Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Suspended belief

Well it is the last week of school.

I expect the kids to be super excited, and of course this week their learning is unstructured and hands-on (read outdoor activities, games and extra recess!!!)

No, seriously the school has done a great job this year of planning some great activities for the kids - Parks & Wildlife sponsors fly fishing demos on the courthouse lawn, there are guided hikes on the Rec District's new trails above town, a local florist sponsors a garden that the kids plant and maintain, there are trips to the library, and the Pool staff runs water safety demos - all to keep the kids focused on good learning and healthy activities for the summer!

So when I got a text yesterday from the school principal that my child (Hamp) was in trouble I was sure it was something laughable and relatively harmless...

Uh, no.

Turns out, he punched a kid.

(at this point I was hoping for a situation where I could say, "I know the other kid deserved it, but we still do not hit people." Or at very worst say, "even if he hit you first, you don't hit back!")

But neither was the case. The other kid did NOT deserve to get bopped, and Hamp threw the first punch.
There are 2 kickers to this story:
     #1 - Hamp got angry over a stupid four-square game!!!
     #2 - until today, Hamp had perfect attendance for the school year!

Yes, today Hamp was asked by the principal NOT to attend school today. Specifically, he was suspended! (oh my gosh, it is this goody-two-shoes mama's worst nightmare!!!)

My mission today has been to make Hamp's sojourn at home as un-fun as possible so as to drive the point home that one never wants to risk being suspended from school! So I made a to-do list for him - with plenty of drudgery and house work that might turn him off from ever thinking he might want to just "stay home"... The list ranges from the ever-so unpleasant (scoop the poop) to the mildly annoying (cut your hair, read) but it kept him busy for most of the day. And without any tv, iPad, computer games or friends to play with all day I think he is starting to understand the value of getting back to school tomorrow! Regardless, I sure hopes he learns the value of keeping his hands to himself and not letting a little friendly playground competition get the best of him!
hmmmm, maybe if I post his to-do list right next to those ever present house rules he will somehow remember them when playing four-square at recess!!!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Windy Cactus 2013

Remember this?!

Well, we may have skipped it last year but we were ready and rearing to go for the Memorial Day weekend traditional camping/mountain biking/hiking adventure in the desert! 
It was warm (hot?!), windy (but no one lost a tent!), and the perfect 24-hour get away!
2 boys, 1 large dog, 4 bikes and lots of camping gear - it was tight but we made it!

Sam didn't waste anytime getting on his bike!
Meanwhile, the adults didn't waste any time getting settled for some sunshine & conversation!


Despite the miles of fantastic single-track biking and all the great amenities of camping in the desert... there is still debate as to the REAL reason we all like to go to Fruita.
I'm not saying The Hot Tomato isn't great, but I'm also not saying I wouldn't go to Fruita without stopping in for some excellent 'za, hand-crafted beers, and pretty awesome atmosphere!
If you sit on the patio (which you would naturally do anyway!) they will let you bring your dog in with you!
Gabe was happy to be with his people, and the kids were happy to spread the love!

Alright - so getting down to business: let's bike!

It was such a joy to watch all these kids get out and do some pretty sweet single-track without hesitation or fear (ok, so it was equal parts joy and panic, from a mother's point of view!)

~ and as an added bonus, no one had to pull cactus spines out of anyone's heinie this year! ~

But I truly was so proud of how the kids rode and how adventurous they were on the trails...


Hamp on the trail...
and Sammy bringing up the rear...

It might have been all the dessert sand that was crusted in every nook & cranny of their sweaty little bodies, but I thought they looked like they were the kings and queens of summer!

THE DIRTY DOZEN!

p.s. Happy Birthday Liam!!! ☺
check out birthday wishes and more pics here!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Spring in Meeker!

Thanks to my friend at the local paper (and coffee shop!) for sharing this photo with me - it was taken Monday, May 20. While we were getting rain here in town, apparently the Flat Tops were getting something a little more substantial!!!!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Mother's Day weekend

Spring has Sprung in Meeker...at long last!
So we spent the weekend trying to stay outside in the warmer weather and sunshine, and playing together with family and friends.

Here are the highlights:

Our dear friends launched a new restaurant in town - here are the boys with the heiress on opening night!
5 stars from us - congratulations on Holliday's!!!!!

Girls' Night Out on Saturday - dinner & a movie.
Another 5 stars for The Great Gatsby!

Mother's Day Brunch on - where else?! - the back deck!
Bloody Mary's and sunshine and lots of great food...

Meanwhile, the kiddos were either off riding bikes or saving Gotham from evil.

All around a great weekend and nice celebration of family!

Much love to our moms & Grammy out there! Thank you for indulging us (me!) in this web log diary of sorts and for being so supportive in all we do!
We MISS you!!! xoxo

Monday, May 6, 2013

the big show...

... and to round out the big performance season for Sam, we all enjoyed a fantastic tumbling recital on Saturday night!

Sam has been working hard on his cartwheels. 
(In fact, there isn't a place he's found where he can't practice. Grocery store, school hallways, post office, middle of a basketball game when his team has the ball, etc.
So we were very happy to support his big opportunity to show off all his skills.

In order to preserve the memory of the occasion, some of us got together to take pictures of these limber kiddos doing what they do best - bending and posing and laughing!





It's been a fun spring for Sam - kindergarten show, piano recital, basketball games and tumbling.
And what's more, he's been playing with friends, riding his bike, jumping on the trampoline and working hard in school in between all of that!
Needless to say, with the last four weeks of school looming we are all getting ready to relax!
Is it too soon to get ready for summer?!?!! ☺