The Happiest Place

After 4 years, we gave up our Disney Ultimate passes after JT's 6th birthday celebration at The Disney Parks last year. We've definitely missed it but with JT in school and work we weren't able to make it out nearly as often as before so we decided not to renew.

One of our guys at Rock Steady, Klaus, was kind enough to sign in our family. We went the whole day from 9am-11pm. We hit the park like tourists and had a total blast!

Finally got to see World of Color and ride the new mermaid ride. We played in both Disneyland and California Adventure on what had to have been one of the hottest days of the summer!

Ready for Little Mermaid!

See him feeling sick?

Poor Mr. B started feeling sick toward the end of the night and I wasn't nearly as sympathetic as I should have been considering he spent the next 5 days seriously ill (So much that we spent time in urgent care!) I forced him to suck it up so that we could stand in line for more than an hour to see World of Color. Love you babe... and sorry again!

Our Dier Friends

Mr B and Mr Dier have been friends since the beginning of time. Best Men at each other's weddings, always in touch regardless of where in the world Airman Dier was stationed, we try to catch up as often as possible when we're in a 200 mile radius. They spent the last three years in Germany and while there, expanded their family by two sweet peas. We were so excited to finally get a chance to meet them while they were in-between moving from Germany to Colorado. Mr and Mrs Dier are the kind of amazing friends that when we get together, it feels like no time has passed at all. We count ourselves so lucky to be able to love this family <3

Sweet Tori

Little Man Will

Pals even before they were born

Riss and Mr B

Little Monkies

Hea Bug, JT, and Miss Riss

"Children reinvent your world for you"

My Beautiful Friend Mrs. Mabry gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! Mom and baby were healthy and happy. I was so glad to get a chance to meet him in the hospital.

Weeks ago, we attended the Mabry's sports themed baby shower. Mini Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs, Nachos and Churros! Yum!

Mrs M and I have been friends since forever. It's wonderful to witness such beautiful milestones in the lives of those we love.

I embellished cloth diapers/burpee cloths as one of our shower gifts. Though I forgot to take a picture, I also made hooded towels for baby and his big sister!

So happy for the Mabry Fam and their new addition <3

Why walk when you can cartwheel?

HeaBug LOVES gymnastics. She has been going for a year now to AGA in Signal Hill. She was recently named Gymnast of the Month for the Mini's Class which is 18months - 3 years. After that, the coaches decided that she was ready to move up to the Mighties Class which is for 3-6 years. Yup, she's 2 1/2 still. She is so into it though. I love that she's challenged and her wonderful coaches are great with her.

To celebrate her achievements she got to pick out two new leotards since her pink/zebra one is getting too small. She now goes out on the floor without me since Mighties is not a parent and me program. She's amazing!

"Sports should always be fun" -Charles Mann

JT attended 49er Camp at CSULB again this year. HeaBug also did her first session of swim lessons there. Her lessons were 2 weeks and I scheduled them to coincide with JT's Camp. It was funny because most of the swimming teachers knew JT from Sports Camp. He's going to be that guys, the one who knows people where ever he goes.

 We were at the campus from 11-1 every day for two weeks. Swim from 11-11:30 lunch on the grass and then drop off the boy at camp. We enjoyed home packed lunches on our picnic blanket. Laying and looking at the clouds or playing catch, it was good quality time together.

 Hea built a lot of confidence in the water with Ms. Kristin. She is pretty fearless so we try and give her as many knowledge and experience gaining opportunities as possible so that she can go through life as safely as possible.

At the end of her lessons her teacher told her to get her towel and meet her at the office for a special surprise. HeaBug completely straight faced looked at me and said, "I hope it's a dolphin!" Silly Baby!

The last day of camp, parents and families are invited to come for the day to see all the physical units they've been working on. JT demonstrated his swimming skills, gymnastics (which we knew he was good at) elementary games, and soccer. We got to request a friend to be put in the same group and he chose R Man. They were in the same group last year and then went on to be in the same Kinder Class. Little Homies.

We're so grateful our kids are able to enjoy these opportunities. They're naturally athletic and we are so proud of them!

"Dumbledore's Man, through and through. That's right"

We surprised JT with an evening at the movies. HP7, coming to a close. JT has always been (thank goodness!) into "cool" movies. We knew that even if it was a little intense, JT would LOVE going to see it. Sho'nuff. The B's dig it! Here's the little boy bug fighting He Who Must Not Be Named.

"You may delay but time will not" -Ben Franklin

It's freaking me out that i cannot seem to sit down and catch up on blog posts. I'm doing an ok job over on the school site, posting about the current events. I have a sticky note on my desk top of all the things i have to write about. Not like people are dying to know what's up with us but this has become my official family journal and I really want to be able to look back at 2011 and see the cool things we did.

Breeze reminded me that she owes me one more "Blogcation" evening. I have to figure out when I'm free enough that I can take that and I have to do it asap.

sigh.

The more I practice, the luckier I get. ~Jerry Barber

 Mr B and JT, doing the post camp recap.

JT attended Dirtbag Baseball Camp which was held at Cal State Long Beach. The baseball program at the college is quite impressive!

Dirtbags History
4 NCAA College World Series Appearances
18 NCAA Regional Appearances
5 Regional Titles
6 Big West Conference Titles
4 Big West Conference Player of the Year
14 First-Team All-Americans
15 USA National Team Players
2 USA National Team Coaches
36 Major League Players
16 Players in the MLB in 2010 season

From 9am to 4:30pm JT breathed baseball. He loved it so much that he still wanted to play catch when he got home. He was the youngest player participating and just about the smallest. The camp was in week long increments and had we know that you could do multiple weeks, we would have baseballed his entire summer! He gets along well with adults anyway but college guys get a kick out of him.  At the end of the week, he was presented with the Hustler Award, for working hard and always having energy and being willing to participate. JT was thrilled and we were super proud. Some of the coaches play for the Dirtbags and were signing gloves, hats, programs, you name it, at the last hour. What was awesome was that 3 coaches had JT sign their shirt and hat! The camp was intense but it only intensified his love for a game that he was born to play.

Even in the womb

Little f.y.i... in the delivery room, after my cesarean, the nurse brought JT up close to my face so that we could officially meet. He was crying and the only thing I could think to do was start singing "Take me out to the ballgame". Sweet thing stopped crying and gave me one of those 'oh, it's you, good' looks. Even if baseball is only something he does in his youth, if it brings him joy, mission accomplished!

Coming home from the hospital

Season ticket holder (ish)

Rally Cap time with Uncle Chris

Learning to run bases

Braves, with Coach Daddy

Dodgers, got him out at first

Twins, Sliding home

Go Dirtbags by the way. We're fans.