Not the best way to start the summer...

Robbie was having a great spring—here he is...

at the JV water polo tournament, May 4th...

and playing softball on May 9th...

Until Thursday, May 10th, when he was delivering letters for the annual Boy Scout flag fundraiser. The boys were getting in and out of the car frequently, to deliver letters, and Robbie got a little impatient—he got out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. He fell, and caught himself with his left arm, but broke his wrist in the process. So...

Here he is getting a sling on May 11th.

And a cast on May 14th.

Red for the Utes, of course.

Luckily it's waterproof, so he didn't even have to miss the 1st day of swim team.

The Next Flying Tomato

Joey is snowboarding each Friday after school for six weeks, and has loved it so far, in spite of the lousy snow conditions. When we bought his snowboard, the salesman commented that he could be the next Flying Tomato. Yep. Wish I'd been able to take a few action shots, but obviously not enough to drive up to Brighton.

Play Ball!

Two weeks into our newly formed neighborhood league, and we love it. After our "game" with the Stringhams, I was talking to Becca about the fact that sports are so competitive at such a young age now, and we agreed that it'd be fun to bring back the pick-up game, family-style. It has been a treat to play with the Breinholts, Allens, Coxes, Perrys and Morgans. Davey Perry said something about getting to play with "the greatest people in the world," and I said, "YES—thanks for letting us join you!"

A League of Our Own

Yay! I'm finally done catching up April, all backdated. I can finally move on to May, and that won't take long, because I quit taking photos, knowing that I was so behind.

When I filled in our May calendar, I was slightly alarmed by the weekly YM softball games. Robbie played one season of Little League, but that was FOUR years ago. On Saturday, we got out our mitts and threw balls in the backyard for as long as my shoulder could take it. The boys had such a good time that they suggested a "game" with the Stringhams for family night.

We used tennis balls, hoping to avoid any ER trips for our inexperienced kids.

I love that Samantha wore a "uniform."

Our league is open to kids of all ages.

I love this photo of Jonas and Samantha, demonstrating the seldom-seen "baseball flop."

Amelia, clearly a big hitter.

She takes after her Uncle Rob.

Check out that follow-through.


Rob loves to pose for the camera.

I don't usually post this many photos for something like this, but I couldn't resist these.

We didn't really play Marshes v. Stringhams, because that would hardly be fair—they've got an extra player.

We had a great time. I kind of wish we lived in the era of the pick-up game. I hate that it's so competitive at such a young age now.

No, they weren't climbing the fence to catch a fly ball.

Here's hoping for more casual sports, not to mention more sunshine and fresh air.

You know it's March Madness...

...when we've got not one, but two games going during dinner.

Out of my comfort zone

I'm three days into an adult swimming class. This is pretty huge for me—not only do I hate to wear a swimsuit and get my face wet, but I've never swum laps in my life. Thanks to some pressure encouragement I finally tried it on Friday. I've already noticed some progress, and I definitely have the most potential for improvement in the group! It cracks me up when Ellie and Ainsley tell me what a great job I'm doing. :)

Marsh madness

I was searching through my iPhoto library for a "this day in history" photo, but I can never seem to find a photo from the exact day I need one, so this is just a nod to the season. We went to Vegas for the Mountain West Conference Championship, and saw some great games. Rob, Ralph, Rich or Jake could probably still give a play-by-play. I just seem to remember Van Horn sinking a three pointer at the buzzer, and having a good time, in spite of all the smoke. I hate Vegas. EDITED: Rob informs me that Van Horn was already gone by 1999, when this photo was taken. We went to the tournament a few times and I got my dates mixed up. I do not have the super-sports-trivia gene.

As a side-note, we saw Ray Charles while we were there. It's kind of embarrassing that I snapped this photo standing about two feet away from him, but at least he didn't see me. :) I haven't earned the title of Photo Nazi for nothing.
As of today, I'm number two in the family bracket, but I've got Kentucky going all the way, so Dan has the best chance of winning (just bragging rights) this year.

Another day on the slopes

We took advantage of the awesome Park City Start Now program again, this time snowboarding. In the past, I've tried to talk Rob into learning to snowboard, so we could go as a family, but once again I was glad that he's not interested, because I got to take the boys up and enjoy a great day of sunshine and fresh snow while Rob stayed home with the girls.

I was in a lesson myself, but managed to get a few photos of the boys since they were nearby. Here they are getting the hang of toe and heel drag:I was just in front of them in the lift line:Robbie, ready to head down the hill:
And Joey, on his way down. Last week his skiing instructor told me he was a "wild man," which I took to mean he's a natural, and not afraid. His snowboarding instructor said the same thing, so I though I'd better clarify, just to make sure he wasn't out of control. The teacher assured me that it was a compliment, and said both of the boys were the stars of the class.I'm happy to report that after my first lesson I got bumped up to level three, and the college aged kids in my class stayed in level one. Score one for middle-aged moms. I even out-paced the boys, who will be in level two next time. Sorry, I don't often have something to brag about. On the other hand, I am SORE today. It's a full-body workout for sure.We came home to a clean house again. Rob is definitely off the hook for a while.