Branson!
End of the season!
Baseball and softball are winding down. Gracie had her final tournament with her team last weekend and Owen had his last game Monday night. He was actually supposed to play again tonight, but it was rained out and most likely won't be made up. Gracie's last league game was a week ago. I think most of the pictures in this post are softball/baseball related, so that pretty much describes our lives in June. I'm not sure what we'll do now!
Gracie with her friend Nora in between games.
Gracie was invited to play with a 12u team a couple weeks ago. A lot of the girls were from her team last year, who had moved up. They didn't do very well, but Gracie had fun with her friends.
Building walls
The same weekend that Gracie guest played, Nick started building our retaining walls on the back of the house. We have two giant piles of boulders/rock to choose from. Luckily the tournament Gracie played in was pretty close in Jefferson City, so we were able to get some work done. Nick borrowed a tractor from one of his co-workers and we have a good start. Not bad for a couple days with some significant breaks during the day to watch softball. This was also how we celebrated Father's Day. Fun for Nick!
Nick moving some rock
It's starting to look like a terraced landscape!
Can't wait to finish and fill these with flowers!
More softball!
Gracie catching in their last Monday night league game.
Nick is up to no good.
He soaked one of their players.
The girls with their coaches
Their team received 2nd in another tournament and were champions for their league they played in on Monday nights. These girls were fun to watch this year and went undefeated with one tied game under Monday night lights! We have been really fortunate to be part of such a great group this year! I'm so proud of Gracie!
There's my cutie baseball player!
Owen has done pretty well, too. I think during the past two games, he has gotten on base every at-bat. He still plays lots of positions, but says he likes outfield the best. These were taken a couple weeks ago, but I put last night's game at the end of this post.
Owen in the outfield
Branson!
A little softball and a lot of fun!
We left for our mini-vacation last Wednesday, starting at the lake to see my parents. We spent the night there to be a little closer to Branson the next morning. The reason for going was to play in a softball tournament, but it was more like a vacation with a few softball games sprinkled in. I didn't take many pictures of the actual games because it was about the same as the pictures I've been taking all spring. I did get lots of photos of Gracie and her teammates having a lot of fun though!
Bonding with Dad on first base
We had two games on Thursday to start off the tournament. We won one and lost one. All of the teams that we played were from different states (Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas). It was so nice to see different competition. It seems like we play a lot of the same central Missouri teams in the tournaments we go to.
Softball siblings. Such troopers
They get drug to all of the fun things we do. This was early on Saturday morning for out game. We won that game, but I'm not sure that Owen was paying attention to very much of it.
Gracie, Alyssa, and Brynn at one of the restaurants we ate at.
Swim time! The girls swam a lot at our hotel. It was so great that they got along so well!
Silver Dollar City. Here we come!
After the first two games on Thursday, we didn't have another game until Saturday morning, so we spent a lot of that time at Silver Dollar City. I think Owen would agree that sitting through softball was worth it to have all of the fun! Thursday evening was great because the lines were short. Friday we did the cave tour, which was awesome! Then the rest of the afternoon was spent riding more roller coasters and roaming the park.
Over Gracie's right shoulder is the only light that enters the Cathedral room, other than the lights that have been added to light the way. We could see all the way down. The guide played music while we were in there, and the acoustics were fantastic!
Gracie was reluctant to do the cave tour, but very happy she did. It was pretty amazing.
The guide warned everyone that it was not a ride and we would all be expected to walk down over 500 stairs and duck under rocks and then come back out for an hour. It was dark and damp in most places, but there were some lights to guide the way. The first room we entered was called the Cathedral Room. It was a huge open space underground that is entered through a sink hole.
Nick and Owen in the cave
This was another room in the cave. Occasionally the guide would turn out all the lights so we could experience how dark it really was.
Walking down the narrow steep stairs
There were some passes that Nick had to go through sideways. There were also some places that were only 4 feet high.
A waterfall in a cave!
I didn't get very many good pictures because of the lighting, but it was all pretty neat.
Gracie and Owen with stalagmite in the background
Gracie's shadow with cool cave stuff behind her.
I can't remember how many floors/feet we descended into the cave, but luckily we didn't have to climb quite as far out. There was a cable trolley waiting for us at the end of our expedition!
Back into the world with ice cream in Silver Dollar City.
Gracie got pooped on!
Good luck, right?!
Roller Coasters and Water!
I think the best part this year, was that Owen was tall enough to ride EVERY ride! He was a happy kid! They both still think roller coasters are awesome.
The Plunge!
I think Owen liked it!
Gracie and Nick. They both make me smile.
Oh, and maybe that little guy sitting next to Nick, too. :)
And 2 seconds later,
Climbing up the hill
Waiting for the Time Traveler
Owen riding with one of the softball players.
Relief is all over his face.
Nick was in a different car, facing all of the kids and said that Owen would go from terrified to almost crying, to giggling in less than a second. He said watching the kids on that ride was the best entertainment. That ride was not for me!
Out to eat at Lambert's Cafe.
Home of the throwed rolls. They really did throw rolls at us.
Gracie with her teammates
They all fit into one booth!
And the brothers
Owen has made some friends, as well.
Another picture at Silver Dollar City
Swimming fun!
Softball????
Oh yeah, that's why we came to Branson! So, we only got to play 3 games during the 4 days we were there. We got through pool play and were seeded second going into bracket play on Sunday. However, after arriving at the field at 7am Sunday morning, it started storming and didn't stop all day. Luckily they canceled the tournament by 10am, but it was still a bummer that we didn't get to play and have a chance to beat the team who beat us the first day.
Instead we went to get donuts.
Then we headed home. Very anti-climactic end to a great season.
At least they had a great weekend of fun together!
BASEBALL
Owen's season has also come to an end. He had a make-up game last night and was supposed to play tonight, but it was rained out. He has had a lot of fun playing this year and has continued to get better. Like I said before, I think he got on base every at-bat during the past two games. He has also made some pretty good plays in various positions, defensively. He seems to have a lot of focus and wants to play.
Chatting at 3rd base with Dad.
Doing some catching
Sliding into home to score another run
Making a play at first base
Owen's team - The Angels
NEXT!!!
Then...they will start swimming lessons! We couldn't fit it in last summer, so I have arranged for a private instructor this summer. I hope they get caught up. They are really comfortable in the water, but need to get better at actually swimming.
Right now my calendar looks fairly light for July. I will keep working, as usual, and kids will go to Adventures in Learning. Trent and Kimi will be coming to visit and we'll be going to Eminence, MO for a night. Should be fun!
I have really enjoyed helping teach the Student Success Course for Mizzou athletes. I have learned a lot about them and we have had some really good experiences. The first four weeks is done on Thursday and we will get a new group next week for the rest of July. Work is relatively slow right now and I will be hiring more tutors in July so we have enough in the fall semester. I will also be planning the orientation and training for all of the tutors in August. I really enjoy the down time, but am excited for the upcoming school year!
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