Third Place Victory in Iowa City!

Iowa Lightning Red Team 

This is the first Sunday we have been home in weeks and it is kind of nice, although we aren't sure what to do with ourselves.

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers in our family, especially to Wayne and my dad, Jerry!  Love you both lots!  Sending happy father's day thoughts and hugs to Joe, Wayne's dad, as well.  Missing him on days like today. (and always)

I bet you can't guess what Wayne is doing for Father's Day?  It's a tough one......right...golfing!  He is in some tournament today and hopefully he will do alright.  He hurt his back really badly Wednesday night at a fire meeting and is having a hard time evening sitting so we will see how he feels when he gets home.  The kids made him a HUGE breakfast and he and I had mimosas - maybe that will help him loosen up.  :)

As you can see from the picture, Elyse's lightning team got their first medals of the season.  They took 3rd in the Iowa City tournament.  Yeah!!!  They were very excited yet should have been in the championship, but due to a stupid loss to the other Lightning team as well as the tournament having point spread caps to determine seeding, we weren't there.  It was a bummer, but they should still be proud!  They came back and beat the other Lightning Team this time to get 3rd place so they were happy.   The team played fabulous basketball, except one game, and came out stronger than we have ever seen them.  It was a fun weekend to watch!  Elyse ended the weekend by fouling out of the last game (not a good official as they were not good calls) but that is a first for her for the Lightning, maybe ever.

So good job Lightning and happy Father's Day to all!

Big Tournament in Wichita....Success!

turning around.....

The family loaded up again Thursday night to head to Wichita, Kansas, for Elyse's next Lightning tournament.  This was the furthest one for the team and also the biggest one as there were 700 teams present at all levels.  It was very impressive and the organization was using 90 gyms throughout the area.  It would have been cool to play at Wichita University, but they used that for the older groups of girls.....next time! :)

This tournament was a kick off for the summer league and had teams


making a beautiful shot!



double teamed now



Lots of shoving between the two during this game



Elyse shooting...number 40

from all over.  Colorada to Texas!

Elyse's team did well and came back after a rough start.  The team had lots of turnovers the first two games and sometimes looked like they hadn't played basketball before. The sad part was they could have beaten both teams but had way too many turnovers.  They came back and played a team they had played before, The Force, and almost beat them.  The Force ended up getting 2nd place so the Lightning felt great with how they came out and almost beat them in pool play.  With that positive, the Lightning came back and won some games to end up playing for 5th or 6th place.  Out of 45 teams in their pool play, and 8 going to the Championship bracket, the team was very please making it this far and coming back.  It went down to the last minute, but we couldn't pull it off and ended up getting 6th.  You would have thought we were playing for the Championship though as some of the other Lightning teams were there cheering our Lightning Red team on and it was close!  Fun way to end the tournament.....although 5th place got nice, big medals. Sixth place got.......nothing!  :)

It was nice to have my aunt, Sheila, attend one of the games Friday night as she lives a few hours from Wichita.  Elyse and I also had a nice lunch with Sheila and my cousin, Kourtney, who is a Dr on part of her "rotation"? in Wichita.  We had a nice chat and loved the time with them.  Elyse's favorite part was the chocolate afterwards from this chocolate boutique!  :)  She wanted to go back for more on Sunday before we headed home as it was so good!  So thanks Sheila and Kourtney for spending some time with us and the great conversation over lunch!  It was wonderful!

Happy 13th Birthday Alex!

Happy 13th birthday to my "baby boy" Alex!!!!  It seems like every year we are gone out of the state for his birthday.  Last year was the first time in probably 8 years he had been in Iowa to celebrate his birthday as in the past, we have been in the Carolinas to celebrate.  This year he happened to be in Wichita, Kansas.  Although he had to spend 8+ hours in the car on his birthday, he did get in a few rounds of golf with Wayne between Elyse's games, which he loved.  He was a real trooper through all 7 of Elyse's games.

To celebrate, he did have 4 of his friends over for a sleep over Monday night.  They ended up playing basketball in the driveway until 11:30 PM and then coming in for a little XBox 360 time.  As you can see, his cake is pretty cool!  Thanks to my friend, Kelly, who is turning into quite the cake maker!  :)

So happy birthday Alex!  Can't believe my kids are both teenagers....oh my!  :)

New Team = New Friends

Dema, Amanda, Shelby, Elyse, Stephanie, and Abby

One of the mom's from a teammate on the Lightning took this picture of the girls hanging out in Wichita after a game.  Obviously, this is just part of the team, but it is a cute picture and I couldn't resist posting it.

No time to post more.  Will do later. Great weekend in Wichita and birthday weekend for Alex!

Fun Days with Graham!

When we returned from Connor's birthday celebration we brought Graham back home with us for 4 days.  We had a super time with him.....played a lot......read lots of books....had picnic with G'ma on Memorial Day......played with water.....flew kites.....everything.  We had a super time.

He was a perfect little boy who not only wore us out, but he was worn out by the end of the day as well.  He did end up taking naps 2 of the days as he was pooped. 

I told Sara I have many famous quotes I should have written down that he told me all weekend.  Here is one of them:

I was getting ready to give him a bath and he walked in the bathroom, took his clothes off, and put his hands on his hips and stood there.  He said, "Where are my toys?"  I said, "I guess I don't have any toys but let's see if we can find some."  He then replied, "All little boys like toys in the tub Kim.  You need to remember that!".    I guess I failed at "toys in the tub".

I was also greeting Tuesday when I came home from work with a big hug and the comment of "Where have you been?  I have been looking all over for you!"  That was so sweet.

We had a super time with him and he was so good.  Can't wait until he returns for more fun....maybe next time we can have Connor for a while as well.   He loved his time with Kirstin, Elyse, and Alex!

Look!  I am dirty and sprayed myself!  So fun!

Happy 1st Birthday Connor!

Happy Birthday Connor!

Last weekend Alex and I headed up to Minneapolis to help Connor celebrate his 1st birthday.  Elyse stayed back to go to a classmate's party as it was her only weekend free this summer and school just got out.  She thought she could stay by herself all weekend....Wayne and I did not agree.  Needless to say, Wayne stayed home as well.

Alex and I had a super time in Minneapolis celebrating with Connor and seeing Derek and Saras' new house!  It is a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood with lots of room.  Very happy for them and the boys love their new house. 

Connor's new wheels



Alex and Graham playing tag



Connor just wanted to be with Alex

 Connor, surprisingly, did not think too much of his cake but he loved his new ride....he wouldn't get off of it for quite a while.  He is just adorable.  Sadly, I don't think I am his favorite though.  It is Alex!  They are cute together and he couldn't get enough of Alex.

Happy 1st birthday Connor!  We love you! 
Congratulations on new house Johnson family!  It is wonderful!

Lightning Basketball in Des Moines

Elyse (in black) jump ball against Ballers

She shoots...she scores



Lightning Team (minus 2) with Coach Doud

 We returned from a three day tournament for Elyse's Lightning basketball team in Des Moines.  It was a fun weekend of "up and down" basketball. Elyse said she preferred the bigger city tournaments that this as this was a smaller one compared to the others, but it was good.   Elyse did well a few games, but could have done better others.  That is how the game goes I guess.  Her team did make it to the "A Bracket" for her division so that was great!  They won 2 of the 3 first games to get placed there.  Elyse had a great start to the tournament scoring in double digits the first game.  She also ended the tournament with one of her best games as well, making great points and excellent defense on a girl who was supposably a "senior" and big.  She ran off after that game wishing she played that way all weekend. 

Elyse's grandma and g'pa came down for part of the tournament.  We had a nice family dinner Friday evening at the Spagetti Factory before sitting in a very hot gym for the rest of the evening!  Elyse's last game was at 9:40 so it was late when we returned.  G'ma and Papa proudly wore their "Lightning T-shirts" to Elyse's game on Saturday before heading home.  It was fun having them there and meeting some of Elyse's Lightning Family.

There was some "down time" during the weekend so Wayne and Alex hit the golf course while Elyse and I headed to Jordan Creek Mall.  Saturday evening we had a super meal at an Asian resteraunt where they make the meal right in front of  you as you sit around the table.  The Galvins, family friends of ours, were also in Des Moines for a wrestling tournament for their son so they joined us.  It was super fun, kids loved it, and we were all stuffed!!!!!Ended the evening with a nice beverage with Mike and Paula.  They were also so kind to get to one of the Lightning games late Friday night so that was nice.  Sadly, it was probably the worse game the Lightning played the whole weekend, but it was still nice of them to come. 

A sad thing happened this weekend to one of Elyse's Lightning teammates.  Cara, Elyse's teammate, lost her brother early Saturday morning as he died as he rolled his truck.  Cara was there at the tournament Friday night, heading back to play softball Saturday and returning to Des Moines to finish basketball tournament (yes, she is dedicated!).  Elyse got the news Saturday morning from her thru a text she sent Elyse.  When we got to the tournament, Elyse and Coach Doud only knew and broke the news to the team.  While it was a terribly sad moment, the rest of the weekend pulled the team together as Cara showed up Sunday to finish the tournament.  It was emotional when she returned as the team had their picture taken the previous day, matted and framed it and all wrote messages to her around the matting.  They gave it to her Sunday, and there was not a dry tear in the hallway....it was one of the moments you won't forget as it was the true definition of how a team supports one another.  The parents, at the moment, of the Lightning girls, couldn't have been prouder of their girls or cared if they won or lost the rest of the games. What was more tender was when we started our first game for the Sunday in the A Bracketing, guess who scored the first basket for the Lightning........Cara! It was a very emotional moment.   So sorry for your loss Cara and family.  Brothers are our heroes....I know mine was......

We are all adjusting to our life on the "road" this summer.  Elyseand I are heading back in Des Moines Wednesday night for practice, come home, and turn around to head to Wichita, Kansas, Thursday thru Sunday.  It is a HUGE tournament, 700 total teams from all levels, boys and girls, and said to be an awesome weekend of spectacular basketball.  Her team is guaranteed 5 games, but we are hoping for more by getting some big wins.  Some of the teams she faced in Kansas City will be there.....paybacks!  We got an email from her coaches this morning to get some of the paint that you use to write on windows and let our daughters write Lightning verbage all over our cars as we head to Wichita.  They are pumped!  (The question is whether Wayne will LET her write all over his windows of his Expedition.  :)))

We will also be celebrating Alex's birthday in Wichita as my baby boy turns 13 this weekend!  Yikes!  Look for pictures of that to come as well!

Summer Means...Baseball!



Alex diving for ball from bad pass to him

 Alex's AAU team had a busy week last week with two nights of double headers.  Besides that, Park and Rec baseball has started as well.  He just got home from practice and was covered in sweat!  Hot! 

His AAU team is doing wonderful and pulled off wins at both double headers last week!  Alex is loving it, playing well, batting well, and does awesome when he is up to pitch.  He said he can tell that his "weight lifting" through the school year is paying off as he is pitching a lot harder! 

Last week's games were a little on the chilly side when the sun started going down....don't think that is going to be a problem this week!  Yikes!

Keep it up Alex and the Cadets! 

Mom and Daughter Weekend of Basketball in Shawnee Mission

Elyse and I had a great "mother daughter" weekend.  We headed to Des Moines Friday night as Elyse had a choir competition and I had to work our PTO Family Fun Night.  We decided to go half way to Kansas City and stay in Des Moines, as we would get there later in the evening, and then head to KC/Shawnee Mission Saturday morning as the Lightning did not play until late afternoon.  We were both exhausted when we arrived in Des Moines and had a good night's sleep before heading to Kansas City.

Elyse's Lightning team is made of freshman and sophomores as many tournaments are by grade level.  Well, not this one.  They moved Elyse's team up to play in the 11th and 12th grade division!  At first, the girls were freaking out.  Then they saw what they "thought" was one of their opponents and realized they could win some games.....later they found out those teams were Jr High teams!!!!  Then the "older teams" showed up and the real games began!



Elyse scoring (hidden in middle)

 The Lightning Red gave it a good go the whole weekend, even after starting out slow and having many turnovers.  They could have won the first game but just did not come out strong enough.  The second game that evening was against a new team we have not met before, and they were giants!  All the girls played well but couldn't pull off the win due to the other teams pressing us and us turning over the ball.

This was the first tournament all of the girls on Elyse's team were there for a tournament so it was nice that was nice to see.  The frustrating part was they hadn't played all together and obviously, the other teams there had. 

We ended up going out for dinner as a team, parents and all, as well as Elyse's coach, Coach Doud.  It was fun and the girls had a wonderful time, even though they were exhausted!  All you could hear was giggling and laughing until the food came.....then you needed to stand back as they were HUNGRY!  We got in the car to head to the hotel and Elyse turns to me and says, "These girls are like family to me Mom!"  It was so sweet.  They are a great bunch of girls who are there to have fun, play basketball, and not worry about the petty stuff teenagers sometimes do. 



Elyse makes the shot - number 40

 Sunday we returned only to find out we were to play the Lightning's top team of juniors, Lightning Black.  Elyse did not sit out much the day before in the first two games, and being the team is a lot about equal play time, she sat out the first part of the game.  When it was time for her to go in, she was ready! She faced the biggest girl on all of the Lightning black team and did fabulous with her!  It was fun to watch them play each other, but again, we did not come out on the winning end. 



Elyse ready to go in...on floor with head on elbow.

 Elyse was so sweet the whole weekend, giving me my mother's day gift late Saturday night at the hotel, lots of hugs, and we had a lot of giggles the whole weekend.  The drive down and back was quick as well and easy (that is a sign we are in the car too much)!  When we were leaving the hotel we had been at two of the last three weekends, I said, "Goodbye Shawnee Mission", and Elyse quickly added, "until next year"!  I know she is loving the Lightning!  I am so glad as we are too!



Lightning vs. Lightning.  Elyse number 40

 She has practice this weekend on Sunday and then we have a weekend off.  When June hits, it is 3 day tournaments every weekend and Wednesday night practices!  Elyse finishes Lightning play in July, goes to volleyball camp, and we go directly to South Carolina for a week and North Carolina for a week.  Then it will be August and we start all over.  What a summer!!!!  Gotta love it!!!

Go Lightning!




Coach Doud giving the "after game" talk.  Elyse in back left corner.




Elyse and her new friend, Madison



Alex's First Baseball Tournament of Season - Clear Lake

 The time has come for Wayne and I to switch up with the kids and split when they both have functions.  I ended up going to Kansas City with Elyse for another Lightning tournament, and Wayne ended up going to Clear Lake with Alex's baseball team.  Too bad we couldn't clone ourselves and be both places.

It was a fun "dad-son" weekend for them!  They had to head out pretty early Saturday morning and get to Clear Lake for their first game.  I guess the first one was a "nail-biter" as it was close all the way.  Alex had the first big hit of the game, according to a friend of mine who was there and text me the whole time with updates.  He had a big hit that was a "one-hopper to the fence".  Ended up being a double. Alex also pitched this game and did a wonderful job!  Sadly, his team left him standing on the base and the rest got out.  They lost the first game 1-0. 

Second game was a battle of the bats.  I think they lost 13 to 11 and it came down to the bottom of the last inning. 

Last game, the Cadets ended up winning.  Alex had another big hit that went all the way to the fence and "some little punk snowconed it had the catch of his life" (again, according to a friend of mine).  I guess it was a sweet hit.  Next time.  Besides his normal first base, Alex pitched again and did well.  According to Wayne, he only had one walk combined for all the games he pitched. 

He had a wonderful day with his father, and they were exhausted when they got home that evening.  Way to go Alex on your first big tournament!  You will get them next time......and I WILL BE THERE!

Elyse Wins 1st Place High Jump Crestwood Co-Ed Varsity Meet - Kerians Win Big!



attempting 4'10"

 I had a hard time deciding what to title this post.  It was a big night all around for the Kerian family.  Not only did Elyse win 1st place on the high jump for the varsity girls on home turf, Brandon and Miranda Kerian continue to win their races as well and dominate!  So it was a proud night to be a Kerian, and even better that it was a co-ed meet in Cresco so lots of family came to watch!  Thanks to g'ma Judy, Randy, Lori, Justin, and Cody for braving the cold weather and cheering on their grandchildren/cousins.  I know they all loved it!



running 4x200

 Elyse ended up making 4'8" to win the girls' high jump!  She was so excited that she went jumping off the mat running to her coach to high five him.  It was priceless!  She attempted 4'10" and almost made it on the first jump, but not so much on the next attempts.  We were very proud of her!  Yeah Elyse!

I had my first experience helping at a track meet as a timer/picker.  Everyone said it was not that hard, but as a "picker" you need to watch who crosses the line and in what order to line them up and compare with the timers.  Not so hard when the race is not close.......very hard when your nephew is running a 100 or 200 and it is tight.  At one time, Kirstin (yes I recruiter her to help be a "picker") and I could not say who crossed first!  Thank god the official and the timers had it as we would have been fired immediately!!!!  Stress-ful!!!!!

Brandon and Miranda did fabulous on their fast runs and Brandon broke the school record last week for the 200 or 100 (sorry Brandon, i can't remember which one). 

Great job Kerian family!  Yahoo!!!!

Oh....My Little Boy Isn't So Little Anymore! :(

I was going through pictures on our home server and moving some around to do Elyse's freshman scrapbook (which I do not enjoy but will do for her just because), and I came across these two pictures of Alex when he was little.  We are tailgating before an ISU football game and he is playing football, of course.  He is so blond in these pictures and just a cutey! (and look at that spiral on that football) :)  Can't believe how much he has grown.  So I just wanted to share them with everyone as they are adorable....at least this mom thinks so!


Alex when he was little at an ISU football game




Alex tailgating at ISU.



Elyse Jumps her Highest Yet....4'8"!

Elyse making 4 foot 8 inches

While Elyse's team has not had many track meets due to the cold weather, she did a fabulous job and made her highest jump yet of 4 foot 8 inches at a meet in Decorah!  She was so pumped!  She ended up winning the JV high jump and would have placed 3rd if she would have been jumping varsity.  Needless to say, the next meet she jumped varsity and it was so cold (30 some degrees and raining) that no one did well as they waited over 2 hours in the freezing cold and rain to jump and they were simply freezing! 

Oh well...next time!  Great job Elyse!  Keep jumping!!!

(There was a girl in the way so I did the best I could with the picture......)

Happy Easter!

Kim, Grandma Rita, and Sara

We had a super time at my parent's house celebrating Easter with my mom, my grandma, aunts/uncles, cousins, and nephews.  Although it was too cold to hang outside, there was a serious game of "500" going on that Elyse and Alex were a part of as well as a quick Easter Egg Hunt for Graham.  He found all sorts of eggs, with the help of Elyse and Alex.  I was surpised that I don't have any pictures of Connor, but he was having a great day as well.  He had his first experience slapping the bubbles and "helping" Gma Janet do some dishes.....loving every minute of it!!!! 


Elyse, Alex, helping Graham open eggs



Norah chilling on Easter Day

Kids' Easter Baskets full of goodies



Graham and Elyse looking for eggs

 So happy Easter everyone!  I hope the Easter bunny found each and every one of you!