Summer Vacation

I think I would be rich if I could invent some sort of contraption that would slow time down in the summer.  How can three months go by so quickly?  Three whole months of sports, friends, sun, fun and relaxation.  I'm not sure, but they did.   And in those three months, I only managed to put together two blog posts.  Only two?  My kids started back to school last tuesday, Sept 2nd  (which is, and will be, a blog post of it's own) and I have finally sat myself down in front of the computer to catch up.

Although I didn't blog much, we indeed did have a fun summer, let me show you:

Warning: Here comes the photo overload

Action had a fun baseball season.  

A short break during a 13 mile bike ride with the family

Sassy's softball team played in a Nationals Tournament.  They placed 4th out of 72 teams.  

They played 10 games and Sassy pitched in every one of them.

Hanging out between games 

Sassy even got Smiley to pitch a little

A very relaxing day on the lake

When we were on a weekend camping trip with friends, this stray cat decided it wanted to be part of our group.

I celebrated my birthday with my family ~ and mmmm..... an ice-cream cake!

A fun morning doing a little painting at our local Color Me Mine

Some state fair fun which included seeing a not quite 1 day old baby pig, rides and treats to name a few things:

 And even when the summer softball season ends, the pitching never does.  Lets just say she is very happy her fall softball season has started up.  She didn't like having to take two whole weeks off :)

And it has been our tradition the last few years to make gak the week before school starts, 

this year was no different.

This is simply a snapshot!  There was so much more we did, more softball, more baseball, more lake time, more crafts, more playing, and great times with friends, bonfires, crafts, water fun and just time relaxing.  It was a great summer!  

Ordinary Miracles (9)

Did you have a good weekend?  I do hope so!  Today I am reflecting on the last week and remembering some of the Ordinary Miracles I was able to witness.  So many little miracles happen in our lives each day ~ a sunrise, a smile from a stranger just when you need it, or simply being able to  spend time with a loved one ~  I was able to stop and see some Ordinary Miracles and I hope you were too!

We found out 1 week ago Sunday that our neighbor, who was also the father of one of Sassy's great friends passed away.  And while his death makes my heart hurt ~ there are so many Ordinary Miracles that take place when a loved one dies.  People come together to raise each other up.  He was honored at a beautiful funeral and we were reminded to love a little more, live fully everyday and to laugh ~ always find a reason to laugh.  We also remember the value of life, all life, and how short it is. Cherish these days ~ good and bad.  My prayers to this family (if you wouldn't mind, I'm sure they would appreciate any extra prayers from any of you).  

Spring is finally starting to show it's lovely face, but with all the snow we've had, and still do have (actually, it is snowing again today!) it can be a bit treacherous on the driveway and sidewalks with all of the thawing and overnight refreezing.  Unfortunately,  Sassy found this out first hand while she was walking to the bus stop on Monday morning.  She slipped and fell....HARD.  Gloves went flying, the wind was knocked out of her,  and she was left holding her head and trying to catch her breath.  We decided to go back into the house and assess her ~ she had a big gash on her chin ~ one that ended up requiring 5 stitches.  Boo!  How is this an Ordinary Miracle you ask?  First of all, I was with her.  I don't always walk with her, but decided to on this particular morning.  I can't imagine what she would have done had she been alone.  And, she didn't break anything, her teeth are all intact and since she just started wearing contacts 1 1/2 weeks ago, she didn't have her glasses on.  I am certain they would have been broken.  See, proof that not everything that happens is good, but it is possible to see the good!

Tuesday night we learned Action's baseball tryouts went well enough that he "made" a baseball team in the league he was shooting for.  Bring on summer, it's hot days and dusty fields!

And, like I said before, the slowly and sporadically getting warmer and we were able to get outside and enjoy ourselves a bit.  It was fun to watch Action help his sister on her bike.

And simply lovely to just be able to hang out on the deck.  I "caught" Smiley drawing and enjoying herself one afternoon while I was making lunch.

Anyway, I hope you'll look back at your week and think about the ordinary things, people, places or happenings that took place in your life.  The ordinary that is usually taken for granted.  Tell me what miracles occurred in your life!

(See Previous Ordinary Miracles Here)

Embrace the Camera

It was a beautiful night, so we decided to go on a looooonnnnng family bike ride.

We took a pit stop at a beautiful location and I had my camera out and was snapping pictures when all of a sudden my hubby said, "Hey, give me the camera and I'll get a picture of you and the kids."
Ummm....

"OK!"

So here we are all hot and sweaty on on a fabulously hot summer evening:

Lets Spin!

On Wednesdays, I like to go to a spin class at the health club we belong to. The instructor is amazing. She has great music and lots of energy. The class is typically 1 hour long although she likes to throw in some 1 1/2 hour and 2 hour classes just for punishment fun.

I love to watch my heart rate monitor of course to keep track of my heart rate but really, I love to see my caloric expenditure keep on ticking ~ up and up and up! Yesterday was 723 calories and I didn't finish the entire class because I was tired and ready to be done some little girl doesn't like to be in the daycare at the club without her siblings! LITTLE STINKER!

Anyway, Action knows how much I like spin class and so he devised a way to try it for himself. Creative little bugger I have here.

Check this out:

He takes his bike and props up the training wheels.

AND

Voila ~ there you have it, your very own spin bike. He actually asked me to take his spin class! I think I might just need a bigger bike though!