How Quickly They Forget!

Of course, having the party in the new space above the garage spurred some progress, ahead of time, on yet to be finished tasks.  (To this day, there are still plenty)

One evening, Hubby was working away on the kitchen area island, and, of course, the GrandPrince was interested in what he was doing, and in the tools and hardware.  "Pop" (what Hubby prefers to be called, since that's what he called his own, beloved grandfather), always the shop teacher, saw an opportunity to share his passion for woodworking and construction with the little guy.  He was apparently forgetting, perhaps, after the years since our kiddos' toddler years, that babies have a couple of instant reactions to getting their hands on new things...

...into the mouth, or see how they fly!

Princess Sassy caught the priceless exchange.  She was only sorry she missed taking a photo of the driver bit sticking straight up out of the impaled vinyl floor.  She was glad her sometimes finicky dad had been the cause of the first 'owie' in the new place.  :-)  Phew!  Pressure's off.  haha

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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

We had a baseball tournament break after the trip to Pullman.  It was perfectly timed... The weekend of GrandPrince's birthday was free of baseball, and open for partying!

In add to the fun, Princess Bossy flew in from her state far away to attend...and stay for a good visit.  Unfortunately, Prince Helium had to stay home and work, so we missed him.  

Also, unfortunately, but not as much, the princess' flight was supposed to arrive the night before the party day, but the airline cancelled the flight that day!!  Instead, she had to rebook for party day, and I was picking her up at the airport just as the party began, so we were a bit late.  We were glad that the important festivity events, like cake and presents, waited until after our arrival.



The little man loved his party and appreciated each one of his gifts.  Since one of his first words was "fish," and he was excited by anything fishy, his cake was a shark, with cupcakes on the side, decorated as colorful, littler fishes. 

Sassy and Steadfast also celebrated their wedding anniversary that weekend, and, of course, Bossy and Helium did the same 19 days later.  Can you believe it's been 3 years since the 2 weddings?!

Princess Bossy was on the porch for a phone call from
her hubby.  It turned into a terrific, through-the-glass game.
You may be wondering what's on his Onesie...
Princess Artiste and her boyfriend took photos of themselves
 and transferred them onto the shirt for his bday gift. -- The front
shows them with their eyes covered, the back has them uncovered.
"Peek-a-Boo!"  So cute.

❤

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WSU Tourney

I've lived and worked on college campuses, and have yet to see an ugly one.  The atmosphere is so positive and energetic, and the grounds so parklike. WSU was no exception.  

And being and playing in the stadium was no less "big time" feeling than at the Husky ballfield.  It just lacked the urban surroundings, which is the more relaxing environment I prefer --without the fuss and fury.

My niece, who now works at UW, is a WSU
alum and highly recommended the Cougar Country Drive-In
for a burger and one their famous Cyclones
(like a Dairy Queen Blizzard...Ice cream and candy, basically)

Independence Day fireworks over the city.
...from the WalMart parking lot! :-)

Even further from any urban hustle and bustle were the tournament games held on a field in nearby Colfax.  One of the moms went into the local grocery store, and the checker thought she was from the new family moving into town.  Everyone knows everyone else there, apparently, and a new face attracts attention.  

The field itself was on the far edge of town, beyond it, only a narrow road along a river.  But Hubby (the only time he was able to come with us to a tournament), CuddleBunny, Eager, and I had time to kill during team warmup, so enjoyed a leisurely ride and took some photos.  

It was interesting to note wildlife and bugs that are different from those we see on our side of the mountains. 

The boys did well, and finished 3rd in the tournament.

-- And I should have mentioned previously, that almost all baseball photos, particularly action shots, were taken by Prince CuddleBunny.  Princess Eager, an avid photography buff, was often behind her camera, too, and she supplied a lot of individual shots for the team members to share on their respective social media options.

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Eastward Ho!

The next big tournaments for Prince Go-for-It's team were in Eastern Washington.  In fact, we left immediately after the championship game at UW to head to the cross-state rival stadium at Washington State University in Pullman.  








The drive was long, but beautiful.  It's always interesting and nice to change environments, and enjoy scenery unlike that we see everyday.  















I am convinced, for whatever reason there may be, that the clouds on that side of the Cascades are just different.  They seem so much more dramatic, and with more depth.  Awesome.

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Tournament Time

One of the boys' first (and favorite) big tournaments was one in which they played against premier teams in University of Washington's brand new Husky Baseball Stadium.  It felt 'big time!'

They had some skill clinics, then played tournament games in the afternoons and evenings.  It was HOT, and the competition was fierce.  They weren't expected to do well, and did lose their first game,   but not badly.

  

The next day brought better things, and Prince Go-for-It got to feel a big part of their success. 

 Game 1 that day went into the win column, with a good scoring margin for our boys.  The 2nd game, a night game, so under the lights, was more of a battle.  

With 2 outs in the 9th inning, the score was tied.  Prince Go-for-It had 2 strikes, and 2 balls, but then he smacked a good one, and was on base.  2 hits by teammates later, and he was the winning run, taking the team into the championship game on the final day!














Because this tournament was in the Big City, we commuted, and the prince's siblings, nephew, and dad were able to come watch.  But being in the new stadium was more of a family affair than just who was in the cheering section, or even playing on the field...  

First of all, our niece works on campus, so we got to see her.  But also, my older brother had hauled the steel for framing the stadium when it was built, and our eldest prince had wired the lights over the stadium seats!  

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