Last full week of baseball

 Last week of baseball THANK GOODNESSS!  Every kid on our team has had small victories and has grown, but I am so ready to be done.  I don't know how some of these travel ball parents do it all summer long.  

We had a super close game with a loss of 10-9 and a super big blow out of 15-0.  Our team has lost every single game this year but again lots of growth by every player, including Andrew who finally made contact and sent it foul:(.  We have been discussing next year and we are kind of not sure what to do. If we could have the same players, it would be worth it, but we have to redraft every year.  Plus, we have not had time for the race track at all which means our cars have had little issues that would have been caught in practices, not on race days.  My kid LOVES racing but does not love baseball.  Decisions.

It's been and up and down week with Deuce.  While his neurological symptoms have almost resolved, the open wounds caused by the antibiotics are horrible.  I am NOT a vet, so bandaging and doing all the things they want me to has been tough.  I've done my best, but sometimes my best has hurt him and we have decided to just let the wounds be open to the air and try our best to keep them clean.  Somedays he wants to eat and be active and some days he doesn't, and I am just trying to let him do his thing and not worry.  He wasn't uber active before all of this happened and I have to keep reminding myself of that.  My main goal = NO PAIN.  If we can't control pain or if we are causing pain we are done.  

Lots of rain this week so lots of rainbows.  Also, the heat has been miserable and oppressive again this week.  Can we just fast-forward to fall?????  All the rain screwed up my running schedule, but I did get 3 runs in, just in an odd fashion.  I got one run done post work around 9 pm in the heat with lower humidity.  

I also didn't get up very early Saturday morning, so I suffered again with sun + heat + humidity. I got 5 miles in by the skin of my teeth and had to dump Boom off at mile 3 so he could cool down at the shop.  

I also got in a run on Sunday.  It was absolutely lovely out and I wish summer would stay like this.    I am still doing loops in our industrial park for me to have a bathroom and or AC within a 1.5 mile loop. It helps me mentally to know that my "aid station" is near, especially with Boom on board.  I decided on Sunday to actually go out on our running route and get an out and back since we were blessed with MUCH lower temps.  Boom did great and 6 miles felt like home.  Amazing what lower temps can do for you mentally and physically.

Andrew also had his 6th camp invention this week.  He for sure didn't want to go, but by the end he didn't want to stop.  They really let him let his creativity out and I think that helped this year.  He somehow in his free time made a buzz lightyear costume and I can't not love it. 

We also are going to try a new sport.  Andrew has always shown an interest in golf and I love that, but I didn't want to have to drive him to the other side of Manhattan for lessons.  Our local country club is going to start offering golf academies and lessons so we signed him up.  They didn't tell us that he had to have clubs of his own and of course neither of us have ever played golf so off to Dick's we went.  They were super duper helpful getting him fitted for the correct clubs and doing a mini lesson.  He pretty much smiled the ENTIRE time.  I have never seen him so excited about any sport!  

In other news I got pretty much a full bodied cupping sesh from Melissa and afterwards I felt like a million bucks (even if I look like i got attacked by a Kracken).  My back was a hot hot mess.  Like so badly bound up she couldn't even massage it lose.  Cups are amazing at loosening things up even if they leave cute little marks.  She did sliding and stationary both equally painful in the moment but ahhhhhh afterwards.  

We also snuck away to 456 Winery to have some tasty Rose' and The Dough Bro's food Saturday night.  No one was there and the weather was perfect.  I tried sharing multiple post on FB and insta to get people down and it didn't work.  I wish more people would check out this hidden gem so we don't lose it and the delicious food trucks that show up and serve.

And last but certainly not least, I figured this was going to happen based on the judges DJT got into office, but it still was a gut punch when Roe V Wade was struck down.  I am going to a meeting on how to educate Kansans on the upcoming vote for our state, but with our state leaning heavily towards red all the time, this may be pointless.  I am still going to fight and rally with my sisters.  I am down but I am not out and I won't go out without a fight!  I believe in choice and it isn't my place to tell others what they can and can't do with their body.  Rise UP!

 

3 runs is just fine

Another busy week, another heat wave, and more baseball.  At least we only had 2 games this week.  We even had a close game were we were only losing by 2 runs for a while till we had to change pitchers.  I will take improvement, however small any day.  I see growth in EVERY.SINGLE.PLAYER whether their parents see it or not.    Just one more week of regular games and then we start tournament play.  I am sure we will be one and done, but I am super proud of the kids this year!

We started off the week finishing Andrew's birthday celebrations.

We had promised andrew this year that instead of buying him presents, we would give him cash and he could go to the coolest toy store around and pick out whatever he wanted.  We were going to do that Saturday before his party but thanks to the kerfuffle with the bounce house people, we ran out of time.  Instead we took a long lunch and went shopping and then had Red Robin for lunch.  

Andrew is going through a second childhood with Thomas right now so he picked some Thomas wooden stuff and also got a Harry Potter Lionel train with his money.  Yes, yes I am regretting selling all of his Thomas stuff but honestly I never thought he would be back into that.  

Most of the week was spent worrying about my 12 almost 13 year old Deuce.  I had taken him in for what seemed like just a cough the week before and they had put him on a low dose steriod.  As the week went by, he quit walking and eating,  so we took him back and they put him back on the antibiotics he was previously on for his MRSA infection in his ears.  While he perked up a little, he still wasn't mobile, and he developed weird sores on his feet and legs.  He sloughed off a lot of tissues from his pads which probably didn't help with the walking.  After watching him go downhill and just not feeling like this was a good thing, we took him back for yet another consult.  The decision was that the antibiotic he was on was causing all his symptoms and that we needed to get him off of them ASAP.  We changed to a new antibiotic 3 times a day and anti inflammatory steriod dose.  Encephalitis and brain tumor have been taken off of the table but tumors on his spine have not as his nervous system is still depressed.  We have seen a huge improvement in eating and mobility since starting steriods BUT he still isn't mobile on his own.  We go back again on Tuesday for wound care check up and follow up.  

I did get 3 runs in, very short ones thanks to the heat wave and working late every single night we didn't have baseball.  Y'all, I am not kidding when I say if we hired 3 more electricians today we still wouldn't have enough.  I have NEVER seen things like this ever.  We have at least 3 houses ready for us right now that are over 6K square feet.  We still have service calls and I have one electrician that is out with COVID right now to top it off.  Big sigh.  I keep telling myself we can do this, we can get through this. I am also a little disappointed in myself right now, especially since just a few years ago i was training for 50 milers in this heat.   I keep telling myself this is just a season of my life and it too shall pass.    

We ended the week racing.  The ginger racer got a great tune up on his back.  

Okay y'all know me by now and I know that I have to define success a little different for my kid than most other kiddos or even myself.  Success for my kiddo looks more like being brave, making racing moves, trying hard, not giving up, and doing your best even if the "best" is last place.  I will never be happy that he wrecked another kiddo but I will be happy if he was trying and it ended in a wreck (and he is to apologize if it were his fault).  I saw so many instances of bravery. I saw so many tries on passing and 2 successful passes.  I saw him holding his line and not letting someone push him around.  I only saw him use his brakes once.  I saw him stay up on cars even though it looked like they were going to possible wreck each other. I watched him and his best friend battle each other back and forth and him holding on to finish just slightly ahead.  I am super duper proud.  He actually looked like the racer we knew he could be.  Even if the placements weren't great (5/7 in animal and 9/10 in Sr Honda) he tried his hardest with what he had and that is all I ask of him.  Hopefully soon once baseball is done in twoish weeks, we should be back to cars and the track. I hope that we re evaluate baseball next year but I am sure I will be out voted by the hubby on not doing baseball.  I think Andrew does better when he can practice and when we can devote more time to the cars.  

Have a great week y'all!  Andrew has camp, I should be able to get 4 runs in, and we have nothing big this upcoming weekend YIPPEEEE!

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball PART DEUX

 Another crazy busy week of baseball.  Here are some pictures and some sentences.  Enjoy.

We played Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.  Lots of good things happening, just not a win yet.  Our Thursday game was the best with 6 runs scored, held them to one scoreless inning, and were tied for a bit.  Andrew got hit in one of the games and now is very gun shy when batting like to the point of jumping out of the batters box.  Sigh.

  

Did 2 lunch time runs and one late morning run.  The heat didn't turn up until the weekend thank goodness.  I've been doing loops in the industrial park so that if I need to drop Boom off I can.  Saturday's "long run" was one of those situations.  He was starting to get a little hot and I took no chances and dumped him off before finishing my run.  4.5 for Boom and 6 for me.  I hate summer running.  Get ready to read that over and over till it gets cold again.  

We also started swim lessons this week.  Our summer is crazy busy and Miss Ali fills up super quickly BUT we were able to snag a few sessions.  Anything is better than nothing!!!  Andrew still isn't very confident in the water and we would like for him to be able to hang out at the pool without us some this summer with his friends of course.  God bless her so much because she is SO good with him and his squirrel moments.  

Tony was suppose to go to Fit Fridays with Andrew this week but he woke up with a puking headache so I went instead.  We had fun but I was SO sore afterwards.  We did a million exercises that you needed good arm and tricep strength and right now I have neither of those!  Here's to making this summer of Fit Fridays into some strength building.  

It was a weekend of birthdays.  First Boom turned 4.

What can I say about this dog?  He's loud, bossy, a pain in the butt, and very opinionated.  He also loves toys that crinkle, loves to give you kisses, and sleeps under my bed or at my feet every night.  We are getting in sync running and while he isn't Stella, he is a different kind of fun.  Happy birthday Boom boom pow!

Next up my kiddo!  We entered double digits!  While Andrew is SO different from me in so many ways and it drives me a bit crazy at times, I love his creative, funny, and sweet side.  He is the first with hugs and kind words, the first to draw you any kind of picture you might like, and the most observant (at times) kid I have ever met.  He sees details I most always miss and he amazes me with his lego skills and drawings.  Love you my ginger racer!

We partied out at the track post practicing.  We had a bounce house, water balloons, hot dogs and cookies, and a crazy storm that produced tornadoes all around us but nothing where we were.  

 We continued the party on race day with more cookies and fun with our friends.  Love that he has some of the best friends out at the track.  

Not having any practice for several weeks meant I had no expectations.  He ran some fast times, just had huge classes and of course wouldn't pass.   He had some back pain in his animal car, so he actually pulled off with 10 laps to go and called it quits.  Sigh.  Taking him to the chiro and hoping for some practice time before the next race.  Sounds like the motor was vibrating pretty badly and was up very close to the back of his fire wall which was probably not a great feeling.  

Have a great week y'all!  I am not sure what running is going to look like with the heat indexes over 110 and lots of baseball games but I am sure I will eek out something.  

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

 I'm going to do a sentence per picture because I have been busy all week and just haven't had the time to put into the blog.  

Baseball: first delayed and then canceled after a down pour with us in the dugout, but a pretty rainbow none the less and snow cones post cancelation since concessions was already ready to go.

The circle of life on our conduit rack outside the shop.  

Finally got a game in and we were nervous wrecks about the game and had to work the scoreboard.  

Our electricians Matt and Steve did a good thing!

Running post work thanks to morning rain/storms.

Global running day!

Away game and yet another loss but good things noted!

A night run because life is complicated right now and getting up early just isn't happening.  

Did my 40 After 40 shots and I can't WAIT to see the photos! Professional hair and make up and lots of glam!

This cat loves my hubby so much.

  

First and only track meet of the year and it was a home meet put on by our coaching staff to give the kiddos a chance to dip their toes into competition.  Andrew got 1st in the softball throw, 2nd in turbo javelin by very little, 3rd in long jump, and 3rd in the 100 yard dash (of 3:).  

I am SO proud of every single kiddo for working hard every practice and learning new things.  It truly was a honor coaching each and every one of them.  

Thanks to all of the rain our roses, prairie sage, and columbine are blooming like crazy.

I may have a problem.  4th of July in Boomtown USA is my favorite and I must have ALL.THE.THINGS 4th of July.  These were all handmade locally.  

Last run of the week and listening to another good podcast called the Shrink Next Door.  

First day at the pool trying to even out my runners tan.  

It wasn't the week I wanted but with all of the rain and storms in the morning and four baseball games scheduled, 3 played, I am happy with what I got.  This won't be for the rest of my life so I am going to be present in the season and not feel guilty about putting my kiddo and his schedule first for now.  Ultra running will always be there ready for me when I am ready to up my mileage and get back to it.  

Have a great week y'all!