Is it spring yet?

I have diagnosed myself with seasonal affect disorder.  I need sunshine.  I need the longer days.  I need baseball without snow on the ground and open windows in my house.  Is it spring yet?

I sat through the most miserable baseball game this week watching Cooper and then needed shorts and a t-shirt just three days later at Coors Field watching the Rockies home opener.  I'm now watching storm warnings come in for a huge spring storm.  Did I really just blog about the weather?

It is hard to believe that there is just a little over six weeks left in the school year.  They seem to go faster each year.  It has been a real challenge having three kids in three different schools that start at three different times.  It's going to stay this way until Cooper is a senior and Kaiya is a freshman.  It's a nonstop revolving door at our house starting at about 5:50 a.m. and ending at 4:00 p.m.  But, I'm not complaining.  I'm already finding myself wondering what on earth I will do when I'm not in mom mode.  It's all I know.

So, as for an update to round out the month of March, let's see .  . .

Kinley is all signed up for another season of volleyball and I'm sure it will conflict with Cooper's baseball schedule.  It will be a spring of divide and conquer.  She is happy and thriving in school and has more friends than she can juggle these days.  Enough said.

Kaiya is training like mad for her big Level 7 State Meet the first weekend in April.  She's sore every day and tired, yet thriving as well.  Getting all A's (opted her out of P.E. at school so she can do homework--yeah, that was one of my better moves as a parent), spends her free time hanging out with her sister or her gym friends and started wearing make-up.  Oy.  She was having a rough time sleeping at night and finally discovered that she just needs to sleep with Kinley every night.  Problem solved. We went to a DU gymnastics meet with some friends recently and the girls got to see Jordyn Wieber up close and personal.  

Cooper is in full swing with baseball now.  He made the C team (several kids were cut) and was named their starting catcher.  They've had several games canceled due to bad weather, but when he has played, he looks great.  He's become a really good defensive catcher and is enjoying sporting a Frederick High School jersey and riding the bus to and from games.  He has games close to and in Greeley, so he's had quite a fan following already.  He's getting all A's and B's and surviving getting up at 5:15 am and getting home at 6 pm like a champ.  He's tolerating his new blood pressure meds and we are hopeful for better news on Apr. 8th at his next trip to see Dr. Schaffer.  He has squeezed in a few skiing trips with his buddies this year, which he loved.

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday.  After church, we spent the day with my family in Greeley and enjoyed hanging out with Sydney, who might be the smartest 15 month old ever.  No bias.  She can count to 10 and sang all of Happy Birthday to me.  Best gift ever.

Here are some photos highlighting our March.  Enjoy!

Ready for the slopes?

Looking on at Jordyn Wieber

Hanging out with her gym buddies

First game as a FHS Warrior!

Inaugural game at the new high school

Happy Easter!

They clean up pretty well

My Easter present

Cousin Coop teaching her a new game

Sydney now says, "Book.  Read it.  Lap." 

Winding down

With two more meets in the books for Kaiya, all that remains is her state meet on April 6th.  She has essentially been competing for 6 months straight without a break.  I think her body will be ready.  Poor kid comes home with more aches and pains that you'd see in a retirement home.

She had a meet we will call the Blizzard Bash on Feb. 24th at the University of Denver and then we just returned from the Minnesota Northern Lights Classic.  The one at DU was actually called Winterfest; however, we drove in a very scary blizzard to get there, so I think we will always remember the weather more than the meet.  It was a big day for Kaiya because she debuted a new bar routine (normally reserved only for level 8's) and did so well.  She also scored in the 9's on floor and still had trouble on beam.  But, she placed 5th overall on bars and was pretty psyched to hit this new bar routine.   We somehow limped home on the crappy roads and when I went to work that night, it was a quiet night!

Two weeks later, we headed to Minneapolis for her last regular season meet.  It was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and was such a great venue.  Minus the part that I got lost twice driving to the hotel (once from the airport and once from the Mall of America), it was a very relaxing weekend for me.  I have a serious case of bleacher butt, though. :/

Two things were great about this trip--1) Kaiya had the meet of her life, hitting all 4 events and coming in 6th all-around, 7th on vault, 10th on floor and 3rd on bars and 2) Seeing her be a total goofball with her teammates, whom she loves.

4th place team 

Loved seeing her name all the way towards the top!

Love this photo from the DU Winterfest meet

These girls are GOOFY . . . .

 . . . but a great group of girls!

Chowing down some Rice Krispie treats that were the size of bricks!

Mall of America

Indoor roller coaster at the mall

What a great meet!

She had a lot of medals around her neck, but I think she was most pleased with sticking her beam routine and really nailing her new bar routine for a 9.25 score.  She has worked SO hard and to see the look on her face from the awards podium was fantastic.

We did venture over to the Mall of America for a while and it was a total zoo!  I must be getting old because after one roller coaster ride and dinner, I was done!  It is a very impressive place, but I'll be OK if I don't go back.