Memorial Day Hike

Memorial Day is a wonderful day to remember our loved ones who have gone on before us, fallen soldiers, and how important family time is! Early this morning,(ok, so it wasn't real early...alright, so it was 8:00) we woke up our children. We asked them if they were interested in a hike. The forecast reported a 60% chance of rain in the afternoon. That meant that we had to HURRY! (Remember...we have teenagers) Lucky for us, we were able to leave by 9:00. ..even picking up an extra teenager (Chase Leftwich). We decided to head north east rather than west (that's where most of the storms usually are). We went to Castlewood Canyon National Park. This is an interesting park because it appears out of nowhere!!! As we drove east and north, we encountered rolling hills and basically plains. There were lots of cows and horses to look at. We drove for about 1/2 hour. The kids thought I was nuts...there couldn't be hiking out here!! BOOM! Right before our eyes, the park appeared.

It is an unexpected beauty!

We started out our hike in GREAT spirits...believe it or not...we ended that way too!

Here is Jessica, Chase & Ryan.

This was the first bridge that we came to...Wayne, Jessica, Chipper, Chris, Tiffany, Ryan & Chase...we don't know the guy in the blue shorts!
The trail went down into the canyon and then followed the stream. We were amazed at how many people were there with us!
There were lots of rocks to climb on. This is a FAVORITE pastime for
Wayne, my children & my dog!
Sometimes it is a little scary to watch them hop across the rocks with no thought as to how far DOWN it is in between.

Here are my 2 girls hugging on their daddy! Chipper is keeping watch to make sure his "boys" are alright.

What is a hike without a pose? Here is Chase showing off his massive muscles.

Did I mention that my children and dog LOVE to climb on rocks. I wonder if they read the sign that said to stay ON the trail...not NEXT to the trail.

OK, so you caught me...I joined the family on the rocks...see, I'm trying to hide behind Ryan!

Chris decided that he needed a little rest and found a little cave to relax in.

(He called it his "bomb shelter)

Not to be out done, Tiffany found an even DEEPER cave.

Then there was that "Dam" historic trail.

Don't forget to put the emphasis on the "Dam".

Here is Jessica attempting to add a letter to the end of that sign...and Wayne ...

well the picture says it all!

Here are the Dam ruins Here are all the kids on the Dam...after hiking up the Dam Historic Trail...

ok, even I couldn't stop saying it!

Going to the Dam Ruins wasn't quite far enough, so we went on to what they called the "falls". It really wasn't LARGE falls, but it was fun to play in. Here is Tiffany & Chris hopping rocks.

Look...Chris is relaxing while Wayne is trying to catch up to him. ha,ha.

Unfortunately, we didn't get the picture of Jessica falling into the water. Lucky for her...Chase lent her his socks. (Is that sanitary?) I also didn't get pictures of the boys laying down on the rocks and "cooling" their heads off in the water. We went back to the car after that. Notice how there are no pictures....it was all UPHILL on the way back!!!!!! We ended up walking a little over 4 miles and really enjoyed ourselves! What a great way to spend time as a family!

Locks of Love

We have had several in our family participate in Locks of Love. Basically, it is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the US and Canada under the age of 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss. There are requirements...you must donate at least 10 inches, hair cannot be bleached..etc.

Jessica had 12 inches cut off...Here is her ponytail that was cut. Doesn't she look ADORABLE in her new haircut?

Here is the back.
It ended up being shorter than she originally thought, but she LOVES it! She also feels that it is going to a GREAT cause!

If you are interested in joining Jessica in donating your hair...here is the link http://www.locksoflove.org/

Tiffany's Clarinet

As most of you know, Tiffany will be playing the clarinet. I looked into renting one, but it was $20.00/month. I asked what kind of clarinet they rent out. Armed with that information, I went onto Ebay. I lost several bids....and eventually one one. I only spent $56.00 on it. How cool is that!?! When it arrived, we had our neighbor (who plays the clarinet) come over and show her how to put it together. He went with us to the music store to buy reeds and a book to play from. After getting home, he helped her to play it with correct form. He tried out the instrument with his mouthpiece and he said we got lucky and got a good one!! That first night, she played for SEVERAL hours. She is able to play at least 2 songs. I think her piano playing has helped her move a step forward.

Here she is "posing" with her new instrument...

Here is a picture I snapped while she was playing.She has a strong desire to do well...I think she will make it!!!

Wordless Wednesday...Pets love each other

Flashback Friday

Here is Elvis (rest his soul) basking in the sunlight!

Musical Family

Music has always held a special place in my heart. I have always tried to encourage ANY kind of music. Each of my children have had piano lessons...some more than others. All of my children have BEAUTIFUL voices (ok, I may be biased) I would like to brag about the musicians that my children are....

First we will start with Jessica...she plays the piano very well. I enjoy listening to her relaxing by playing the piano. I believe she finds that it is a "stress reliever". Recently, she has begun voice lessons. Now, I am graced with hearing an angelic voice practicing her music ALONG with playing the piano.

Ryan has always been talented when it comes to music. He started by taking piano lessons. While he could play it, there wasn't a "draw" to the piano. He has always LOVED the guitar. As a toddler, he would ask if he could have a "violent guitar". When he was around 4 or 5, we gave him a junior guitar for Christmas. I was amazed at how well he took care of it...I believe he still has that original guitar (minus a couple of strings). In 5th grade, the school offered free guitar lessons. We invested in an acoustic guitar AND a classic guitar. Wayne and Ryan went weekly and learned the guitar. It was quite the bonding experience. In the 4th & 5th grades, he was selected to participate in the Colorado Springs All Boys Choir. He also participated in the school's honor choir. Ryan has ALWAYS enjoyed singing. Once he entered middle school, the band took over. He began his "band career" by playing the French Horn (my personal favorite). Part way through his middle school career, he switched instruments...he then played the Tuba. He currently plays the Tuba in High School. Recently, he has returned to his guitar. He has continued to learn (on his own) how to read tablature (not sure of the spelling). He is able to play many songs. His favorite is to play songs from the band "America". Maybe one of these days, we will get him his "violent guitar" or electric guitar. I also love sitting by him at church and listening to his rich bass sound as he sings!

Christopher also started out with the piano. He was able to play, but like his brother, he wasn't drawn to it. He participated in the elementary school's honor choir also. Once in middle school, he took up the trombone. His talent was obvious. We had him take private lessons and Chris took off! He has been the first chair for most of his middle school career. He also tried out for the Jazz Band this year. He didn't expect to get in since the majority of participants are 8th graders and he was just a 7th grader. He made it into that band, but the teacher switched his instrument to the Bass Trombone. So, currently, Chris is playing 2 instruments...in band, the regular trombone and in Jazz band, the bass trombone. Chris is also quite the singer, however, with his voice changing, I don't get to hear it that often!

Tiffany started out with piano lessons like the rest. She has gone in and out of interest in the piano. It has been hard for her to stick with it. However, you can find her sitting at the piano playing and singing along. Like the majority of her siblings, she too has participated in the elementary school's honor choir. She has quite the mature voice for a child her age. I believe singing will be her strong point. The other day, we took her up to the middle school to figure out which instrument would suit her. She tried pretty much all of them. She could get sound out of all of the instruments, however, when she played the clarinet, it sounded like MUSIC! She is excited about starting this chapter of her music career.

Music brightens my day! It warms my heart that my children ALL have a love for it!