July 4th 2013!

Another Oosterhous July the Fourth Extravaganza and celebration of Grandma's birtheday is in the books!  I'm not sure how long we have been doing this family gathering but it is one of my favorite holidays during the year because we get to spend time with Tim's family.  I am blessed that I have a wonderful family to which I was born in, and another wonderful family into which I was accepted into by marriage!

We had wonderful weather this year for July 4th!  Whoop Whoop!  Summer of 2012 was miserable due to the heat!  All of our family time was spent eating, playing sports, canoeing, fishing, playing in the river, visiting and MORE EATING! We do love to eat good food at our family gatherings!  The only thing missing from this year's celebration was Dan, Emma, Anna, and Drew!  We missed them so much but they were present in spirit and were thought of and talked about each day.  Because Dan had his second stroke in March, he was unable to travel this year, but I'm hoping next year we will figure out a way for us all to be together.  Not many people read this blog but close family and one day my boys. Boys, you don't have to look very far to find a super hero.... your Uncle Dan fits the bill!  When things have been really tough and the odds have seemed stacked against him... he has pressed forward with a positive attitude and unstoppable resolve to get better!  He is my hero... and of course your daddy is too!

LAST SUMMER: 2012

LAST SUMMER: 2012

Back to July 4th!  We spent lots of time in the water this year!  Lots of fishing took place and you guys even cooked several of the fish on a campfire and ate it right on the riverside!

Fireworks down the road were pretty awesome this year and a wonderful way to end the day of July 4th!  I really think these could have been the best ones yet!

Whereas pingpong dominated last summer.... this year it was THE BEANBAG TOSS!  And we finally officially named all of our gaming... the OOSTERHOUS OLYMPICS!

 It has become a tradition to go hang out at the Chadwell's cabin while they pack up to head home!  The kiddos had a blast!  A great ending to a great 4th!  Looking forward to next year!

Summer Sports Camps!

This summer kicked off with swimming lessons for the blondies at the water park!  They did great, and really just took the lessons for a refresher and because they enjoy it so much! Zac only went for the first week and then went to baseball camp!

Next, the two older boys participated in baseball camp at OBU!  It was soooooooo HOT, but the boys had a great time anyway!  This was the first time that we have attended this camp and it was so well-organized and the coaches were great!  The boys really enjoyed the week of camp... it came about the same time as year-end baseball tournament... so they "bball camped" in the morning and played games in the afternoon!

Finally, basketball camp for Nate at OBU!  I think he has been ready for this camp since the day he left last year!  Seriously, this boy has been anticipating this camp like no other.  He LOVES basketball, at this point in life it is his passion and he really is a good ball player.  He was exhausted at the end of the week but had a wonderful time and is ready for next year.  So thankful that Nana and Papa live in town and are able to shuttle him back and forth every day to the gym and let him crash at their house in the evenings!

Baseball Fever... Spring 2013

I was contemplating, just skipping writing all of the missed posts and starting with the present.... but recently, I went back and read several of my early blogs that are bound in a blog book and it was such a gift to have those memories in print... so I will spend the next few weeks trying to catch up!!!  Here is a recap of our baseball season... 3 boys... 3 leagues... 3 crazy months!

BEN
Ben Ben played on a team called the Titans!   There colors were red and blue and his coaches were his best buddies parents: Blake and Jeri Forga!  Love this league because it is so stinking cute!  Very few rules, everyone bats, no outs, everyone is in the outfield chasing after one ball, while some child is turning cartwheels and another plays in the dirt!  Ben did great and had a wonderful time and was most excited about the trophy received at the end of the year!

ZAC
Zachy moved up this year to the "big leagues" or coach pitch, which is actually a pitching machine.  It was a little overwhelming at first because of all of the rules.  After the first practice he told me, "I'm so tired of the coach yelling 'force here' and 'force there".... who is force?"   However, by the end of the season he had the hang of it! Also, his nickname was "Rooster" and he was the best homerun hitter on the team!  It was a great season and I enjoyed watching my little man play the outfield! 

 

NATE
Nate moved up to live-pitch (or as I call it kid-pitch) this year.  Nate tried his hand at pitching and actually has a good arm, but ended up playing outfield!  Nate is a coaches dream, because he does whatever is asked of him with out complaining.  He played outfield, which wouldn't have been his first choice, but he played the position really well.  He had a good year at bat this year and is just a really consistent little ball player!  Basketball has his heart right now, but I pray that he will continue to pursue baseball as a second sport because he really is good at it!  Another great season with a great group of guys and coaches!  Nate's team finished the year as league champs and lost in the semi-finals at the year-end league tournament!

 

Well, baseball nearly killed us (or me), we were at the field every night... either for practice or games, but it was worth it and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It was a GOOD season and I love anytime I have the opportunity to watch my boys play ball (and of course visit with the other mommies)!