Took the boys fishing today.
Connor caught a catfish.
Shadow picture of Luke.
Connor caught this little blue gil.
I love this little plant. I want some of this in my backyard.
patiently waiting for a bite.....
This little guy doesn't sit still so I had to capture the moment.
I spent most of the time just taking pictures of flowers, bugs, birds and more.... 
""...in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.""
Author: John Muir
Today was a toasty day, so why not spend it filling water balloons for your kids and their friends.
Connor & Blake
More fun on top of the shed.
"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."
Author: unknown
Connor
Luke
Brody
Why is it when you jump off of something your hands-arms stay in the air?
The trouble with boys is that they won't pose for a picture but they will do something that could possibly injure them, so I can capture them in mid air.
Okay, I did get them to pose....aren't they handsome??
Luker.................
"This is how I roll"
Author: Unknown
Went to visit my niece. Erica, today.
Came home, and the boys were outside playing baseball in the culd de sac.
Nick running, Luke in the background yelling at his Dad to get the ball.
Luke having a little bit of an attitude. Why can't they play for fun?? They always have to keep score and you would think the world series is at stake.
Here is Marty and Sheila coming back from a ride.
Went to Starbucks, this morning with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Chic. It was beautiful out, so we sat outside.
Then we all went to Staples, for some school supplies, ran through Dick's Sporting Goods. Then off to Best Buy. Luke wants to remodel our kitchen and he wants stainless appliances, like my parents. He was so fun, when he saw the appliances he ran over to them. Now I can think of other things that boys would like at Best Buy.
We did buy Power Pros for the Wii. I will blog about that later.
Connor, Luke and Jack thought a little game of whiffle ball in the rain would be fun.
Luke pitching
The boys had been sitting inside ALL day because it has been a constant down pour ALL day. So, I thought why not create some more laundry for myself and send them outside to play in the rain.
Doesn't Connor look "gay"??
Sorry, if I offend anyone but that is the word he and his buddies use for looking strange, dumb, weird or whatever. My response is always "yes you look so happy." His response back to me, "I know Mom gay means happy, you weirdo." He didn't want me to take his picture but I always capture the moment. He cut off a pair of old PJ's. I think he looks kinda cute and anyway who cares what you look like when you are playing in the rain. What is happening to this boy of mine!!!
Jack up to bat. He is always waiting for me to get my camera out.
Connor and Jack
"laugh your heart out, dance in the rain,cherish the memories, ignore the pain,love and learn,forgive and forget,because remember,you only have one lifeto live"
Author: dana
Wendi, Luke and Whalen
Whalen and Luke
We will see them next summer.
Whalen and Luke playing the Wii.
Then we were off to Panera....Guess who I spied there??
I spied Adele and Betty Criddle. What a wonderful surprise. Adele speaks 5 languages, with one of them being Chinese, so she could speak to my nieces and tell them secrets about me without me even knowing what she was saying : )
We had a little sweet corn for dinner. It was delicious and you can see Luke is really enjoying it here.
Criddle was eyeing the table as we ate dinner.
We also played a game of Croquet before dinner.
If you notice the girls ended up MIA...there is a thirteen hour time difference and they were up this morning at 4a.m. They had to go visit Grandma Aggie and by 3 p.m. they fell asleep at Grandpa Charley's house. They were asking to come back over to Amy IE's(that is what they call me) house but fell asleep.
"Summer fun creates lasting memories."
Author: Sarah
We dominated in this tournament. There were 3 Teams from Iowa (all Major) and 5 Teams(all Major) from Nebraska. We went 5-0 and won the Championship. The best was beating the Quad City Redbirds in the Championship game. It just proved that we are the Iowa 11U Major State Champions. It was Great and I loved seeing the smiles on Coach Behn and Coach Whitey's faces after the big win.
Luke and Coach Behn.
I am so thankful for ALL of our Coaches. Luke has improved so much as a player, and the credit goes to our Coaches. They believe in these boys more than they believed in themselves at the beginning of the season. Through their coaching they were able to get this Team to believe in their ability and go out and show it on the field. It was such a great season, so many memories...
Friday....
Hey Bacon, where's Coach Behn?
Saturday...
I wish this guy would leave me and my child alone.......... :) 
Do I have to listen to this guy????
Where oh where did Coach Behn go...where oh where did he go.......
We found him, he was at Tomaso's....
Coach Behn showed up with a goatee on Friday, then some Guido Sarducci mustache on Saturday, then a mustache on Sunday, then back to normal on Sunday evening. The boys thought this was kind of humorous as each day came about because they didn't know what Coach Behn would look like. It even confused Coach Behn, during the Championship game because he ended up over in the other Teams dugout.
See why I miss baseball??
What a way to end the season. Cougars won both games today against the Hawks. Connor played GREAT and it bums me out that he had to wait to the last game to prove himself. It has been a season of short comings...you are told one thing and then you are let down day after day, game after game. It showed today if you put the right players on the field this Team can play.
Joel, started the first game, as our pitcher and did outstanding. 
A shout out to Ty!! His brother Nic plays on Luke's Team, and through that Ty and Connor have become friends. Ty also played on the Iowa Bandits, which has 3 players on this Prairie Team.
Ty leading off and Connor playing first base. 
Connor even had some amazing base running today. He said "even Coach ???? commented on it". Imagine that....Maybe if he wouldn't of been benched when they brought others down from the Freshman Team and he had kept his spot, it wouldn't of taken this long to prove himself.
Jack is another boy who had some disappointments this year and has been replaced but has still persevered. Great season Jack...you are a GREAT center fielder!!!!
Last but not least here is Nic and Luke actually watching their brothers play instead of playing the game. Ok they are not actually watching but it is hard for these 2 little guys to sit and watch. They want to be playing.
I am so proud of Connor and some of the other boys who through all the ups and downs, stuck with it and came out WINNERS. Not necessarily on the field but off the field.
"Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can." ---Richard Bach
