sab ba ti cal, two

Here's the thing. I am only to mid-June of last year and currently my hubby is nearly half way through spring training of this year.

I am not really sure how that happened.

I mean, I know how it happened. He got into his car, drove across the country and then baseball players just started showing up outta nowhere and throwing balls and hitting balls and running fast.

And spitting. Lots of spitting.

MLB is thinking about hiring me to write their new ad campaign.

Because words, I know a lot of them.

Anyhoo (not actually a word) (but it should be) we spent last summer in Missoula, Montana. It was a  bit of a full-circle moment for us because Andy had played his own rookie ball season there nearly 11 years ago.

Now he was returning to manage the team.

And when in tarnation did we become old enough to have full-circle moments?

hey mom! dat's our daddy!?!

Missoula is such a great town, so beautiful and  most importantly, not as hot as Phoenix.

We wore jackets to the Independence Day game.

Which was in July.

You know, when it tends to be overly warm.

some of us enjoyed our mother-assigned clothes more than others (e, l, a)

.

 We spent the summer stalking the mascot, eating peanuts, cheering for the team and jumping on the trampoline at our summer home. We were very blessed to be able to lodge in the basement of a great family with three girls. The youngest was 10-year-old Maddie, whom my little people ADORED. She was highly entertaining and quickly became my own little dose of sanity.

Which is not easy to maintain when you're living in a one bedroom apartment, 18 miles from the grocery store.

Eighteen.


Miles.

Maddie and Annie Bananie

we had to hug him. every.single.day.

When I wasn't traversing back and forth from the grocery store (why do these little people need to eat so often?) we got to do fun, adventurous things.

 Like catch mice and go rafting.

For the record, the mice were cuter than I'd imagined. 

But even cute mice poop all over everything.

So they had to go. 

And kudos to Maddie's family for showing my girls the ways of the river. 

By throwing their little life-jacketed selves into it. 

And also for not freaking out when Anna peed in my lap. 

While I was sitting in their nice, leather SUV.

(Although the pointing and laughing was understandable, the photo taking wasn't really necessary).

Fortunately, for you all, I can't find said photo.

You're welcome.

We were also very blessed to have the House family make the journey to Missoula with us. JR was Andy's hitting coach. He and Valerie have some of the most adorable babies evah.  Val and I already knew each other from when our boys played together in Buffalo, many moons ago. I was so glad to have such a sweet friend with me.

Plus, she didn't flinch when she realized that I was going to eat an entire pan of brownies for dinner.

On purpose.

Again.

We spent Sundays running the bases and barefoot in the grass.

And then August rolled around and it was time for us gals to hit the road.

The Lainey Bug was getting ready to be a big kindergartner, you know. 

So we sadly kissed Daddy goodbye...

i could just squoosh them. all.

And my crazy sweet dad flew into Montana, enjoyed few ball games and then helped me drive across the country with all three girls and the dog.

You know what's in the middle of South Dakota? NOTHING. And lots of it.

 At this point we thought Andy would finish out the regular season and then join us at home for the off season. But a funny thing happened. Those boys started winning and then they didn't stop.

So I told the Skipper,
 Listen here fella, if you are going to the play-offs and if you're gonna miss out on family time, the start of school and my birthday, you'd might as well win the whole stinkin' thing,  alrighty?

So he said
 Sure. I'll get right on that.

And then they did.

 

Missoula Osprey 2012 Pioneer League Champions

So that brings us to September. And all those words I claimed to have? They will have to wait for another day.