Gymnastics

Ever since Hamp's big Alice In Wonderland performance back in November, he has been on a bit of hiatus as far as showing off his skills and talents...

... but Sam on the other hand has been quite busy!

Between his piano song and his 1st grade show, Sam has spent December on a performance run.

Last, but possibly most exciting, was his gymnastics showcase.

He has been given a great foundation in tumbling over the past year or so through Meeker Rec center programs. But in September we enrolled him a level 1 class down in Rifle (45 miles south!) to see if he would enjoy pushing himself a little farther and trying some new skills.

Turns out - it was a great experience and he has done some really amazing things in 3 months!

Jason, Hamp and I went for family showcase night and were so excited to finally see what he had been doing...

The warm-up skills alone were pretty challenging - but he loved it!

He enjoys the class so much ~ and after watching all that he can do now we are happy to see what he'll be doing this spring in level 2!!!

my little reindeer!

We have been listening to songs from Sam's 1st grade Christmas show for weeks now... 

and how exciting to hear it live and on stage!

For their big holiday spectacular this year, the 1st grade presented a "Moose-ical" ~ so a musical about a Moose who wanted to fly with the reindeer!

(moral of the story = believe in yourself... and Christmas miracles!)

The music was really sweet and uplifting, and the story equally inspiring... if not a little silly!

And the kids pulled off the story with great enthusiasm and cute head-piece costumes...

Check out the little reindeer at the end of the second row - red sweater:

Christmas music by Sam

We gathered last weekend at the local nursing home for a little Christmas music ~ Sam's piano teacher has each of her students play a little song during lunch and we all enjoy hearing the kids perform!

Sam played Silent Night ~ and was significantly less nervous than past public performances! Here's a little 30 second clip of his stellar musical act!

winter fun

It's beginning to look a lot like...

WINTER!!!

Since coming home from California for Thanksgiving we have been in full winter and Christmas mode!

There has been lots of snow, subsequent freezing temperatures (!) and of course plenty of festive decorations around the house, around town and occasionally on Sam's head... 

One of my favorite moments was last weekend at Meeker's second annual holiday parade of lights!

Despite the dipping mercury (single digits, folks!) the spirit of the season could not be suppressed... 

and Hamp & Sam were proud to carry the Meeker Education Foundation banner along Main Street.

Gabe walked the parade route with us (snow and people - his 2 favorite things!) and we finished the night with friends and fireworks.

When we're not lighting trees up and parading down Main Street, you can find us lately at the sledding hill!

The boys (all three!) are loving the snow paired with the sunshine.

It's truly the perfect Colorado combination.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for my husband.

I am thankful for all the delicious food we shared.

I am thankful for the beautiful, Southern California weather!

I am thankful that the FSU Seminoles beat the Florida Gators.

I am thankful that my brother and his family live in a cute little town with great places to eat and shop and run and play visit.

I am thankful that I am not the only one in my family that tears up when Santa comes around the corner.

I am thankful for a safe, hassle-free road trip.

I am thankful that my husband likes to drive!

I am thankful that my boys travel easily.

I am thankful for where I call home.

Wonderland!

Friday and Saturday found us all enjoying a little local musical theater - thanks to the Rec Center Youth Drama production of Alice in Wonderland Jr.

We were so excited that Hamp wanted to perform again - the show is always something to be proud of and the performers always learn so much and have so much fun!

Alice in Wonderland Jr. is an ideal adaptation of a great story... and what a perfect show for a bunch of 3rd-8th graders what with all the crazy characters!!!

Speaking of crazy characters, Hamp was cast as a section of the Caterpillar... a role which we first assumed was typecasting (last year part of a group of mischievous monkeys, this year part of a mischievous caterpillar?!?! hmmm...) but as rehearsal progressed we were assured that the caterpillar body was more than just a gimmick. And Hamp & co. did NOT disappoint!

The Head of the Caterpillar was a fantastic performer and singer - then the boys followed suit!
Hamp is second in line... we refer to him as the belly button! ☺

The costumes, the music, the singing and the set were all absolutely wonderful.

Everyone had a great show, especially Hamp!

I managed to hit the highlights of his performance in a little 6-minute video, including the opening act, his musical number, his wardrobe malfunction (!) and the finale:

the Caterpillar body!
Great job, boys...

Twofer

Sam has been anxious about losing his first tooth.... 

So he was pretty excited when not just one - but both bottom teeth started to wiggle!

Last Sunday we went out for breakfast and with little to no pomp or circumstance, Sam pulled out his first tooth!!! Oh the talk turned to tooth fairies and growing up and we wrapped the little bitty tooth in a napkin and headed home.

Well, Sam must have really gotten excited about the new gap behind his lower lip... because at the Episcopal Church Thanksgiving Charity dinner later that same day he yanked out the other bottom tooth! He now had a pair....

Consequently, the tooth fairy did pay Sam a visit Sunday night and left two gold dollar coins under his pillow... and I would make some silly comment about how all he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth, but I believe by then his adult teeth will already be in place! Guess it was time...

A happy Halloween

Our town had a great Halloween holiday - sure it was pretty chilly, but at least there wasn't snow!

The downtown festivities began around 4:30 with a costume parade & contest, trick-or-treating on the courthouse lawn, free hot chocolate and games.

Of course, the boys immediately hooked up with their "pack" and were not seen again until after dark. In the meantime, Jason and I went home to hand out candy and have a nice quiet dinner!

The boys came home with lots of stories and even more candy... so as we come down off the holiday sugar high, he's to hoping we find some more mellow adventures!

which one is the real panda?!?!

The "army guy" and the panda bear

Halloween happenings

We have had a great week preparing for Thursday...

There have been decorations, costume making, costume shopping (!), pumpkin carving, a Halloween party at the park last Saturday - including a Zombie Run! - and our favorite Halloween tradition: Halloween Bingo! (I don't know why - maybe because it's the only time of year we sit down and play Bingo? Or maybe because you use candy for markers and get to eat them at the end!!!)

Sam and his buddies had a great time at the park festivities - they carved more pumpkins, completed an obstacle course, played many games and enjoyed the good weather!

These guys, however skipped the games and went straight for scary!

They were brave enough to do the Zombie Run - a running race through the trails, but you have to avoid the zombies!!!! Fortunately it was in the early afternoon, so no one freaked out... and a couple of them even "survived"! Hamp got "infected" but he seems to be recovering nicely. ☺

Can't wait to see how my little Panda Bear and my big Blue Man turn out...

A quick visit & a little hike

As providence (or Murphy's Law!) would have it - while I was gallivanting around back on the east coast...

Mojo was in COLORADO for a girls' trip!

So, as Sam so delicately put it:  "I picked her up off the side of the highway" and brought her home with me for a day. (hey man, it's not really untrue!)

To get her back to her pack - and just to make it fun, I enticed Mojo's girlfriends to meet us in Glenwood Canyon for a little hike...

We could not have asked for a more beautiful morning to get to Hanging Lake!

I was duly impressed with the hiking skills and perseverance of Mojo & crew - as it is in fact over 1,000 feet of vertical gain in about 1 mile!  It was worth it just for the view... 

What a wonderful way to get a little teaser visit in - 36 hours in Meeker was just enough to see Hamp's flag football game, go out to dinner, volunteer in Sam's 1st grade class, eat lunch with Hamp at school, hike the trails, shop at Wendll's, and have game night! 

(we really know how to pack it in...)

And just as I was trying to grab photographic evidence of Mojo's stay, the boys decided to get silly:

So glad you made it up to Meeker - best day ever!!!

Ali's baby shower

Last weekend I was so grateful to be able to go see one of my oldest, dearest friends!

In honor of her growing family (and growing belly!) I flew into town to be a part of her celebration...

What awaited me was a generous, warm, cozy welcome by Ali & Matt (and Ellie dog!)

Ellie loves to hang out on the porch...

Most of the weekend was spent in this spot - possibly the best back deck lounging area EVER!!!

Although there was a LOT of fun leading up to the party on Sunday (shopping, game day, dinner at the Farm House, and an awesome presentation of Sleepy Hollow!) the shower was definitely the highlight! Not only was it a beautiful congregation of Ali's old friends, family, old work friends and new work friends, it was especially a wonderful display of the talents of one of her dearest friends Dawn.

Dawn set up a table for guests to design a set of alphabet blocks for baby W. It was a fun way to visit with everyone at the party while adding a very sweet personal touch to baby W's nursery!

And the finished products... so cool!

I love this - a sign of a conscientious and modern hostess!

You know everyone will have pictures to share... why not be proactive and set up a hashtag group on the most popular social media tool out there! 

Oh - and the decor!

Dawn did an amazing job of setting up the party with a little boy theme...

To truly appreciate all the detail and love that went into hosting this special event - you have to check out Dawn's blog below. It's worth it just to see all her gorgeous pictures!

http://gahangirls.blogspot.com/2013/10/huck-finn-baby-shower-celebration-of.html

Besides the beautiful surroundings, comfy home, extraordinary party and fun events of the weekend, I confess that the best part of all was just being with friends!

I especially enjoyed being with all of Ali's family and meeting all of her very cool friends from work...

Then again, I loved that I was able to spend quality time with a couple of my dearest friends from childhood. And that always means there will be just a little bit of silliness involved!

Much love to Ali & Matt and their upcoming addition to the family!

Thanks for letting me be a part of the celebration... I love this little guy already.