Since Rob had to farm all day Saturday, I decided to take the boys up to the Magic House for some much needed FUN time! The addition that was built on is just incredible and we had the very best time...even though the boys missed their daddy! We took our time and saw and did things that we had never done before there. And the new addition was completely new to us so we enjoyed every bit of it. Matthew & Jacob both said that their favorite part was the gigantic beanstalk that they climbed in. It was so cool. We ate lunch there at the Picnic Basket cafe and then played some outside in the water area. We just had the best time. If you get a chance to take your kids this summer...you should! There's a coupon in the Drury summer flyer for "buy one adult get one child free". The day was a perfect start to our summer vacation...even though Matthew has a couple of days left of school!

Baseball Game Recap

I must warn you...you're probably going to get bored with some of my posts on the baseball games...but it's my way of keeping track! Most of the time it will just be a little comment in addition to another post.

Tonight's game went well. Matthew went 1 for 3, with a double. 2 RBI's one run. He played 1st & outfield...he got several runners out at 1st! The great thing tonight was that several of his best friends were on the opposing team...and one of them caught one of Matthew's pop flies! They had fun...Matthew's team ended up with a win, 14-13.

Jacob's last day of Pre-K is tomorrow...it's kind of sad. But, I know that he is so looking forward to kindergarten so that makes it a little bit easier.

One more thing, yesterday, as part of a reading milestone, Matthew got to walk down to Pizza Pro to have lunch with his teacher. His teacher told me that he carried on a great conversation with her...something that she has seen rarely this year from him! He had a cheese pizza with a Sprite. And, the best part, according to Matthew, was that he got to drink his Sprite at his desk the rest of the afternoon!

Move OVER soccer...here comes baseball!!!

For a little while any way!!!! We saw the end of the 3-weekend soccer tournaments this past weekend. After winning 2 games and having a tie in one game, we were tied point-wise in our division with a Perryville team...the same team we had beaten last weekend in Perryville for 1st place! They ended up having a kickoff...which I absolutely HATE (hate is a very strong word...but I think it's appropriate here!!)...and lost. Ughhhhhhh. Matthew's team finished in 3rd place. The highlight of the weekend though was on Sunday when Matthew scored a goal...he'd been wanting to do that for the past three weekends but because he is normally a fullback he doesn't have much opportunity to score. We were just thrilled for him!

Right after the tournament Sunday afternoon Rob headed to mow some hay down and I took the boys to Matthew's baseball practice. Not so good. I bet Matthew tried to hit at least 25 pitches with the pitching machine and just couldn't connect. I could tell he was getting very frustrated. Things changed a bit last night when they had their first game. His team won 12-6...Matthew went 2 out of 2, both hits down the 3rd base line. He scored 2 runs himself and had 1 RBI. WOW...things had changed a bunch since Sunday at practice! Sorry for the details but I think Matthew's Uncle Sam might like to hear the play-by-play!



The school year is quickly coming to a close. Jacob's last day of Pre-K is Friday, and Matthew goes thru next Thursday, half a day. Lots of stuff going on...I'll try to post when I can!

Graduation!

Congratulations to our nephew, Zachary, who graduated valedictorian of is 8th grade class at Trinity Friday night! Way to go, Zachary...that is quite an accomplishment.

Saturday, Jacob graduated from Pre-Kindergarten at St. Paul. He was very proud of himself with his white cap on! They first sang some songs, did fingerplays and a pantomime (sp?)...Jacob did do the motions to everything but he didn't do much singing! Then, they put on their graduation caps and received their diplomas. So cute! Here's a few pics!

{Happy Mother's Day & Other Stuff}

Couple of things to share today, but, first & foremost, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of my friends & family who have been so blessed to be called "Mom"! I thank God every day for our boys!

We spent the past two days at a soccer tournament in Perryville. 2 games yesterday and 2 games today...we even had the priviledge of attending a church service outside at the soccer field today...it was just gorgeous this morning! And, best news of all...Matthew's team finished 1st place in their division! They were thrilled and we were so proud of them! Below are a few pictures.

On a very sad note...one of my best friends and former boss, Julie, had to have her sweet cat, Lacey Jo, put to sleep today very unexpectedly. Lacey Jo had been part of her life for 13 years. For those of you that are pet lovers, you know exactly how it feels to lose a pet. Please say a prayer for her and give your pets an extra hug or two.

Jacob's Kindergarten Screening

This afternoon Jacob was scheduled for his kindergarten screening. He passed with flying colors...he is so ready for kindergarten! One of the teachers that did his screening told me afterward that she had asked Jacob whether he had any nicknames, like "Jake" or something. Jacob said, "Nope, but my big brother shot a big "Jake" once"! We NEVER know what will come out of his little mouth!

Marion Soccer Tournament...A MUDDY, MUDDY Weekend!

We had a GREAT time this past weekend at the soccer tournament over in Marion, IL...despite the MUD! After the games on Saturday we hosed down at a car wash before going to our hotel...unbelievable! Here are the results for Matthew's team...he played a total of SIX games!

Jackson White vs. Saline Co.: W 4-1

Jackson White vs. Union Co. 2nd Grade: Tie 1-1

Jackson White vs. Marion 2nd Grade: L 6-1 (the other two teams that Marion 2nd grade played they beat 11-0 and 10-0...we were pretty proud with the kid's scoring 1! And, Matthew's team was the first team to score on them in two tournaments!)

Jackson White vs. Perryville Panthers: W 2-0

Semi-final game against Marion 2nd Graders (again!): L 5-0

Final Game playing for 3rd place: WON against Marion 1st graders: 3-0

So...the team ended up finishing in 3rd place out of 11 teams...not bad! Here are a few pictures of the weekend!