Sampson is Shorn

Mitch hasn't had a haircut since August when he had to be clean cut for the wedding. He decided that it was time for a summer cut this week.

 Here he is the morning of the cut. So much beautiful hair!

 He wanted to grow it long enough for a man bun, but it didn't quite reach that length.

 Still, he had an impressive head of hair and it garnered lots of attention.

 We talked about how people will react and that it will grow back. He said it didn't bring the Mariners any luck last season and tomorrow is Opening Day, so he needed to get it done. This photo hurt my heart when I received it.

This one turned my stomach.

And the final cut is not what I pictured or hoped for, but he is happy about it and likes the feel of his short hair. As he put it, "This is the shortest it's been in Ephrata!"
Turns out I'm the one who needs reminding that the curls can grow back...

Weekend Fun

We had a full and fun weekend! 

Shannon and I drove to Hermiston for Kourtney's baby shower. We had a nice visit and got to see lots of friends. Meanwhile, Nina was driving to our place and Bryan was running the Ray Cross track meet at home.

Mitch spent the day with his Allstot grands. He worked at the church in the morning, helping a bark spreading crew. 

He also enjoyed lots of  special play time and had a great day without us.

 On Sunday we had Mosers, Bassetts, Allstots, Nina and our family out for a hike up Baird Hill and a BBQ afterward. It was a lovely time!

 Of course Nina and I had to have a photo session to show our summit success!

  She came up for the start of her spring break and we loved having her around! Especially Charlie...

She read with the kids and they tried to get her to stay all week. She did come to my class for part of Monday to help and observe. The weekend was a great tease for our upcoming spring break!

Farm Field Trip

The neighborhood went on a field trip today to Cloudview to see the baby animals of spring!

We walked to the farm in a herd of our own.

There was goat feeding

and petting 

and lamb snuggling.

Precious lambs

The 3 lambs and their mother were none too pleased to be with us and were very vocal about it!

Perhaps most popular was chasing chickens and trying to catch them. Once they were caught, it was unclear what to do next...

These poor  birds won't be laying eggs anytime soon after the trauma of  14 small children racing around their pen!

Mitch and the kids got to bottle feed the calves

and then attention turned to the law mama sharing their space. They got a lesson about where to stand and how to avoid headbutts.

Then, Mitch fed the mama some grain. It was a charming outing, a nice walk over and back, and very friendly farmers showing us around. Three cheers for spring!

Snow Day, Boys' Edition

Bryan and Mitch flew south for the long weekend, leaving after school on Thursday to go to spring training in Arizona. We miss coaching baseball, but this is a perk of spring that Bryan has long wanted to enjoy and couldn't until now!

They started with some Diamondback practice in the sunshine.

 These two are serious fans, as is the man taking the photo - Grandpa Dave. 

 Game 1 was Diamondbacks vs. Rockies on Friday.

Afterward there was a fun family dinner at Dianne's with most of the crew.

Bryan, Mitch, Dave and Toby went to the park early on Saturday to save seats for the Cubs' game. Mitch and Toby had lots of fun together!

The Cubs vs. Reds game had the priciest tickets so they opted to sit in the grass in the outfield.

  By game time, there was a herd of Brouwers, Johnsons, Alfaros, Corneliuses and a Laveen in attendance!

 
These two kept the concession stands busy!

 
The final game was a Mariners game Saturday night (for which Mitch had to change his shirt!). They played the Angels and got the win!

 Meanwhile, fun was had back at the house. There were several croquet games

 which had lots of players and spectators! 

 On Sunday before church, Mitch and Dianne squeezed in a ping pong game. Di won by virtue of playing in heels!

 

This lady is such a wonderful hostess. We love her so! 

Tired and happy, the guys flew home Sunday night. Might need to make Spring Training an annual event...

Snow Day, Girls' Edition

Since we had 15 cancelled days of school last year, the district built 2 snow days into this year's calendar. Well, we have not needed them. As a result, we have a couple snow days to enjoy sans the white stuff. Friday was our first. The guys went south so Shan and I had a "Just Us Chickens" weekend. 

 Thursday after school we got to visit with Hillary and Janet.

It was so lovely to see my dear bosom friend!

 When I asked her where she wanted to go, it took about 10 seconds for her to request a visit to Lorry and Ava. So, we went down for a playdate on Friday.

 And play they did! Barbies, dress up, lunch out, and park time all fit into our day.

 Here they are as witches with evil scowls.

 Lorry is still a beloved part of Shan's world.

 These two didn't miss a beat!

 Fancy dressing up capped the play before a walk to the park and then our return home. We had a great visit and look forward to more this spring and summer!

Shannon also spent Saturday with the neighborhood gals going to a unicorn party in Moses Lake. She had a great time - and I did yard work in her absence. We are ready for the guys to return, but enjoyed our girls' weekend. Next time Shan and I get to fly...