Summer Bucket List

Last summer was a rough summer for us as some events out of our control happened the rest of that year we were living our firsts without a great man in our lives.  So at the beginning of this summer the boys and I vowed we would cowboy up and live life to the fullest. So we made our summer bucket list and charged head on into adventure and live our summer to the fullest before it was over and school was going again.
Now the Bucket List came from the boys but I put my touches on it...so here it is!

1. Get a base hit in baseball:

Jayson was moved up to the T-shirt league and was the youngest player on his team.  Not many very kids his age got moved up and it made for some very big nerves in our house. Jayson was especially nervous and for the first time he had kids his age pitching to him and he had to take a swing at not-so-perfect pitches.  None of us realized how hard it was going to be for him to hit the ball coming from a pitching machine.  The pitches from the pitching machine were perfect pitches and coming from kids his age, well they were not so perfect.  As time wore on he became frustrated with a no hitting game. Finally he just let go and  started to listen to his dad and his coach and started hitting. As soon as he started hitting he moved up in the batting order and was moved out of the out field and moved to 3rd base.  I was so proud of him! Not because he was hitting but because he showed real determination, real drive and he succeeded. That is all I care when my kids do things and I was so happy to see him demonstrate this when it is even hard for adults to do.
Carson had never played baseball and after his soccer stint we were worried as to how he would play.  He is a natural and a lefty too!  We had never practiced with him, not for lack of trying to fit it in our busy schedule, it just never happened because all we did was run as soon as Jayson started baseball. So the first game, he just walked right up to the baseball tee and swung at it and knocked it out into right field. And the rest is history for him!
Check this one off the list!

2. Go swimming more!

The boys love to swim. We have a local outdoor pool that we are quite lucky to have for such a small town.  So this year they added this to one of their top items on the bucket list. So I purchased a summer pass and then we went a lot. On the days I could not go I had a teenager that I hired to watch them during Connor's nap. Brilliant, I know! It was a great way to get them to clean their rooms in the morning and do their chores. Wonderful leverage!  They also became great swimmers and both are amazing and can really hold their own in a pool!

Check this one off the list....

3. Go to "Land of Milk and Honey" and help Pop with the farm and horses:



I didn't get a picture of the boys working with Pop and I really regret it but those boys woke up every morning for 15 days to make sure they got to go with Pop and not get left. It warmed my heart to see their willingness to wake up so early, get themselves dressed and head out.  They were stuck to that man like glue.  Jayson says when he get older he is going to Pop's house for the summer to work with him every day. Carson feels the same.
Check this one off the list...

4.  Face some fears and try some new things:

I have a very cautious child and some days I just love that I can count on him to be the "safety first" kid! Knock on wood but no broken bones for my first child. He is my do not climb child and prior to Kindergarten we logged some hours the following summer at the school playground so he wouldn't be the kid frozen with fear on top of the playset.  He also has a love/hate relationship with water. He loves the swimming pool on his terms. Every year when we go to the cabin water is usually included on the list.  He never jumps in and would sit on the dock and hold himself back while he watched all his cousins and even his younger brother have all sorts of fun.  He also refused the boat and anything pulled behind the boat. So from day one of summer we started working on him to push himself to talk through and face some of the things that held him back from having fun. We worked with him on the difference from being cautious and holding himself back and sitting on the sidelines.  This summer was Jayson's summer.  He really came out of his shell. With the help uncle Ryan, someone he really trusts and thinks the world of, he jumped off that dock, FINALLY!  He rode water tubes and everyone was really encouraging and kind, Uncle Jake was very careful to dump him in the lake or go too wild. Jayson has always had a fear of heights and until this year he never tried too many "older kid" amusement park rides.  Well this year, he tried new rides that as he put it "freaked him out" but faced his fear and he also did a ropes course at the Nickelodeon Amusement Park in Mall of America. I was so proud of him! 
As for Carson and Connor, well Connor found out he HATES the water and HATES either horsey rides or cowboys.  BUT he does like 4-wheeler rides with his Dad, Mom or Pop! Carson, is one that scares me. He has little or no fear and if it does scare him, he won't tell you.  He just does it. He did try new things because he was old enough this year. He rode a new water ride and he got to go on new fun rides at Mall of America too and it made him feel like he was big like his Dad and Jayson.

Check this one off our list!

5.  Go hunting (now since Jayson can't hunt until he take hunter's safety and I don't know any hunting season in the summer we made some changes) or at least see some animals we haven't seen in the "wild".  Top of our list: THE BEAR!

Although we usually see the twin moose since they were babies that hang out at Bills Island we never saw them this year. However Pop took us all to Bear World and we got to feed the bears! It was so fun. The Grizzly Bears are really not any fun but the Black Bears were seriously cute! The boys loved it and still tell everyone they fed a bear. Now the last picture above was staged but we did try to check this fully off the bucket list.

Check, check!

6.  Put on a LIVE production for a crowd:

This is only a blurb of the whole production but the crowd was quite pleased with our little guys! They were all too cute!!  Jayson just loves to create productions! He has such a great imagination and Carson just loves to steal the show. They are so fun to watch and they were especially exited to perform at the cabin for a crowd!
Check!

7.  Win a parade trophy:

My Aunt Nedra planned, prepared and carried out one of the best floats in the Land of Milk and Honey. My boys were so thrilled to be a part of it. It was a float honoring my cousin Rod just home from Afghanistan.  They did an amazing job with such an amazing tribute! And of course it won! :)

Checkity-check-check!

8.  Go to a real western Rodeo:

It is no mystery these boys are wild about the wild west and think they are cowboys...without horses and a ranch! But they need not think or be told otherwise. So naturally a rodeo would be on their bucket list. They even watched a cowboy show they went, an edited version of 8 Seconds.  They were ready for the bulls, they could not wait! We went to a very great rodeo with cowboys from Ok, TX, CO and NE. The entertainment, the stock and cowboys all world class. The boys loved it- Jayson especially!

9.  Go on a new adventure somewhere we haven't been:

We added the state of Minnesota to our list of states! AND the Mall of America to our list of adventures.  Hubby goes to Minneapolis all the time on business since the corporate offices are there. Every time he goes I would love to tag along but it seems like never at a good time to get away. Finally we did our thing, our way and had so much fun! We did the school shopping thing and then played the rest of the time. We had so much fun and made some wonderful memories. Minneapolis is added to our must go again places! Quick funny story while waiting for Jayson to try on school clothes at the 77 kids store. Carson was busy shopping himself. He loves bright colors and orange is one of them. He picked out a cute orange hat, sunglasses and a sweatshirt with orange writing. So my little negotiator got it all and wore them around the rest of the day at MOA. Everywhere we went people were exclaiming over him, how cute he was and taking pictures from their cells, as if he was some celeb or something. Well that little rascal didn't even smile, he thought he was all that and more! All my boys are just too fun and I love experience the new with them!

Check-check-check!

10.  Witness something miraculous!
Yes, miracles do still happen and I added this to my list for my boys. I want them to believe in the impossible, I want them to know of the magic of a miracle! Well it wasn't until after we got home from "the Land of Milk and Honey" that our miracle came about.  I had installed Skype onto my parents laptop.  I added them and me to appropriate Skype accounts and set it all up. When we got home as usual we all just missed Pop and Grans so much.  We have been so fortunate to be able to already Skype Jay's Mom and it has been such a joy to her and the boys. I wanted this for my parents. This is where the miracle came in. Modern technology is not my parents friends. They don't like to fuss with things and some of the technology frustrates them fast. So if I set it up wrong or something on their end was not right then our chances of Skyping them were lost. Well after missing them so much we set up a time to Skype and it worked! We talk to them on Sunday's via Skype and it bring so much joy to my boys! That is our miracle as small and simple as it sounds to many, it meant something to me, my boys and my parents. It allows families to be close when so far away. It is a miracle each time we do it, that all goes right and it works!
And that is another one checked off our list.

We have had a fun summer, one of adventure, one of facing fears, one of work, determination, and one of happy memories!  We faced our sad hearts and healed wounds from last summer. It is amazing what one can do when they set their mind to do it. It is amazing what love and family can do to the sole and the heart. My husband and my boys have been such a joy in my life and could not think of better adventurers to have at my side!