First Attempt at biking in St. George

Over Thanksgiving break, we headed down to do some exploring in southern Utah.  With a dog, six bikes, and four little boys, we made our way to St. George to test out some trails.

The first leg of the trip was great- even Theo on his balance bike was able to keep up a pretty good pace.  

Then we decided to stop and get a few pictures off the paved trail...

  

 as luck would have it, as we were busy coaxing smiles out of our boys, some of the biggest thorns you've ever seen were coaxing air out of 4 of our tires.

So, the second half of the ride was not quite as enjoyable as the first.  Theo couldn't/wouldn't ride any longer, and since RB had taken a couple boys, with now flat tires, back, I got to carry him the whole way.  He must have been exhausted because he fell asleep on my shoulders.  And, as comfortable as this looks, this is how he stayed for the last few miles...  

Good times.

Champion of the World

Yes, that's right.  Calvin is now a World Champion... at least if you ask him.  

While playing on a PeeWee football team may seem like a minor commitment, I assure you, this was NOT.  A weeks after we moved in, Calvin started practices... Monday through Friday, 2 1/2 hours a day.  

These practices were unlike anything Calvin had ever experienced.  To say those coaches worked the boys hard is a major understatement.  There were kids puking and crying and bleeding at most practices (Calvin included).  Calvin has no hesitation saying that being on this team and working through those practices is the hardest thing he's ever done. 

Being one of the smallest kids, I found it hilarious that his best friend on the team just happened to be the biggest.  (You can't really tell by this picture, but Calvin is about half the size of his buddy, Sam.)

 So, after four months of grueling practices and intense games- broken bones and concussions included- Calvin's team won their division and can now claim the title of PeeWee Division Champs.  After the big win, Calvin led the team to a rousing verse of "We are the Champions", of course.

Happy Halloween!

It was another successful year for the Avengers.  Their trick-or-treating was especially efficient this year thanks to the decked out hayride/trailer that carted them around the neighborhood.  

Here is the all important "sorting" afterwards.

General Conference

 We were able to take Calvin and Noah to Sunday morning's General Conference session a few weeks ago.  (The little two were at home with a very kind Uncle Louie babysitting for us.)

 It was a beautiful day, a beautiful place, and beautiful messages were shared.  With the help of a hidden candy stash, the boys (RB included) managed to stay awake for the whole meeting.  Noah said the music was his favorite part.  He was amazed, rightly so, by the gigantic pipe organ and its many, many keyboards.

 

The original plan was to sit next to Aunt Mary and cousin Alyce, buuut someone (or four someones) were a little late and had to get ushered in to the back row last minute.

First day of school

While here in Salt Lake, we decided to give public school a try.  So far, it has been a really good experience.  The school is only a few blocks away, so the boys walk together each day.  I was a little worried that the adjustment might be a rough one for them, but they're all loving it... most days.

Calvin the 4th grader in Mrs. Martin's class:

Noah the 2nd grader in Ms. Todd's:

Malcolm the excited half-day Kindergartner in Ms. Stonehocker's class:

And Theo the minion, who is every bit as crazy as he looks, now finally getting some one on one time with mom:

Hello, Utah

Salt Lake has been treating us well, so far.  RB is well underway with his year long joints replacement fellowship at the University of Utah.  While he still pulls in some long days, the hours are a vast improvement from residency.  

The weather has been beautiful and I still can't get used to the amazing mountain backdrop.  

We took the boys up to Olympic Park in Park City a few weeks ago.  While the ropes course was a bit intense at times, they all survived.  Little Mal was the only one who managed to do it with a smile.  (Not that I blame them, I'm pretty sure I would've quit way before the end.)

 This shot captures the varying degrees of enthusiasm about the next activity.

So glad to now have time to hang out with this guy.

Saturdays

Now that central PA has finally thawed, our Saturdays are back to the all day sports-and-suckers fest we're used to.

All of Malcolm's off-season "tackle-wrestle" training in the basement has come in handy.  Not a bit afraid of getting a little physical:

(Post-goal fist-pump)

Suckers at half-time are now wholly expected.

Noah's still batting 1.000 in the coach pitch league.

(At this level, half the battle is beating your fellow in-fielders)

(obviously, Calvin has something to say...)

And here's what the field looks like at 9:30pm:

Lately

O*H*

*I*O

Good times at the Buckeye spring football game.

Mal turns 5

This crazy-eyed little guy turned 5 last month.  We sure love our car-racing, tower-building, violin-playing Malcolm.