Summer Sports

Mariah was our busy kid this summer, participating in both Tee ball and swimming lessons. It was her first year playing tee ball, and she loved it! She got to play on a team with Emma and Elli, which made it even better!  She made great improvements in her swimming lessons and can now swim independently in the small pool, but still isn't very confident in deeper water. We'll do lessons again next year to help her make that transition to the big pool.

Connor also played baseball again this year, and played for the Cardinals with his cousins, Caden, Jaxon, and Ashton.  He was selected to the 11-12 All-Star team this year and had a blast playing in the tournament in Powell. Possibly the highlight of his year was hitting his first home run!

All-Star Selections

Home Run Club

Mylie chose not to do baseball or swim lessons this year. But she was a champion babysitter, helping with the little boys at the park during games. I was sure grateful for her!

Springtime Fun

We had a busy spring with lots of different activities going on.  Connor and Mylie both participated in meat judging and went to the state competition in Laramie, where they both earned ribbons. Angela was their coach, and we are thankful for the time she spends helping the kids.

Our ward's Elders' Quorum hosted a formal daddy-daughter dance and Tony and the girls had a fun time. The girls wore their fancy gold dresses that Grannie Teichert made for them.

Lewis spent the spring just growing like crazy! One day, after the boys got dressed, Brady said, "Me and Lewis are sames!" Sure enough.

Gotta love those rolls!!

One beautiful day in May, Addey, Brady, Lewis, and I headed to the park for a picnic. The weather was beautiful and the kids thought they were so big to have individual lunch boxes.

Before long, Addey and Brady had made some friends (much older) who invited them to come roast some marshmallows with them. They were more than happy to!

Lewis also got to meet their dog. This was his first encounter with a dog, and he was super curious.

Although we were busy, there is always time for play. The girls always have some kind of "game" going, as they call it. One of their favorites this spring was "library." Their room was set up as a library quite often. Here is their interpretation of library ladies.

The couch arm sometimes doubles as a bucking bull.

Smart Little Lewie!

Spring wouldn't be spring without TRACK. This year, the track team put on a kids' track meet, and Connor, Mylie, and Mariah all participated. They each did an individual event, but the highlight was the relays. They had so much fun running with their friends!

We had pretty cruddy weather 2 of the 3 days of state track, and I ended up spending a lot of time either under bleachers or in the van keeping Lewis warm and dry. The last day was nicer, but I only managed to snap a few photos.

Easter

We had a fabulous Easter this year. The kids had a great time dyeing and then hunting for their eggs, and the Easter Bunny spoiled them all!  Highlights were a front loader for Brady, maxi skirts for the girls, and some summer clothes for Connor.

March Travels

It seems that when I vacation, it often happens in clusters.  And it typically happens when I don't have any baby to take along.  This March, only one of those was true.  I did go on two vacations.  I took a baby along.  Not the perfect circumstance for a fabulous vacation, but they both turned out okay.

The first trip was to Las Vegas.  Tony and I decided to go down and spend the weekend with four of his siblings and some of their family members to watch the Cowboys play in the Mountain West Tournament.  Other than having a baby along that didn't exactly love the trip, it was a great weekend!  We shared a house (which I didn't take a single picture of!), ate at a buffet every single day, and watched the Cowboys make history, winning their first ever Conference Tournament Championship!  It was amazing to be there!!

 COWBOYS FAN!!!

(the view from our seats--pretty sweet, huh?)

Then at the end of the month, I headed to Disneyland (with Lewis in tow, of course.)  The reason for this trip was that the high school choir auditioned and was selected to perform there, and I am the accompanist, so I got to go along!  The kids did a great job performing, and then we got to spend two whole days in Disneyland and California Adventure.  Going with a baby is totally different, but we still had fun.  I hung out with the director, Lori, most of the time, and we decided to hit up every single show.  We saw Aladdin, Mickey and the Magical Map, Fantasia, Frozen, the light and water show in Calif. Adventure, both parks' parades, and the fireworks.  I also took Lewis on two rides--It's a Small World and Monsters, Inc.   He loved just looking around at everything but got scared in Monsters Inc. and came out crying. I felt like the mother of the year....  Anyway, just so you can't say I never took you to Disneyland, Lewis, here's the proof. Hahaha!

Haircuts

Back in February, Mylie and I finally decided it was time for that haircut she'd been wanting for quite awhile. We were both a little nervous, but then LOVED how it turned out!

And when big sister does something as cool as chop her hair off, little sister will soon follow.  I suggested she get a slightly different style, and she was fine with that. I just think it fits her face and personality better than the pixie cut would.  She looks beautiful, too!

They are both loving the haircuts and haven't had a moment of regret.  And my carpal tunnel is thankful, too, for more than a month now without a braid or tiny elastic to deal with. Win-win!!

Skiing Fun

The end of February, Connor, Mylie, and Mariah got to go skiing. Tony was going to go with them, too, but he hurt his back that week and decided he better not. I didn't go because I'm sorta attached to a little guy that I can't leave for more than three hours at a time. But thanks to my sister, Olivia, the kids still got to ski once this year and had a fabulous time!  We went to Beaver Mountain and Olivia skied with the girls most of the time while Connor spent most of the day alone (which is totally fine with him!)  Lewis and I hung out in the lodge. It was a beautiful day, so he and I even ventured out for a walk as well.  Some pics: