Where does the time go?

Here we are heading into the tail end of March 2010! What a crazy year! I guess life really kicks into high gear when you work full-time and have 5 kids around. This year has been full of challenges and blessings. The twins are now 18 months old and are doing great. Spencer is over three and is really working on potty training. He LOVES his big boy underwear.

Happy Birthday babies!

One year old! We had a blast celebrating the twins' birthday. We went to the Woodland Park Zoo and had 35 people there to join in on the fun. The girls were great and Spencer was amazing considering how exhausting it was.

At the girls' one year check up, Elsie was 17 lbs 8 oz and Georgia was 16 lbs 10 oz. Their size was pretty similar. Georgia is really close to walking. She is super funny with four teeth; her center bottom teeth and her two upper eye teeth. She looks like a vampire! Super cute. Elsie is quickly catching up with her crawling and is now normally crawling and no longer a wounded soldier. She is trying hard to stand up and catch up to her sister. Both girls are super cute.

Wow! Time Flies!

Here we are a couple days before Alex's 10th birthday. It's the end of September, the weather is starting to change, and I have more gray hair just thinking of how fast the past year has flown by. Whew! The twins are now one year old. Talk about a whirlwind. Katia is in 8th grade! Alex is in his last year of elementary school.

So here we are. Last blog entry was July as we sat cramped in a hotel room waiting around for Katia and the Allstar team to play another game. Katia's team ended up taking third in State. Way to go! It was a challenge but overall a super fun experience. I am so glad Katia was able to play allstars. I look forward to watching Alex doing the same. I also got a job in June and started in July. I finally got a job here on the island. It is something I have been praying for and have been patiently and not so patiently waiting for.... God always knows his timing and teaches me yet another way of how he listens to prayer and does what is best for me, even when I don't think so or agree.

August went by in a flash. We had our vacation nanny Laura move in with us, I went back to work full-time, the kids were all over the place, and we did some visiting with family. Fun summer. It feels so great being back in the school system and working with kids. This group of kids is a great group, even more since Katia is at my school! It is fun to see her and to meet all the boys she talks about. I already knew many of the girls, but now I can put faces to the boys.

Now that school has been in session for a month, it is starting to get into a routine. I wouldn't say a total routine, that is for sure. I still don't have my weekly meal schedule down pat and with working late some nights and Dave doing soccer practices other nights, it just isn't feeling terribly organized. We will get there. :-)

More on the kids next post.

...another update on Katia's All-Star team run

Bainbridge Majors All-Stars win 2nd game in State Tournament

The Bainbridge Island Majors All-Stars won their 2nd round game of the Washington State tournament vs. Battle Ground on Sunday in La Center, WA. Bainbridge scored early and often, running away with a 25-3 victory.

Bainbridge's offense exploded with 3 runs in the 1st, 10 runs in the 2nd and 12 runs in the 3rd inning. The game was called after 4 innings due to the 10 run "mercy" rule.

Leading the way for Bainbridge were: Carolyn Williams, with 2 hits, 4 rbi and 3 runs scored; Catie Muir, with 2 hits and 2 rbi; Hannah Lipka with a double, triple, 4 rbi and 3 runs scored; Madeline Corbin singled, had 2 rbi and scored 3 runs; Kate Kinney doubled and scored 4 runs.

Bainbridge used 3 pitchers in the shortened game, combining to yield only 2 hits while striking out 5 in 4 innings.

With the win, Bainbridge moves on to a Semi-final winners bracket game vs. the All-Stars from Bellevue Thunderbird on Tuesday @ 6:00pm. The winner secures a spot in the State Championship game on Thursday.

Bainbridge Majors All-Stars softball wins opening round game in State tournament

The Bainbridge Majors All-Stars Softball team pulled out yet another dramatic win in a 1st round game of the State tournament on Saturday in La Center, WA.
Trailing 2-0 and down to their last strike in the 6th inning, Bainbridge rallied to tie the team from Chinook, with Catie Muir igniting the 2 out rally with a single. After a walk and a pass ball moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd, Julie Feikes delivered a clutch single which tied the game, scoring Allison Snare who ran for Muir, and Kate Kinney, who scored 2 runs in the game. Feikes, who went 3 for 3, then shut the Chinook offense down in the bottom of the 6th, forcing extra innings.
Then the Bainbridge offense came alive, scoring 7 runs in the 7th inning. Hannah Lipka singled in 2 runs with her 2nd hit to get things going and Bainbridge sent 12 hitters to the plate in the inning. Staked to a 9-2 lead, Feikes held on for the win as Chinook rallied for 2 more runs in their half of the 7th. Feikes pitched 5 innings, striking out 5 in the win.
Bainbridge will take on the team from Battle Ground in a second round game on Sunday at 11:00 am.