July Extras

The happenings of July…

Fresh tomatoes out of Papa Tom's garden. 

Miss Lilly turns TWO.

Daddy's BBQ Tourny.

This kid is going to be a veterinarian when he grows up---he's a dog whisper. 

28th of the Month + Random Acts of Kindness = Harry's Joy <--check and="" join="" movement="" nbsp="" out="" p="" read="" story="" the="" web-link="">

Baseball Camp 2015

This year we decided to sign both boys up for baseball. This would be Logan's first attempt at an organized sports outside of gymnastics. & since we didn't want to be at the ball field Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for 8 weeks, we signed both boys up for T-ball--Kaden was old enough to do coach pitch but the days just didn't work out.

The first few weeks of baseball camp were spent going over the fundamentals---how to field and throw a ball--T, muscle man, step and throw.

Kaden has an arm on him, a really good one but Logan, he focus more on the form and he had it down---and it was so cute watching him think about each step that his coaches taught him as he did it.

They learned how to properly run the bases. Catch pop flies. Field grounders and throw to first base. The camp coaches did a great job with the kids, especially with the 3 and 4 year olds that required a little more patience. After the first few weeks of running through drills and learning the game the kiddos got to scrimmage against each other.

But first everyone had to stretch and get warmed up. Coaches and parents too.

The coaches do their best to try and allow each of the kids to play every position throughout the camp but as you can imagine, there are parents who request their kiddo gets a prominent spot like pitcher, first base, second base or third base---really anything but the outfield. Logan was good about waiting patiently and I actually held back from requesting positions as well and just let the chips fall where they may. 

We started out at third and if this stance doesn't say "baseball ready" then I am not sure what does!

Logan caught on quickly. He moved towards the ball as soon as it was hit. While in the outfield later on during this game he backed up each of his infielders and a few times even got a chance to field the ball because the hitter managed to find a gap.

& then it was his turn to bat. He found his spot in the dugout on the bench and again, patiently waited his turn all while sizing up the pitcher...

Don't be fooled by his cuteness, this big guy means business.

A little practice swing just to make sure the T was set up correctly. 

And then it was go time. Leg hike and all! 

He safely made it to first and waited for his teammate to connect with the ball before taking off for second. & this is probably the one thing that I can take credit for, while we were waiting for a ball to come into play, I taught him how you stand on the base to get a good push off. I love how he is so clued into the game, he may be four but he was soaking it all in and loving every minute of it. 

The Thunder Chickens had a great season and it was so fun to see Logan take part in his first team sport and not only excel at it but to really enjoy every part of it too. 

& seriously, is there anything cuter than seeing 3 and 4 year olds in tiny cleats? It's basically cuteness overload.

After the Thunder Chickens packed up their bags, helmets and gloves for the season Kaden's Red Grasshopper Angels took to the field. 

Things are a little different for Kaden's group as parents don't help on the field with them, they are on their own, so getting pictures of him was a little more challenging. However, just like Logan's group, they all have to warmup before the game can start. 

That's Kaden, with the blue camo shorts on and the headband next to the coach. He likes to bring the style...

And unlike Logan that waits patiently in the dugout, Kaden wants to be first. First to the field and most certainly first to bat. I tried to explain that if he was last he would get to hit the "home run" but he didn't care one lick about a home run. 

Kaden certainly has some natural athletic ability, I mean, he does have me as his mother, but what he lacks is a little bit of focus---I am sure it will come with time. Now don't get me wrong, he did well, and  pretty much paid attention when he needed but the in between stuff, well that is another story.

& with that, the Red Grasshopper Angels season ended as well. It was pretty impressive to see the growth that this group of kids made over the course of 2 months. There were a few times that Kaden and another teammate actually made some great plays to "record" some outs but we all know that at this stage of the game there are no real outs. And as great as this baseball camp was for Kaden, we are so ready to take on coach pitch next summer and I for one am looking forward to weekend tournaments at the ballfields. 

Stich Fix Review

A few friends that I work with have been using Stitch Fix for a couple months now and I figured I would jump on board and try it out too. I mean, the pieces they were wearing were pretty darn cute, on trend & actually could go pretty easily from day to night---which is important since we all pretty much wear suits every day of our corporate life.

So one day, I caved and typed in their URL. Up it popped and the rest is history. But first, what is Stitch Fix? Stitch Fix is basically like having your own stylist picking out clothes for you. You work your way through a few questions about various styles, saying what you like and what you don't like. Choosing what type of clothing you tend to wear more often, what you want and don't want to see in your shipment & choosing price points on various items of clothing as well.

& then I waited. & on Friday, July 17th, my first Stitch Fix box arrived. We were actually headed out of town & I wasn't going all the way home beforehand so I asked Justin to throw it in the car. I was going to wait until we got to my mom and dad's to open it but I just couldn't. It was like Christmas and I was so curious to see what my stylist had picked out for me. 

The below pictures are a re-enactment. 

Even before taking out each piece and looking at them I pulled out the style cards and gave them a once over. I love how not only does "my" stylist give me some ideas on what to pair the items with but she also gives me visuals--I am very much a visual person & this may just be my favorite thing that Stitch Fix does. I mean, if I knew what I was doing, I'd be doing this on my own, I wouldn't need Stitch Fix but I don't, so I need them. Or at least we'll see what they have... 

The other thing to keep in mind is that you receive a 25% discount on your order if you keep all 5 pieces. 

Oh and I don't like being in front of the camera--Kaden was my photographer and did the best he could with my iPhone but there are some things you just can't change--so no judgement!

Below are the five pieces I was sent:

Danielle Long Knot Necklace--this necklace is long enough to wrap twice, maybe three times if you wanted it super short and weren't claustrophobic.

A Toledo V-neck Blouse--not something that I would normally choose because I tend to go with black and white and little color but I tried it on, it fit well and I liked it with both jeans and suits/skirts. 

A Douglas Pleated Blouse--again, nothing I would normally choose for myself but again, it fit well and I really liked it under suits. I wore it this past week with a black skirt and got so many compliments. 

Aviva Boyfriend Jean-Kut from the Kloth--again, these jeans fit really well. I have a very hard time finding jeans that fit because I am a little on the short side---shocker, I know. However, these fit around the waist and in length. They will make great date night or everyday wearing jeans but unfortunately, I can't wear them to work because they're a little distressed---then again, I can only wear jeans on Fridays so not a big deal at the end of the day. 

Camile Jersey Ruched Detail Dress--this was probably my least favorite piece out of the box. I liked the shape, it fit well but I was still having a hard time figuring out how to incorporate pieces that I already had in my closet with it. Honestly, I have pretty much exactly what "my" stylist suggested in the pictures she sent. I just didn't think I could pull it off but I will totally wear this with my jean jacket and flips. 

With each Stitch Fix delivery comes a pre-paid return shipping bag. You try on the clothes, you decided what you would like to keep and what you don't and that is that. Well kind of.

For this particular box I would have kept 4 out of the 5 pieces, returning the knit dress. However, the 25% discount that I would receive if I kept all 5 pieces was greater than the dress itself, so it didn't make sense to send anything back. I'll find a way to work it into my wardrobe, one way or another.

After deciding to keep all items, I logged back into my account on their website and reviewed each piece. By providing feedback, my stylist will know what I liked about each piece and what I didn't and will be able to keep that in mind for next month's shipment. And I should note that you can sign up for monthly boxes, every other month boxes & have the ability to delay shipments too.

And if you are on Pinterest, you can actually link your Pinterest Board to your Stitch Fix account and your stylist will take into account the items that you pin and try and either find some of those items or similar items for you. How cool is that!?!?

All in all, I was very pleased with my first experience and looking forward to seeing what I get sent in my next Stitch Fix box. & if you are interested in trying it out, here's a link that you can use, I think we both might get a few free bucks towards a future shipment. https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/5491097