celebrate a fun summer behind us. On Friday, I took the kids to a favorite park for some cooling off....

On Saturday, Kevin ended up working in the afternoon/evening. The neighbors have been bbq-ing and roasting marshmallows throughout the summer. We've joined a few times, but this night we were celebrating some good friends/neighbors that are moving shortly and school starting up. 

We ended the weekend (today) at a fun local water park. We didn't take any photos- because 3 kids at a water park is more than we can handle! But, it was so fun. Big Brother finally learned how to swim after many weeks of swim lessons. He was so brave going down slides that even scared me! 

It's been a fun and full summer- lots of fun and lots of memories. Lots of relaxing and lots of mess. I am looking forward to having the kids back to school, but at the same time I am not ready to be back on the daily schedule. I know we'll be back in the swing of things quickly- so I will work on getting more of our summer memories on here quick!

Take Me Out ....

Well, another summer of baseball has ended. This was a busy summer with a lot of games and practices, all with the littlest one in tow. Biggest Brother played for his 4th time- this year on a modified kid-pitch team. In previous years, he's always played coach-pitch games. This year the kids pitched to each other. After 4 balls, the coach would come in for a chance. In addition, they played on dirt fields for the first time as well. There were a lot of changes and a lot of new things to get used to, but he did a great job and we enjoyed watching him play each week.

Playing kid pitch with 8 year olds takes a lot of courage- there were quite a few walks to 1st base!

Big Brother played (what he hopes is) his last year of t-ball. He had a group of boys from school together on his team, The Ninja Turtles. They had a ton of fun and good coaches that taught them a bunch this year. He's been practicing at the batting cages and can't wait for next year when he gets his turn at coach-pitch!

They love baseball and it's become our summer tradition to be out there all summer practicing, playing and watching them now!

And this little guy got his first taste of what summer ball is all about. He loves balls and I have a feeling it won't be too long until he's out there hitting alongside his big brothers!

Summer's End

Summer is coming to an end. We meet the boys' new teachers and drop off school supplies tomorrow. Baseball is done and we are gearing up for nights of homework and getting to bed early.

This summer was our first with the boys both in a sport at the same time. We were busy and spent many hours at baseball games. It was a lot of fun and they both had great seasons.

I took these in the backyard. It's hard to get them to pose for photos these days!

They both earned trophies at their last game. This was the whole reason Big Brother played t-ball. He's seen all the trophies Biggest Brother has gotten and has been mighty jealous. Can you see the joy on his face from that first trophy?

And below, this was him sliding into home on his last play of the season. They can only run one base per hit, but he likes to slide in as if it were sudden death. I have no idea where he gets his dramatic side! :)

And just because we can't get away without a photo of the Little Brother, here he is! He fits right into Daddy's baseball glove, but not for long!

Our Summer Bucket List

At the beginning of the summer, the boys made a list of what they hoped to do this summer. I wrote them down (added my own trip to IKEA- counting the days 'til it opens!) and posted it next to the computer. Each week, I have tried to fit in as many as we can do. I've shared some of the bigger things, but below is kind of a collage of summer fun we've been having.

Dirt Pudding with chocolate pudding, oreos and gummy worms. Quite a hit!

Making homemade strawberry jam!

Swim lessons are over. Little Brother was a champ! He is finally going underwater - a huge accomplishment!

A day at the creek

The kids made a big list of things they wanted to accomplish this summer. They aren't really accomplishments as much as destinations of fun!

One of our favorite summer activities is to head to Belleview Park. It has a train ride, petting zoo and a creek running through. We headed with some friends last week and it was still a hit this year. The boys loved the creek- getting muddy, searching for crawdads (ewwww!) and building an island of their own. 

More summer destinations to come soon! 

(Side note- my pics are looking terrible on this website these days. I am not sure why??? They are actually not all pixelated - but only when I upload them to blogspot. Anyone know why?)

Take me out to the ball game...

Well, baseball is more than half over and I've yet to mention it. Big Brother loves his baseball and loves his team this year. He's got a few buddies- most from our church- and has a great set of coaches. This year it's a bit more like "real" baseball- they can strike out, get out at the bases, and they are starting to really hit, throw and catch. It's fun to see the progression as they get older. His favorite is playing catcher, but also he likes to play any base, as he likes to get kids out on base. You can find us out at the parks practicing a few times a week and cheering on our boy most Saturday afternoons.

Swim Lessons

Little Brother asked me to sign him up for swim lessons. It's been a long wait, but today was finally the first of six lessons over the next few weeks. If you know this little guy, you know how predictably unpredictable he is. I went into the lesson fully expecting tears, excitement, laughter, more tears and I wasn't disappointed!

The first few minutes were rough. Once he was sitting with the class he got excited, even volunteered to be first for all the drills. We even got a few bubbles at one point!

Then, I made the mistake of moving from my seat- just a few steps- but just enough to send this little guy into tears once more. This took about 10 minutes with one of the teachers giving him a pep talk. Finally, it ended in a splashing episode that left him laughing (and nobody else was laughing!)

One down----Five to go!

Then, we headed out to the outdoor pool. Big Brother had brought a friend and found a schoolmate (that makes me sound a bit old, eh?) to play with too!