Memorial Day Weekend

Eddy left for Milwaukee the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. I geared up for his departure by running errands to stock up on essentials like toilet paper, toothpaste, pantry items, etc. We also spent some good quality family time together.








Eddy's grandparents were visiting from New Hampshire, so they, along with his parents, went to the local Memorial Day parade. I think they had fun watching the kids get so excited!








We needed to get some updated pictures, so we did a round robin and got some good ones!




Piper lost interest in being pictures, but did eventually agree to one more.




We are so grateful that Great Grandma Pattie and Great Grandpa Carl could come visit!

A Different Summer Than Planned

How does the saying go... something about the best laid plans? That's what comes to mind when I think about our summer. Eddy has an amazing professional opportunity--he will be an assistant coach for a new baseball team, based out of Milwaukee, that is part of the Northwoods League. The League is made up of players that are mostly Division 1, with 30 players in the league last year being drafted by the majors. The team will be playing home games on a brand new, artificial turf, 1,500 seat stadium at Concordia University campus. The team plays 70 games in 75 days. He has two Sundays off and a 3-day stretch in July. The team is part of the Southern Division, so games will be played in Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, LaCrosse, Eau Claire, and Battle Creek Michigan.
What does this mean for us? Well, the kids and I (and sometimes grandparents, I hope!), will be making some road trips. I'm grateful for my new work schedule, so that gives me more flexibility with traveling. My parents are retiring, so they have offered to help. Eddy's parents have offered their continued help as well. We have hired a recent college grad to mow the lawn and a housekeeper will be coming every other week to clean. We have amazing friends and neighbors who have also offered their help. Right now, my biggest concern is being able to get my work outs in, as I'm running Grandma's Half Marathon on June 16.
I'm so proud of my husband. He's "thisclose" to being done with his final project, which means he will be graduating with his Master's!! Motivation to finish is difficult when there isn't an immediate benefit upon completion, and with him being so busy with work. But he's doing it! To be asked to help coach this new team shows his reputation in the baseball world. The head coach asked many people for opinions on who he should ask to assist, and Eddy's name kept coming up. He is going to learn a lot, teach a lot, make a lot of contacts, and come back to UWS an even better coach.
And I have to say, I'm proud of myself. I have been calm, taking it one day at a time (so far anyway!!). This is an opportunity that Eddy couldn't pass up, so we'll make it work.
We'll have lots of photo ops on baseball fields this summer, but this will be the last one of our family on our front steps until Eddy gets back on August 13 (unless the team makes playoffs!).

How Piper Napped

She INSISTED that she didn't need a nap yesterday and shut her bedroom door in my face. So I sat in the hall, waiting for her to come out. A little while later, I didn't hear any sounds coming from her room. So I slowly cracked open her door, turned my camera phone on and slid my hand inside the door and took this picture. Ha! "I don't need a nap", my rear end!




Sent from my iPhone

Mother's Day

I had a great day! Eddy had my requested breakfast in the oven for me when I woke up. Isaac gave me a picture and a sheet of "all about mom" that he filled out. He thinks I'm good at drawing elephants! He was so proud of his gift and I loved it! Eddy gave me a new running tank and shorts, running socks, and a water bottle that slips over your hand while running. They were great gifts! I think the outfit will be the one I wear when I run Grandma's Half Marathon in June.

Mid-morning we all got in the car with picnic supplies and drove to Hinckley. My parents, sister, and her hubby met us there. It was a beautiful day. The kids played on the playground, we ate lunch, and the guys played baseball.

Somehow, I didn't get a picture of my mom and I. Boo. And we didn't try to get pictures with the kids and I until just before we left. So the end results are below. I've learned to take what you can get when taking pictures of kids!





I am so blessed to be the mom of these two awesome kids. Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it is also the most rewarding. I check on them every night before I go to bed. It is during these moments when they take my breath away. They are so beautiful and look so peaceful. I think about all they learned during the day and am amazed at how smart they are. I love to see how their personalities develop. And there's nothing like getting an "I love you" out of the blue or hearing an honest belly laugh. And when they play together, it melts my heart. I hope they are best friends. I am so thankful that I was given the gift of becoming a mother.

Smiles

Often when we ask the kids to smile, we get the cheesey grin; we all know the kind. Or they cover their faces, not wanting to have their picture taken. But every once in a while, I am able to capture them with real, honest, non-posing smiles. The kind where you can see the glimmer in their eyes and they are just plain happy. I love those smiles.

Weather

Wednesday this week was gorgeous! I think it got up to 80 degrees. We were outside the entire day.


Friday we went down to the ball field to watch some UWS baseball. It was 40 degrees, but with the 30 mile per hour winds, felt like 30.





This is why our closets are overflowing--we have summer AND winter stuff out at the same time!