An Eventful Spring

It has been an eventful Spring! Not only are we starting to grow moss on our toes and mold behind our ears, we are witnessing the wettest Spring in the last 100 years...or more!!!


We have been soaking up the sunny, dry days which are few and far between and we're starting to wonder when will summer arrive???



Check out the mushroom growing in our front yard...



but the soggy weather isn't the main reason why this has been an eventful Spring at our house!

Our daughter's room has been newly refurnished with a bunkbed...

and a new bunkmate!

My sister is here for the summer! And we are thrilled!! She will be here all summer long and we are so excited that she will be staying with us!!!!

I love my sister!! It has been a long time since we got to spend time together and we are making up for many years apart.

While many people are walking around gloomy about the overcast skies, we are all smiles! We look forward to the upcoming summer months and the adventures that await us.

We are glad that this dashing young man has a summer internship nearby! Yes, it has been an eventful Spring indeed!

Second Place

I have a love/hate relationship with second place. Being the competitive person that I am, I relish the victory! But, who doesn't?? And second is pretty awesome, I mean, second place means that only one person outdid you. I always went for first place...when I was younger it truly was a big motivator for me and I almost always won....

Yet, there have been many, many times in my years of competing that I placed second...and with second comes so many "if only....". Second place still feels like an accomplishment, but there is just that little twinge of something lost! The hardest second place for me came in college at Cross-Country nationals in New York. As a team we took second...by one point, one measly little point! Oh, it was brutal...I personally never felt like we won second, but that we lost first. ......and my point is: I understand the varied emotions that come with taking second place.

Just the other day I watched our first-grader compete in his school's jump-a-thon.

He is in green on the right. He had practiced and was really excited that morning to compete in his first jump-a-thon! The whole school gathered in the gym to watch. He jumped and jumped and pretty soon all the other jumpers were out except him and one other first-grader...and, after a long battle, she won. I could see on his face the happiness he felt at taking second and I was so proud of him. He was just beaming! He never expected to do so well and he held his head high.

Just a few minutes later, our third-grader competed in her jump-a-thon. It was a slightly different experience for her than for our first-grader. The difference was that she won the jump-a-thon in first grade...and second grade. She knew what it felt like to win and fully expect to do it again.

After many long minutes it came down to her and one other third-grader. She seemed relaxed, having been in this position before...she knew what it took to outlast the rest...and then, a slight mistake and she was out. I could see on her face a flash of sudden surprise and then disappointment at the outcome. She replaced it quickly with a smile and appreciated the applause. She was a gracious second-placer. I was so proud of her too! I knew exactly what she was feeling and I was just so proud of her that she could be happy with second even though I know she really felt like she had lost.

In the days since the jump-a-thon I have done a little bit of reflecting...and you know, second place is not bad, not bad at all!

Easter Fun

We were an hour late to the family Easter party this year.

We almost missed out on the food and the fun, but thankfully, they waited for us. ( We may have had a key dinner ingredient that they couldn't start without). We won't be late next year...we will write down the start time, instead of just tucking it into a dusty corner of our memory.

This year was memorable because the older cousins took over the Dads' responsibility of hiding the eggs.

They didn't even notice...too busy chatting.

Some of the taller cousins used their height for some tough hiding spots!

But the Dads helped out (after they were done chatting).

The little ones were anxiously waiting...

visions of candy on the brain...



Finally the hunt began!




Many eggs were found,

lots of pictures were taken,

baskets were filled!

Favorite menu items of the day included: Grandma's homemade candy eggs,

Aunt Cristi's decadent cinnamon rolls,

and Grandpa Black's infamous creamed eggs.

Delicious!

For some it was their first hunt.

We all had a great time with our family.

We always do.

Happy Easter!

Seven is Heaven

He has been counting down for about fifty days....

and has finally reached the old age of seven!

When you're seven you get cool toys, like pocket knives.

And you are also big enough to take care of your very own beta fish.

I don't think life gets much better than being seven!

Unless chocolate cake is somewhere in the mix...

Okay, maybe being seven, having chocolate cake with your beta fish while admiring your pocket knives...beats all else.

Oh, and dinner at your favorite restaurant...yep, seven is heaven!

Our Champ

Okay, we finally have all the pictures from our oldest's trip to the Olympic Training Center! It was a wonderful trip!

The drive through Colorado was beautiful! However, my husband said they did get stuck in two traffic jams on the way- who would have thought??

But they did finally arrive in Colorado Springs and quickly headed to the Olympic Training Center to check it out.

It was pretty cool, with each sport represented in one way or another...however, they were interested in one building in particular:

Of course the shooting center was spectacular. The shooting range was huge, with all the latest technology and equipment.

They enjoyed looking around, but couldn't wait for the first day of the Junior Olympics!

The biggest part of the first day involved equipment check...which took almost 3 hours. Every bit of equipment, clothing, and firearm was checked to make sure that it met international shooting specifications. He passed!!

The first and second days of competition was the Air Rifle Championship.

Our oldest quickly had his eyes opened to the caliber of athletes that he was competing against...very, very good shooters. He was in the youngest age group with the competitors up to age 20. He shot okay in the air rifle match, but was a little disappointed at the results. He finished seventh in his age category (sub-junior).

The next two days was the Smallbore Rifle Championship, which consisted of two matches: the Prone Match and the 3-Position Match.

He shot much better in the Smallbore matches and he ended the first day of Smallbore competition in the lead!

Who knew shooting could work up such a big appetite???

The second day the pressure was on to maintain his place and shoot just as well!

There was a room where fathers/coaches could watch the match, but they weren't allowed on the range. However, there was a screen that showed each shot so they could follow the competition quite closely!

This is what the screen looked like.

Finally the match ended and the results were posted!! He won the prone match, and it was close! One point separated first and second!

A sweet surprise in the 3-Position: he thought he finished third, but once scores were looked over (there is a process to check and re-check), he won the silver medal!

Not bad at all!!

Here is a link to the press release from USA Shooting's website:

http://www.usashooting.com/viewRelease.php?id=579