May Update on Our Life

One would think that adding a baby horse would be enough to keep us busy, but the past three weeks have been a blur.  Owen has had a trip to the emergency room, we have continued softball and baseball games, more pets added to our family, a trip to Iowa, field day and a carnival at the school, and the final Cub Scout Crossover Ceremony.

A few weeks ago at one of Gracie's softball games, Owen was playing tag behind the bleachers with some friend.  They were using a concrete half-wall as their base and Owen dove into it to try to stay "safe."  Needless to say, the wall did not move and it took Owen out.  He was quite a mess and we were concerned about a broken nose or possible concussion.  After about an hour with ice, we decided he needed to be seen by a doctor, just in case.  Thankfully, his nose was not broken and he just had a really bad bruise and some road rash.  It was healed within a week!

Owen at the hospital.  Nick said that he had a pretty expensive popsicle.  It was pretty late when Nick took him in, but he was a trooper and got up for school the next morning.

Four days later, he had a rainbow of colors on the right side of his face.

This was earlier that evening, prior to the Wall vs. Owen mishap.

Gracie is catching

Gracie up to bat.  Same game.

Owen is helping later that week.  He's the perfect weight to help drag the field.

Tournament time!  Gracie's team at a tournament in Columbia.

Finally!  Owen gets a turn to play.

Owen is such a good sport about going to all of Gracie's games.  He loves to play too, though.  I wasn't able to actually go to his first game because Gracie was in a tournament at the same time, but Nick coached and was able to watch him.  Since then, we have decided that it's best that Nick stay with Gracie's team and I'm going to help the little guys with baseball.  These pictures are actually from his second game that I went to and helped out at. He is doing a machine pitch level this year, which allows the players to hit off of a machine.  They get 5 balls to try to hit.  It's still very non-competitive, but they have a lot of fun and really look forward to the snacks afterward.

Owen at bat

Owen catching

He got a hit and then scored.  I believe that he slid into home for no apparent reason.

Here is a picture of Gracie with her friend, Brynn at a Mizzou softball game.  

They had just finished playing their own game and stayed after to get signatures from all of the Mizzou players.  They had a lot of fun.

Turtles!  Because we need more pets!

Nick picked up two turtles in the same day off the side of the road and decided to bring them home to the kids.  Gracie and Owen made a habitat for them in a plastic tub and they have been living for about a week and half so far.  Gracie has "Shelly" and Owen's is "Tiger Stripe."

Owen with one of the turtles.  His turtle is a little shy, so he borrows Gracie's to play with sometimes.

Road Race in Iowa!

Last weekend, I took the kids up to Iowa with me so I could run in Market to Market Relay with a group of girls.  The kids stayed with some of their friends from Huxley on Friday night and Saturday while we took turns running across Iowa (Well, 75 miles anyway).  We started in Jefferson early on Saturday morning and ended up in Des Moines by late Saturday afternoon.  It was a warm day, but so great to be with some running friends!  We had great conversations and a great time.

My friend Lacey and me riding in the van.  We each took turns driving while one of the runners ran.

Our team at the finish.  Three of us had run together before, and we added a couple others to the team.  This is such a fun day, and I hope we continue to do it!

Gracie spent her day watching her friends from Ballard play softball and basketball.  I'm sure that she wanted to join in, but she had a great time with her old friend.  Owen stayed with some of our previous neighbors overnight on Friday and had been talking about it for at least a week prior to going.  He was so excited to see Jonah, Landon, and Logan!  They always have plenty for the kids to do there.  Saturday afternoon, he joined Courtney with her family and played with Hadley down by their pond.  

Hadley and Owen playing in the sand

The next day we had brunch with Grandma Jeanne at the country club that my cousin Nick belongs to in Clive.  It was great and so good to see Grandma, even if it wasn't for very long.  

Gracie and Owen with Grandma Jeanne

My cousin, Nick, giving rides on the golf cart

We have continued with a crazy schedule for the past week, which included adding another new member to our animal family.  But I already discussed that in my previous post.  Both Gracie and Owen played games on Tuesday night and Thursday night, and Owen had his final Cub Scout meeting for this year.  The ballgames get interesting when they are at different ball parks and Nick and I both have to coach.  

These pictures are from the Crossover Ceremony for Cub Scouts.  Owen officially became a Wolf.  We will hopefully continue with scouting when we move to Ashland later this summer.

Owen receiving his new neckerchief.

Nick announcing the boys who have earned all of their requirements to move up.

Proud mom, with Owen

Owen's den

Carnival and Field Day at New Haven Elementary

The Multi-age classes held a carnival on Thursday at their school in the morning before they did their field day in the afternoon.  Owen was stationed at the popcorn booth and I helped with cotton candy.  The students were split up into two groups and half of them did the games for an hour, then they switched.  They seemed to have a great time.  Then in the afternoon, the whole school did their field day.  There were 10 stations that each class rotated through with activities and games to play.  I will remind you, that this full day of activities happened to be the day that Gracie and Owen were awake before 5am to watch the birth of their new horse.  Then played ball games later that night.  I'm sure they were exhausted by the time we rolled into our driveway at 9pm.

Owen doing target throwing at the carnival

His group selling popcorn.

Progress on Our House!!!!

We made a trip to Ashland yesterday afternoon in hopes that we would see the framing started, and it was!  I was so excited to see the start of our house.  The basement has been framed and the floor of the main level was laid.  Gracie and Owen also showed some enthusiasm when we arrived.  Of course, they ended up in the mud again, as it had rained earlier in the week.  They both always manage to do that.

This is the back, lower level of the house.  The middle hole will be a sliding door and the two holes on the outside are windows.  The window on the left will be a bedroom and the other will be in the family room downstairs.  Nick, the kids, and the workers are standing on the main level, which will be framed next week.

A closer look at the walkout.

Owen peeking through the floor joists.

Gracie and Owen in the spare bedroom in the basement.

A view for whoever comes to visit and stay with us.  And, there's Gracie playing on the rock pile and in the mud.

View of the pond and timber from the main level of the house.  

This is looking out the back of the house.

Driveway toward the house.

A few other things...

Owen chaperoned Gracie's field trip to Rockbridge State Park.  The 3rd grade classes went hiking and exploring in the caves for a few hours during the day.  They also packed lunches to have a picnic at the park.  Gracie was so excited to have her dad with her.

I can't resist!  Here are a couple more pictures of the new cutie that we have. 

Thor and Mama Sonita

Thor resting

Sleeping in the straw.  It's tough being born.

I guess that's the past month in a nutshell.  It's been busy, but it's so great to have a lot to do.  I am off of work for a couple more weeks and then start the summer session for Mizzou.  The kids are done with school on Thursday this week. Gracie's team had two softball games today, which were close, but we lost.  We have at least one more tomorrow.  Next weekend we have nothing in our calendar, which has not happened in months, it seems.  I'm hoping that we can either go camping or go spend some time at the Ozarks in the pool, or both.  I'd take any of it.  I'm just excited to have a family weekend!  Nick suggested that we start putting up fences for horses, but I doubt that happens.  That probably involves a little planning ahead, which doesn't exist for Nick when it comes to doing things outside of his job.