A New Adventure

Bryan and the kids trekked up to a cross on the hill above our place this afternoon.

 It was apparently quite a steep grade for a bit of the ascent, but they made it!

 Their bright colors made them visible to stray hunters and me from the yard.

 The return trip was fun, too.

They even found what they decided were coyote remains. 

What a neat new destination! The bench even has gooey bird poo - which was a notable highlight for these two explorers. They're lucky to have a dad who's not a gutless wonder and will take them to new places!

Little Tigers

During the month of January, the kids participated in the Little Tigers basketball camp on Saturday mornings run by the varsity girls' basketball team. Last night they got to play a game during halftime of the boys' varsity game. 

 I forgot the camera, but Tammie had a couple shots for us. Mitch was the tallest boy on the court (aided by the height of his curls). He was probably the most tired, too, as he had a Late Over with the Iversons the night before. Still he managed to score a basket (there were only about 3 shots made!) and did lots of good passing, like the assist he made to Ransom in this picture.

 In an effort to off-set the massive doses of cheer camp, Shannon also participated. She enjoyed being with Bailey M. During her game, she confessed that she never touched the ball. She was frequently distracted with the oversize penny she had to wear... Still, she hustled and put her hands up on defense. 

Whitney and Cait were kind enough to watch the kids, along with their grandparents, and this made the Little Tigers feel extra special!

When I grow up...

Mitchell shared his plan for growing up with me the other night. It goes something like this: 

When I grow up, I'm going to play in the MLB and then travel the world with Hunter for 2 years. After that, I might get married. 

Will you have any kids? 

Yeah, maybe, when I'm older. Like 36?
Really? That'd be like me having a baby right now. That's kind of old, bud.
You're not too old. Maybe when I'm 30. It depends on how long I'm in the major leagues. I'll need something to do after the majors and before I retire. Maybe an AD. Or a coach. Tell me some ideas while I eat.
We brainstormed lots of ideas: scientist, doctor, park ranger, teacher, engineer, construction worker...
I want to build Legos and make Lego designs - I'll have lots of Legos by then. It has to be something active. When I'm done, I'll return to the beginning and move to the Amazon rain forest.

Really, the Amazon?
Yeah, I'll live in a tree house with some food, and books...and maybe a gun.

For now, we're happy to have this little floppy-haired boy and hope his grown up version - wonderful though it will be - isn't in too big a hurry to arrive!

Skiing!

After a year's hiatus, the kids returned to the ski hill! We went to Mission with the Allstot Grands and both kids were excited to be back in action. The weather was foggy, but warm and the hill wasn't crowded. 

Grampa was a good sport and joined us. At the beginning of the day, the kids needed help - or at least a close adult - to ride the rope tow. By midday, they were cut loose and riding solo! That freed up the adults for some more runs as only one was truly necessary to chaperone.

Mitch was right back where he stopped at age 6 and was cruising immediately.

  He was confident and controlled on the bunny hill, making countless runs and needing very minimal help.

He worked really hard at his turns and safe stops. As a result, he got to go up Chair 1 twice!

He was a happy skier, for sure!

Meanwhile, Blondie left the meltdown 4-year-old in the past and was a great learner!

She probably made 30 runs and was adamant about her independence. She got good at riding the rope tow and getting off without falling. When she did fall, and even lose a ski, she was able to get herself put back together and resume skiing. SHE DID NOT CRY ONCE. 

Grama and Shan were the ladies in lavender!

While Mitch enjoyed turning around the cones, Shannon loved going through the hoops. 

This little smirk says it all - she was so happy to be on the hill and wants to go back immediately! Success!

The sun made a brief appearance at the top and we could see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. Stuart. Lovely! The ski conditions were hit and miss and the Ridge needs lots of snow. Still, a good first day and it left us wanting more.