Parent & Junior Night at the Range

Parent and Junior night at the indoor range was an eye-opening experience for me!

Each junior shooter got to pair up with a parent and shoot in a match together. 

 The junior was in charge of coaching their parent...some of us needed lots and lots of coaching!!!

 Our second oldest paired up with his Dad.

 And our oldest got me, a true novice to precision shooting.  It is different than I thought it would be.  It's not like sighting in a hunting rifle!  

 It's really quite hard.  The slightest movement of a toe, the positioning of the gun into your shoulder, even just breathing...all require a precise combination to get a steady hold on the bull...which by the way, needed to be twice as big for me!  Our oldest was very patient with me and was a great teacher, but I'm afraid that my shooting pulled our score down quite aways.  And I had no idea how physically demanding it was...I was sore for 2 days afterwards...like I had done a bunch of pull-ups and push-ups.

 This mother/daughter combo stole the show.  Of course, they are both accomplished precision shooters, so we really didn't have much of a chance!

 Our cute cousin, Tanner, paired up with one of the coaches and posted a very competitive score!

 The first place gang...with a few hopefuls!

And the second place combo!  Way to go Tan!  I would like to point out that I didn't come in last....AND, I outshot my hubby by 1 point!!!

First Guitar Concert

Our oldest had his first guitar concert in May.  He has really enjoyed learning how to play!

They played Ode to Joy by Beethoven, Au Claire De La Lune by France, a Spanish Melody arranged by his teacher, and This Land is Your Land by Guthrie. 

 Then came the solos!  Our guitar player played a beautiful picking selection that his Grandpa taught him.  He was very nervous, but did a great job.

The concert ended with a spirited version of Louie, Louie by Berry and Wipe Out by The Surfaris.

Mother's Day

I've decided that Mother's Day is my favorite day of the year!  My husband and kids made me feel so special and loved!  It was fabulous!

 My husband (not so) secretly took the kids out to pick out some gifts, but what they picked out was a total surprise!

 I was overwhelmed with the care and love that they put into the gifts they chose!

A strawberry plant...we have enjoyed two strawberries already!

 Some wildflowers for my flower garden.

 The older boys pooled their lawn-mowing money and bought me jewelry, lotion, chocolates, and a singing card.

And my hubby got me a fancy running watch that tracks my mileage and pace.  I had no clue that he was going to get such a thoughtful gift!  I was also pampered with a delicious dinner, a foot massage, and a much needed nap!

Hershey Track Meet

Our daughter's Hershey Track Meet was really fun to watch!

 She really ran some fast, competitive races this year!

 It was especially fun to have Grandma in our cheering section!

 During the breaks our youngest tried his hand at photography...

 his aim got a little better.

 She made it into the semifinals of the 100 meter race.

 And she ran a fast turn in the 200 meter...

to win her heat.

We all had fun at the track meet!

Baptism

Our eight-year-old's baptism was on May 3rd in the evening.  

 It was a very special night, one I hope he will always remember.

 He was baptized and confirmed by his Dad. His older brothers gave great talks.

 And he was loved and supported by so many. 

  

We hope that he will always remember how he felt that night and keep in mind all the loved ones that were there to witness his baptism.  

Family In Town

Early in May, my parents came to town for our 8-year-old's baptism.  They stayed several days and we had so much fun with them!

We had a yummy barbecue. 

 We played several games of spoons with Grandma.

 Grandma helped us bake lots of cookies and brownies for the baptism...and she let us snatch a few chocolate chips too.

 Our oldest gleaned as much guitar playing skill from Grandpa as he could!

My sister and her daughters came as well.  One of my highlights was listening to her play Claire de Lune on our piano. 

We played lots of Star Wars...it's fun to have cute Princesses Leia and Padme! 

 We played a raucous game of elimination.

 We posed for cute pictures.

 We headed down to North Park and played on the toys...

 played football..

and ran through the water at the Splash Pad.

 If that wasn't enough entertainment, Grandpa's videos of his fishing trip was icing on our cake!

 But our favorite was sleepovers with cousins!  We played hard and slept well!