Dance

Well, this dance season definitely didn't go how we had planned, but it's officially over and we can start focusing on the future. Brinley's studio did a virtual recital, combining videos of all the girls, which was fun for them to be able to watch everyone else. We also finished up with photos tonight. Brinley is bummed that she never got to compete with her team- we were out of town for the first competition and the other 2 got cancelled- but I am incredibly proud of her hard work and dedication. She practices her routines and stretches every day, and I can see the progress she is making. She tried out for next year's team, and although she was super nervous and felt like she had bombed it, she was accepted back onto the team and cannot wait for next season!

Nest

This spring we had a mama and papa robin set up their nest in our weeping pine tree. We all had so much fun watching them build the nest, lay and hatch their eggs, then feeding the little ones. Their journey here finally culminated today when the little chicks flew off and into the world- except for one chick that only made it into the yard before Tyson decided to play with it. It sat stunned in the yard for quite a while, then hopped over to the fence. Cahl managed to gently pick it up and carry it back to the nest with some lacrosse sticks, all while mama and papa screeched and called in all the neighborhood robins to come surround him and screech at him, then mama and papa sat nearby for the rest of the day watching over it. The baby was gone the next day, so hopefully it recovered enough to fly away safely!

Memorial Day

This year for Memorial day, we picked a spot up above Crouch that we like, right next to Fireman Hot Springs. Cahl and his mom and Hunter took the trailers up Wednesday night, then the rest of us headed up Thursday night. Friday we spent the morning in the springs, and some friends joined us in the afternoon. The first few days it rained and even hailed off and on, but the next few days were sunny and warm. The kids had fun all weekend building forts, swimming, playing corn hole, and going for rides on the buggy and bikes.

Award

Today Hunter went over to the school to do his final checkout and pick up his yearbook. He was also surprised to be awarded with a Perseverance in Academics award from his Science teacher. In his words, "It's probably because I emailed him all the time asking about my grades!" He has worked hard this year to keep his grades up, and is happy to be about done for the year. He is definitely looking forward to going back next year, and spending time with his friends and teachers again.

Boiling Springs

Today was another day for a buggy ride. This time we headed north, and went exploring up above Crouch. We spent some time soaking at Boiling Springs, then drove a long loop around past Silver Creek Plunge, and back down. Overall it was probably close to 40 miles, with Jasen and Hunter on their dirt bikes, but it was a really good ride.

House Painting

We have been wanting to paint our house for the last year or so, and we finally decided to pull the trigger and get it done. We spread it out over 3 days, so it wasn't so terrible, but it was still so much work! We did the entire bottom half in 2 days, then rented a bucket lift to finish the top half. It looks exactly the same, we chose the same color scheme- just darkened the grey a little, and it looks great!

Mother's Day

This year Cahl and the kids really spoiled me for Mother's Day, with a new dryer, time down by the river, delicious food, and a really cool handmade sign. They worked hard on it for weeks, and it points to all of our favorite vacation spots.

Hunter's Ed

Brinley has been working hard for the last month or so on her Hunter's Ed, and today she completed the course. She was so excited to go down and get her hunting license!

Silver City

Today we decided to take the buggy down to Silver City. We made it most of the way there, but got blocked by a snow drift. But the ride was nice, and the kids enjoyed playing near the creek when we stopped for snacks.