4/6/11 Crabapple Tree

Several years ago we got this tree.  It was technically Hans’ and he alone went with Daddy to pick it out.  He has grown quite a bit and so has the tree!  I think this was taken after track and he was not wanting to pose for long!

April 5 this and that

On the weekend when Mom Mom was at Bill and Paula’s we just hung out at the  house.  Mom left on Wednesday and here is our traditional farewell shot!  See you in July Mom Mom, Lord willing!

April 1st

This time of year farmers burn off the debris and kill weed seed.  Here is one right by our hours and here is the sunset that follows.

 

This spring Chris has hired Andrew Nuest to work for him and since true “farming” has not really started in earnest, Andrew is helping with some much needed chores.  Here he and Hans are splitting and stacking wood.  Hans is a hard worker.  He was determined to roll this very big log over there and he did!

piano recital 2011

I have been neglectful! On March 27, 2011 Collin and Hans had their Piano Recital at our church. The theme was hymns and praise songs so Hans performs "God is Good" and Collin "The Doxology: Praise God From Who All Blessings Flow".

The season’s first track meet

I have been looking forward to track season since last year.  Our kids loved it!!  Well, all but Erin who has never really done track.  When the community track coach announced she was moving I thought Hans and Alan might be out of luck, but we were fortunate in that Erin’s assistant gymnastics coach is also a track coach and willing to do the “Striders” league for the Rec.  Collin did not want to do track because all his friends did tennis.  UGH.  He loved track last year, so we pushed him.   

The first meet was in Lindsborg KS and the boys and I were able to go.  Erin did the long jump, the triple jump and the 1600  and a relay.  Collin did 2 relays and the 1600. 

The triple jump is a fun challenge and Erin is starting to get the hang of it!  It’s fun to photograph too!

Look at that determination and the tongue!! Collin was behind the Lyons guy at first.  On the last turn he heard the Lyons coach yell, “You are not getting 5th.”  So the kid started to sprint too soon, so when Collin turned it on he smoked him!  Whooo!  go Collin, go COlliN!  4th is sweet!

This race was so hard for Collin last year, he came in almost last each time.  He has come in 4th so far twice.  Do you see him passing and then SMOKING these guys.  Please realize that the first place winner actually lapped everyone, so he is kind of uncatchable at a minute above everyone.  So Colin’s major focus is improving time and maybe the 3200!  VERY proud of him.  Erin struggled with the 1600, which she ran for the first time the day of the race.  However in the relay she did just fine.   GO ERIN! I did not get to go to the Hesston meet where Erin did 3rd in the 800m, so that might be her race!  

Thirteen is an unlucky number!

That is what Chelsy our SC foster daugher told us when I told her we were having a family get together with 13 people for our PA relatives and Erin’s birthday.  To keep us from such a fiasco, she joined us and made us 14.  We ate GOOD.  Bill and Paula’s famous salmon cakes, steak, rolls, ice cream cake…oh my!   Collin and Hans were playing in a piano recital the next day, so they gave a sample for Bill and Paula and Chelsy who would not be there.




    

It’s the simple things

With Jim and Terry in town we decided to do a few “tourist-y” things.  So we visited a local museum in Reno county.  There we found just some simple antiques and “treasures” saved from years past.  We had some fun and laughs after visiting Paula’s work and before heading out to lunch with Bill.  We played “name that artifact”.

  I should have had them pose differently.  They are in front of an old fashion switchboard where Aunt Terry worked when she was still Miss Happ.  Off to the play room where Jim was naughty and ended up in the jail…

Spent a little time in the general store…just plain silly!

Visitors from the east…

What a treat, just 4 days after being home my Aunt Terry and cousin Jim from Doylestown PA trek out here to KS for a visit and bring my mom.  Just 2 days after her last radiation treatment (and 5 months from her fall in October 1 day after her visit here) the three of them make the trip to KS.  What a BLAST!  The kids really never know what to expect when company comes…will this be mostly for mom and dad or are they going to have fun to.  They definitely had fun too!

 Jim is a serious joke and story teller.   As you can see, he kept them engaged and in place! Aunt Terry brought photos to keep us up to date with family happenings.  I have not seen some of my cousins since…my wedding or when Collin was a baby…ugh!        No exaggeration, we sat around the living and dining room telling jokes and stories all evening.  Even Collin and Erin got a few good ones in.  Some old favorites and we even got Jim with a few.  The Happ sisters.  Affectionately called the MisHaps when they worked the telephone company.  Get it? We finally had to cut it off and send everyone home and to bed. 

OK for my photography minded readers.  I am learning to use manual even in low light settings.  I see my photos are yellow, but they are clear (well at least who I was focusing on is clear).  Halleluiah!!!  There are a few settings that need fixed but this is what they looked like before I shut off the flash ..

I was there too!

A quick CO ski post before moving on.  Some friends from church have shared their photos with me and we have evidence that I was on the ski trip too! 

On the way out to CO we saw an honest to goodness phone booth complete with working telephone.  PHOTO OP!

Now it must be said that my daughter sad a big fat NO to me until several other high school girls had their photo taken and another mom encouraged us to get ours done since it was Erin’s birthday after all… moms! Notice how tall she is getting?  She has me by at least 2 inches.

 

Here we are after lunch the first day of our ski trip.  We met up with some other people from our group and one had a camera.  Shame we are here in the trees because the view on the other side of the slope was breath taking…  but here we are.  Evidence that I was on skis.

Beautiful

How can CO be so close and we never come here in the winter.  Wow, I’m hooked.  The only thing more beautiful than CO in the summer is CO in the winter, well actually early spring was nice because the weather was warm, but still cold enough to have snow in the a.m.   We stayed in Buena Vista and then drove to Leadville to Ski Cooper.  The drive was long and I am thankful for Christy and Dwayne who did all the driving!

 

Here are the girls after getting and packing skiis and boots.  The guy at the place we went had them all lined up and did not even “let” us pay, but rather got us out the door to “GO SKI!” I just have to tell you that I was scared to death!  I had not skied in since 3/7/93 according to the ski ticket on my ski jacket! We headed over the the bunny slope for some practice.  Erin and 2 guys took a lesson while we practiced.Here are Maryn and Andrew, 2 of the group that had significant problems on Friday so Saturday we headed to the Bunny slope with them again.  (Christy and I).  I felt confident enough on Saturday to at least take my DROID up the hill with me.   Maryn wins the overcomer award.  It took her an hour to get down the beginner slope on Friday on Saturday she faced those fears and was off!! Go Maryn!

       

Erin did FANTASTIC!  I met up with her at noon on Friday after her lesson and we did the first few slopes together. She was thankful for the lesson because it taught her how to get up from falls and so much more.  I did not even see her the second day, she off doing blue slopes and even a black with her friends!

Andrew, who never did get the hang of it managed to catch some photos of her!  

We could not have had more beautiful weather. It was 40F.  The second day it was colder and moodier with some wind gust and clouds, but then the sun came out and it was gorgeous again!  Thanks be to God for allowing us this awesome time together with a really neat group of youth.   Man, was I tired afterwards!