Little League 2019

Little League was a blur for us, beginning in late April and continuing through late May. The kids both had fun teams and wonderful coaches. We are so grateful for those who volunteer to be with our children!

Shannon was in her first season of coach-pitch, which turned out to be machine-pitch. She was a fierce lefty at the plate!

She made some good plays on defense and got lots of high fives from Coach Noga.

 Working on her swing on deck with her Pops coaching first behind her.

Running the bases with focused intensity!

Part of the fun of little league is enjoying the games with family and friends. Grandparents were regular supporters. Uncle Kevin even made it one night!

 Both Miss Mayer and Ms. Byington came to watch Shannon play.
Her heart was full!

Mitch played his first season in Minors, which is kid-pitch. It was a new challenge. He loved to catch and played a lot of first and third as well.

Also a strong hitting lefty, Mitch is focused at the plate.

 He did some pitching and mowed down many a batter! Always had the tongue of concentration in play...

A rare smile. His dad helped coach along with Coach Vasquez and we enjoyed the season.

The nice part about these ages is that the games are played at the same complex. Even when we had overlapping games, it was possible to run back and forth.

Mitch and Coop had their teacher, Mrs. Harris, come watch as well!

We enjoyed the season and love watching our kids play ball!

Ohme Gardens

We enjoyed a Memorial Day hike through Ohme Gardens today.

 The weather was perfect for the kids' inaugural visit.

 The flowers were in full bloom - and our son was bonkers.

 Forced cheesiness

 We walked every trail - and some twice!

 The Ohmes were lucky not to have views of warehouse roofs or the sound of big rigs, but oh, what impressive work and vision!

We enjoyed just sitting for awhile at Hidden Pond.

 He really wanted to get in the ponds...

 The kids were always in search of fairies and gnomes, and were happy to find books at the little free libraries.

  We wrapped up the afternoon with a stop at the river for lunch and a cold dip, followed by a visit with the Pobst Grands. 12.5 days of school remain...

Stanfield Graduation 2019

I was honored to be asked to speak at Stanfield's commencement on Saturday. This class was the first I ever subbed for when I started in 2006 (kindergarten music!) and they were freshman when we moved. I took them to DC on my final trip with Mom as the chaperone. I love them.

It was a fun time for me to see kids and families - kind of bittersweet as I know it's the end of being part of the SSS story. Few classes afterward knew us and they've moved on, as they should. 

 When Elias asked me to be the speaker, I serendipitously found a Declaration of Independence written by some of them. It was awesome and practically wrote the speech for me! They liked being featured. 

 Vivy and Allie went to DC with me.

Cody was another Declaration author.

Afterward Marilyn, Kirsten, Tyler, Brad and I had lunch and visited. It was wonderful to be together. Brad then saved the day by helping me out and being Bryan's stand-in. Such good friends and fond memories of our time in Oregon.

Family Gathering

The family gathered in Wenatchee for an early mother's day lunch and support for Grama. The transition to memory care is a challenge and Grampa is adjusting as well as can be expected. Grama is, too. 

 We spent some time outdoors tidying up the shared garden. Shan found painted rocks!

 Gramps helped us clean up the dead wood from past blooms. He was very complimentary of everyone's hard work. 

 We loved having Russell P drive over for the morning. He is so dear.

And Kevin was with us for a few days! His presence was so helpful, reassuring, and he is always a joy to spend time with! These two might be related...

 

The crew getting it done!

 Gram's cat needed her nails clipped so she'd stop making Grama bleed. She was pretty compliant in Russ's capable hands.

This summer will be 69 years of marriage and their love story continues. 

Shannon's Field Trip

Shannon and the 1st grade had a field trip to the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum. It was awesome! Grama A came along as a chaperone and both she and Shan were mightily impressed with the whole outing.

 There were quilting lessons,

 and butter churning,

 milking cows,

 washing clothes,

and making sauerkraut and fry bread. They also played with old toys, ground flour, picked apples and had tours by wonderful docents. It was a big hit!

May Day