Off to Camp Friedenswald

Madison, Jenna, Alexa, Peyton and Kiley are ready for camp!

This afternoon I took Madison & Jenna to Camp Friedenswald for Jr. Camp Week. We got there at 3:30. Registration started at 2pm and I wish I could have gotten them there earlier but of course I was working. I got off work early to be there by the end of it. I think we were the very last ones to register. At least we avoided the lines this way! They didn't have much time to settle in before camp officially started at 3:45. They won't come home until Saturday afternoon. They have been so excited all weekend. Madison has been packed since last Friday! Camp is all they've talked about. On the way up today they each admitted that they were a little nervous... about the night time tonight. Last year they didn't sleep well on the first night and remembered being too hot and then really tired the next day. They had a really hot week last year. This year it's supposed to be in the high 70's, low 80's, so the weather will be much, much cooler. I think they'll sleep better. Plus, they are in one of the brand new cabins and it has it's own bathroom and shower. I don't think they are roughing it too much. The girls asked me to stay for awhile once we got there. I told them I would stay as long as they wanted. Madison suggested staying overnight tonight. I guess I didn't mean that long! They soon caught up to Alexa, Peyton and Kiley within minutes after getting there and they had an all camp meeting within 15 minutes of our arrival that they had to get to. It was suddenly just fine if I left. They didn't even want help with their beds. I gave them both hugs and kisses... Madison yelled, "Send mail!" and they were off into the Peaceful Woods without a look behind them.

The van ride home was suddenly much quieter and I miss them already. (sniff)



Camper's Name
Camp Friedenswald
15406 Watercress Dr.
Cassopolis, MI 49031

One more picture

Nathan C's mom emailed me this picture, taken right after the group's celebration on the field. Don't you LOVE Quinn's face?? This will make me smile every time!

Camp Address

Madison & Jenna are heading off to camp this coming Monday, June 30 and they will be there until Saturday, June 5th. If they get 3 pieces of mail in one day, or a package, they have to get up and sing a song in a group. I've been told it's great fun.

If anyone would like to send mail, you can send it to...

Camper's Name
Camp Friedenswald
15406 Watercress Dr.
Cassopolis, MI 49031

Champions!

We didn't play our best, but what mattered was the score at the end of 6 innings... 8-7 in our favor. If we would have lost, we would have played this team again right away because the tournament was double elimination. Thankfully we didn't have to do that. Quinn pitched the first 3 innings. He ended up scoring the winning run after getting walked. After he scored, all the boys rushed on the field and one of them picked Quinn up in the air. It was so cute. We finished the season with a 16-1 record. Way to go Concord Berry Plastics!

Championship game tomorrow

Quinn's Rookie team plays Mancinos (the blue team) for the championship tomorrow morning at 9am. We anticipate doing well (our record is 15-1) but you never know! ANYTHING can happen in a game! Tony & Quinn have been outside pitching tonight... Quinn is going to be the starting pitcher and he is nervous but also excited about it. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow.

Today was a day to catch up at home. I took the kids went swimming for about 2 hours at our neighbor's in the afternoon. Tonight Tony wasn't going to get home from work until 7:30 or after so Madison, Quinn, Jenna, Nate and I went to watch Dylan's championship game. It was a close game. Dylan's team led the entire game until the last inning. They ended up losing. (Like I said, anything can happen). It's double elimination so they have another chance tomorrow morning in the final championship game.

Madison had an exciting softball game last night against the blue Concord team. We've lost to them twice this year. We were behind 2-4 in the last inning. Two outs and our 9th batter was up to bat (Taylor). She hit a ball to 2nd base who ended up muffing the throw for an error and scored Madison for the tying run and Jenna for the winning run. The girls went wild! And Taylor was the hero. It was so fun. We finally beat them!

Tony is going through the computer conversion this weekend at work. Rollpak to Berry Plastics (yes, it's been a year and a half now and it still isn't done). He is expecting lots of hours at work. There are 20 people to start the process at 7am tomorrow. He told them he was coaching his son's championship game and wouldn't be there until late morning. It doesn't sound like they were very happy about it. (Like, really not happy). Hey, this could be a once in a lifetime chance. Moments today are tomorrow's memories. He will be glad (I hope) to remember tomorrow's game, instead of showing up on at 7am to work on a Saturday! I know he made the right choice. Hopefully the "heat" won't be too bad when he finally gets there.

Well, that's all for tonight. I need to get this weary body to bed earlier tonight!
Happy Weekend!

Joy amidst sadness

Yesterday morning Madison and I left for Iowa about 7am. Aunt Lydia's funeral started at 2pm so we drove straight to Wellman for the viewing and changed our clothes there. It was so nice to see some extended family that we haven't seen in a long time. The picture in the top left is of the 5 first cousins that were there...from Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Colorado! We picked up right where we left off and shared plenty of laughter amidst some tears. Walking up to the funeral home, Madison said she couldn't wait to see if she was finally taller than her great aunts... and wondered if they would have a heel on their shoe to give them the edge. Aunt Neva and Aunt Fern were good sports and took their shoes off at the luncheon so Madison could measure up. We decided that Madison has both of them now... at least by a hair or two. Boy, was she delighted. My dad's side of the family is not known for their tall statures!

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The funeral itself was very nice. There were probably 40 people there... that was quite a bit more than what I was expecting. When you are 98 and have been in a nursing home for 10-15 years, you don't have a lot of friends to come any more. Actually we were delighted with how many came. I loved it when these little old ladies held my hand and told me a story about what they remembered about Aunt Lydia. Mostly from the sewing circle at church... and one woman even remembered the family's butcher shop where she worked. (She was pretty ancient herself). Penny read scripture and prayed. I gave a tribute; basically memories from my growing up years. My brother-in-law, Jeff,gave the devotional and did a great job. He put on his comforting pastor voice and it worked. Amy, Jenna, Mikayla, Haley and Madison sang Chris Tomlin's Amazing Grace version. Jenna played the guitar and they were awesome! (Some fast practicing once Madison arrived). These were the great-great neices... who also knew Aunt Lydia... although sadly her spry and healthy years aren't part of their memories. It was a simple and yet beautiful service. One of the quilts that she made draped the top of the casket. My mom had a little angel figurine sitting inside the lid of the casket. It was a momento for my grandma to keep. Her wings will glow at night. My mom thought of every thing. She arranged for a wheelchair van for Grandma which even took her out to the cemetary. Mom, you did such a great job. My work sent a beautiful planter with flowers and a beautiful card that made me cry. They are so thoughtful and I know their words come from the heart as Christian sisters. My own grandma has been on my heart and mind so much these past few days. This was her last sibling to pass away and surely the sister she was the closest too. Thank you all very much for your prayers this week.

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We helped a little with the moving process for Amy & Jeff's family last night and Madison and I stayed overnight there. We got to go and tour their new house. It is BEAUTIFUL!! It's neat to see all of their plans on paper, actually coming together in real life. They've done a great job and I'm happy for them. They hope to actually spend their first night there some time next week. Their house is sold and the closing is July 11 so they have some time.

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We didn't get to stay even 24 hours but it was definitely worth the trip! We brought home a surprise though... Jenna came back with us. It's going to work out afterall for her to go to camp next week with Madison. We are tickled to have her here! They are like 2 peas in a pod and will love spending the next 10 days together! Thank you Amy & Jeff for sharing her with us!

Iowa's Flood of 2008

Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, IA are two of the very hardest hit with the terrible flooding over the last few weeks. What we saw yesterday was "not bad at all" (according to my neice, Jenna) compared to what it was last week. Last week water was over stop signs, restaurants had water up to their ceilings, roads were washed out and the interstate closed due to water. We saw lots of water but it had receeded out of most buildings. You could see the dirty water line on some of the business' windows. This morning the news said that at least 300 homes in Cedar Rapids needed to be torn down... immediately to stop mold from continuing to grow etc... Can you even begin to imagine that.
I'm feeling very, very blessed right now.

Almost done!

The majority of Amy & Jeff's home is done. It's gorgeous! They are waiting for some decorative touches for the outside of the house, sod, and some basics inside. God answered their prayers with perfect timing for every thing (although the human side of them thought it was a SLOW process!) Ha!

A beautiful sunset tonight

Aunt Lydia 1/4/1910 ~ 6/23/2008

My great aunt Lydia passed away during the night. The Iowa nursing home called at 2:20am (I was afraid to answer the phone at that hour!) and again at 3:20am. She peacefully passed at 3am. The nurse assured me that they were doing everything to make her comfortable. Of course I couldn't sleep for a few hours! Mom and Dad were here and that's why they were calling here. Dad is the POA. Mom and Dad were going to stay until Monday but they left this morning instead, lots of things to do back home, and they wanted to go and tell my grandma personally this afternoon after they got there.


Aunt Lydia was a kind, sweet and gentle woman. She never married and she moved in with Grandma in the 70's (I think). It was pretty much like having 2 grandmas in that home. She was 98 and hasn't had much of a quality of life for many years now... mostly blind and deaf. My head tells me not to be sad, she is in a much better place in heaven now, her suffering has ended and her body is renewed. Today was her heavenly birth day and what a day of rejoicing they must be having today in heaven! My heart feels sad though. A chapter closing. She's ALWAYS been there. The circle of life is natural but painful too. I can't wish her back and I don't. She has finally finished the long race and she has won her prize. I consoled myself with this and didn't even feel any tears until the song/skit of "Come to Jesus" this morning at church. Wow. What timing.


The funeral will be Wednesday in Iowa. I'm planning on leaving early Wednesday morning right now. When you are 98 you don't have many friends left; and she never had her own family, we were her family. Everyone needs someone to grieve for them... for the loss of them. I need to be there with her neices/nephew and the greats and great-greats to remember her life.


A few words to describe my Aunt "Lydi"

Scrabble and dominoes
Chicken Gumbo over rice
Black tie shoes with a little heel

She helped me sew a wrap-around skirt for my 4H project. I have her sewing machine and stand (although the machine no longer works).
She taught me how to do embroidery. (I made tea towels for Amy for Christmas, with her embroidery floss).
Smooth dewy skin


Aunt Lydia has always been part of my life. I will still carry her with me in my heart.

Saturday's Recap

My mom and dad are traveling from Myrtle Beach, SC back to Iowa and so they stopped here for the weekend. They got here yesterday afternoon around 2pm. They got to see Madison and Quinn play ball today so that was fun. Madison played softball at 9am. They had an easy game and won 10-0 and finished in the 4th inning. Quinn's baseball game was at noon. They had an even easier game and won 20-1. This is the first game of the tournament. Tony is very "particular" about who he pitches and when for the tournament. He had Quinn pitch the final inning for Grandma and Grandpa... only using up 16 of his pitches. He is "saving him" for later in the tournament.

Tonight we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper. Yum!

Last regular season game

Here are some snap shots from the last regular season game. Madison and her friend Maddi both have brothers playing... although on opposite teams. This is also a good picture of Nate's mom, Shari, guarding the water balloon stash. Tony coaching Quinn from 3rd base. We won with the score of A Lot -to- A Little.

The picture in the top middle is of Dave & Tony standing together "to get their picture taken." I think they thought something was up... the boys were all giggly and standing with their arms behind their back. Dave tried to arm himself coming out of the dug-out with a bottle of water in the waist of the back of his shorts. Ha! That was a drop in the bucket!

Priceless!

Tonight ended the boys' regular season play. They finished 13-1 and are heading into the tournament with high expectations on Saturday! After the game the boys surprised Tony & Dave with water balloons and Silly String. Don't you just love this picture? More pictures tomorrow...
Leah

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers! Madison and Quinn are blessed to have an awesome, involved, caring, funny, teasing and lovable dad. He tells his children every single day that he loves them and supplies them with lots of hugs and kisses. After church this morning we went to Beppe & Pakka's house for grilled steak and chicken and then spent most of the afternoon outside. The background picture is a pig-pile provided by the kids today.

Bebe Gun

Pakka now has a bebe gun at his house... to take care of some pesky Starling birds I guess. He gave some lessons to the kids and Quinn spent much of the afternoon hunting Starlings. He didn't see a one of them though because he pretty much talked the whole entire time and scared everything away. Instead he used Beppe's windmill as target practice (with her permission). Madison tried it a few times but decided it was more of a boy-thing I guess and she moved on to something else.

Fishing

One of those things that Madison moved on to was fishing in the back yard at the river. Pakka dug up some worms for her (and accidently dug up Beppe's flowers) and they actually caught 3 fish. It was a perfect weather afternoon.... in the 70's.

Backyard Nature

There is a lot of things to look at in B & P's backyard. They have several different bird feeders. Here I tried to capture some of the many birds we saw this afternoon. The roses were grown in Beppe's flower bed. Aren't they beautiful?

Basketball Camp

Madison went to the Concord Basketball Camp last week at the high school from noon-2pm each day. On Friday they gave awards in 5 different categories like free throws, dribbling etc... She got ribbons in 4 different categories so she was pleased. It was a hot week but she said she was glad she went.

End of President's Tournament

Madison's team made it to the "Final Four" game, out of 17 teams, but we lost tonight against Middlebury 15-1. Ouch. Madison had a nice hit but the 3rd baseman made a great play and caught her ball in the outfield. (Shame on her!) Peyton is staying overnight tonight. Everyone is tired and I'm sure they will sleep well.

Love, Leah

Tuesday evening

Madison had her first drum lesson today at 4pm. I got out of work early so I could race her over to the high school. She was so nervous! The teacher looks so much like her soccer coach, Marcus. She had this silly little grin on her face the whole time. She told me later that she was getting the giggles inside because she was picturing her soccer coach giving her a drum lesson.

We went straight from the drum lesson to the President's Tourney, Game 2 against Osolo (Elkhart). The girls won tonight, 10-0. They played in Edwardsburg, MI. They didn't hit real well in general... lots of infield grounders... but they fielded very well. They play again on Thursday and if they win, the championship game is on Friday night.

Quinn and Tony had a game tonight too. Berry Plastics won again, 15-5. They continue in first place in their league. It sounds like they all played well. Quinn said it was "really, really fun" and that the game was a great one.

Madison and I got home at 9:45pm tonight. Just wanted to update you from the sports world tonight. It was a beautiful, sunny, evening tonight.

President's Tourney, Game 1 against Goshen

Tonight was the first game of the Major Softball tournament. Madison's team played Goshen, at the Baugo fields. We won 14-1. It rained at the beginning but luckily it didn't last too long. Tomorrow evening we play in Edwardsburg, MI. I'll have to check the newspaper in the morning to see who we actually play. My guess is an Osolo team.

Good night everyone!

Leah

2 out of 4

Today was the beginning of the NISL tournament. Madison had a soccer game at 9:45 against Shipshewanna. We won 3-0. Her second game was against Chesterton, IN and after leading 1-0 nearly the entire game, the other team scored with only 2 minutes left in the game. We ended up losing 2-1 in double over time. It was a really rough way to lose a game. The girls played their hearts out though. They played so hard and played really well too. As their coach said, "I couldn't have asked you to play any harder." Just one of those things. We ended the season #2 out of 5 teams. The #1 team lost today as well. Anything can happen in a tournament.

Quinn's soccer team lost their first game today at 1:30...1-3 against the Goshen Stars. It was kind of rough. One of their Hispanic boys got yellow-carded for taking Nate out. How can those Hispanics be so good?!! Tony and Quinn came back to Concord for their 3:30 baseball game. I hated to miss it but Madison's soccer game was at the same time. Quinn pitched the whole game (a first) and he had 9 strike-outs in the 4 innings. Our team 10-runned them and finished 13-2. I guess he hit a double and made 2 crowd-cheering defensive plays. We are in 1st place in his rookie leagues. Wish I could have been in two places at once.

How do you like these pictures? Madison was helping Quinn put on the sun-strips and grabbed his face to get him to hold still to look at her. I love the expression on his face. A couple of moms brought blue face crayons to get the girls ready for their second game. They wrote Madison's soccer nickname, "Mad Dog", on her forehead. Ha!

The weather was weird today. We went from chilly and overcast this morning to hot, humid and windy this afternoon. The wind kept us all from burning up and it really really helped. We all are sunburned tonight.

Twelve hours after leaving this morning, we were happy to get home around 8:30 tonight.

Still Alive!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted you to know that I'm still alive and kicking. I've been really busy with mostly work and softball. I never imagined volunteering for the Little League would take so much time!

Tomorrow we have 3 soccer games and 1 baseball game. I'll try and post tomorrow night. It's supposed to be hot and humid! I hope the day goes well!

Love, Leah