Baby K Blog: July 2018

It's been a busy spring and summer in the Katricak household. Rose finished kindergarten. She loved it and did very well. She loves to read, can add and subtract very well, and is really interested in the parts of the Mass thanks to her Catholic education - especially the consecration bells. Rose played both soccer and softball this spring, which was pretty hectic at times. She was a defender in soccer, and you can tell that her basketball experience really helped when it came to marking the opposing team. In softball, Rose played her first full year of coach pitch softball. She hit very well, which is not surprising considering how much she loves it and practices it, but is surprising when you consider that her dad was the one pitching to her and her teammates during games. She also became a fixture at third base at the end of the year, and did very well there. You had to hit it pretty hard to get the ball past Rose at third. Outside of organized sports, Rose loves riding her scooter, swimming with the aid of her floats, playing Minecraft, and learning to code.

Jacob finished his first year of preschool, and he fit right in. His favorite thing to do is play restaurant with his classmates, where they're the waitresses and he's the cook. Jacob also got to participate in the older kids' graduation ceremony, even though he'll be back at preschool next year. He loves any sort of play or real kitchen. Like his sister, Jacob is a very smart kid. It helps that he enjoys playing Rose's educational apps. Jacob played his second year of totball this year. Since he was the only returning player, he was the one we had to hold back on defense to let the other kids have a chance at the ball. He's also developed a vicious uppercut and can hit the ball pretty far off the team. Outside, Jacob loves to ride his bike, dig, and plant.

As a household, we've had an eventful summer. Jacob and Dad took a trip to Dollar General to fill up on seeds, and the family planted them with mixed success so far. Our front porch also hosted three birds nest this spring, including some baby morning doves in the wreath on our front door.

The highlight of the summer so far was our trip to Hershey for the National Slovak Society convention at the end of June. The kids got to participate in the kids convention for the first time, where they got to make friends, do crafts, play games, learn about Slovakia, and meet a falconer. Rose even got to have a falcon land on her hand! We stayed at Hershey Lodge right next to the new indoor water park and arcade, so we spent a lot of time there. We also spent a day at Hershey Park. Jacob was happy just taking it all in, but Rose loved going on the rides, including her very first real roller coaster. She's looking forward to her first trip to Cedar Point this summer, thanks to a free pass she won due to her academic performance at school.