End of the school year, beginning of summer!

Well summer is officially off and running.  We even made it to the pool this week (twice).  Summer for me means baseball.  This is my first year playing coach pitch baseball at Winslow and I am having a blast.  I have met a lot of new friends, learned new baseball skills and can really hit the ball hard.  I even played first base last week and got someone out. 

Every good baseball player needs to warm up with some batting practice.

Get ready...I am going slam this one!

 

Yep, lucky number 12!

 

Gotta warm up the arm too.

 

Game time. 

 

Hit it on the first pitch.

 

Gotta run fast...Coach Jack is even telling me to hustle.

 

And another run for Wee Willies.

 

The end of the school year means end of the school year picnic.  I was running around too much for mommy to snap very good pictures but here is one of my best bud, Max.

 

And then a few of my favorite girls.

 

Mommy got teary eyed snapping this picture.  Next up kindergarten!

 

Last day of school at Faith Lutheran.

 

Which means last day with Mrs. Bertemann.

 

Oh, but it was a fun last day.  Mr. and Mrs. B visited and taught us about bees.

 

The last day was over but there was still graduation!

 

Proud.

 

We got up and spoke at graduation.  I told everyone what I wanted to be when I grow up.  At age 5, I want to work at Commercial Service like daddy and Papa.  Daddy has a pretty cute video of me that he immediately sent out to everyone and he will probably use it against me at some point.  Oh well, I got some pretty great guys to admire in my life.

Then, I slid into kindergarten.

 

Big guys on campus now, you know.

 

Some friends I will miss...I have been with these girls since we were babies.

 

One more with Mrs. B!  I will miss you.

 

Hady turns three!

Well weeks have flown by but Hady deserves a proper birthday post so I am doing it regardless of the date on the calendar.
Can you believe it, she is three!  My little sister is three.  I remember like it was yesterday when I visited her and mommy at the hospital and then she gave me a big boy trike to ride around the neighborhood.  Well these years have zoomed by like a fast truck and we have become best buds.  Of course, we fight like all siblings do but she is the best playmate a guy could have.  She lets me pick my favorite TV shows to watch, she even lets me pick out the games to play, she shares her favorite snacks with me, she bugs mommy and Reagan with me and I love her!
So to celebrate this spunky little sister I have, we celebrated a few days early with family and then we celebrated with an ice cream party on a hot day with friends.  Then of course, went to dinner on her birthday and opened presents in our pjs after a long day.

Family party time!  Johnny is our favorite guest.

 

Already 3!

 

She still needs my help for everything though.

 

She loves a good party with cake of course.

 



 

Time to party with friends and ice cream.  Lots of ice cream.

 

 

And finally some water fun because it was HOT.

 

One of my best friends Hady made this year, next year they will have preschool together.

 

Happy Birthday Hady!

 

 

 

 

Birthday night...we celebrated with a baseball game, peanut butter and jelly at the Country Club and late night present opening in our pjs.

 

I was pretty excited about this scooter too.

 

Goofy Hady.

 

A few more presents...binoculars...even a pair for me because it is more fun to have a partner in crime.

 

Oh and the huge Dora that she now sleeps with every night.

 

Happy birthday Hady!

A letter to Hady.

A letter to Hady from mommy!

You turned three!  You are full of life.  You have been full of life for three years.  You love fruit snacks like there will not be any left tomorrow.  You love babies and playing babies with anyone that will sit down and diaper and feed a baby with you.  You love to sleep with a lot of stuff.  It drives your daddy nuts.  You love to read books and when we finish reading them to you, you love to read them to us.  You love gymnastics.  You learned to do a forward roll on the tall tall beam, you learned to do a pullover with some help, you are a master of forward rolls on the floor and soon I know you will master the cartwhell.  And you love your big brother more than anything.  You try to be just like him.  You want to play at the pool with him and his friends, you want to be silly like him, you want to be able to be as fast as him, you love the toys he loves...you just love him till there is no end.  My hope for you is that you and Rice are always this close.  I hope you will share your secrets and share your life together as you grow older because the bond you have is too sweet to ever lose.
And in these first three years, you have taught me so much. You have taught me to laugh at all the little things because life is full of little moments that deserve to be cherished (like when you pretend talk on the phone to Nene and Duke.) You have taught me to hug tighter because hugs from loved ones are better with a little squeeze. You have taught me to share everything because food tastes better when shared with friends, toys are more fun when shared with your brother and life is better when surrounded by people you love. 
This next year will be tough on you...your best friend will go to school each day and a new little family member will join our group.  But I know you will be a great big sister because you are kind and compassionate.  So hold up your never empty juice cup and cheers to a year better than these first three because you will be by my side and have the three best boys by your side too.  I love you Hadley Jane.  You will forever be my little girl.

Our little gymnast.

Hady finished another session of gymnastics and she is doing so many fun things. I haven't been to watch but she tells me her favorite is jumping on the trampoline. Mommy says she walks on the high beam all by herself, does a forward roll on the high beam with some help and is becoming an expert at pull overs on the bars. I think her favorite thing about gymnastics is picking out her leotard to wear for the day...she usually goes for sparkles. What is it about girls and sparkles?

She's ready...guess today she decided to wear her frogs.

Time to stretch with her friend Bella.

So she needs a little help on her handstand but look at that form.



Forward roll time!



 Look at the concentration.

 

And bars.

Tada!

 

She rocked the three's class and she is not even three yet!