Summer 2016

     It will be tough to sum up the summer now that it is over. I always say I should write while the summer is happening, but of course I was too busy and too lazy to write while we were having fun in the summer. I will do my best to give the detailed needed to explain how busy and fun this summer was for our family.


Softball Tourneys
 

      We played some good softball this summer. The summer started (well, end of June) with a fun tourney in Cranbrook. I have been asked by a team from Lethbridge to play in the tourney for the last few years, but this year Kristi came to play with our team as well. Brody was a little grumpy at first, because it has just been me and him for the last couple years at this tourney. We played great in the tourney and ended up winning the "intermediate" side of the tourney.

   























     Our Cardston Men's team that Me and Jimmy played on had a great final Tourney. We went into the tourney as somewhat the underdogs, but everyone got hot at the same time and we rolled through the tourney and won the championship. Jimmy and I hit the ball so well. It was like every hit was hard and in a gap somewhere or over the fence! I made a wicked diving catch in the semifinal game in left field. I tracked down a ball in fair territory and caught the ball fully stretched out and nearly slid right out of the diamond. Jimmy hit one ball to left field that went over the road and I'm pretty sure they never found the ball. I hit one to Centerfield that was probably one of the longest balls I've hit on Reford East diamond (I also grunted pretty loud as I hit it haha).

   











   




























     Our team in Lethbridge Co-Ed played in the league tourney for the first time ever. We are usually gone and don't have enough for a team. This year we had enough people to get a team. We went into the tourney the #2 team in the league. There was only 1 team that had beaten us and that was the #1 team (the Hounds, they beat us twice in league play). Our first game we went into the bottom of the 7th inning down by 5 runs, but we came back to win the game by 1 run. The Semifinal was against the Hounds and we beat them by 5 runs. We made it to the championship. The Tourney was a true double knockout, so whoever came to play us in the final had to beat us twice to win. The Hounds came all the way around to make it back to the final. It was such a hot day and there was no way we wanted to play 2 games, so we took care of them in one game. Kristi hit a "Legit" inside the park Home run on diamond #9. She hit it over the left fielders head and before he could even get it to the cut off, Kristi was at home!

      Our family tourney was fun this year cause Haydn was able to play full time. He played so good in the outfield, and he made some great catches. He made one catch on the run (off Ben Court) that made me so proud of him!! We only won one game, but everyone had a great time. We wore pink shirts for Breast Cancer and to support my mom. I hit one of the longest home runs I have ever hit during the family ball tourney. We were playing on the Lions Park baseball diamond and I hit one over top of the playground in Left Centre. I wish I knew actually how for it was, maybe I should measure it.

Haydn - Royals Summer Baseball

     Haydn didn't know if he was going to play summer baseball this year because his age group did not have a South Chief All Star team this season. I started talking to Rory Snider and he said they were doing a summer baseball league for some younger kids in association with the Fort Macleod Royals baseball team. It took a little convincing (from Kristi), but Haydn decided to play.












     They practiced twice a week and had 3 tourneys in July. The first 2 tourneys would be seeding tourneys for a final tourney at the end of the season. Our first tourney was in Clive Alberta....Ya I had no idea where it was either. Clive is about 30 minutes east of Red Deer. The 2nd tourney was in Hanna Alberta (which is about 3.5 hours away), and the final tourney was in Wetaskwin Alberta (which is up by Edmonton). So ya, we had to drive a long ways for Haydn to play baseball this summer.




     Haydn's team was young and struggled in the seeding tourney loosing some close games. They pulled it together though for the final Provincial tourney and won. Haydn had a great season playing for the Royals. He played first base for most of the season, but in the finals our team needed a better Catcher and Haydn stepped up and said he could play the position and he did Awesome!! He threw out a few runners on 2nd and 3rd base. He kept the ball in front of him when the pitchers were wild with their throws. He had a great season at the plate, and rarely struck out, he always seemed to put the ball in play.

   

     By the end of the season he was really happy that he played and was already talking about next season with the Royals. Haydn also hit his first ever "over the fence" home run this summer. We were taking BP on the SW diamond of Town Square and he put one of the fence. He (And Dad) was pretty excited.

Brody - South Chief Minor All Star Baseball

     Brody made the Minors All Star team this year. He had a great regular season and had a lot of confidence going into the try outs for the team. He Actually missed the first try out because he went with us to a softball tourney in Cranbrook, but the coach told him it would be ok because he had played so good during the season.









     Brody's season was made up of a lot of exhibition games and then the big "AAA" Prairies tourney at the end of the season. We travelled to Medicine Hat and played against their "AA" and "AAA" teams. They easily beat the "AA" team and had a tough loss to the "AAA" team. We went into the top of the 6th inning against the Med Hat "AAA" team with the top of our order due up in the batting ordered and down by 2 runs. Suddenly the field sprinklers came on and they could not get the to shut off so they had to call the game and we lost by 2.

   




     They played games in Lethbridge, Fort Macleod and Raymond. Brody played First base, Catcher, Outfield and catcher. He had a great season at the plate and hit the ball really well.

     The final Prairies Tourney was playing against the best 9-10 year olds in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We were not sure how we would do, but the boys played awesome and we ended up loosing in a game that would have sent us to the semifinal. The team that ended up winning Prairies was the Med Hat team that had beat us by 2 because we could finish the game. Brody had 2 "Walk Off" hits in the tourney, where he scored the winning runs.

     So between the 2 boys playing baseball, we did a lot of travelling. I am so proud of both of them and how they played. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love traveling around and watching them play the game I love.

Wasa and Echo

     We ended the summer with a couple of camping trips. We went to Wasa as a family for a week and then we spent 5 days at Echo with Ryan and Brandi. It was a great way for the family to end the busy summer. Just relaxing and playing on the beach. Not too sure what to say about the trips, so I will let the pictures do the talking.

Jaxon / Grandma Fromm / T-Bones Birthday / Luc

     Jaxon stayed here for the summer and worked at the Subway in Waterton. He Cant work in the States right now, so he had to come to Canada to make some money for the summer. It was fun getting to know him better and hanging out. He would just pop-over and hang out with the boys whenever he wasn't at work, or if he was just bored. He would come hit balls with us and play basketball with the boys when we could get into the gym.

   

     Kristi's Grandma Fromm passed away this summer. She was an amazing lady and so many people turned out for the funeral. It was a happy/sad moment for Kristi. Happy that she was on the other side now, but sad to see her go. She loved Haydn and was not shy about telling other people that Haydn was one of here favourites haha. We were so glad that we stopped in a few weeks before and took some pictures with her. She leaves behind a lot of family that will carry on her good name.

   
Tyson turned 6 years old!! all he wanted was a Luigi's Mansion cake and Corn on the cob for his Birthday. Some how Kristi made it happen (Well the corn part was easy, because its Taber Corn season). She knew a girl who was good at making cakes and she made T-Bone an awesome Luigi's Mansion cake!! Tyson had some friends and family over and we had a BBQ and cake with everyone.

      Luc was in a terrible car accident at the end of June just outside Sparwood. He had to be air-lifted to Calgary with life threatening injuries. He is still in the hospital and cannot move very well. He has a trake in that helps him breath, but he cannot talk. He communicates using head nods and an alphabet board that he spells things out with. It will be a very long road for him, but he has made a ton of progress in the last couple months.

Other Summer Pics