Our Little Ball Player

Ryder is in Height's National Little League again this year. Last year he played in the T-Ball division. This year he stepped up to "Coach Pitch" and we are very excited for him. He started practice right after Easter Break and our first game is tomorrow. Below are some pictures from his practices and from the "Opening Day Ceremonies" which took place this past weekend. I have also included his schedule of games for anyone who would like to come and watch him play. He will always play his games on the Bitterroot Fields which is located on Bench, right behind Wal-Mart in the Heights.

GAME SCHEDULE

Tuesday April 20....6pm

Friday April 23....6pm

Saturday April 24....NOON

Wednesday April 28....6pm

Saturday May 1....10am

Wednesday May 5....6pm

Thursday May 6....6pm

Monday May 10....6pm

Thursday May 13....6pm

Saturday May 15....NOON

Monday May 17....6pm

Saturday May 22....NOON

Tuesday May 25....6pm

Tuesday June 1....6pm

Saturday June 5....NOON

First day of practice. "Throwing"

"Catching"

They started hitting off the "T" on the first day. They will be pitched to in the games however.

OPENING DAY CEREMONY

Saturday April 17, 2010

It was a beautiful 65 degree day for the Opening Day. They had a parade of teams where all the teams were announced and the Little T-Ball teams got to run the bases. Nicki came with us to help us with Kannin and then we all went out for lunch afterward. What a beautiful day!

Daddy & Kannin

Ryder standing in line with his team..."The Oddballs"

The boys listening to their coach.

All of the teams stood behind their team signs & cheered when their teams were announced!

Some of the Little T-Ballers running the bases. They were so cute and so little!



It was a huge crowd of people! Hundreds and hundreds of kids!! We are SO excited for the season to start!!!

A South Dakota Easter

The roads dry! The weather beautiful! Nothing major in the forecast! A sure sign that it was safe to travel back to South Dakota for Easter...RIGHT? Well...The trip to SD was great. Once I arrived...an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY!!!

The kids had Spring Break the entire week before Easter. We headed to Timber Lake on Wednesday March 31 and stayed until Monday April 5th. It was a great visit and Break from the "Billings Drama" that is my life!

On Thursday...April 1st...the boys and I headed to the Convenience Store in Isabel, 20 miles away, owned by a good friend of mine, Mandy. The Easter Bunny was there, they got to see Mandy's girls and they got a treat!

(L-R) Ryder, Kannin, Easter Bunny holding Lexi,

Kendyl and I think this little boy is named Treyton.

When we arrived back to my parents house it started to hail!!

Good sized hail!



It was also thundering! Wouldn't be a trip back home without a little weather. Little did I know this was only a start to a huge problem for the community and would start shortly after midnight and leave it's mark around 4:00am with the power going out. The following is a PORTION excerpt from the Timber Lake Topic (newspaper)





MOREAU-GRAND SYSTEM TAKES ANOTHER WALLOP
by Kathy Nelson

Easter weekend plans for Moreau Grand Electric employees and about 800 member-customers changed after a foot or more of heavy snow knocked out power in a wide area last Friday morning.

MGE Manager Melissa Maher said although this storm was not as bad as the one in late January that did an estimated $7 Million in damage, it was bad enough.

Operations manager Kent Larson said that over 600 poles were downed.

"Every storm is different." Maher said "This one started on Friday at 4 a.m. with rain, then heavy, heavy snow and 40 mile-an-hour winds. By 11 a.m. the damage was done."

Fifty extra workers were immediately called in from co-ops around the state, and contractors Keller Construction and Midwest Power were hired. On Monday 30 more men joined the work force after finishing up repairs for Grand Electric at Bison.





We were without power for several hours on Friday April 2nd. I got a SMALL taste of the TWO WEEKS that they were without power in the storm in January. Others were without power for about a week with this storm. This community bands together like no other. I went with my dad late one evening to direct an incoming Power Crew to a rural Lodge which would become their home for an undetermined amount of time. I truly felt for these men who had to leave their families on Good Friday to travel cross state to work. Below are a couple pictures of the storm. I didn't take too many.

Ryder greeting Grandpa at the door. With my dad being Members Service Manager at Moreau Grand Electric...we saw VERY little of him over the Easter holiday. He would leave by 4:30 a.m. every morning and wouldn't come home until almost bedtime! The kids really missed him and greeted him with big hugs every time he would sneak home for a few minutes. Kannin would stand by the window and say..."Where my grampa at?"

Kannin was so excited to see Grandpa every time he came home. What a nice little boy greeting this was for Grandpa!

So April Fools came a day late in TL!!! This was the start of the disastrous snow!!


HEAVY HEAVY WET SNOW!!!

The diaper cake that I whipped up. My mom, sister & I went in on this cake for our cousin Raquel and her newest addition..."Anna Rose Nachatilo." We went to her baby shower-luncheon on Saturday April 3rd at our local Cafe.

Little Baby Anna Rose...making her Timber Lake debut at her Baby Shower.

We brought our bounce house and set it up in my parent's living room! So much fun for the kids!!

My niece Macy had a laugh that was just contagious! She had so much fun jumping. All the kids were just sweaty & exhausted when they were done bouncing! YAY for nap time!!

Birthday Buddies! My niece Haylee & Ryder have the same Birthday...just a year apart. Haylee turned 5 and Ryder turned 6 on March 9th. They are too cute and play together like a little married couple. Haylee is the boss and Ryder follows her around!!! They learn early don't they?!

Grandma Kris even got in and jumped, or BOUNCED around with the kiddos.

Jumping Cousins!!

" The Easter Bunny Came Mom!!!"

Ryder, Haylee & Macy checking out their Easter Loot!!

Kannin found his FAVORITE candy bar in his basket.

The Easter Bunny was smart this year! With all of the snow and mud...Mr. Bunny hid the 100+ eggs INSIDE the house. They were everywhere. The kids had fun finding them all

Kannin looked for eggs out in the Sun Space. He found 2 eggs...realized there were filled with candy...and took a break to EAT!!!

EASTER CHURCH SERVICES

We had a really nice church service Sunday. Girls in their pretty new Easter dresses, children sermon, a wonderful Sermon, communion and beautiful music. Brought back memories of my Easter dresses and Bonnets and Sunrise Services at MY church. So happy my children are a part of that.

My cousin Tracy's girls Whitley & Shaelynn from Rapid City played some special music and did sign language as the Children in the church congregation sang & signed along.

The children in the church came up front for the Children's Sermon. My dad met us at church and was able to join us for this Easter tradition. He put on the Children's Sermon and after church he had to head back to work.

My dad showed a short film/cartoon and gave the kids the "Message" for the Children's Sermon. Us adults really loved it. It was very cute.

After church...Great Grandpa Harold was able to hold his Great Granddaughter Anna Rose. Mom Raquel is off to the left. For those of you who do not know these people... Harold Jackson is my Great Great Uncle. He lives in Mobridge in the apartment at the Hotel that I used to work at. His son Jeff & wife Marie now own the hotel and they were the people I worked for while living in Mobridge.

Kannin, Tysen & Ryder cuddle on the couch to watch a movie. Strange thing is...there were 2 larger tv's in the basement and 2 HUGE beds as well...but for some ODD reason...this was the spot they chose!!

Everyone was in bed early the night of Easter. We had plans to be on the road by 7am Monday morning to head back to Billings. We came close...departing @ 7:30 after stopping by the Electric Company to say good bye to my dad. We were home by 2:30 p.m. with Kannin's Hab Aide Nicki waiting on our front swing for us to arrive home. We had a wonderful Easter Weekend with family and seeing some friends. Wished we could have spent a little more time with my dad! Stinking Storms ALWAYS follow me home!!

ARIZONA!!!

So...my grandparents go to Arizona every winter and I have yet to travel down to see them. Last season they bought a Park Model trailer in the Mesa Regal Resort. They have always pulled their 5th Wheel down...but this season they are "Home Owners!" With Allegiant recently offering direct flights from Billings to Phoenix...I thought to myself..."THIS IS THE YEAR TO GO!! So...I told Matt to tell me when a good time would be for him to take some time off work to play mommy while I was gone. WELL...he NEVER got back to me so I just booked the trip and told him he HAD to play mommy!! I left on Tuesday March 9th (yes...I know...Ryder's Birthday but we had the party when I came home) to March 13th. Phoenix...HERE I COME!!!!

Matt had to play "Mommy" while I was gone! Not a glamorous job! I am busy and have to live my life Minute-Minute!! Above are the Day-by-Day...Minute-by-Minute time line of events for him to go off of taped to the cabinets! BELIEVE me...HE NEEDED THEM!!!

I flew out at 10 am and arrived shortly afternoon! My Grandma Marge & friend Joy picked me up at th Mesa Airport. We headed straight back to the resort where Grandma had to practice for the Annual Talent Show. She had a couple of acts. I really enjoyed the "Show" that evening. Above: The Regalaires preform their talent.



There were several "TAP" acts as well as "Hula" acts. ALL good! I was AMAZED at the LEGS on these ladies! WOWSA!!! I am gonna take up Tap Dancing again!!!

Grandma Marge (in the middle in a SHORT dress and WIG) and her friends...doing her second act. SO GOOD!!!

Everyone scoots around in Golf Carts in the resort. My Grandparents have a nice one as well. This is one of the carts in Mesa Regal that caught my eye! Flashy Teal Color Kart+Oak Cabinet+"Buildah" License Plate = Roger Lawien's Retirement Transportation!! LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Shopping with the ladies! I joined the ladies...Ardie, Marge, Joy & Karen for a day of shopping in a new Shopping village. Here we are headed to Macy's!

My Grandpa Leo! This picture was really taken for an April Fools for my mom...which by the way...he GETS my mom every year!!! Notice his WILD hair!

There was a "Viagra" joke with this hat! You can about imagine...huh?!?



Beautif Water Fountain in the Quad.

In the background...a cafe and bar which is right by the pools.

One of the pools in the resort.

Grandma Marge & I on my last night in Mesa.

On the last night I was there the resort had "THEME" night which is an annual event. This year was 50's Night. Fifties music by the band & Poodle Skirts galore! I LOVE the people here. They were having EMPTY Beer glass stacking contests. MAN...sounds like a Days of 1910 Celebration Tent activity!!!

The pools were beautiful and WARM!!! VERY WARM!!!


The days were not the warmest but the Sun was out everyday!! This vacation gave me the "Spring Fever" to come home and plant flowers! DANG...I have to wait at least another month!!!

(Above) I actually boarded through the BACK of the plane. NEVER have I done this before. I was in the second row on the flight down but further back on the flight home. Just a little strange for me!

My flight took off @ 7am on Saturday March 13th...so I had to be to the airport by 6 am...which meant...UP AT 4:30 am!! I arrived home in Billings 40 minutes early...which was WONDERFUL because I had a 6 year old's Birthday Party awaiting me. 30 minutes after I arrived home...I had my first batch of cupcakes in the oven for Ryder's Birthday Party with guests arriving @ 4:30pm.

As I was boarding in the "BACK" of the plane...the view of the sun rising over the mountains was amazing!! This picture does not even do it justice. It was amazingly ORANGE & PINK!!!

Thank you to my grandparents for the amazing time I was shown while I was there. Thank you to my husband for the time he DID take off! Thank you to Nicki for keeping my kids and Matt in check while I was gone! LORD only know what I would have done without you! I needed the break! I needed the family time because it is really tough to be around NO FAMILY! I miss you Pearman's and can not wait for you to come home so we can fry some long awaited Walleye this summer!!!