All Smiles

Last night in Jake's playoff game, the teams were tied 1 -1 and they had to go into an extra inning. The other team did not score any runs in the top of the extra inning. Jake's team had two outs and runners on first and third. Jake got up to bat . . . the pressure! He got 2 strikes and 3 balls and then hit the ball between 3rd base and shortstop. .. the left fielder missed the ball and the runner on third base made it home and they WON the game!!! What a moment that was. . . it will never be forgotten.

Caroline's in the Kitchen . . . again.

Caroline whipped up these little surprises for our snack on Sunday. They are butterflies made out of a slice of bread (cut in half) for the wings, strawberry whipped cream cheese, cut up strawberries, and a chocolate wafer stick for the body. Yummmm......... She made one for each of us.

Swimming with Caleb

Auntie Diane brought Caleb over for a little swim the other day. He loved the water and watching the kids swim. He also loved the freezer pops!!

Daddy's Home!!!

On Friday night, John came home from Texas. He was there learning how to be an awesome history teacher, which he really is already. ( a more awesome history teacher, I guess! ) He was gone for the whole week (he had to leave on Father's Day morning. . .boo!) We missed him very much. The kids threw him a little "welcome home" party. They decorated the driveway with chalk and taped a banner and balloons on the garage door. We're so glad you are home, John!! :) (the pool is glad he's home, too. . . it got a little cloudy while he was away . . . I just couldn't figure out how to keep it crystal clear in the 100* heat)

This is the Life

Jake is thankful for his bud, Jacob Kainer. They have been hanging out since Jake was in Kindergarten and Jacob was in first grade. Jacob's mom, Lisa, works with John so the two boys hang out before and after school in the classrooms upstairs. We now live about a mile away from the Kainers, so Jake gets to have a lot of impromptu play dates with Jacob. He's a great friend and we consider him to be a blessing.

A Reason to Celebrate

Tonight, Jake played in the first game of the playoffs. They really struggled through the first 6 innings (they only play 6 innings!). In the bottom of the sixth, the score was 12 - 6. . . a sure loss. Not so!! They came back and scored 6 runs to tie the game and go into an extra inning. The other team did not make any runs and we did!! We won!!! It was by far the most exciting game of the season. Jake did well pitching. One inning was a no-hitter. He got a couple of good hits and got to slide a couple of times (his favorite thing to do as a ballplayer). We stopped at McDonald's on the way home for ice cream sundaes and then Jake caught his two biggest fans a lightning bug. (they got new bug houses at the dollar store and they just couldn't catch one on their own. . .good ole' Jake just reached out and caught one, and then another. . .a big hero tonight!!)

Hot Summer Day

Today, it was sooo hot!! It was about 100* . We decided to go to the public pool ("Turtle Splash") which is less than a mile away from us. It seriously is like a mini resort. Here are a few of the features. . .there are more and the kids love it there! Taking a break . . .eating some Trader Joe's fruit strips. When we weren't swimming, Luke and Caroline were making a dirt cake. Here is the finished product. . . pretty cute, huh? And they really decorated the whole thing by themselves. (we wrapped the little rat in Saran Wrap before putting it in the cake) Jake was happy to have his good buddy, Jacob, over for a sleepover. :)A very fun summer day, indeed.