The Never Ending Baseball Season...

...has come to an end in a BIG way! These little sluggers won 2nd Place in the Midget National State Championship!! Caden's and his team lost the first game of the State tournament and then continued to play their hearts out, grinding, battling and fighting their way through the entire losers bracket into the championship game - although they didn't come out on top in the standings, these little players showed a lot of heart and to us, they are CHAMPIONS!

The team celebrates their victory. They also won the tournament sportsmanship award - Go wolves!

The tournament took place in Eugene, OR (2 hours away). Bart made arrangements for he and Cade to stay overnight with friends for the weekend. Initially I thought I would keep posted on the team's success through phone calls and texts from Bart and maybe find a way to hit a game or two. But when the start of the tournament came, I just couldn't gut it out - I realized just how deep my love for my boys and sports (the combo is the best) runs through me. I HAD to be there!! (No wonder I was sent 5 boys - I just can't get enough of it!) So, with thanks to a reliable car that withstood a lot of miles put on it, Tom & Jerry movies played in the back of the car to help pass the time, 4 VERY understanding and awesome little brothers that were road-trip troopers, and a WONDERFUL MOM of mine who is so supportive of her grandkids and is such a life-saver to me who came along to every game - we were able to make the drive each day, win after win, to witness the magic and fun of a team of little boys who never gave up and gave a great effort. It sounds dramatic, I know, but you should have been there!

Our slugger was a clutch hitter all season and batted lead-off for his team - nice line drive by #4!

A little pep talk from Coach Mark before an at-bat

Cole didn't even make it to the car to crash - he was so tired after a game.

Caden with his team buddies and their trophy

Experiences like this don't come everyday. I am excited that Caden and his team got to enjoy such a great season and special final weekend. It was a joy for our whole family. Now, on to enjoying the rest of the summer, without practices and games! A big shout out to my wonderful sister and her kids as well as my amazing Dad who made to long trip to come watch a game as well. I can't imagine life without the love and support of my great family.

Celebratin' the Red, White and Blue

Red juicy watermelon, sunburned faces, sparklers, ketchup on BBQed hotdogs
White cool whipped cream on berries, flashes of fireworks, smeared sunscreen
Blue clear skies, popsicle lips, and sweet blueberries

...all things that help make the Fourth of July one of our family's favorite holidays. This year's celebration started at the church for a yummy breakfast with ward friends.

The church breakfast traditionally includes a bike parade for the kids - with lots of reminders from the parents that it is NOT a race! Bo made it half way around the parking lot and announced that he "won" while the oldest two, Cade and Ty never did stop circling the route until it was time to leave.

Next activity on the holiday schedule - Neighborhood parade! This is one done up right, with the fire and police departments, hot rod cars, the Bridgeport Bulldog (our kids elementary school mascot), stilts, scooters, golf carts, stroller and LOTS and LOTS of bikes. Our kids rode their bikes up to the starting point ahead of us to make sure they got to the front of the bike line, right behind the banner.

Luke enjoyed the parade from inside the shaded stroller.

Cole is thrilled to exhibit his Red, White and Blue (even the binky coordinated) - can't you tell!

Then off the grandma and grandpa's pool for an evening swim and BBQ with good friends.

Finally, the fireworks!
Always a "BLAST" for boys and a great way to end a long, hot, fun day of celebrating family, friends and our FREEDOM!

Happy Birthday America!

Here Comes Summer!

Let the smiles and suntans begin!

Little Slugger

Tyler finished his 2009 baseball season batting in the top of the lineup, crushing hits and making great plays. It is always fun to see how far along these little guys come in a season. Of course, as it always is with whatever sport he is currently playing - baseball is his FAVORITE!

Tyler, being a younger (6 yr old) first grader was one of the youngest on his team, but towards the end the season, his batting was one of the strongest! We were proud of how hard he worked.

The end-of-season party, which is one of the favorite parts of playing on a sports team was at Roundtable pizza. The boys each got recognized and recieved their trophy - the other favorite part of playing on a sports team. One more silly statue to add to the already large collection. We'll have to buy a storage unit for all of them by the time Luke is done playing!

Our Smiley Guy

Little Luke is starting to smile. It is so cute, but also makes me sad to think of how fast he is growing already! Babies are little for such a short time, and with every child it seems to go faster and faster. When he smiles, I don't know if I want to smile back or cry. Whichever reaction comes, I just try to cherish these moments and memorize this precious face.

Luke - 6 weeks old

These big brothers sure love this little guy.

"Tri" it for Memorial Day...

...a "Tri"athalon, that is! It is becoming a Memorial Day tradition for the Dickson crew it seems to compete in the Heart of the Valley Triathalon in Corvallis. This year, Tyler gave it a "tri" in the kids competition along with Caden and Dad (and some of the priest quorum from our ward). The weather was beautiful, and even though my boys had little time for race preparation leading up to this big event, they all did so well and I was one proud mama!

Tyler's all numbered and ready to compete. For kids of a neat freak mom, getting to have numbers written on your leg is a pretty cool thing!

Caden and Tyler with their swim gear on, waiting for their heats to begin.

Ty's at the edge of the pool, waiting for the start whistle and looking pretty confident. Once he pushed off from the wall, he got a nose full of water and was a little thrown off. But he took some deep breaths, listened to mom and dad encouraging him and hung in there to finish the 25 meter swim like a champ.

Ty's out of the pool and on his way to mount his bike for the next leg, a 1/2 mile ride.

Dad was ready to help out in the transition area as Ty dried off and jumped on the bike.

after a 1/4 mile run, Tyler is coming down the stretch toward the finish line...almost there!

With his medal on and water glass in hand, Tyler can smile and feel proud of his awesome accomplishment. Well done Ty!

Caden's heat was up shortly after. Here he is in the water waiting for the start whistle to begin his 100 meter swim.

Then, out of the water and off to transition to the bike.

In Caden's division, parents were not allowed to help in the transition area, so Cade was on his own with drying off and getting on socks and shoes.

Caden mounts his bike for his 1 mile ride

Cade is an achiever and always pushing himself, so we should have known he'd be up with the head of the pack. But he was so fast on the 1/2 mile run that we were caught off guard and barely saw him in time to watch him come through the finish line. Caden is always up for a little competition, but he commented afterward "triatholons are hard, I like baseball better." Good job Cade on a huge effort and big finish.

Bart's race was so early in the morning, that we didn't make it down to Corvallis in time to watch him compete. But we can always count on our super Dad to do great. Here are my 3 tired triathaletes. After the race, we headed back home for an afternoon at Grammy and Papa's swimming and BBQing with the family. It was a full but fun Memorial Day for our crew - everyone slept GREAT that night!