"Batter up!/Please don't touch the animals!"

Our family had a very busy, fun-packed weekend, and I had to write about it all, so this might be a long entry. But, I promise it won't be boring. It all started on Friday with Michael's job. He was given the hard task of getting the whole day off and participating in the District Bar Association softball tournament. I know, sounds terrible, doesn't it? Several law firms from Idaho Falls formed their own softball team, including lawyers, paralegals, secretaries, and members of their family, to play against other law firm softball teams. Beard St. Clair Gaffney (Michael's firm) had participated in a city rec softball league earlier this summer, so they were more than ready to take on the other firms. Michael and another attorney drove to Idaho Falls early Friday morning for a quick team practice, while Annabelle and I carpooled with the wife of this other attorney and her kids a little later. We didn't make it time for the first game, but our boys dominated. The team played really well together and won 8-0. The second game didn't end up quite as well, although it was not by any fault of Michael's team.

It's a co-ed league and every other batter is supposed to be a girl. Our team was true to that rule and had enough girls to make them bat as per the rules. The other team, however, only had one female, who I'm sorry to say didn't seem all that athletic. The rest were men from the law firm and their teenage sons that played on their high school's baseball team. When this is the case, where one team doesn't have enough girls, that team is supposed to take an out when two male batters bat right after each other. Well, the umpire said that since there were some "younger" kids on the team, they would count as a girl batter, and that they would get pitched the bigger, easier-to-hit "female" ball. Well, this turned out to be totally unfair because as I stated above, these "younger" kids belonged to high school baseball teams and were really good, probably better than almost all of the men on the field. So, that was a very disappointing and totally unfair game. However, Annabelle loved being there, even though she hardly watched any of the game. She was busy running around trying to pull things out of the trash cans and playing on the amazing playground that was located right next to the softball field.

This playground was nothing like anything I've ever seen before. It was every kid's dream playground, and Annabelle went wild. She is one of the most daring kids I've ever seen, and when other kids didn't dare try anything "dangerous" like the twisty slide, Annabelle wanted to do everything on her own. She wanted to be pushed faster and higher on the swing, climb the rock wall, and do everything that looked remotely scary. Here is a video of such an activity. Annabelle had already been doing this for a while, so she was really tired and had a hard time holding on, but she kept wanting to be pushed.



The last game was that afternoon and once again, Annabelle and I didn't get to see it. Annabelle was taking her nap and we got to the park just as the game ended. I wish I could have been there for it because there was some crazy drama. During the second inning, Michael's team was at bat and Greg, the firm president, was up with nobody on base and two outs. He hit a ground ball to shortstop, and raced to first base, beating the ball by almost a full second. He was obviously safe, but the ump, who was watching from home plate, called it out. Greg couldn't believe that he had been called out and yelled in a non-menacing way that he was obviously safe. The ump gave him a warning, and shocked, Greg once again, in a non-menacing, almost teasing voice said that he wasn't trying to be confrontational, but the ump made the wrong call. The ump then yelled, "You're out! You have one minute to leave the field or I'm calling the game". Well, this guy was not going to leave. He had not threatened the ump or done anything that would cause him to be thrown out of the game. So, after a minute when Greg was still there, the ump called the game, saying the other team won. Well, this made everyone upset, so Greg walked up to the ump and said, "Well, I guess you're not needed anymore since the game is over, so you can leave. I'll take over and ref the rest of the game". The ump didn't really know what to do, so he left and Greg took over as ump, calling plays very fairly, and the two teams finished playing. Although Michael's team still lost, they still had a very good time, especially once the bad ump was gone.

After that, Annabelle, Michael, and I went to the Idaho Falls zoo (it's not very big, but that's why it's perfect for someone Annabelle's age). We had a good time, but Annabelle was really upset that she couldn't go in the cages with the animals. After the zoo, we went out to dinner with another attorney and his family. So after a long day, we returned home 11 hours after we left. It was hot all day and Michael didn't put any sunscreen on and was red all over. Annabelle and I had rosy cheeks, but we weren't in the sun nearly as much as Michael was. Although Annabelle was exhausted, we had a good time being out together as a family. Next year, we hope to be cheering for the District Bar Association softball league champions-Beard, St Clair, Gafffney, and BROWN!

More accounts of our weekend continue below, so make sure you read the next entry as well.

All aqua

Saturday was another fun-filled, busy day. Michael and two other attorneys from the firm didn't get enough of exercise playing softball all day Friday, so Saturday morning, they played tennis at 6:30 in the morning. Yes, it's true. Michael got up at 6:15 am just to play tennis. Well, that's nothing. He played tennis with these guys three times during the week, each time getting up just before 6 am. I don't think I could get up that early unless I had no choice. Michael, on the other hand, can't refuse an invitation to participate in most sporting activities, even if they're early in the morning.

So, Saturday morning, Michael is up and out the door by 6:20 am. I, on the other hand, got to sleep in until 7, at which time I had to get up and start making a big breakfast that I promised the tennis players. Annabelle got up a short while later and "helped" me. She loves to stand on a chair by the counter whenever I am making anything and pull everything within her reach off the counter and onto the floor. My breakfast consisted of an egg casserole, waffles, homemade caramel/cinnamon rolls, and smoothies. It was a hit. The boys liked it and I must say, I was pretty impressed myself, especially with the rolls. I should have taken a picture of the beautiful meal, but by the time I thought about it, most of the food had been devoured by these big, hungry men.



After breakfast was over and Annabelle had taken her afternoon nap, we drove 45 minutes to scenic Mesa Falls. It's a beautiful waterfall set in Targhee National, which is close to Yellowstone and the Tetons. It was a spectacular sight. With mist from the falls rising and the beautiful forest in the background, it was one of the most picturesque spots I've ever seen. On our way back home, we stopped at Warm River, whose water was anything but. It was freezing cold! But, Annabelle didn't seem to care. Although she was shivering, she had no qualms about getting wet up to her chin. She didn't like having Michael hold on to her. She had no idea that if Michael were to let go, she would have been dragged by the current right down the river. I, however, was not in the mood of freezing my tail off, so I sat on the some rocks on the side. It was fun to watch Michael and Annabelle skip rocks and splash in the water together.

When we got home, Michael was so good to "volunteer" to make dinner while I gave Annabelle a bath. He made a meal that he said he would make three times a week on his mission: chicken and instant mashed potatoes. It was pretty good, I must admit. Hopefully, he enjoyed my high praise of his meal so much, that he will actually volunteer himself to make dinner more often.

The in-laws...

For two summers in a row, my parents have been kind enough to let Annabelle and me come visit for several weeks while Michael studied for the bar exams. That should not be a surprise to hear that a person's parents let them crash at home for 3 weeks. But, it might be uncommon to hear that I've also stayed with my in-laws this summer and last while Michael studied. Many people would not even dream of spending time with their in-laws, especially if your spouse wasn't even going to be there with you. Such is definitely not the case in my life.

After spending a week and a half with my in-laws, I feel it would be an injustice to them if I were to not write about what great people they are. I got pretty fortunate when I married Michael. Not only did I get a great husband, I also got a good set of in-laws. Robert and Cynthia are very supportive of me and have made me feel a part of their family.

Having good in-laws is not something you can expect to get when you get married. It's not everyday that you find a couple who like each other's parents. I think my parents are pretty cool and I am glad that they have a good relationship with Michael. I also enjoy spending time with Michael's parents and am glad that we get along well.

The return of the examinee...

Today, Michael joined Annabelle and me here in Sheridan for a relaxing few days. Michael noted that this may be the most stress-free weekend that he's had in a long time. Now that the bar exam is over, he can breathe a sigh of relief and not have to think about anything that has to do with the law for a while. Well, at least until Monday, when he's due back at work.

Michael feels more confident about the bar this year than he did last year, and since he passed it in Colorado last year, we are a hopeful that this year's exam will yield similar results. Perhaps his confidence this year is due to two circumstances: 1) he didn't have to take the most difficult portion of the test. His score from last year will carry over to this year and factor in with the other parts of the test that he just took, and 2) since it's his second bar exam, he knew what it would be like and was prepared for it. He feels very good about his performance, and we look forward to getting the results back on September 11. I'm so proud of him.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers in the last few days. I know that Lord blessed and continues to bless us when ask for it. May He continue to bless all of you in your own lives.

Here's more photos of our trip

Major milestones...

This picture captures it all. We have been having a blast here in Sheridan, WY. We've spent days swinging on the swing set, playing in the sandbox, and jumping on the trampoline. Annabelle has helped make dinner, tighten the piano bench, and all sorts of other things. Our trip to WY started out a little rough. Annabelle has some teeth coming in, so she was already a little irritable, but then we found out she had an ear infection as well. Once we got her on antibiotics for a few days, things got much better. She now loves hanging out with her grandparents in everything that they're doing. She gives kisses out freely and shares a smile with anyone who looks her way. Her vocabulary and motor skills are increasing each day. She has already learned about 7 new words. She also can tell you what a duck says and what a dog says. We're currently working on our mooing sounds.

In fact, I must share a remarkable and extraordinary feat that I witnessed earlier this week. Annabelle had just finished having a drink and put her cup of milk back on the shelf in the fridge all by herself. Then, without any prompting from me, she just blurted out, "I did it" and immediately started clapping as if she knew that she had done something worthy of clapping. I was shocked. Annabelle had just spoken a her first complete sentence. I couldn't even think of a time that I have used that phrase around Annabelle. For her to just spit it out like it was no biggie right at the perfect time was absolutely amazing to me. Then, knowing that clapping is a reward for doing something good, she clapped for herself. I asked her if she had just said 'I did it' and she, without any hesitation, nodded her head as she said, Yes". It was definitely one of the proudest moments I've enjoyed as a mother.

It's been nice to visit with Robert and Cynthia. I have been to the YCMA to play pickleball with Cynthia, as well as attend a cycling class that she is currently teaching. Robert has increased my knowledge and understanding of car engines and some new ideas about affirmative action. With all this playing, conversing, and learning going on, it's been a great vacation.

Exam time

The time has come, once again. Tomorrow, Michael will sit for the Idaho bar exam. He has studied hard and is ready to get it over with. He will sit through 2 days' worth of grueling testing. Please remember to keep our family in your prayers. We hope to bring you good news when the results come back in 6 weeks.