This past weekend our family loaded up the truck and travelled to Rexburg, Idaho, home of Whoopee Days. Although we did not participate in any part of Whoopee Days, we did participate in the Madison Grand Slam Invitational Tournament. Taylor and eleven other boys made up the Caveman Crush, a team of somewhat elite athletes who were determined to have the most fun possible, while playing their sometimes best. Now let me brag. Holy Moly, my kid came alive! She has recently learned to bunt and to quote one of our coaches, who is not her father, "She has complete control of her bunt. She can hit it down the center, to first, or to third. Watch her." And watch I did, because she was the lead off hitter. {{Aarrggh}}. I will say it was really fun to watch the other teams react when they realized that a tiny girl was our lead hitter. And it was even more fun when one kid tried to intimidate her by plowing into her at first base. She was not intimidated, and he was out, because she held on to that ball. The poor kid whined all the way back to the dugout.
Because she made all three outs the first inning (only one assisted), and because she had a great bunt, and made some other good plays, the tournament officials named her MVP of game 1, and rewarded her with a coupon. The next game she got one for an awesome catch, and the umpire said he would have given her MVP again, but she sat out for the last portion of the game. Sitting out was her choice because she wanted to give another boy a chance to play first. She is very fair that way. Because of a rain delay, our team was not allowed the last game, therefore we were not able to compete in the final tournament (sad), but we had fun nonetheless.
This is what the coupon she earned was for. A Mini-Monster at Craigo's Pizza. Can you say heavenly? Taylor was gracious enough to earn three coupons, thus providing enough cookie goodness for the entire family. Thank you Taylor.
This is our team. They were such a fun group of kids. When they weren't playing ball, they were having a blast in the swimming pool or the hot tub. I told Taylor that not many girls get to be alone in a pool with 16 or so boys, and that most of the girls her age would be dying for the chance. She didn't seem to care. I told you she was a good girl.
Lest you think that poor Torey and Jake were stuck on the sideline the entire time, think again. They commandeered Grandpa Jack's "Jazzy Chair" and zipped it all around the park. I think they had a great time, or at least that is what the gigantic smiles lead me to believe.
So baseball is over for the summer, and we are somewhat relieved to be done with the running around, but more sad that another season is over. We love watching, playing, and cheering for our favorite teams and kids, and will miss it until next year!
The Statue of Liberty hosted us in New York Harbor as those "yearning to be free" paddled around splashing each other with water, and delighting in her welcoming demeanor.
Jake was ready to "aim high" as he relived the history of the United States Air Force...
And the three little patriots putted around even more historical sites as we golfed through all that America has to offer. We came across the Empire State Building, the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial (where I lost my ball to the water hazard - twice), and the Liberty Bell. They rode a roller coaster through Mount Rushmore, and enjoyed some cars on the Indy Speedway...
We are so grateful to our sweet neighbors who gave us this opportunity, and we had a delightful time. It was the perfect time of year to be reminded of the beauty and wonder that is the United States of America!
