McConnell Mini-Reunion

Grandpa's cousin Kathy was visiting Chicago from Arkansas so we had a mini McConnell family reunion at the lake. 

 Great-Grandma came up and Uncle John flew in from New Mexico. 

 Once we wandered down to the pier, Calvin quickly found an abandoned ball

 and balls must be played with in Calvin's book. 

 It quickly ended up in the water but that didn't stop Calvin. 

 In he went, clothes and all. 

 Calvin had a small audience, which made continuing to go in the water more attractive and fun. 

 He, of course, changed it into a baseball game with a random toy he found in the sand. 

 He even got Grandpa to get in the water in his clothes, too. 

 After finally getting cold, we headed back up. 

 Lots of people saw this picture on facebook and thought it was cute, which it was. It was just rather nerve-racking for me. 

 Because while he wasn't pulling hard on her hand, it was enough wiggling that I was kinda afraid he might make her lose her balance. Luckily, that didn't happen. 

 Calvin wanted to show Uncle John his big wheel, or motorcycle as he calls it. 

 Very impressed, I'm sure. 

A nice little family gathering!

Baseball Training

Wow! It's been a while since I posted. Sorry!

One thing I signed Calvin up for this summer was a baseball activity. 

 Each day, they would start with stretching and then practice going base to base. 

 They practiced throwing while kneeling to improve arm strength. 

 The first day they didn't bat (much to Calvin's disappointment) but he harassed the coach about it enough that they batted every other day. 

 They got a stamp at the end of each day. 

 They practiced throwing accuracy. 

 And more batting. 

 They always ended with a team cheer. 

 The coach was very patient with this rascally little crew. 

Calvin loved his first baseball experience. 

Baseball Fan

Calvin and I went to the Phillies/Brewers baseball game at Miller Park the other week. 

 We tailgated and ate dinner in the car. 

 Then we headed into the game. 

 Calvin was beyond excited to see his two favorite teams play. 

 And as we were walking up the aisle from our seats, one of the guys from the press box dropped a ball down to Calvin. 

 He was so happy. 

 Then we went down to the hands-on areas. 

 The icing on an awesome game. 

Bonus for me was that it was a REALLY fast game so we got to see the whole game without staying real late.

Fourth of July Weekend

We spent the weekend of the 4th of July in Lake Geneva. 

Calvin got to see a nice little parade

 which came with free ice cream at the end. 

 Then we wandered through downtown and he got to see Mr. Potatohead

 and have Bernie Brewer painted on his arm. 

 Then we walked back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

 Calvin loved the mud. 

 And his flag. 

 Then we headed to the pier

 for a swim

 and some sand. 

 Then we headed to the log cabin for the family festivities. 

We watched the fireworks on the pier and Calvin loved them again this year. 

 Calvin and Dean hung out again the next day

 and had fun

 running and falling

 over and over. 

 Then we took Calvin over to Abbey Spring so we could meet up with some college friends

 and they had some great bounce houses for Calvin to play in

 and some fun games. 

 Calvin also got to try his first snow cone. 

 We had a great time seeing Heidi and Brice and their little guy Brady. 

A fun weekend with family and friends!