Kayson - Baseball - That's a wrap!!!

We are officially done with first season of baseball for Mr. Kayson and the Iowa Sticks 9u Black team.  Last night was it... the final game against a really good team battling for league champions.  Our team came out a little slow (which is normal) - the other team had a REALLY good pitcher, which always gets us in a funk... but soon, we were out of the funk, making plays, hitting the ball and scoring. 

The game was neck and neck the whole time... and at the time limit, we were tied.  We continued due to it being a league championship game, and both teams wanted to keep going.  2.5 hours of play - a great couple plays by us - and we won!!!  It was such a long game... but so exciting at the same time... and all of us just wanted a win!!

Those boys played hard and battled hard... and I teared up a couple times just watching (and still thinking about it).  They've all improved so much... they've made new friends... and learned so much.  I would say that's amazing.  I'm so proud of Kayson and all he's done, and how much HE alone has improved.  It's been so much fun watching him!  Just thinking back to our first tournament (in the 35 degree weather against TOUGH teams) - it was an awful day!!! ... and now look at us, winning, playing so well, hitting the ball!!  So fun.

I'm sad that it ends for the Iowa Sticks team...  we've gotten to know most of the parents too, so that's been extra fun for us Moms and Dads!  I just hope and pray Kayson gets another opportunity next year to make another team, and potentially get chosen for a team with some of these boys!  THAT would be awesome.

A few pics from last night.
LOVE it.

 

Cupcake for the win!  Thanks to Zach's Mom!

 

SUPER proud Mommas!

 

Jaden, K and Hud!

From here... we move onto second season.  Kayson was asked to play second season with a bunch of his friends (I think he knows 6 of them on the team?)  Anyway, it's a collaboration of a couple teams - they are going to just play 10 games/5 nights (so yes, double headers) and have fun.  Or at least that's the plan!  ha.  No tournaments/no practices... so hopefully just fun, and relaxed... but keeping him at ball and practicing on our own.

Should be fun!

Cora & baseball

Cora really has been a champ at all these baseball games over the past couple months.  Sure - she's had her moments of not being very happy, needing to pee at the most inopportune times, or just bugging the crap out of me!!!  But she's 5.  and she's a girl. and sometimes baseball is boring (when you are there for hours!)  :)

Over the past weekend, she did well.  The weather helped (not being so hot)... so she did good, kept busy with coloring, or just walking around, or playing with her iPad, or 'walking her dog'.  Yes, she brought a stuffed dog (with a leash), and 'walked' it Saturday.  It was hysterical.  :)

So I have to give a shout out to her.  and show off some cute pics of her over the past couple days.

Not a raindrop in the sky.

See... walking her dog.  :)

New Pastor!!

Today (earlier this week) our new pastor started at our church!
This is so exciting... and has been such a wait!
Pastor Loren Strait started... and everything went well (according to Ryan).  He and Cora went to church, while I was at the game with Kayson this morning.  Huge bummer that we all couldn't be there... but that's the way it goes.  Until more parents complain about having baseball games on Sunday mornings - we'll continue to divide and conquer on days like this!

Anyway, it was good to hear that it went well, and I'm excited to hear his sermon next Sunday. 

Weekend - State Baseball

The weekend is finally over.  I should never say that out loud, but man, it's been a long one!
We started our weekend Friday morning at the baseball fields.  I can barely remember it, cuz it seems like forever ago!
We had our first round of 9uAA State baseball.  We played two games Friday... beautiful, calm, cloudy, nice weather... but we couldn't turn out a win on Friday.  The kids were frustrated, as the parents.  They play well, then they get so down!... and can't get back up. 

Friday night we grabbed food out and headed home...  quiet Friday night at home. 

Saturday was a new day!  We lost the first game, again... but came back with our second game with a big win.  The kids were 'new' kids that second game... had the energy we needed and did so well.  I don't think I've seen so many smiles from them!  It was fun!  A warmer day, but such nicer weather than we've had lately!

Saturday night we headed home...  needed to eat, so met Holly and Mike and kids out for Mexican and then they came back to the house and we just sat outside for an hour or so while the kids played.  I don't know how Kayson had any more energy!  ha.

And since we hung on for that second game, we played again Sunday. We did lose that game...  not much energy that time around, but some good things too.  It was a good three days, but I think we all wish we would have had a better outcome (or at least more 'ups!')

Following the game Sunday, Coach Matt invited us all out to Glen Oaks to swim/hang out.  We ended up doing that...  super nice of him, and Kayson was begging to go.  The weather was a little unsettling, with some rain, but then good chunks of sun - so we chanced it... and it ended up being beautiful there.  Kayson and his baseball friends swam/played for hours!!!  Cora went too... and she played really nicely by herself in the shallow end.  (I was super pleased).  

Anyway... overall, good weekend... and exhausting!!!  We have one more league game for sure, and possibly another one or two make up games, but not sure if those will get scheduled. 

It's been a good season with the Iowa Sticks - lots of learning, and improving.  And in my opinion, that's what matters.  Kayson had fun too. Good memories. 

RIP Cocoa

For some reason, I felt like I needed to write about Mom and Dad's dog, Cocoa.  We lost her Saturday morning, June 16, 2018.

She was a chocolate lab... and an amazing dog.  I like dogs, and have had dogs in my life, but Cocoa was a super dog.  She showed up at Mom and Dad's farm about 9 years ago.  Mom, at the time, was not impressed with her... and they decided to take her to the vet to see if anyone would claim her.  About a week later (I think), the vet called Dad... no one claimed her... and he went to get her.

Soon that dog became Dad's best friend...  she was awesome. She became a friend of all of us!  And what's the best thing about that dog - is she soon became Mom's best friend when Mom started showing signs of Alzheimer's.  Cocoa was right by Mom's side all the time, she was protecting her.  It was amazing.

And when Mom was really bad, and had not very many things nice to say to... well, anyone...  she did have nice things to say to Cocoa.  Again, best friend.  That dog did no wrong in her eyes.

Last Fall, Dad started to notice that Cocoa was losing some weight and not really 'active'.  She got through the winter, and then Dad took her to the vet maybe in March?  No tests were done, but the vet thought maybe she had had a stroke (which had slowed her down a little), and possibly had a tumor in her stomach.  Dad didn't want any tests done, and just wanted to live a life with Cocoa as well as they could...  Dad said about a month ago, Cocoa seemed to perk up a little, was eating more and putting on weight.  But she passed late Friday night/early Saturday.  Poor thing.  And poor Dad.  He was devastated... heart broken that he wasn't there with her.  The whole thing just breaks my heart...  now Dad really is alone at the farm.  

When we got home Saturday from Lake Rathbun, and after K's baseball games, I sat down with Kayson and told him the news.  He cried and cried.  Man, that broke my heart.  He loved that dog too.  He was so sad.  Then shortly later, we told Cora.  Her reaction was much calmer... and simply said, "Well, now she's with Grandma Cheryl."  Yep, you are right sis.  Two different outlooks.  I love those kids.

Here are a few pictures I had of Cocoa.

such a pretty dog.

Just this last Christmas.

Hardy Vacation 2018

The time has come and gone already...  we planned a little vacation for ALL of us Hardy's a year ago.  I knew it would come fast... and go by fast.  Totally true. 

Thursday late morning, we all got on the road.  Our drive to Lake Rathbun (Honey Creek Resort) was only about an hour and 45 minutes (but we drove in some hard down pours and stopped once, so it took us a couple hours-ish).  My sisters and dad's drive is about 3 hours-ish.  

We got there first, got settled into our cottage (which was perfect)... and then we just kind of relaxed a little.  Soon enough my sisters and Dad arrived...  they got settled into their cottages, and we were off.  We went to the indoor waterpark Thursday late afternoon... kids loved it and didn't want to leave!  We then went back to our cottage and grilled out - burgers, dogs, tons of sides and tons of laughs.  We just hung out Thursday night around the fire, played bags and Kayson, Ryan, Jeff and Lindsay went fishing for a little bit.  The rest of us hung out, then we also went for a super long walk...  it was a great little night.  

The kids LOVED their bunk beds in our cottage!

The kids both caught fish!!!

Friday we first went to the beach to hang out.  Super hot weather already at 10am!  The kids played in the water, the guys 'sun bathed'!, us big girls played some sand volleyball... super fun morning. 

We were hungry by noon... so we grabbed our lunch at one of the cottages, and cooled off.  Just kind of hung out for a bit.  Then we had rented a pontoon.  So a bunch went on that, then the rest of us went back to the waterpark, but we couldn't play there because someone had an 'accident'.  Gross.  So we went back to the beach for a bit.  Then my kids and Ryan wanted to do the pontoon... don't blame them.  However, I could tell my kids were already so exhausted, but it didn't matter!  :)  They went and had fun and fought through it!  Both kiddos did the tubing... and had a blast.  I stayed off the pontoon, cuz it's just not 'me' - I get nervous, and knew if my kids were there too, I'd be a wreck and I would make it not fun for them!  So I found some shade with Ashley, Sean, Jill and Dad and we visited for a while.  So nice.

Friday night we ate again at our cottage...  and by this night we were all pooped!  Wiped out.  We didn't eat as much, we didn't drink as much... and we were all back to our cottages at like 9pm!  Tired everyone!!   Which is fine.  It was a great full day of fun and memories. 

a picture I will treasure forever.

Saturday:
unfortunately, Kayson and Ryan had to wake early and head back to DSM for a baseball tournament.  This tournament wasn't scheduled earlier in the season, so I thought we were totally set, but Coach added it about 3 weeks ago.  I was so bummed.  Ryan and I both knew K needed to be there, because we had missed Friday's game AND we can't just be missing... we signed up for this, so we are trying to teach him that we follow through will commitments.  I was still bummed about it... 

Basically Saturday morning was packing up and we all met up for breakfast at the restaurant at the resort.  While we were eating, Dad got a call that his dog passed... and it all just put a huge halt and sadness on us all.  I lost my appetite and just felt awful.  Dad was devastated and heart broken.  But he also knew Cocoa was sick, but so sad that he wasn't there.  

After awhile we knew she was up with Mom in heaven, and that made us smile.  Mom LOVED that dog... 

Anyway... we got all packed up and were back on the road about 10:30 Saturday morning.  

We had such a great time... and so did Dad.  We made some good memories, and just really enjoyed each other. We had such a good dynamic with my family - great ages of kiddos, and enough to talk about and laugh about!  It just was great.  We are already talking about doing it again!!  (which makes me SO happy!!!)  we'll have to book it soon though!  :)