Spring Has Sprung!

The cross-country ski season did not last long this year but Tanner enjoyed it while he could.

Practices were held at the nearby golf course so it was super convenient.  Too bad we didn't get a little more snow this season!

 He traded in his skis for spikes weeks ago with the start of the outdoor track season.

 The amazing spring weather has allowed Tanner to flourish with such ideal racing conditions.

Waiting for the hand-off

 Along with the 1600m, Tanner ran a leg in the 4x800m relay at the 2nd meet of the season. 

 After three meets, Tanner has new PR's in the 1600m and 800m.

It's been a great season thus far!  Let's hope the weather continues to cooperate!

I'm usually too busy trying to get lap splits and cheer Tanner on down by the track to get pictures but thankfully, Aaron was able to attend the meet last week and snapped a few pics.

 Upon returning home from Myrtle Beach, Brinley played in an orchestra concert the following evening.  This is one amazing freshman orchestra!

Brinley is near middle on 2nd row sitting next to Niki in red shirt.

Brinley is stretching her horizons this spring.  Literally.  Joining the high school tennis team has become a daily commitment for her from 4-6pm.  Coach Duque is incredible at keeping this huge team organized and moving forward.   With some help, he manages the varsity, JV and developmental teams.  Coach Duque is passionate about tennis and it shows in all he does!

 The significance of this centennial PIE DAY (3.1415) did not go unnoticed around our place. Anna and Jantzen took pies to school and Brinley supplied us with yummies at home.

 Not much fanfare for St. Patty's Day but we did wear green.  

There were a few leprechaun sightings and green notes found around the house.

 Gotta love morning pics!

 Nobody's ready to smile that early in the day...

Breakfast is served.  

One pan of german pancakes was tinted green. Guess which one disappeared first?  

Apparently, off-colored food has finally lost its appeal.

 Speaking of green, oh horror!  Piles and piles of such remnants can be found all over our yard.

 We knew it was going to be a bad year with the voles/mice but when the snow melted a while back, the revealed destruction was worse than anticipated.  The price we pay to live in the country!

 Our yard turned into a cemetery almost overnight.

Aaron put out the vole traps with poison last October but it's hard to know whether it did much.  When the snow disappeared, he got aggressive with the poison again and picked up well over 100 critters before starting up the lawn mower just to destroy their 'homes' a bit.  That doesn't count the ones he lured out and ran over.  Jantzen and his buddies could have made a small fortune if they collected money for each critter they shot.  For days you would see a neighborhood pack of boys canvasing the area with BB guns, bats, fireworks etc..... And we were all cheering them on!

 The damage to our yard is so extensive we are not sure how long the recovery will take.  We did hear that a bumper crop of critters cycles every 5 years.  Grrr...

 Some of the children actually cried when they saw what those pesky creatures did to our grass.

I researched a few options and found a new product to help with the problem.  Aaron put it out and around the holes and I think it's helping some.  Unfortunately, they have attacked our plants/shrubs now so this battle is far from being over.

I've been too busy to focus on the yard so ignoring it has been my coping mechanism of choice. 

Yard work this spring/summer ain't gonna be pretty!

Mom - the supervisor

 We have been focused on other projects lately.

Brinley and Anna enjoyed painting.

 Aaron will be moving his HCP offices in a few weeks to a new location.  He has been persistently pursuing options for a while knowing the parking at his current space is inadequate.  Outgrowing his space is a positive but costly challenge.

Aaron located office space just outside of town.  The building owner allowed us to remove some interior walls to make the space more conducive to what HCP needs.

 Last Saturday we rounded up the crew for a family work project.  After a few hours with their help, we sent the kids home so Aaron and I could really focus:).

 Shift work.

The kids 'off-duty' watched a show on the laptop in one of offices not in the "construction zone".

 This conference room will be an energetic place with a happy color to match.

 This on-going painting project has been 'my baby' all week.  

Gratefully, I can report that all the edging is finally done. 

Long blonde hair - that's Anna walking in.

On Thursday evening, we attended Anna's 5th grade D.A.R.E. Graduation Program.  It's always a big community "to-do" so the high school gym was packed with people. 

Aaron and I have now attended four of these programs.  Fortunately, those in charge have learned a few things along the way to streamline the events of the night.  It still seemed to take a while before we heard from the special guest speaker.

Brandon Bair (#93) currently plays for Philadelphia Eagles NFL Football Team. He was very engaging with the students and was quite literally head and shoulders above anybody else who took the mic that night:).

And yes, we actually waited for Anna while she waited in line for Brandon to autograph her D.A.R.E. t-shirt.  Because we hurried out after the program ended, she had a great position in line but somehow other children kept crowding in and I felt myself getting a bit grumpy when I saw a group of rowdy boys cut the line right in front of her.  Aaron was my calming sidekick.

Bonnie & Heather in front of "Snakebite" cafe.

 Divide and Conquer.  That's often how we have to do things.  This weekend was no exception.  While Aaron drove the younger four children to Boise for Jantzen's soccer tournament, I stayed closer to home having other commitments.   It was a bonus for me to enjoy lunch with Bonnie and Bryant on Friday afternoon.  They were in the general area for Lillian's ballroom dance competition so I drove 30 minutes to briefly meet up with them.  We haven't seen them since Breanna left on her mission last summer!  They would have stayed the weekend but with Aaron gone and Bob and Janene in Florida, they decided to head home after the competition was over.

After Tanner's track meet on Friday, the two of us cruised home so he could get ready for the "Distinguished Young Women" program.  This rigorous annual competition is available for juniors in high school to win scholarship money based on a variety of categories.  Brinley also attended the 4-hour evening event with friends.  Meanwhile, I attended a wedding reception and had three foot zone appointments.  It was a busy and late evening.  It was exciting to hear that Elisa W. won overall (Tanner's Christmas dance/date) and Annie S. won 3rd runner-up (Tanner's homecoming dance/date).

Kason K., Jantzen, Jacob C., Josh M.

Jantzen has a new soccer coach this season and he is part of the traveling team.  It's required some adjustment as Coach Tiechert expects a lot from his players but Jantzen is rising to the occasion.

 An overnight stay at a hotel meant free continental breakfast!

 The kids also packed in a couple of quick swims at the indoor pool in between soccer games.

Mostly, they cheered on Jantzen's team.

 The Friday evening game was played in beautiful 85 degree weather but Saturday morning was a bit nippy.

 Many of the players (including Jantzen) have been together for several years on a winning team.  With a few new players/new coach and more intense level of competition, these boys have their work cut out for them.  They held their own against a much bigger/aggressive team to tie their final game.

                             Jantzen started all of the games and played most of the time. Midfielders (Jantzen's position) are subbed more often because they do so much running.  Jantzen and "Spidey" are the only 6th graders on the team - the rest are in 7th and 8th grade. The size difference is quite noticeable at this age!

 When the tournament ended, Aaron took the kids out to eat before making the 5-hour drive home.  Having Jacob C. along for the trip added a fun dimension to everything.  Jacob is a very polite bundle of energy and he kept the kids in stitches over the weekend.      

Jantzen & Jacob

Quinn

 Of course, I packed a cooler full of food but knew Aaron would have to buy two meals on the road.  I sent him with coupons for Burger King on Friday and Saturday he treated everyone to Chuck-A-Rama.  Since the cost is based on age at the buffet, the price between to the two meals was minimal (even using coupons!).  Crazy.

We knew there was no way Aaron and the kids would make it back in time for the General Women's Meeting so Brinley and I went together.  We enjoyed our evening and the beautiful messages very much.

Spring has sprung!