Wednesday, June 12, 2013

T Ball

Parker started T-Ball this summer.  He is playing for the YMCA and is playing with some of our good friends.  Our friends are on vacation this week so Travis was asked to fill in as coach for this game. Our first game was Tuesday right after we got home from the Chervenka's.
  Once the ball has been it, the outfield gets the ball back to first base.
Parker trying to throw it to first base.  
Each child gets to bat, no outs, and as many swings as it takes to get it past a certain line.
 
Once each player on the team has hit the team goes out to field and the other team bats. They do this 3 times.  
The crowd cheers for each player for every hit.  I was AMAZED at how many people there were and how "into" it they were.  This is 4-5 year old tee-ball for heavens sake.

Parker didn't go to far from the coach on this game.  Somehow he was drawn to him ;)

One of our other friends also plays on this team and his daddy was willing to help out this week also.  Our friend didn't want to stray to far from his daddy either!  Love this photo!


Parker loves Cars the movie right now and several times when practicing his hitting in our back yard we have seen him close his eyes and whisper something to himself.  Travis got close enough to hear one time and he talk hims self through all the steps.  Put my feet here, pull up the bat, put my arm back...etc...but the kicker is right before he hits, he says. "Speed, I am Speed".  Then WHACK!  He hits the ball.

He did a great job at his first organized sport!  We were very proud of him!

Peoria Chiefs Game

Hi guys!  It's Carson!  I want to tell you about my Peoria Chiefs Game experience...
Mom and Dad got free tickets for teacher appreciation night and thought it would be a fun way to kick off the summer.  I'm new at this whole summer vacation thing, but I'm not sure my experience was "fun",

It was dollar hot dog night, so mom got in line, and dad, Parker and I waited around the stadium for 34 minutes for a hot dog which no one but mom wanted, only to have mom come back and say, "ummm, once I got to the front of the line I was told it would be another 30-40 minutes because they had to cook the hot dogs." FOR A HOT DOG?!!?  So I didn't get one."
So I decided it would be ok since I was sure mom brought me the drink she had promised...oh no, by the way "the stadium was also out of lemonade".  

This is me, once I finally got to my seat, at the bottom of the 6th inning! Oh yeah, our seats were 12 seats in from the aisle.  Then it was us for 4 seats, and 12 more seats out the other way....Did I mention that we had a backpack, a stroller, a purse, mom, dad, Parker and I?
Parker ditched us and went to sit with his friend several rows ahead of us.  He stayed there for most of the game...the remainder of the game that is. 
It was OK though cause I got to hang out with Dad, and Mom.  This is me saying Cheese in both pictures.  

 This "fantastic" outing was only topped by fireworks at the end of the game.  Of which, the entire stadium was crammed into 3 sections for viewing.  I decided I DID NOT like the fireworks and had had enough "fun" for one night and promptly let my parents, brother, friends, and everyone around me in section 106 that I was DONE, and wanted to go home.  Dad and mom tried this trick of covering our ears, but I was not having it. 
Mom and I crawled over many people to get out of there and start out long walk back to the car.  I was OK with that though, since mom left the stroller with dad, she had to carry me the entire way. 
Gotta love summer baseball!
Bye!

The Cousins

We love our Cousins!  The boys had an awesome time playing and spending time with them.  The Cousins were so, so, so good with our boys, helping them, letting them play with stuff you could tell the didn't want too, giving up toys.  They were awesome!
Parker and his buddy here at home have begun to get into Star Wars.  Caleb has loved Star Wars for some time now so Parker was in Star Wars Heaven! 
Carson wants to be just like the big kids he just needs a little help now and then! :)
 


Carson LOVES Annica!


The boys loved the cousins big back yard with swing set, trampoline, sandbox, and lots of people to play with!
I loved the hammock!

Uncle Travis learned a little bit about soccer from Caleb.  They played for several rounds.

Hey, Uncle Travis, can you bounce us really high?  The cousins were Sooo excited...Parker thought he was too... 
only not so much.  Parker, we have discovered, doesn't like not having control. And the winner of the day....

Caleb=having fun, Tyler=having fun, Travis=having fun, Parker= saw that same horror movie monster I did at adventureland.  After this...he didn't want back on the trampoline for a LONG time!




We had a great time and can't wait to visit again soon!

Adventureland 2013

I haven't blogged in forever and I certainly now, am out of order but the most recent fun adventure we have had is taking a short vacation to go visit "the cousins".  Travis' sister and family live in Waukee, a Des Moines suburb. We thought we'd spend a few days there and hit up Adventureland while there.  There were 347 photos taken between Heather and I over 2 days...it was hard to narrow it down.
Mapping out the trip and in the car loaded to go. 



                                                                                This was Carson's favorite ride and what we are still talking about today.  FIE TUCK!

Parker wanted to ride the cars like at the fair, so we started small!
Then he and his cousin "Got their motors Running"

 I reluctantly got Carson on the Big Trucks.  He was ready to get off quickly so I had to keep him entertained...I think he might be a "non-ride" person like his dad.

I however am a ride person, love them.  It was my idea to do the adventure to Adventureland.  I learned quickly though that after you have children your body and tolerance to double spinning rides changes.  After my first ride, the scrambler, I felt scrambled, sweaty and nauseous. 

The cousins

We decided that the scrambler must have been a fluke, I just needed a cereal bar in my belly, so we loaded everyone, except my sister in law, who knows what having children does to you, into the teacups, another double spinning ride.  
Scrambler was not a fluke...
Love this photo. Boys in blue cup lovin' it.  Yellow tea cup....not so much...God bless Annica, she tried to have a good time..even with a nauseous aunt and a not so enthused young nephew who was clinging to his mommy pulling her shirt down yelling done, done, done.
 (This was Carson's last ride of the day, after this he said, NOOOOOOooooooo! To every offer and opportunity.)

Parker loved it so much he wanted to go again!  We let Annica and Tyler join the fun cup!  While Travis helped Carson and I get back to normal.  By the way, the scrambler was not a fluke, I can NO LONGER do double spinning rides. 

The Chervenkas and I rode the raging river, we tried to get Parker to agree to go but he didn't want to until he saw us right before they pushed us in to the water, 

So instead we took him to Saw Mill Splash
Up a huge conveyor belt to the top 
down a large, fast bumpy water slide. 
Travis and Uncle Kirk took him.  He absolutely LOVED it!  Travis said he belly laughed the whole way down and instantly said, let's do it AGAIN! 
  So we did.  Travis said I had to hear the laugh so we both got on with him.  Up, up, up!

The next two pictures have caused countless laughs in our family and I am not opposed to making fun of myself.  Note everyone's faces in this photo.  Parker= loving life; Travis = cool, calm and collected; Annica=a pro at this ride; Caleb= having a good time; Me= Terrified like I'm on some super coaster...

and the photo that wins the odd family photo coffee table book award...
an even more photogenic photo of myself.  We have laughed so hard at this photo Travis was crying and I had to use the bathroom!!!! It's like I've seen something from a horror movie...
I really did enjoy the ride, despite the photos.







We had a really great time at Adventureland and can't wait to go back again soon!  The boys did far better than we could have hoped and imagined; and Travis and I had a great time too!