April & May adventures

Ahhhhh.... spring.
I will not hesitate to tell anyone that it is my least favorite season.
Weather-wise it is frustrating: snow, sunshine, hail, rain, and wind... always wind.
However, I really should start to lighten up - because when else during the year can you do the following:

Saturday, March 31st Hamp's little league baseball opening games in Eagle where we enjoyed some sunshine and cool breeze.

Sunday, April 1st Sunlight's closing day where we enjoyed more sunshine and some pretty decent spring skiing - in tee shirts!

Friday, April 6th Hamp's season opener home track meet where we froze, but enjoyed watching his events - triple jump, long jump, shot-put and relay.

So within a week we squeezed in three really different, but excellent activities!

And our spring has not slowed down since then... it has been weekends full of track meets and baseball games and weeks full of practices. And despite the changing weather, we are happy to be busy doing what we love!

Ahhhhh... baseball!

Every year we look forward to the season with great excitement. It's one of Hamp's very favorite sports and he always has such a fun team of good kids to play with. But the past several years his team has not had much success. I hate to think that perhaps these guys peaked in the minor league (age 10!) but seriously, they have struggled to pull it together.

But just like spring, I need to lighten up instead of complaining about the obvious downside.

Despite their record, they get to play as a team and practice recovering from mistakes and learn how to make better throws and how to be smart about the game. They get a great hit one inning, and strike out the next... but they get back up to bat and cheer each other on regardless.

And every now and then I get to watch a baseball game in the sunshine!

Cozumel

TOP FIVE REASONS THAT SPRING BREAK 2018 WAS AWESOME:

#5 - the view
Loved having coffee in the morning on the rooftop patio while watching the cruise ships pull into port and listening to the tropical birds talk loudly about the sunrise..... AND having a beer in the evening on the beach watching the boats come to shore and the sunset over the Caribbean.



#4 - the history
We enjoyed exploring the Mayan ruins with a guide who was an excellent story teller and quick to point out any local wildlife!



#3 - Coconuts!

Our new favorite restaurant is a cliff dwelling hide away with sandy beach and palm trees as ambiance, live parrots at the bar, great fish tacos, and a view of the Caribbean Sea that is to die for!

#2 - snorkeling

The main attraction and the reason we booked the trip - and it did not disappoint! One day our guide Miguel took us out to several spectacular reefs just offshore... but mostly we swam right from our beach to see stingrays, squid, lobster, moray eels, barracuda, coral and myriad types of fish!

#1 - friends

Vacationing with our pseudo-cousins for the week made the journey infinitely more fun and entertaining! Whether snorkeling, playing in the pool, jumping waves, or just hours spent playing board games on the patio - these four were awesome together and (mostly!) good to one another.

Winter - inside

We did find plenty of ways to stay busy indoors this winter, too!

Whether cheering on the Meeker Cowboys High School basketball teams or watching the Winter Olympics - we found most indoor activities are better with friends!

The other winter sport that had me in the gym on Saturdays was Middle School wrestling. As a 110 pound 8th grader, Hamp saw a huge improvement from last years season and won more matches than he lost - resulting in a 6th place finish at one tournament (with at least a dozen schools) and a 4th place finish at his last tournament!






Then there was Sam's 5th grade "Pirate Musical" that his class had been preparing for all school year! It was very entertaining and needless to say, Sam had a great time!



And in case you thought all we did was play throughout the winter, here is excellent proof that these boys still have some focus on academics during the school year!
Hamp was part of a team that took their documentary video Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers to the Regional National History Day competition at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Their presentation earned them entry to the State competition in May!


Needless to say, I am very proud of these boys for all they do and how hard they work - and play!

Winter - outside

It's almost unbelievable that March has arrived!

I hardly feel like winter has started.... mostly because, despite the photos you see below, we have not had much snow.... let alone almost ended!

But worry not - we have a gift of finding what little snow there is and making the most of being in it.

The first trip snowshoeing to the Yurt was really just more of a hike... but was great none-the-less!

(Gabe LOVED it - his favorite adventure all year long...)

Then we finally got some ski days in!

We went in January with Kris....

... and went again in January for Hamp's birthday!
He skied with a friend all day and I hiked up the mountain and snowboarded down...

By February we were ready for more time in the snow - so we took the boys this time for another hike up to the Yurt...

And we managed a couple more ski days with friends!!!





We are hoping for one more day on the ski hill before spring break.... but we have certainly enjoyed the few times we've been out this winter so far!

14 years, 11 years, 3 years

January 18th

Hamp turned 14 in good form - he is in between sports so he has more free time now to roll his eyes at me, play the Xbox, watch YouTube videos, and hang out with friends! I am buoyed by the occasional moment that he wants to hug me, or holds the door open for someone, or shares a story or plays nicely with his brother. For his birthday he asked for ONE thing: to be excused from school and go skiing! So I indulged (which his father may not have appreciated!) and we played hooky for the mountain and had doughnuts for breakfast!

In 14 years I have learned to appreciate the balance of sweet moments with trying times and to appreciate the difference between what I want Hamp to be and who he is.

January 24th

Sam is now 11 and is as intense and thoughtful as ever. His childhood leanings toward creativity and curiosity have developed into a passion for building and subsequently a very messy desk! (we got a hot glue gun for Christmas and it has been put to good use lately!) He continues to practice gymnastics 5 hours a week, and spent his birthday evening at the gym where his sweet teammates sang to him and presented him with a gift! He enjoyed sharing cupcakes with them and didn't even mind waiting until 9pm that night to open his gifts.

In 11 years I have learned that parenting is different for each child, for they each need different things from me and that one of the most important things to do as a parent is just stop and listen and pay attention to their world.



January 25th

It has been 3 years since Jason passed and while time heals wounds, living without him is still difficult on a daily basis. The hole he left is still gaping and he is constantly on my mind. I wonder every day whether I mention him enough or too much; whether the boys remember him well or think of him often. I fear the day his absence will manifest in some way a character flaw in either of them - and constantly try to prevent that from happening. I find myself still imagining him with us - his reaction to new songs or his pride at his sons' endeavors or his excitement for all the adventures we go on.

In 3 years I have learned that gratitude is not always an easy choice and that single parenting, whatever the circumstances, is difficult and that family (both biological and chosen) is what matters most. 

Ringing in the new year

As lovely as Christmas in Meeker was.... we were anxious to get to California to visit sweet family and celebrate together!

Oh man - Hamp & Sam just love their cousins so well (both sides in fact! How lucky we are...) I found no greater holiday joy than watching Hamp dote on his baby cousin Jenavieve or seeing all four boys wrestle and shout and play and laugh together! I enjoyed long visits with my sis-in-law over coffee, dodge ball & paddle ball with my brother, sweet cuddles with my niece and funny conversations with my nephews. We took advantage of the Southern Cali sunshine and spent hours at the park or in the backyard playing... and when we HAD to go inside, it was always a celebration: either at Medieval Times for Jack's 4th birthday or at home for New Year's Eve with a piñata full of candy! We even got new Georgia tee-shirts in anticipation of the Rose Bowl - Go DAWGS!

For Christmas, I got the boys tickets to see a show in Las Vegas on January 1st!
We had such a great night - we got into town just in time to celebrate Georgia winning the Rose Bowl (and wore our new tees proudly out & about on the strip that night!) then were amazed and thoroughly entertained by Mat Franco and his magic! We ended the evening with specialty cupcakes and the Bellagio Fountains and then made the long drive home the next day.
We are ready for the new year... and full of joy from being together.