Coleman and the Ironbirds

The Players...

Coleman at the plate

and some of the Fans!

TJ holding Jack

Bridger, Benny, and Erin (so fun to have her visiting... I have more pictures to post on that soon)

Mom and Eliza (the one and only granddaughter)

So... my sisters are leaving me!  Brittany is moving to Seattle and Melanie is moving to Georgia.  Both their husbands are getting stellar promotions, so that is GREAT! But, I can't lie... I'm so depressed... seriously.  Griff is sick of me talking about it, and I have shed more than a few tears (like a bucket full, probably more than a bucket full actually).  I have had so much fun living close to them.  There are many perks to having your sisters live close by, and one of them is getting to zip over to your nephews' games.  A few weeks ago, we went to Coleman's baseball game.  He played for the Ironbirds and absolutely loved it.  It was so fun watching him.  And now that he is moving, this game and the pictures from it are all the more precious to me.  Coleman is bright, curious, fun, and the sweetest 6 year old you've ever met (7 this Wednesday, actually - WOW!).  I am going to miss him and every one of his brothers when they go.  

Black Hawk

Ok, so what's up with the weather lately?  Rain, rain, rain.  I do like the rain, but I have to admit I am more than ready for some SUN.  Luckily, we got out to enjoy the great weather that preceded this current rainy spell.  My brother, Matt, planned an awesome camping trip to Black Hawk before the foul weather arrived.  (THANK YOU, MATT!!!)  It was wonderful.  Perfect weather, beautiful mountains, fun company, horseback rides, lots of fish to catch... what more could you want?  Jack sleeping through the night?  You got it!  I was worried he would be cold, so I put him in EIGHT layers including blankies and clothes... and "Wahla!" he slept like a champ.  I had so many great pictures, I couldn't help but post a bunch of them.  Besides, they'll help convince you need to start camping if you don't already love it like us. :)

Cannon riding Chief

Jack "riding" Rio.  He loves horses.  He giggles every time he touches their faces.  It is the cutest thing you have ever seen. 

The three amigos: Cannon, Wesley, and Gabe

Melanie's boys came up with my parents since Brad was taking Melanie on a weekend get-away for her birthday.  What a string of fish!

Coleman with his first fish... cutest picture ever, I know.

Ok, this is definitely a rival for the cutest picture ever.... Jack and Griff both a little on the sleepy side first thing in the morning.  I love my two boys!

Our tent was a little snug with the pack n play, but worth it since Jack slept so great in it and couldn't really see us.  

Here's G and I!  Griff made the best dutch oven dinner: Enchilada Pie.  I'm a big fan.  I had no idea I was marrying such a great camp chef. :)   

My sister-in-law, Amy, ROCKS!  She is pregnant and still came.  We're so glad you're in our family, Amy.  Matt told a great rendition of our favorite campfire story, "The Coffin."  My dad used to tell it to us at childhood campouts... it brings back some great memories.

Here's dad making us some hot cocoa while we are waiting for our cobbler to get done.

Mom and Bridger

And these last two pictures are of Wesley and Gabe covered in mud and happy as can be.  I think they both had to be stripped down to their diapers before they could be put in their carseats, but are they not seriously adorable!!!

Backyard Barbecues

That's right, folks.... BARBECUE SEASON has arrived!  And I can't tell you how happy I am about that.  Griff and I both love backyard BBQs... even if it is just the two of us, which it is most of the time. :)  But when we can, we like it better with friends or family.  So we launched the season this year with our very own backyard BBQ on Memorial Day weekend.  (Never mind the late post - I'm slowly catching up!)  Matt and Amy, Eric and Brittany, and my Mom and Dad all came.  We have this great "stream" in our backyard (Ok, it is an irrigation ditch... but it looks like a stream), so we poured a patio right up next to the water so we could enjoy looking at it and hearing it moving along.  So the adults got to chat and enjoy the aesthetic qualities of our little stream, while the little boys enjoyed the more practical uses of water.  Like throwing rocks in it! :)  And of course, feeding these same rocks to Denali - well trying anyway.  She really is the sweetest dog. 

This first picture is of Wesley, who was more interested in an old planter we had than eating his dinner...

For some reason, dirty little faces just make me feel happy. :)

Here's my cute husband and barbecuer extraordinaire! :)

Brittany with two of the amigos... gotta love the finger up the nose! haha

The two boys seriously had a blast riding Nali.  You'll have to visit Brittany's blog for more pics and a video.  Little boys are so dang cute!!!

Uncle Matt and Baby Jack

After dinner, we had a campfire... complete with smores!  I love our backyard!

This and That

These first two pictures were taken at the state track meet.  Griff's little sister, Cassidee, qualified in FOUR events!  We had so much fun watching her.  Unfortunately I didn't get one picture of her!  Honestly... But she did break the school record and win second in state in the four-by-four.  We were so proud of her!

Gabe was hanging out at our house one day while his parents were house hunting in Seattle.... (Brittany is moving!  I'm so sad.  Griff, Jack, and I am going to miss them so much.)  Gabe was wearing some new shorts, and obviously I did not adjust the waist band appropriately.  I came around the corner at one point during the day and Gabe looked like this:  

Don't ask where the hunting hat came from, but he looks ready to go with all that camo... well, minus the naked little legs. :)

Jack recently learned how to put his binky in his mouth all by himself.  Half the time he doesn't get it quite right, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Can you tell it's upside down?

I have a ton of video of Jack jumping away on his horse.  It was a Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa, and he is a huge fan of it!  I need to figure out how to upload the video b/c it is so funny to watch.  He loves this thing!  He is mid-jump right here, and you can tell how intent he is.  I love it!