Summer 2010

So much for blogging over the summer. That sure didn't happen. We had an eventful summer which is why I didn't have time to blog. Much time was spent trying to entertain two boys who seem to think entertainment consists of irritating the other until they explode. And of course, Tanner was still playing baseball throughout the summer. It seems having the cast actually helped his batting as it caused him to pull in tighter and not be so wide. He played outfield with his cast and still batted as well. He did amazingly well. I am so proud of him....this kid has so much heart.

In June the boys went to Seattle for Steve's niece's graduation from high school. They had a great time and even went to a Mariners game. I stayed home and did lesson plans in preparation for our trip to Cooperstown in August. Our week in Cooperstown just happened to fall during the first week of school for both the boys and myself.

In July we went to Iowa for my sweet Grandpa's 80th birthday. Little did he know we had planned a surprise birthday party for him. On the actual day of his birthday we went to dinner as a family and had cake and ice cream at home. Pretty low key. The next day the guys (my dad, Tanner, Robb and Steve) took my grandpa golfing. While they were gone, the girls and little kids set up the clubhouse at the golf course for a party. We managed to pull one over on the old man...had no clue! It was a great time! While there I scoured the country side looking for new houses for us and found a lovely plot of land with an equally lovely house upon it. Now I just have to talk Tanner and Steve into moving. They are the only hold-outs on my relocation plan. The end of July was spent in Cedar City for a baseball tournament. The boys did really well, 3-1, but not well enough to get them into the championship. So proud of them though....they played some tough teams from Cedar, St. George, and Vegas. Unfortunately, Tanner managed to break his arm again in this tournament. He refused to go to the dr. for 2 days. I think deep down he knew it was broken. Took him to InstaCare and they confirmed it was indeed broken...followed the same path as the previous break. Mind you...we have less than one week until we are supposed to leave for Cooperstown for a week of baseball at this point. Needless to say, we spent a few days scrambling trying to find a solution that would allow him to play. I have to say TOSH is a lifesaver! They made a brace for him to wear to NY so he could play.


In August we packed up and flew to Philly. We spent one day in Philly before we headed to Cooperstown for Tanner's week long stay at the Dreams Park. In Philly we only had time for one event and chose to go to Valley Forge. What an amazing place! I was in heaven!! So much history. We walked in the house where George Washington lived during their stay at Valley Forge. The floors are still the original so I walked where Washington walked. Blows my mind!






We then drove the 4 1/2 hours to Cooperstown. The drive took us through some very pretty country. Funny...when I think of NY I think of big cities but a lot of it is actually rural. We had quite an eventful first night. When we arrived at the cottage where we were staying the people that owned it were in their home (a mere 20 yards away) having a knock-down, drag-out fight. The swear words were a-flyin! Such an uncomfortable situation since they knew we were there and chose to still fight. After many panicked phone calls we finally smoothed things over and ended up staying there. The next day we went for a drive around the lake in Cooperstown and saw a man on a golf course (we took a wrong turn and ended up on a golf path) chasing a seagull with his golf club, then proceeded to club it to death when he caught up with it. I tried to roll down the window to ask what that guy could possibly be thinking but Steve yelled at me to roll it up and peeled on out of there. I tell you....some NYers are very crazy!! The baseball aspect of the trip was perfect though! Really, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tanner played fabulous. He had a couple of one-handed line drives that actually caused the other team to cheer for him. During some downtime we went to the Baseball Museum Hall of Fame. What a place! It was a wonderful trip and I'm glad to have these memories forever of this trip with my family (my boss wasn't too happy I was missing the first week and I had actually pondered not going to NY).

Now it's back to school and back to spending my free time grading papers. I am also having to adjust to having a 7th grader. Oh my, I really don't feel that old! And my baby is in 4th grade. How did that happen? They both love school so far this year...let's hope I can still say that in May!

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