Kinder basketball!

Sam's big adventure after Spring Break was four weeks of intense basketball training!

Somewhat similar to 5-6 year old soccer, Kindergarten basketball can at times be a little chaotic...

but I will attest to the fact that there was visible improvement in dribbling, passing, shooting skills and even court sense!

Not to mention, some great (laughable?!) moments of just plain fun on the court!

Like I said, the focus ability of 5-6 year olds is limited.... so there were definitely moments when a good game of "keep away" with the ref or some cartwheel practicing provided a good distraction from the game!

the Threatening Three?!?

The post-season pizza party makes all that practice and game time worth it!

On stage again!

Sam is in the midst of his performance season... and he is pretty excited!

Right on the heels of a successful one-night run as Chicken Little in the big kindergarten musical, Sam wowed the crowd today with a lovely piano solo at his Spring Recital.

(an InstaGram capture of a nervous Sam before the recital)

Coming soon, his final basketball game of the season and tumbling recital!

Lemonade

Chicken Little

Sam performed his first ever musical "with lines!" on Tuesday night... and he did great!
The Kindergarten class put on a sweet show all about Mother Goose characters.

Here are some highlights:

Sam was excited to perform, and we couldn't have been more proud of our Chicken Little!

More spring snow!

Event though it is April, we can't complain that we've gotten some good, wet snow lately!

Obviously, Gabe doesn't mind!

Then again, neither do the boys!!!!!

Of course, spring snow never lasts - and this past weekend it was dry enough to get out for a good hike!

But we woke up this morning to see this:

We'll see what the rest of the week/month has in store!

Happy Spring everyone...☺

Spring snow

Gabe may have been the only one happy about the weather when he woke up this morning!!!

Harlem Shake

Now, I'm only passably aware of current cultural trends and references. But when I do occasionally browse the internet, I manage to pick up on what's hot and happening in the cyber-world.

I came across the latest fad about a month ago and have remained fascinated at how simple yet dynamic this little video sharing craze has been!

(If you are unaware of what the term "Do The Harlem Shake" means, I highly recommend you read about it here first... then possibly watch a few of the highlighted videos below to get an idea!)

So one afternoon this week, I decided that Sam & his crew could make a perfect contribution to this global phenomenon - adding them to the ranks of the Norwegian Army, the UGA men's swim team, the Miami Heat, the English National Ballet, hotel lobbies, shopping malls, SeaWorld, news teams, lecture halls, airplanes, subways and of course college dorm rooms across the globe....

Colorado National Monument

This extraordinary natural landmark is only 100 miles from home...

yet in 12 years we had never visited!

It's a beautiful national park - in the style of a desert canyon - with a scenic drive to get you from one end to the other. But when you get out and hike, that's when you really get to see the beauty of the nature all around you.

And what better way to get the most of a short hike than a ranger-led digital photography scavenger hunt?!?! ☺

So when Mojo & Dado were in town last week, we took a day in the park to check out a few scenic overlooks and stop for a picnic lunch! Then on our afternoon hike (with a little guidance from Ranger Briana!) I handed over my 2 old digi cameras to Hamp & Sam.

So after sorting through dozens of random, blurry shots of rocks and sand and shrubbery, I found a few real beautiful photographs worth sharing. I really am so pleasantly surprised to see what they captured... ENJOY!

Spring break!

What a wonderful week of vacation adventure we have had!!!

It is the first time in several years that our family has not travelled for spring break... and I was skeptical and delighted all at once! Turns out, we can manage plenty of excitement right here close to home.

As for what kind of adventure awaits you in Colorado during springtime... it all depends on the weather!

and when you start the week like this:

you question whether the ski season is really over?!

Turns out, the weather warmed up and everyone quickly grew accustom to lounging around! The boys did a little reading...

... and I even squeezed in a quick trip to Gand Junction to see friends!

But the real fun and adventure started mid-week when we took a chance to start our mountain bike season! The Fruita desert has some great trails for all riders, so we took advantage of our time off and spent a day with good friends riding the single track! Hamp & Sam both made me so incredibly proud with their perseverance, positive attitudes and sheer ability to get up, over and around some of the natural landscape that makes it fun to ride!

Sam - taking off down the trail!

Hamp & Carter on the trail - somewhere along the 11 mile ride they took!!!

On Thursday we met up with Mojo & Dado for a day at the Colorado National Monument!

We had a great day of hiking, exploring, panicking that one of us might fall off a cliff (!) and taking pictures.

Back at home in Meeker with Mojo & Dado, the weather was delightfully warm and the sunshine kept us outside either hiking the trails, riding bikes or playing at the park!

Some of best times were spent on the basketball court:

teaching Mojo & Dado how to play four square:

and much to the boys' happiness, putting up the trampoline!

We couldn't have asked for a more relaxing, fun-filled week at home. 

Well... we certainly could ask for another week.... but we'll take what we can get!

Thanks to Mojo & Dado of coming to visit and making our spring break (and our Easter weekend!) so memorable!