Monday, July 18, 2011

My All Star

This week Jake was invited to play in an All Star game. 30 boys in his age group were invited from the state of Utah. It was held at the BYU baseball/softball complex. The first day was a series of skills challenges. Speed off the bag, pitching speed, fielding accuracy, running speed, hitting velocity etc. He did a really great job and was thrilled to find out that out of the 30 he pitches 5th fastest clocked at 56 MPH. The fastest thrower was 63 MPH and he outweighed Jake by a mere 134 lbs. Pound for pound my little man throws a mean ball. The following day they split the boys into 3 teams and let them vs each other moving them around a lot to different positions. They got to play in the indoor training facilities for their first game and on the softball field for their second game. Beautiful facilities, well run program, all around great experience!

Jake's up to bat...


Jake's behind the mound...

Who would have thought I'd ever catch a picture of my son in a BYU dugout of all places?

The score of their final game. They won both but this one was a bit of a spanking.

My favorite pic of all. True life David vs Goliath. My little 68 lb stud vs his 202 lb opponent. That kid is bigger than the coach!

2 of my favorite Jake quotes...
"Being small just means you have to work twice as hard."
"I am 68 lbs of pure power!"

gotta love that confidence.... Love you bud!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Lava Adventures

Last weekend we had an opportunity to go camping at Lava Hot Springs with friends and family. Having never been there I didn't really know what to expect, but Lori was well informed and had done a lot of research so we packed up our camping gear and headed to Idaho.
She made us a great campsite reservation that was central to everything. The River was a stones throw, the pool was a short jaunt, and the grocery store (where morning coffee was appreciated) was a mere 5 minute stroll. Lava was like going back in time to a dusty little town where everything is within walking distance, shoes cost $3.00, and they run out of tater tots at the local restaurant.

Grandma and Grandpa were even up for the trip, only theirs involved being turned away from their Hotel reservation at 11:00 at night.
Morning Chow Line... Gma & Gpa made delicious breakfast burrito's


One of the boys favorite activities... anytime of the day or night... was to go sit in the warm water being spewed from these rocks. The river was dang cold, but the water here was toasty I hear.

Our days were filled mostly with pool time. Lava has an Olympic sized pool with 4 diving boards, 3 dive platforms ranging in height from 15 feet to 33 feet (OUCH!!), toddler sized slides, pre-teen sized slides, and adult sized slides. We did them all, several times.

Jake and Zac tandem jumping... Jake high, Zac low


waiting in line for their turn...

Justin and Loree chillin' it in the sun...

Friends Marianne & Jeremy with their boys Oakley and Gage watching the diving chaos.


Luke braving the high platform.

A triumphant escape


Jake and Zac jumping from platform #1 (they did both eventually do #2, but Mom wouldn't let them venture up to #3)

Not to be outdone Nash jumping from up high... point your toes and cross your arms and legs!!!

Zac is ready to become a man and handle knives and things laced with testosterone so Justin and Bodie were gracious enough to teach him how to whittle with a pocketknife. He spent hours on that stick only to loose it the morning we left to come home. :(

As camping requires, we spent lots of hours sitting around the campsite chatting about summertime subjects, spraying down Shelbie with Solarcaine, feeding Jeremy antihistamines when he had an allergic reaction to corn, etc.

We talked in to the wee hours of the morning (which when you're nearing 40 means around 11:00 PM) even outlasting some of the kids.
Here's Zac snug as a bug in a pink blankie.

Our last day was supposed to be river rafting day. I've either failed as a mother, or succeeded because my boys were scared to death of the thought of it. I have spent the entire summer warning them against the dangers of moving waters and to stay as far away from them as possible. Then I put them in a tube, shove them down a river, and tell them to "Have Fun!" Needless to say, they were freaked and one time was all it lasted.
Others are braver than we... here they are tubing

and exiting the river

As I get older I find myself fonder and fonder of the 'Hotel vacations'. I knew it would come eventually. I am my mothers daughter. I do still enjoy a good camping trip now and then though and this one ranked up there. Love spending quality time with my big bro. Love eating corn on the cob straight off the grill. Love watching my dog be muddy for 4 days with a big smile on her furry little face. Love listening to my biggest boob, Luke, complain about everything camping related. Not love the 5 hours rainstorm we endured on our last night.


Later lava...

PS. My favorite part of the trip was the Hot Mineral Pools. I highly recommend them and would love to go back and sit in them when there is snow about!









Luke is 16!!!

Luke is finally 16! We celebrated his big day with a surprise Birthday party in his honor. There was about 50 people there including friends and family. His best friend Lewis and Grandpa Greg helped us out by taking him golfing, then delivering him to the party at the appropriate time. I think he was mildly surprised. In these high tech days we live in it's hard to keep secrets. I sent all the invitations out via Evite and tried to field all the RSVP's before he could steal my laptop and find them himself. He caught me texting his friend one night so his suspicions started. Oh well, we did the best we could with a very computer savvy boy hot on our trail.

Me and my big boy on his special night... that's his car he bought over my left shoulder.


We had a mobile Laser Tag company come set up a Laser Tag field for us so everyone would have something to do besides be gluttonous. It was hilarious watching us all run around with goofy headsets on, but even funnier was how serious those guys who run that company are...

Some of the guys shooting the breeze...

Luke and his second BFF...Grandpa Greg...

Grandma and Grandpa Sumsion. All of Luke's family was there (with the exception of Josh in LA, and Lynsey in Austin... bad excuses)


Wade used his highly honed funeral director skills and made a video tribute of Luke, it was a great reminder of what a great kid he has always been. Brought tears to the eyes of many.

Everybody enjoying their grub. We had a bbq with lots of salads and a brownie tower. Thanks a ton to everyone that helped! There's Gma Leah and Gpa Stewart!

My handsome boy with his Gma Lynn...

Family having some nice time to visit in a beautiful setting at Canyon View Park.

Sami holding baby Kole...

More Laser Tag...

Me and Luke's friend Haley doing our best Charlies Angels pose...

Blowing out the candles on the brownie tower...


We love you Luke. You are a talented, dependable, smart, hardworking, sensitive, sweet boy. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. We will always be here to be you're biggest cheerleaders and to push you through life and make you be your best. Always believe in yourself and never let anyone change your sensitive personality into anything less. Happy Birthday!!!