Lukie's First Baseball Game of the Season...

Yep, the game was tonight (actually, his first game was supposed to be Tuesday, but it got rained out).  The game was in Young America and he was excited to play...unfortunately, only one of his parents was there (and if you've been following along, you'll know who that was) and his brother/sister spent their time playing at the park and not really watching...

But Lukie did well.  Two at-bats, two hits.  One was a groundball to the right side and the other was a well hit line drive that could have been caught but wasn't.  That second hit, Lukie even slowed down expecting the kid to catch...lesson was learned, never slow down until someone tells you you are out.

Here's to many more baseball games this summer!  Kieran and Luke both have games in Waconia on Tuesday...

Track and Field Day - 2018...

Track and Field day for the Elementary was postponed a day due to potentially poor weather yesterday, but it happened this morning from 9:00 - 11:30 and I was back participating in the same game as always (with Lukie's favorite person in the world, Mary) once again.  Reminder, it's basically us throwing balls at K-5th grade students for 2 1/2 hours...it's awesome...

Lukie and Lex both mentioned this week that it was easy against me because I was too busy taking pictures while trying to throw...I mentioned that to Mary and it was time to begin...

Within minutes, I hear "hi dad!" and Lex's class was coming to our station...

Lex decided to be on the team that was closest to me (Lukie didn't -- not sure because he felt like he could get past Mary or if he wanted to be closer to her)...but she took off first...

Pretty sure Mary got her the first time...her second time through the course, Lex apparently wanted to start like she was in track...

And I think Mary got her again...

Lex's third time through...I know that was me getting her...

Lukie's class kind of snuck up on us...he and his best friends (one who is moving out of town soon) avoided the line near me...didn't matter, I got them all anyway...one father laughed quite loud when I drilled his kid a couple of times...just because you show up doesn't mean you win, you have to earn it...

I know Lukie loves it when Mary is throwing at him...if she misses, he can mention it to her and if she hits him, that's just as good...

She definitely got him once...

I definitely got Lukie once too, once he was able to get down and back without being hit...

Get out of the way Ms. Friend!!  I've got a shot on Lukie...

Lukie used his teacher as a shield...though Mary had a decent shot too...

Lukie's quick...he wants to win, not get hit...that's the opposite from Lex, she thinks its fun to get hit...

Ms. Friend couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw at Lukie...pretty sure she missed though...

The kids PE teacher, who organizes Track and Field day, came up to me and asked if I've got 3 more Track and Field days in me.  I started volunteering when Kieran was in Kindergarten and three more years will be when Lex is finishing 5th grade.  That's nine total years of throwing balls at kids...I'm a sweaty, hot mess when it's over, but I told him I've absolutely got three more years in me....

At the end of the day I had a 3rd grader, a 4th grader and a 7th grader (which is coming back to me....)...summer is here.

Lex's First Communion...

Last week was my baby girl's first communion...

She was ready...

Of course, today at church she was excited because "I don't have to take the wine today!"

No...she didn't today and she liked that...

Field Trips...

On a couple of Fridays this past month, I've attended field trips with Lukie and Lex.  They both asked if I would come with them, so I used my two personal days to hang out with them...they were fun days...

Lex's was first, we went to Gibbs Farm, to learn about Pioneer living in early Minnesota.  We toured the replica sod-roofed home where the Gibbs family originally lived and the rest of the buildings that they built.  All the kids got to make a beeswax candle too...

They have the process to make hundreds of candles a day down...took minutes for Lex's class to have theirs made...

It was a busy enough of a day that the bus ride back to town looked like this...

This past Friday, Lukie's grade went to the Science Museum and he really wanted me to go with.  This trip I had to actively monitor a group of kids though (didn't have to with Lex's class).

The good news is that the boys in my group with three of Lukie's best friends...it wasn't a hard day...they wanted a lot of pictures of themselves...like with the tornado...

Or of them making waves...

Overlooking the Mississippi...

The four of them spent some time making a blue house out of Legos...

They experimented with weather topics...

Before the Omnifilm movie we saw, they played some sort of game...

On the way out, they wanted a picture with 'Iggy' but were a little upset that so many kids were climbing on him (it's clearly posted, do not climb)...

Here's Lukie with his entire 3rd grade class...

Next time I volunteer at school will be for Track and Field day...which is always fun...

My Lukie and his Legos...

Lukie received $50 for Christmas and had some money from his birthday last fall that he's been itching to spend...he's already taken it to Target 3 times, without spending any of it, but Saturday was different...he was after some Legos from Avengers:  Infinity War.

He knew what he wanted and knew how much it cost...

He then spent the next day or two putting it together and was excited to have it done...

It's pretty rare that Lukie gets stuck putting Legos together, I do not help much...he's always loved putting them together so he can 'play' with them.  Although he doesn't like taking them apart, he puts them together just once.

Lukie is my Lego/Dinosaur guy, my baby girl Lex loves being creative with the arts and Kieran...well, I think he still is my sports guy, we'll see...

***Update from a previous post regarding Lex's creativity/artwork --- she was complaining last night about her first communion banner (she and I had put it together the way she wanted it and it didn't look too bad).  She says it's being changed by her mother, because 'she' thinks it'll look better her way.  Lex is not pleased that her design is being modified into something she didn't want.  But the best comment came from Lukie jumped into the conversation when he said "if mom helped with your AAA project you wouldn't have gotten a blue ribbon because she would have made it her project, not yours.'

Just let them make things the way they want to...they'll enjoy it more...

Lex's AAA Score Card

Lex had said that someone told her I don't care about her schoolwork...but when it was time to complete her AAA Visual Art project, I was there...like previously mentioned, she and I sat down as Lex diagramed exactly what she wanted (a worm garden), then I went out and gathered the materials that she said she needed.

After the project wasn't put together one weekend like it was said it would be, Lex and I got to work. Lex did most of the work, it was her idea and project, I just helped out...

The final project was definitely a project done by a 2nd grade student and was definitely her idea...turns out she did well on the judging too (see below)...

Lex said to Lukie later, "dad will help us get our projects done"...too bad she's learning that lesson early...

Lexy's Art...

Lex has always enjoyed arts and crafts of some sort...here are three examples...

She and I went to a Delano Girls Hockey game back in January and before the game we stopped at my room for 20 minutes or so...while I was busy, she started drawing on my whiteboard...

Now, it wasn't done before we had to get to the game (we went back later so she could finish it --- and I just recently erased it, my students loved it), but she had fun.  It was a 'family' group of Triceratops around a pool, with two nests nearby.  You can distinguish between the adult and juvenile Triceratops because the young don't have claws (according to Lex).  As a parting shot to Lukie...there are 'No T-Rex!'

Recently, Lex choose to do an art project for AAA at school.  She and I sat down as she diagrammed what she wanted to do...she wanted a 'worm garden.'  Cardboard that has sand glued down, with 6 black circles (worm holes) that have various worms entering/exiting the wholes.

The final project was Lex's work and exactly what she had drawn up...she apparently received a blue ribbon for it, better yet, she had fun.  Unfortunately, after she and I had got all the materials ready, she said "my mother says you don't care about school projects and she'll have to do it this weekend."  Well, the materials were sent to Cologne with Lex to be completed by someone who cares, only to return the following Monday not even started.  Lex and I finished the project the next day (one day before it was due)...best part was when Lex said "I knew you cared."

Then today she was preparing for her first communion and got started on her banner (it is not done, nothing is glued down, but it's set up to be done soon)...

She wanted grapes, a cross, a sheep and something pink...we'll it's all ready...

She loves being creative...not my strong suit, but I try to help...