I Need to Take Pictures

I just wanted to write about how amazing Lisa is.  I was not going to enroll Lisa in Rec this year but one of the coaches asked if I would help coach and asked if Lisa would play.  I told him that Lisa will miss a lot of games but if he was ok with that I would help.  Well the first few games we lost 21-3, 19-1, 18-2, etc.  Last night we just beat the first place team.  It is amazing how one player can turn a team completely around.  Lisa is the only player I know  of that can do that.  She kills it in four areas: 1) Her teammates love her and she makes them better.  I'm told by the parents that they have an energy when Lisa is there.  2) Lisa killed them catching, making double plays, and other amazing plays throwing girls out.  3) Lisa killed the ball hitting generating a ton of offense 4) Lisa kills it pitching, no one can touch her.  It is fun playing on this team because there are five teammates from the ward, so they are all friends.  Her YW Pres was there yesterday to cheer her on.  The only thing I don't like is the sportsmanship.  Kaysville is ine of the worst.  I take a lot of abuse.  The coach last night kept jawing at me "How is comp going for you" in a real derogatory way.  Finally I said to him " I won't be seeing you at high school next year"  basically stating that his kid sucks and that he is narrow minded making such a big deal about a little league game.  When I said that he lost his temper and chaos ensued.  Parents were yelling, the ump came over to break things up.  Softball coaches are white trash.  If you find a good coach it is important to stick with it.  Kaysville is bush league.  Lisa is lucky she has a good coach on Sting and that her teammates are so nice. 

End of School

So, I have not seen much of Lisa this week.  She has turned into a teenager and is never home.  She was telling me she spent last night with her friends sitting around a fire in Audrey's back yard slowly burning school papers in a fire pit.  She said it took two hours for them to burn everything. Then she was going on about how the previous night the scouts could not get the fire lit in the same pit, but that she did it with no help from adults.  I coach Lisa's rec team and they all go trophies.  Lisa has been fun.  She is about 6 steps in front of the next best girl but it's all still fun.  She only pitches one inning a game and smokes them. Then she plays catcher and at the last game did not throw any one out, but made 3 tags at home in two innings.  She is really fun.

5/4 and 5/5/2018 Orem Tournament

Lisa pitched in three games on 5/4/2018 and saved the team those games.  She hit the ball really hard on 5/4/2018.  On 5/5/2018 she pitched two games.  She is so good and so fun to watch.

Feb 23 24 2018 Tournament

We had a really fun tournament this past weekend.  Lisa is so talented, it is fun watching her play.  The first team we played was from Vegas.  We beat them pretty good.  They were good, they went on to win the Silver bracket.  The next game was windy and snowing.  Lisa was pitching that game.  She did great.  It was two - two until the third inning, and then she fell apart.  It was so cold that I don't know how she lasted that long.  The  opposing team was very good  comprising of players from Ogden to American Fork.  It amazes me that Lisa can shut down that kind of talent.

The next game Sting came from behind to beat the team.  Lisa made plays on third base that kept the team in the game.  She made them look routine but she is the only one on the team capable of making those plays. The first was she was hit a routine ground ball to third and she looked back the girl on third and went to make the throw, and the opposing team then sent the girl on third.  Lisa saw it and changed positions and fired it home and Aspen tagged the girl out.  She had people talking about that play all day.  She made a couple of other hard plays look routine, getting outs for the team.  The game was really fun and Sting came back to win.  Lisa is a play maker and she made plays on third all weekend.

Another game against a very good team, Lisa was pitching.  She did awesome.  Sting were down but Lisa kept the game really close.  The team rallied back from 4-2.  Lisa hit a double and knocked in two runs to tie the game.  In extra innings the Sting came came back and won.  Lisa pitched the whole game and did so good.  The team was elite- they were really good.  One thing that was really fun is that the whole place went bonkers when they were making a come back.  Another fun thing was that Emily and three of her team mates (boy were they loud and can cheer) were there and were routing for Lisa.  They all know Lisa and were saying stuff like " I want to Mentor Lisa"  and "Lisa is so inspiring"  and they were fun.  I was talking with them and they play at Viewmont, Woods Cross, and Bountiful High. (Their team kicked major but and went on to win their tournament)  I think it's cool that Lisa knows all these cool kids in high school but she is too young for high school. 
 
So, David got his Croup/RSV sickness and we had to take him into the emergency room Sunday morning.  That was fun.

Kids

St. George November 10th and 11th

We had a really fun tournament in St. George this last weekend.  Lisa did awesome and it is fun to watch her play.

Weather was fanastic.

It is impossible to get the boys to shut up.  Unless they have an ipad to play with.  Then they turn into zombies.  It is so awesome.

Joking around with coaches about Chuck.  The consensus is that Chuck is the best at what he does, but it was also funny how Meurrelli was joking around how he does not really coach any more and that usually you just end up stuck holding a weighted bat.  I was laughing the whole rest of the day about that one.

Johnson Canyon



This was a cool write up of one of Lisa's games against a pretty good team:

R.'s Walkoff Seals the Deal in UT Sting Victory Over Rage

UT Sting took their game in dramatic walk-off fashion, thanks to a walk-off triple at the end of the game to topple Rage. The game was tied at seven with UT Sting batting in the bottom of the fourth when Molly Roberts tripled on a 3-0 count, scoring one run.

Bats blistered as UT Sting collected six hits and Rage tallied six in the high-scoring game.

Rage got on the board in the first
inning when Shaylee Conterras homered on a 2-2 count scoring two runs.

Lisa Rasmussen earned the win for UT Sting.
She went three innings, allowing four runs on three hits and striking out
three.

Emily Smith took the loss for Rage. She allowed six hits and eight runs over three and a third innings, striking out four.

Sofie Francis started the game for UT Sting.
She lasted one inning, allowing three hits and three runs.
UT Sting had six hits in the game.
Hannah Barton and Lisa all had multiple hits for UT Sling. Lisa Rasmussen and Hannah Barton all had two hits to lead UT Sting.

Lisa batting against a team from Colorado.

Fun memory eating lunch

Lisa- team captian

Lisa pitching at night

Lisa ptiching




Lisa hit well and won a couple of games for the team hitting.



Lisa catching




Team from Las Vegas Lisa on third.





David won our Christmas chess tournament.  He is pretty good.

Teaching the Kids How to Work

When I was growing up I had lazy friends that never had any money, I had friends that worked hard and had money, and I had friends that spent like crazy because their parents had a lot of money.  I believe working hard is good and I'm not a fan of the other two ideas.  Wendy and I decided we want to teach money skills to the kids, so we are helping them learn how to do yard work for money.  This year we thought they could mow lawns.  So we have them mowing lawns at the apartments.  As long as they stay at $20 an hour I rationalized this is good money  for 10 and 11 year-olds, it will teach them to work, and they can learn how to spend money.  So far it has been good.  Especially for Lisa.  She has been going out with friends and the last time they were at U of U she mentioned that her friends like to spend $10 for lunch and that it adds up.  These are good lessons to learn.  But, it has been a big pain in butt because I have been driving the kids to the apartments.  So the pay comes out to $20 an  hour but when you include that my time is involved, it is not such a great deal.  I'm not sure this is all necessary.  I think they work hard doing their sport and therefor perhaps they don't need to mow lawns to learn about money.  I'm trying to figure this parenting thing out.  Most kids are playing games on the computer while Lisa and Eric are working their butt off in the sun playing any kind of ball.  Or, perhaps the apartment thing is a good idea, and it is a good idea for me to give them supervision for safety reasons until next year when the kids can recruit  mowing lawns in the neighborhood. I hardly get on Facebook, but it's amazing how easy it is to get work using Facebook.   Wendy has a good reputation in the neighborhood, and someone posted that they were looking for a babysitter.  Wendy responded that Lisa could do it and now the whole neighborhood texts every week wondering if Lisa can babysit.  I'm sure the same thing goes for lawns.

Lisa- Lisa played in the Bear River Tournament this weekend and she played great.  I always have fun watching her play.  One of the teams we played was really good.  They were hotdogs, and they had one player that was really full of herself.  She hit a shot to center right field and was trying to get an in-the-park home run.  Well, Lisa is a competitor.  The throw came in and there was a huge collision.  Lisa got the girl out, but got banged up with a girl that is two years older.  It makes my heart sink when that stuff happens.  Lisa was shaken up but she was back out the next inning.  Side note- I laugh when parents say they are afraid to put their kids in football. Yes, every football game several kids get banged up. Eric and Lisa have been hurt more times playing competitive baseball and softball than Eric has playing football so far.  If you play sports you are lucky if you have never been banged up.

Lisa at Viewmont High playing orchestra with Canyon Creek Elementary and a couple of other schools.



Lisa at the age she is out growing primary - So every now and again she hangs out with Mom and YW


Eric- Eric is doing all sorts of stuff.  Eric's rec team is fun.






Eric at Book Battles




Reading, math, computer science, and science are Eric's thing.  I wish we could find more things with math and programming.  He blew away all the teams at his school and did good at the Davis County Competition.

David-  David always has something funny to say.

Dad and David at Viewmont






David on first base



I took some days off while the kids were on spring break.  Wendy and I decided to put in a shed in the corner of our back yard.  Lisa and Eric were a big help in putting it together.  Lisa was a huge help.  Even David went with me to pick up gravel for the base of the shed.  It is a nice shed, but the kids have wanted to sleep in it every Saturday we have had it up.  So, it is empty right now and I'm going to let the kids sleep in it as long as they want to.  Then I will fill it up with a ton of stuff.

Wendy


I can't remember what this is.  Lisa and Wendy making breakfast on Easter or making breakfast for Young Women's.  Not sure.   It looks fun though.

Cool picture from Zions- Lisa and Eric


Dad- I found this picture-appears to be Lisa's 9th birthday.