The end of May brought the end of baseball season. I love baseball! I really don't know why, but there is just something about the sun, the seeds, the uniforms, the struggle - and watching my kids out there that just hits me just right. Shawn had the great opportunity of coaching both Jack and Lyv on the Yankees this year. What a fun time for these two to play with each other and be coached by their dad. I am grateful for Shawn's willingness to donate his time to these activities, its not always easy, but it was so fun to watch! Both Jack and Lyv had a great season, and continued to improve. Jack was awarded the most improve defensive player for his great fielding and Lyv was award the Best Stance and Dance - she had a great batting stance, and loved to shake her groove thing out in the field!
Sam's team battled until the end! This team had great potential and won several games, but often would start out with a decent lead only to give it up with errors. Sam's last game was intense and really an illustration on how the season went. They ended in a tie, and played a Kansas City over time - which we lost by 1 run! It was heart breaking, but Sam's play was consistent all year. He has developed a great swing and his fielding has improved a ton. He tried his hat at pitching this year, but struggled until his last three games and fell into a great pattern. He also played every infield position imaginable. He was usually shortstop or 1st base, but the last game played 1st base, pitcher, and catcher at the very end! He is such a fun player to watch - and I love his huge heart! He has such desire to do well! Great season Sam - next year its the Major's and he'll be playing with the big boys!
Memorial Day found us with beautiful weather and a free weekend - something we hadn't known since baseball started. So we took advantage and went hiking in Cowiche Canyon to help Sam pass off his Weblo's badge.
We followed the hike up with a movie and dinner at Famous Dave's….I won't mention in detail Shawn's struggle with the food he ordered that night! It wasn't a pretty sight the next day:(
50 Mile Club Day - all three kids made it to the 50 mile club this year and we part of a huge group of kids from Cottonwood that run their booties off this year! So proud to be pink!
Lyv got Max into coloring and most of our afternoons consist of a drawing/writing session. There are many a reams of paper that have been lost to this project, but Max has impressed me with his writing and drawing. It just keeps getting better. The thing I love most about this - is that it is self driven. I have only taught him how to write his name - simple…MAX. All the other letters, numbers, names, are his own! Love this kid! He usually draws pictures of himself and Lyv, his favorite gal!
Gap2Gap 2016 - What would our year be without a Gap2Gap entry? This tradition began our first year here and has grown to a love/hate relationship! Mostly love - it is a crazy busy morning, and sometimes I feel like my body is going through the race too as I try to get from one point to the next and watch both boys compete. This year Jack joined the Animal Four - and did the running leg. He did awesome!!! His goal was not to stop and walk - which for Jack is huge. Mileage club was never his favorite, and running in general is something you don't see Jack do… but he even passed some kids! He felt like a rock star!
Sam joined forced with Cooper Ditto and divided the course with Sam biking and doing the steeple chase. He did great!
As our luck would have it - Gap2Gap was the same day as Lyv's dance recital…so we had baseball, Gap2Gap and recital all within 24 hours of each other - a typical crazy weekend, and we got to enjoy that time with Shawn's parents, who came to support the kiddos! We are so lucky to have such great grandparents - and the kids felt extremely special!
This cutie pie was amazing! She danced so well - and even though the recital lasted 3 hours long - she was a good sport! She looked so adorable in her costume and she new each step by heart. It was so fun to watch her do her Thunderbird Dance! Uncle Jake came to support the kids too, so we snapped a picture with them and Julie!
Sam finally received his 100 mile sweatshirt! This is the 3rd sweatshirt for Sam!
The kids' last day of school was a day early due to a trip to St. George that we would be taking so we had to celebrate with a school's out for summer leap! It took about three tries to get a photo:) Lyv's graduation cap was adorable and she was so excited to start her first of many summer vacations!
St. George is a tradition my kids look forward to…however this year the tradition was almost not going to happen….after our end of school leap, I put the kids into the bath to get them ready for a long plane ride tomorrow. While bathing Lyv I noticed something that I thought was dirt…dirt that wouldn't move, and that eventually turned into living moving disgusting bugs…LICE!!! Holy crap!! I about died. I had to google a picture of it to make sure, and there it was staring back at me on my phone… an identical match. I left Lyv in the tub and ran to the store, purchased some Nix, and enjoyed some lovely distance between me and the cashier…who was terrified that they would jump off of me onto him. We started treatment and then began the most terrible, long, insane search for these nasty sneaky critters! Because her hair is so long, and just the right color - not too dark, not too blonde, they were nearly impossible to see. The brush they gave to help comb the nits out - (which nits are basically glued to the hair follicle) did nothing. I finally resorted to pulling them out with my hands, and trying not to freak out with each new discovery. Then after 3 hours in Lyv's hair, I treated the two older boys, and myself just to make sure. Then we bagged every stuffed animal, pillow, toy, etc to suffocate the life out of them, vacuumed and scoured the house, washed sheets, clothes, blankets, pillows with liquid hot magma water…and then vacuumed and scoured again. I was threw back packs and pillows away…I considered shaving Lyv's head bald…I felt itchy/crawly/infestation on my own head and thought I was going crazy! Then I realized we were supposed to be leaving to St. George to spend a fun weekend with cousins…and I was bringing Lice cover Lyv with me! I told the kids we might not go…tears! I felt terrible. So we contacted our pediatrician, and a family friend whose an ER doc and asked what the protocol is. They both reassured me that she was fine to travel, and that once they're treated they shouldn't spread. So I thankfully told Shawn's family that we were coming - lice treated, and braided Lyv's hair and prayed for the best. And away we went!
St. George as always was a hit! We swam, we climbed cliffs, we ate, and ate, we shopped, we danced, and we watched some pretty awesome theatre - Peter Pan, this year - it was a great time, and I'm so grateful we were able to go in the end.
We flew home on Sunday night and prepared for our next great adventure - but before we were about to introduce the next great trip - I did another lice check! Yikes - I found more!!! WHAT the!!! So treatments started again…and I became an ultra paranoid, lice killing machine. This time I spent 1-2 hours each night picking and pulling, combing through sections of hair…determined to get each and every trace of lice out of my home, out of my baby's beautiful hair!~ Two weeks later we are finally lice free, but it took an insane amount of time. It is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy!
Tolboe Time!!! Hooray for friends that last a lifetime. Our medical school besties came up from California to attend a podiatry conference in Seattle - and so we reunited the families for a weekend of fun! We became the ultimate tourists and city passed our way through Seattle. Harbor Cruise was the first order of the day!
Brooklyn and Sam have known each other for 10 years!! Crazy to see how much they have grown - and to think they were both just toddlers when we met.
We followed the Harbor Cruise up with a trip to the Aquarium - the kids loved the tide pool!
The next day we walked to the Space Needle
and then hit the Woodland Park Zoo!
Addi and Max became fast friends - and I can't wait to watch these two grow up together!
We finished up our trip with a day at the Science Center. Rocket building and the butterfly house was the hit here!
After saying goodbye to the Tolboe's summer officially started - and we spent the first week running the boys from tennis lessons to basketball camps and the kids to birthday parties and play dates. I was starting to wonder if we would ever feel the lazy days of summer…ever!
Then week two brought the lazy - warm - peaceful days of summer! and a beautiful yard with grass!!! Hooray! I cannot express in words how nice it is to have grass and not dirt surrounding the house. Grass and a play set have made our days wonderful!
June wouldn't be right without a bowl full of blueberries and cherries! I love Yakima during this time of year - the harvest is plentiful and delicious - and the prices can't be beat. It really is such a blessing to live here!
The toro's are our favorite variety - and not only are they huge - but they are delicious!
Our final act of June was a slip and slide party at our friends' the Diaz' house - a perfect summer night!
