Gwenism #9

After coming home from a date, we checked on the girls in bed. Winnie (the little stinker) was still awake, but dutifully staying in her bed.

Andrea: Did you have fun at Grandma's house?
Gwen: Yes.
Andrea: What did you eat for dinner? (Knowing it was spaghetti.)
Gwen: Sss ... meatballs.
Andrea: And what else?
Gwen: Sss ... some other food.

Apparently she has a problem pronouncing "spaghetti" and found a way around it.

Meeting Oakley

It was obvious we've got a houseful of girls when we went to the hospital to meet Tyson and McKall's new edition and heard a chorus of "Awww!"s from our offspring. These kids absolutely doted on sweet little Oakley. Everyone got a turn to hold her.

The girls all wanted another round of baby-holding, but we told them we ought to give Oakley (and her parents) a rest and respectfully made an exit.

Cress Creek

Once our softball season was over, I decided we needed to do weekly activities to keep us outside and active. So last week we went to Cress Creek.

Four Grover girls hiking up to the creek. 

Everyone had fun looking at the water cress and crossing the creek until ...

... Gwendolen misstepped and ended up with a shoe full of sludge. I had to wash out the sock and shoe, then she was constrained to riding in the sling the rest of the way (which made it more of a workout for me).

Rebekah with the pocket knife she found in the parking lot, Miriam, shoeless/sockless Winnie and Analee.

Everyone loves a parade

We celebrated the Fourth with our usual sit-on-the-curb-staring-straight-into-the-sun-sweating-buckets-and-loving-every-minute-of-it parade. Seth and my dad went early enough to save us a place by the road, and I hauled the kids to our seats in time to see bagpipes, flags and horses. We had the pleasure of attending the parade with our usual crowd (my parents, Uncle T and Aunt McKall, Bennet) and a few extras. (Uncle Ethan's family was here on a visit.)

Miriam sporting the festive headband Aunt Jessica made for her and (her current favorite pattern) cheetah spots.

Grandma Scott holding Winnie on her lap (also sporting her headband).

Rebekah and Analee wearing matching skirts and waving matching flags.

The sun and heat proved to be more than Miriam could bear.

Baseball

This year we made the switch from the Ucon baseball league to the Iona league. They have more teams per age group (which results in fewer byes), better maintained fields (with covered dugouts!), snow cones for sale at both fields (with fun flavor combinations such as "Lego" and "Star Wars"!), and a longer season and tournament for the older teams.

Another bonus! Analee and Rebekah were able to play on the same team, which made for one fewer game we had to attend each day.

I chose not to coach Miriam's T-ball team this year (I had nose surgery the day of their first game, and I didn't know how long I'd be down and out), but when Bekah and Ana's coach asked if anyone wanted to be her assistant coach, I explained my situation and told her I'd be happy to help as soon as I felt better. No one else gave her a better offer, so I became the assistant coach of the flaming neon yellow/green Yankee Ponies.

Miriam's team was the Iron Men (or "Iornmen," if you believe their team pictures), and she got to play with her two cousins again this year.

Miriam was a great catcher.

Putting the ball on the tee.

Cheering with her team. (She was one of only two girls on the team again this year.)

Congratulating the other team.

Eating her post-game Gogurt.

Our Yankee Ponies played so well during the regular season that we went into the tournament seeded second. Unfortunately, we didn't take second in the tournament, but our girls played well, had fun and learned a lot throughout the season.

Bekah started out the season wanting to hit a home run SO BADLY that she had a hard time staying in the batter's box she was reaching so hard. She ended up hitting five this season and feeling very content.

But I had to remind her many, many times that, as a runner, it's not her job to watch the ball. She got better after I chided her on several occasions.

She has turned out to be an incredible fielder, too. Bekah got several girls out throughout the season. After getting used to all the catcher's gear, Rebekah decided that was her favorite position.

Scrawny little Analee surprised me with her scrappiness on the field. She loved playing infield (especially pitcher) and got her fair share of outs as well.

Analee has quite the arm. She can pelt that thing hard. Whenever she carefully aimed, she could get that ball to her target in no time.

The pitching machine was new to Ana, but she proved to be a dependable batter. 

I had fun learning all the girls' names, coaching third base and spraying them with the water bottle.

Next year, we'll be back to three teams (Bekah will move up to slow pitch), but I won't be having surgical instruments up my nose, so I'll probably coach at least one team.

And Winnie will undoubtedly continue to amuse herself with rocks, dirt and broken toys discovered in the dugout.

To see more baseball pictures, start here.

Cousin zoo trip

Three Grover women decided to wrangle nine children at the Tautphaus Park Zoo a couple of weeks ago. Besides the intense pre-noon heat and losing two children (only for a minute!), everything went swimmingly.

Four Grover girls and a Wilde boy riding a tiger.

Miriam brushing a goat.

Winnie hatching from an egg.

Analee being eaten by a zebra skull.

Rebekah growling at a lion.

Analee's baptism

Yesterday marked a very special day for Analee. She had previously made the decision to be baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so she and three other young people entered into the same sacred covenant at our stake baptism.

Seth performed the baptism and confirmation, and many of Analee's relatives were there to stand in the circle: Seth, Grandpa Scott, Grandpa Dennis, Great-Grandpa Hendricks, Great-Grandpa Wirkus, Uncle Jon, Uncle T, Uncle Kent, Uncle Jim and our bishop, Kim Schuldt.

The Spirit was very strong there during the meeting and ordinances. I had told Miriam to pay attention to how she felt during the baptism and confirmation. I said that if she felt happy, warm, at peace, calm, etc., that was the Holy Ghost telling her that what Ana was doing was right. She reported afterward that she did, in fact, feel the Holy Ghost.

We're so proud of Analee and her choice to follow Christ's example, and we're so happy she's a part of our family.

Seth and Analee before the baptism.

Andrea and Analee before the baptism.

Our family outside the stake center following the baptism. (I swear I didn't intentionally stand on the sidewalk so I'd look 10 inches taller than Seth.)

Sweet Grover sisters.

Rebekah's new pet

Rebekah with her new pet.

A little while ago, Rebekah implored Seth and I to discuss the possibility of her getting a hamster as a pet. I was on board with it, having had my own hamster as a kid. Seth didn't have any experience with hamsters, but he was easily won over.

Years ago, Seth's Aunt Cathy had given us a bunch of hamster care items, and I had stashed them in our crawlspace just in case we ever wanted to get such a rodent. So when Bekah got the green light from us, she and Seth went under the house to see exactly what we'd need to get for a hamster to come stay with us.

Basically, we had everything but the hamster.

Seth helped Bekah do some hamster research, and she had picked out the breed she wanted before I took her and her sisters to the pet store. Then she came home and put her new pet in his home.

The white winter male went a few days without a name (we referred to him as "Mr. Hamster" in the meantime), but Bekah finally picked out "Oshawatt." Our girls don't have much experience with Pokemon, but apparently Rebekah has decided that Oshawatt is the cutest Pokemon, so her hamster is deserving of such a name.

On the downside, this unusual name is hard to remember, so sometimes Miriam calls him "Rocket Jaw" instead.

Oshawatt, so far, has proved to be a great pet. He's happy to let the girls hold him or run around in his ball. 

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are some videos Rebekah has shot on her camera of her little furball.

Memorial Day weekend

Despite our lack of fish during the opening weekend at Henry's Lake, we had a great weekend with family in Island Park. We drove up Friday evening to park our trailer outside Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin and spent time with cousins before going to bed.

(In the duration of our trip, the cabin had many travelers: Grandma Susan, Grandpa Dennis, Grandpa Hendricks, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Justin, Cooper, Kelsey, Hudson, Uncle Kent, Aunt Melissa, Emma, Charlotte, Uncle Jim, Aunt Anne, Parker, Hailey, Mack, Tav, Uncle Doug, Chelsey, Lakota. Not everyone stayed the night, and not everyone stayed in the cabin, but we had a lot of people to play/visit with.)

Saturday morning, it looked mild and beautiful at the cabin, so we packed up the girls and our poles to do some fishing from the shore.

Unfortunately, the weather at the cabin wasn't the same at the lake. It was windy, windy and cold.

Rebekah huddled up.

Winnie sporting multiple hoods.

And optimistic Miriam.

Analee decked out in gloves and a coat.

Seth working on the girls' poles and hooks.

Seth tried to keep the girls' poles cast, but every time he'd get one cast and work on another, the wind had blown the first hook all the way in to the shore ... and it was usually twisted up in weeds and sticks. So after a valiant 45 minutes of trying, we packed up and headed back to the cabin. The rest of the day was spent watching movies, going on walks and four-wheeler rides, roasting hot dogs and playing games.

On Sunday, we attended church with 2,000 other people in Island Park (but we made it there early enough to pick out seats) and took the girls and Seth's cousins to Mesa Falls.

Winnie wearing Seth's hat as he carries her down to the falls.

The crew on the walk.

Seth (holding Winnie), Analee, Bekah, Miriam and Tav looking at the falls.

Miriam wearing an elk antler in the visitors' center.

Monday's weather proved to be the best of all. We loaded up Grandpa Dennis, Uncle Jim, Mack, Tav, Seth, Bekah, Ana, Miri, Winnie and myself up on Grandpa Hendricks' boat and took it out on Henry's.

Rebekah enjoying the sun.

Analee and Miriam eating gummy worms and fishing.

Winnie (the only one on the boat without a pole) playing with a string in the water.

Grandpa Dennis performed a wedding ceremony for Mack's and Bekah's fishes. Then they had them kiss.

Winnie loved the boat.

But Uncle Jim was the only one who reeled in a fish. He gave it to us to take home, and it was the most delicious trout I've ever eaten. (Props to this recipe.)

However, there were a few bugs there.

Thankfully, they were harmless.

To see more pictures from our Memorial Day weekend, start here.