A Baseball Game – Warning Picture Overload!

We took the kids to their first ever baseball game back in July.  I won tickets on the radio for us to go. When I was playing “the game” to win them, I didn’t realize they included throwing out the first pitch at the game! The kids were so excited when I told them. And of course I won 6 tickets (since we’re a family of 5) so we took Aunt Lindsey along!

Of course we arrived super early, but even half way through the game the seats weren't filled.  :(

With Dahrran getting to throw out the first pitch we were down on the field . The kids had a fun time watching the players warm up, and even prepping for the game.

 

What we also didn’t know was that Curt Tomasevicz was going to be throwing out the first pitch. You see, we in a sense….”know” Curt. He grew up and was raised in a town that sits about 15 minutes north of where we live. My grandma was his 4th grade teacher!

 

Dahrran got to hold his gold medal, and he was so excited! Curt is such a nice guy. (Not related to the baseball game, but just to prove how nice he is. My grandma is in a nursing home, and has been since November of last year. A couple weeks ago Curt was giving a speech at another local high school, in the town where my grandma is at, and he stopped in the nursing home to visit her! So pretty cool in my book! We had the kids’ pictures hanging on the wall with Curt in them for her, and he signed them both! I thought that was pretty neat, such a nice guy.)

Dahrran did a good job, it bounced before it hit the plate, but he didn’t feel quite so bad when Curt’s didn’t make it there without a bounce. We joked with Dahrran afterwards that if he wanted to pitch some day he’d have to practice, practice, practice!

   

MacKenzie also got to do something fun! She got to participate in one of the “side games” they hold during inning changes. She got to race Homer, the team mascot, in a bone race! In the first picture you wouldn’t know she was scared to DEATH of him. That’s why he’s hiding his eyes. He was so sad!

She won, of course. And finally warmed up to the fact that it was just a person in a suit.

 

Then comes the 7th inning stretch…okay so this was probably only the 3rd or 4th inning, but you can tell they were “OVER IT”! We had such a good time though!

 

And of course ONE more family picture to end the night!

* A BIG THANK YOU goes out to 106.3 KFRX, and the Morning show for the tickets! We love listening to the station, and had such a great time!

Sickies

I’m sick. The girls have been sick. But not the pukey kind. The stuffed up runny nose, watery eyes kind.

You know. The allergy/hayfever kind. UGH.

The girls were doing great with them, except for coughing all night and keeping me awake. Which totally bogged down my immune system, and now I’m the one who’s coughing all night.

I was supposed to go out to Husker Harvest Days again this year with Joel tomorrow, but I’ve decided I’m staying home. You’d better believe that once the kids are on the bus, I’m setting my alarm for 10:30am and going back to bed!

And since I cannot blog without leaving you all a picture. Here’s one from our trip to the State Fair. They have $5.00 wrist bands for the kiddy rides, from 12-5pm. So it’s a great way for the kids to ride rides!

Kaitlynn turns 3

Our sweet little baby turned three last month. THREE. How can it be that she is three already! I know the first year was kind of a blur with everything that happened, but it hasn’t been 3 years. Has it?

Maybe it has. She’s grown up so much in the last few months. Talking all the time. She’s now a bossy little girl, who can tell you what she wants, how she wants it, and when she wants it done. Usually it’s NOW. She is also our lover. I thought MacKenzie was lovey, but this girl is even more so. Her favorite thing to do is cuddle up and give you kisses. But she’s feisty too. Don’t let her charm fool you. If you don’t give in to what she wants,  you’re in trouble!

 
She can turn on and off the charm in a New York minute! And unleash her wrath as needed. She’s already stomping off, and slamming doors when she doesn’t get her way. At the same time though she's the one who will come up and tell you “I Love you” out of no where. And share anything with you just because.

The girl loves Peanut Butter M & M’s but not the blue ones. Something about them I guess. She will eat us out of house and home if we let her. But some days you’d think I was feeding a mouse. She’s tall, skinny, and has so much energy. She loves her sister, and they are the best of friends. Our first cloth diaper baby, that showed me the way to be “greener” in our lifestyle.

 

She’s become so independent. Started Preschool. And now has so many friends I cannot count. When you ask her about school she will tell you “There are Two Kaitlynn’s in my class.” Although she is not a morning person. This girl loves naps. One day we took a nap at 9:30am, just because. Such a girlie girl as well. Loves her nails painted, and to be told she looks cute!

 

Happy Birthday sweet Kaitlynn!

First day of School

Last year at Kindergarten round up the teacher did a neat thing where they planted a sunflower with the kids. They then told them that when the sunflower was taller than they were, and had bloomed it was time for school to start. They also got to bring home extra seeds “just in case” and we decided to plant them all. We ended up with 3 sunflowers out of 4, which I didn’t feel was too bad.

They got HUGE. Taller than our garage. The one that is all drooped over was the one they planted at school. The one she is standing next to has bloomed and it’s flower is stuck under the edge of the garage.

I’m not exactly sure everyone was awake for this picture!

Then there are the traditional close up/full body shots!

My big 2nd grader

My sweet Kindergartener

And my adorable preschooler

 

And of course one more group shot for good measure!

Headed to the bus.

I love these shots. They all did so good!

Bus driver is great. “Turn and Look at mom.” And of course them all waving. THIS is the moment I broke down crying. I was fine before they got on the bus. When it drove away I bawled!

Gods plans

I was working on the pictures of the kids first day of school when I came across an email in my work inbox that pointed me towards a blog of a mother who lost her 3rd baby. As I got reading her blog, I came across videos of . oh forget it. I cannot find the words, so I’m just going to put them up here.

    

I remember reading Angie’s Blog a year or so ago. I found it when another blog that I read had linked up. I remember feeling so sad for them and their loss, but never thought the loss of a child would happen to me. I didn’t think that I would ever have a miscarriage.

I’ve been struggling with religion lately. And where I belong in it all. I know God exists, I believe he died on the cross for our sins. But I don’t “know” God. I know the basics of religion, and what I believe. On the same note, I’ve never really read many stories in the Bible. I’ve never honestly taken a deeper look at all of the things God can do.

You see Joel and I are different religions. Which really in all honesty of the picture shouldn’t matter. We both believe in God, and all of the basics, but neither of us truly know God. Joel’s family is pretty strict on going to church, and such. That’s what their religion is all about. Mine on the other hand isn’t quite so strict. We’re about teaching the stories of God, and singing praises.

I’ve had a rough time in all of the strictness that comes with Joel’s religion. So I thought taking a class to better understand it would do me some good. And it did. But I’m still at a loss. I don’t feel comfortable. It just doesn’t feel “right.” For me. (that’s the big thing here)

At that same time, we’ve been sending Dahrran to CCD once a week for the last 2 years. With us not going to church much in between. Maybe once every few months. We were doing good for a while, until I decided it didn’t feel right. This year he will be taking his first communion.

Joel and I got in a disagreement this last Wednesday because I was treated rudely by a member of his church, after talking with her about when CCD was to start. She basically told me that it was our responsibility to get the bulletin & then we would know. IF I was going to church there, then I would have gotten the bulletin. BUT since it is not my church and I have NOT been going there, how can I get the bulletin?!?!? Needless to say I told him he needed to start taking them, and deal with it if he wanted them to remain going to CCD on Wednesday nights. (which he did)

Where does this bring me? Why am I rambling. I don’t honestly know. I just know that God brought me in a direction tonight, and he wants me to figure this out. I just don’t know what he’s saying exactly. Sometimes I wish he’d just spell it out.

I cried. For the loss of my baby. For the strain this (religion) has on our marriage. For feeling lost and empty. For the longing of knowing God on a more personal level. For being the person God made me to truly be.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.