Softball at Rizzo

Shelby Lynn is just finishing up her last games of softball. I tried not to be the screaming crazy Aunt on the sidelines but I kind of couldn't help it. I played baseball with the boys growing up. They didn't even have girls softball. I was actually pretty good and played second base. It was almost painful for me to watch and keep my mouth shut!

I vowed to "work with" Shelby if she plays again next year. Confidence is the main thing missing. If she could get that built up she would be great!

Tracey and Shelby at the park

me and the boys

Just me and the boys this weekend. Daddy is gone on a golfing/gambling bachelor party. Using his new Father's Day gift golf clubs even! Hoping he has a relaxing fun time. I know the boys and I will find something fun and relaxing to do...if it warms up, we are headed to the beach!

the little black dress

5 years ago today, our girl Davina got married. She lived in Vegas at the time and Elvis didn't marry her and JP. They simply called to tell us they were getting married the next day. It was going to be a quiet, justice of the peace deal. No big deal, no party, no dance, no parents, you get the idea. But, they planned on having the wedding the next year, on their one year anniversary-which fell on a Saturday. Davina, being an only child, the only daughter her parents would ever have, etc...you can imagine the freaking out that was going on. Once we all calmed down and realized that this is the way Davina does things and it's perfect for her and JP we began to see the perfectness of it all.

Davina asked us girls(gina, jen, gretch and I) to be her bridesmaids. She was so easy to please...pick out some black dresses, find your own black shoes and go with it. I was pregnant at the time she is asking me to be in her wedding in one year. I quickly calculated the months and figured that I would have an 8 month old at the time of the wedding and could surely get my body back by then. What the heck was I thinking! I also told her it would be my last wedding. My last bridesmaid dress and I would go out with a bang. I counted up the number of weddings I had been in and this was like #14!!!

I really think Jen and I picked these dresses on our own. Gretch and Gina just kinda had to go with it. Jen and I drove part way through a blizzard in March to pick these out. Us girls have 4 totally different body types, but it really did work for all of us.

The day of the wedding comes, I lug my breast pump into Canada along with the little black dress and hope for the best. At one point Miss Marvel (whose like 80 and talks real loud) comes up to my chest and has a conversation with "my girls"...stating "my God Becky, I had no idea you were so busty!" Did I mention I had an 8 month old??!!

Anyways. Jen, Gina and I have all had 2 kids and have each struggled with our body image, baby weight, sagging boobs, etc...I got this idea to get us back into this little black dress by JP and Davina's Anniversary-June 24th-and take a picture. Gina lives out of the area, but this is her official shout out-"put the dress on girl and send me a pic! And don't tell me you lost it in the move because I'm not believing you!"

So, Happy Anniversary JP & Davina! Two of the best people we have ever had the pleasure standing up for. Two people who know the true meaning of love, friendship and happiness.

a family so similar...

This is Summer and Jon. 2 years ago, I started getting these emails from Jon's mom...saying that we are related and that their family is moving to Int'l Falls and they needed some guidance. Come to find out that Jon's grandfather and my grandmother are/were brother and sister. That makes us second cousins-who had never met each other.

Jon and Summer and their boys, Jake (6 now) and Garret (4 now) moved to town when Emmitt was just a baby. They moved on the same Avenue as us, just 2 houses away! It took us awhile to get connected. One day we sat down and started visiting and find out that Jon, who is a State Trooper, went to school at Moorhead State with Dave Karsnia! Dave Karsnia is a great family friend of Bear's and mine. Freakishly crazy, I know!

Jon is 33, Bear is 33. Summer is 30, I am 30. They had 2 boys, we have 2 boys. They added a 3rd child, a little girl-Gracie Lyn...we are not. Okay, pretty similar. Jake and Parker are further apart in age but play together the most. Garret sticks with Emmitt. Gracie just follows all the boys around and squeals. Emmitt ripped out her ponytail no less than 100 times on Saturday. Garret is special to me. He likes me. He asks about me. He was just diagnosed with Aspberger's and is a fantastic little boy.Saturday we ventured out during my boys' nap time and I took some family pictures for them. It was quick and painless and they turned out beautifully.

Summer and I have gotten really close. We can tell each other anything and laugh a lot. We parent the same way, we enjoy the same kind of wine...we have fun.

Jon and Bear have gotten really close too. They have a lot of likes and some differences that bring them together. Differences like Nascar versus Hockey and Frog legs versus a steak.

This family is so similar to ours that it is sort of crazy. They are family, real true blood family. It's so cool how things worked out for us to have our kids-third cousins-actually get to know each other!