..to play or not to play..

last years all-star team(not a very good pic.)

dallin had a tough decision to make on sunday.
he was selected again to play on the all-star team,
which started practices this week, with their first game
on wednesday. this happens to be the same week that
he has been preparing for a 50 mile hike at Lake Tahoe.
he was really looking forward to going on this as well. for
those of you who don't know dallin, he lives for baseball.
the kid is addicted. if he's not outside playing it, he is in watching
highlights on sports center, or reading updates on the internet.
long story short, he had to make a decision: baseball or the hike.
after some tears (and really wanting to do both) he decided that
he had many years of baseball still ahead of him, so he opted to
go on the hike. he will be hiking 10 miles a day, with a backpack
that weighs 21 lbs.! i'm hoping he has a good experience and makes
lifetime memories. the scenery alone at lake tahoe beats looking at
a baseball diamond! (in my opinion) i think you made a good choice
d-man!

..happy birthday malorie..

i can't believe that our little malie is 5 yrs. old today.
she has grown up way too fast! every day with malorie
is an adventure! she is always on the go. we've been to
the ER two different times for sutures (should have been
3, but one cut was underneath her chin, so we went with
the butterfly bandage)
she is very aware of peoples emotions, and doesn't like it
when you're feeling sad.
she is a joy to have in our family and is always making us laugh
with the funny things she says. we love you malorie...happy birthday!

..graduation celebrations..

..my favorite rugrats..

..this is our "country"..

this is as close to being "in the country" gets for
us. these goats are at the roping arena where
the boys go to practice their dummy roping.
the girls are in heaven there also!

..dummy roping..

meet "the dummy"

growing up, i swore i would never marry
someone who wore wranglers...never say never!
matt and his friend ryon set up this roping dummy
so they could practice roping. it's electric, and rotates
in a circle and you practice "heeling" ( the hind legs
move up and down as it rotates, and you try to
rope both legs...for those of you who are not "roping
savvy"). matt is a "header" and he wants the boys
to learn how to "heel" so they can go down the road
together. matt and ryon got lucky and met this guy
who owns some property with a roping arena, about
a 1/2 mile from our house. he let them set up the
dummy and this is where i'm sure i'll find my boys
every afternoon! life is good...

..playing catcher..

another saturday at the ball fields. dallin and
mason were both nominated by their coaches
for all-stars. they will finish up regular season
this week, then the tournament begins
(double elimination), then practices start for
all-stars...it's a long season, but it's fun to watch
them do well.