Batter Up

Jordan is our softball girl. She absolutely loves the game, and it shows. This season she was lucky enough to have her busy dad as her coach which was a real treat. Kind of funny...in order to make all the scheduling happen, I sent the softball schedule to the executive secretary (person in charge of scheduling all of Tod's appointments for church). He did a great job of making sure Tod was available during game time!

Jordan made a lot of progress this year- she can really hit that ball and is also learning a lot more about fielding. Her team this year was really good...especially the girls. We are already looking forward to future softball seasons with this group.

Fourth of July Weekend- Part 2, St. Louis

On the actual Fourth of July, we headed down to St. Louis. Our first stop was at the famous St. Louis Arch. It is such a neat landmark. I had kind of forgotten that our kids haven't really been in any large cities for a long time. They were wide-eyed and taking in all the sites. I guess we are more used to corn fields.

We had pre-purchased tickets, so the wait wasn't too bad...but it was still a wait...and Snarrs are not great "waiters". We entertained ourselves for quite a while with the very neat museum there. We also hung out enjoying the air conditioning and eating old-fashioned candy sticks!

When it was finally our turn, the kids were so excited to go up into the arch. I had really forgotten how small the little hatches are that you ride up in...slightly claustrophobic, but kids don't think like that (I guess college students don't either, because I don't remember that from when I was there before!) The view from the top is truly spectacular and something to see. On the way down, the kids figured out that if they yelled loud enough, their cousins in the other tram could hear them. Things got loud and crazy!

Next up, we headed to the Cardinals baseball game. It was our first time in the new stadium and it was pretty amazing. Tod LOVES baseball and had been looking forward to this for so long. The little kids got a little restless, but we took turns with them and then Cole discovered that there were escalators all over the stadium. I spent the last few innings taking him and Regan up and down!

After the game, it was time to say good bye to extended family and start our long trek home. I have never really travelled very far by car on Fourth of July night, but for the first couple of hours of our drive, we go to see tons of fireworks as we passed lots of towns. It was really cool.

All in all, it was a great day (and weekend) full of memories! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for making it possible. I am really blessed to have some great in-laws. They are so much fun and every outing with them is enjoyable.

Fourth of July Weekend- Part 1

We headed down to the farm after Jordan's softball game on Thursday night. The kids were so excited to finally get on the road! They always look forward to our trips to Missouri for weeks leading up to it!

Friday morning everyone was up bright and early, ready to get outside. It was hot but that didn't stop everyone from getting busy. Ashton was thrilled to see her dog, Oreo. Tod got out on the tractor to get some mowing done and the girls took Zip riding around the yard and then sprayed him down. Because most of the hay is gone by this time of year, the rope swing in the barn had changed to a tire swing- still so much fun. Cole was in heaven with all the machinery- tractors, lawn mowers, trucks, the 4 wheeler, etc. After a trip to town, we went over to Megan's house to swim. Then we all headed to a fantastic fireworks show in the neighboring town.

Saturday morning, Cindy and I continued one of our traditions....an early morning trip to the Amish store to buy baking supplies. It is always so fun, and I look forward to our drive together and conversation. With my mom gone, Cindy has filled such a void for me, and I truly enjoy being with her. This trip was extra special because I received an early birthday surprise from this great lady...I was beyond excited...but I'm going to wait until my actual birthday to post details, so stay tuned!

The rest of Saturday was busy with more swimming, playing with cousins, homemade ice cream, riding in the pick up truck to the back fields (interesting!) and more farm fun.

On Sunday morning, the kids dressed up in their Fourth of July outfits to go to church (I made the skirts for the gals). I LOVE the color red and so taking pictures in front of the red farmhouse was excellent. The colors on the farm at this time of year are so vibrant- it's just a gorgeous place. The ward (congregation) in Missouri is so friendly and we always enjoy church there- plus we got to enjoy having Tod sit with us and not have meetings!!! After church, we relaxed and had a lasagna dinner.