More spring excitement at La Casa Redemske was the start of baseball season. This was Maddy's first year and she was beyond excited to get out there! She played Coach Pitch on the "Sun Leopard Duck Bananas" team. (They couldn't agree on a yellow name, obviously)! She even wore her full baseball gear for the first few practices.
Maddy was a good little hitter almost always hitting the pitch instead of the T. She enjoyed getting dirty although sometimes she played more in the dirt than paying attention to the game. But, I guess that's how little kid baseball works. Her favorite position to play was pitcher, standing right next to the other team's coach!
Awards night. She was so stinkin' proud of that trophy. It was a lot of fun getting to coach her team too.
Jacky-baseball... as he has so fondly been nicknamed. This was year 2 of minors baseball and he improved so much over the winter! He was also excited to get out there and play. When your dad is the head coach, you get to pick the jersey color too. Bright! He is a fantastic base runner, which is definitely his strength.
Jack's favorite positions to play this year were shortstop and catcher. His favorite play was the line drive he hit down the first base line. It was a fun season to watch him grow and continue to make ball field friends. Some of his teammates he has played with multiple years, so they are building strong friendships!
And... to top off a great season, he got to play on an All-Star Team for Keystone Little League. He played hard and had a great hit for an RBI in the first game of the tournament!
Other spring happenings... this old guy turned 40! :) The kids made him some awesome cards and we took him shopping for his own Apple Watch to celebrate! We also celebrated by having a backyard fire and spending the Memorial Day Weekend enjoying our outdoor space.
June brought a wedding that was so much fun! My aunt remarried and her along with my cousins looked so beautiful! It was such a beautiful and fun evening.
The wedding was also a great reason to use Rent the Runway again! I love that website for fancy dresses!
We made it to Lauritzen Gardens twice this spring! The first time was for the Lego Exhibit. The Lego creations are just amazing.
The second time was for the Great Stinko! This plant has never bloomed in Nebraska and there were lines and lines to go see it. It didn't really stink much, but it sure was a popular attraction.
The start of summer also brought summer camps for the kids. Jack went to UNO for Aim for the Stars camp where he learned about weather. The second week he did a half-day camp on engineering, machines, and food through Metro Community College. This was his draw-bridge design that he was super proud of!
Meanwhile, Maddy went to nature camp at Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa. She went for half-days too for a full week and loved it! I sat on the observation deck, drank coffee, and worked on my graduate work. It worked out for all of us! :)
Omaha Children's Museum: It has been updated and the kids checked it all out! Always a fun time!
One of the new updates is a tinker lab, where kids can just make things. So great for the mind!
We also hit up the Durham Museum for their Spy Exhibit. That was a great time for me as well! It was fun trying to solve the mystery and have the kids look for clues.
We have made it to the 4th of July! We went to HomeRun Derby again this year, which had rain, cotton candy, and big smiles! Lily had to be wrapped up to calm her down as the fireworks really worked her up this year. We now have a Thunder Vest for future years! The day also included a water fight, beer, good food, and a fireworks show put on by the Redemske clan.
We snuck away for a much needed date on July 5th to see Jason Isbell in concert at Sumtur Amphitheater. What an amazing show! It may be one of my favorite concerts ever.
Then we left the next day to go camping and Lewis & Clark Recreation Area with my dad and my sister and her family. There was lots of playing in the dirt, a captured turtle, fishing, swimming in the river, and peaceful breakfasts by the river. Unfortunately, there was also a broken phone (mine). It was a great time!
July has been quite busy as the kids had two weeks of swimming lessons right after we got back from camping! This was the last day of lessons when they get to jump off the diving boards. Maddy wasn't sure about it at first, but she did it!
I am so thankful for my sis as she watched the kids for several hours each day so I could teach at a week-long HAL camp at my school. That busy week included swimming lessons in the morning, HAL camp in the afternoon, and VBS in the evening! After that busy week, we left for vacation in Chicago!!! On one of the days, Sarah took the kids to see the 4-H farm animals at the library. Woot!
Our final big activity before vacation... Vacation Bible School. I volunteered all week, so I got to see the kids as they did the different activities each day. I had the three year-olds, which are equally fun & exhausting! :)
And then... Chicago! So here we are and tomorrow is August 1st! Time for school to start. The summer has really flown by. To be honest, it feels like 2017 has flown by so far too.
