Basketball and a Whole Lot of Spring Break

Wesley was an awesome point guard for his elementary boys basket ball team.  He made an average of 15 points per game.  He loves playing basketball.       

Natalie also had a fun on her girls team.  Their games were a bit different than the boys games.  There were a lot more cheers and hugs for good passes and attempted shots.  So fun to watch.

Wesley... the Horseshoe Bend Jimmer.

Tamarack

This year we decided to take our family up to Tamarack, Idaho for Spring Break.  It is only a little over an hour away, up in the mountains.  We stayed in a nice cabin right by the lifts so we could all take turns skiing everyday.  It took some work, but after the first day Natalie and Emery learned how to ski.  The second day I convinced Preston and Wesley that skiing would be easier to learn than snow boarding, and they learned to ski also. We were so grateful that our good friends the Crawfords were there to help us get kids on and off of the lifts and catch uncontrolled little skiers flying down the slops.  They were life savers!  By the end of the week everyone was a pro...except Caroline who never really got to leave the cabin, and Savannah who thought she knew how to ski, but was really just being controlled by a special set of training reins.

Joel and Cassidy coming down the bunny hill.

Natalie and Preston racing down

Cassidy even came to join us one day

Savannah on 'reins' and Emery skiing without fear

Wesley

Natalie

Preston in racing position

Savannah is a cute little snow bunny

Wesley had his 11th Birthday up at Tamarack.  We had to pack a lot of stuff for our week (including about 20 grocery bags of food).  I wasn't sure we had room to fit Wesley's gifts, so he offered to hold them on his lap the whole drive up there.  I know it was worth it for him! What a good boy.

Caroline had fun too, although she didn't like that her mom left her every morning and afternoon to go skiing.  Every time I would walk in the door from skiing, she would squeal with delight and come running to give me hugs.  Such a cute little monkey!        

 She though it was great fun to wrap herself up in all the Birthday wrapping paper.

Grandma and Grandpa and Cassidy came up for half the day to watch us ski, take some pictures (thanks mom!), eat dinner, and celebrate Wesley's Birthday.  It was nice having them!Savannah and the Easter Bunny 

Easter morning...mmmmm chocolate for breakfast!

Joel took all of the kids to pick out their own chick for Easter.  Savannah loves holding hers (maybe even a little too tightly...we will see if it survives to adulthood).

Emery and Savannah with their Easter chicks

 Caroline was pretty scared of the chicks.  They kept following her around like she was the mother hen.  She finally felt safe enough to touch one when Emery was nearby.

Wesley is trying to teach his chick some tricks.

Preston, the chick whisperer...

Natalie's chick has a brown stripe down it's back

Preston's looks like a golden eagle

 The kids favorite part of Easter is having 'egg fights' with all of the empty plastic eggs (much to their father chagrin).  They thought it was fun to jump with them on the trampoline too.

It was so fun that even Napoleon joined the kids.

 And, of course, Joel hard at work...getting the pool ready for swimming, planting trees, burning slash piles, killing weeds, setting up sprinklers, feeding the cows and horses, planting berry bushes, strawberries, and flowering plants, filling wholes in the driveway, watering the new trees, and organizing the outside.  Then he comes inside and starts the laundry, loads the dishwasher and takes the kids grocery shopping for me.  He is a really hard worker and we wouldn't have this beautiful place without him... and all of his small overpaid employees.  What a great husband and father.  Thank you Joel!  We love you.  Happy Easter 2013