Summer Re-cap #2

I posted back in June about Wes' Spring baseball season and mentioned he was selected to play All Stars. Kris and I have talked for years about the pros and cons of continuing the season at this age.  We have been pretty set with our convictions, but decided to let him play this summer.  He had a great time and learned a lot by being on a team with lots of good players.  Being on an All Start team brought a few decisions to my attention that I had not foreseen me making! 

First up was whether or not to follow the team and sport a mohawk.  As the collage proves, I said yes, and Wes couldn't have been more proud!

Second up was wether or not to paint the van in support of our team.  Once again, as the collage proves, I said yes, and Wes was very pleased!

Seeing him sport his All Star uniform definitely brought it's excitement!  This was also our first team to play with that had t-shirts made for the families.  Not only was it fun for us to support Wes in this way, but it kept the game night wardrobe simple for this mama!  (When we were unloading at the first tournament, I got so tickled at Bankston Hays - he had tucked his batting glove in his pants...just like the big boys!)

The season ended sooner than we had hoped, but not short on memories.  Wes made new friends, learned a new position and several dugout cheers, and how much fun it is to WIN!  (And I learned that when I let go of what I want, it can MAKE a little boy's day!)

Summer Re-cap #1

Before we get too far in the school year and I look up and it's Christmas holidays, I wanted to re-cap some of our fun memories from the summer.

One morning we got up and at 'em EARLY!  We planned to spend some time at a local park and knew we had to get there first thing or we wouldn't be able to bear the heat.  We like this park a lot because it is rarely crowded and has something for all age

Favorites at the park:  Wes - rock wall, Ann Elise - swings and zip line, and Bankston Hays - tall slides

For several years I have wanted to take the kids to a water park.  I figured they would have a good time, but I wanted to make sure I could handle all three on my own.  This summer proved to be the one when all three were swimming proficiently and Wes could manage the slides without me.  We went to celebrate the first day of summer and were having a good time when it thundered.  We were disappointed we had to get out, but when they made the decision to close for the day they gave everyone free passes to return!  YAHOO!  We used our free passes to celebrate the end of summer - going a few days before school started back :)

Favorites at the water park:  Me - lazy river, Wes - potato sack slide (don't know what else to call it but it is like the sack slide at a fair - you just ride down head first on a mat), Ann Elise - tunnel slide, and Bankston Hays - slide under the dumping bucket

My sister and her family live in my hometown (about 3 1/2 hours north of us).  We get together every chance we get and our kids L.O.V.E. being together!  When we found out my brother-in-law had a conference on the coast we started making plans!  The one hour drive was worth it!  The kids had a blast at the hotel pool and us sisters enjoyed our catch up time :)

Every summer we participate in our public library's summer reading program.  It keeps the kids reading and provides us with an air conditioned activity!   This year we settled into the routine of "stories and snow cones".  After we finished perusing the shelves and filling our bag with new books for the week, we'd head down the street to our friends' snow cone stand.

Favorite flavors:  Wes-rainbow, Ann Elise - wedding cake, and Bankston Hays-rainbow