End O' Year Festivities and Whatnot

 Imagine our great relief when the month of May did not race by at breakneck speed...May is always ridiculously over-scheduled with year-end festivities. Not that we were bored. Just not ridiculously over-scheduled with year-end festivities, just moderately over-scheduled with year-end festivities. Witness: Grace's third Kidstage production of the year, 'The Infamous Shoe Gang,' wherein she starred ast Rachel, a member of the aforementioned shoe gang who steals shoes from Imelda Marcos/Kardashian-caliber shoe hoarders in order to give the homeless the gift of footwear. A Robin Hood-type role, if you will. A feelgood take on theft.

 The spring piano recital. For which we always manage to be wildly unprepared until about a week prior, when we cram for it - perhaps not our best strategy. But then, our goal is not so much musical excellence, as, well, I'm not sure what to call our laissez-faire approach to practice, other than, perhaps, open-minded optimism that whatever we can devote to it will be all to the good. Shane, in particular, as a great musical ear, and tends to run on the perfectionistic side, which allows for a lot of alternation between blowing it off because it's too easy to shutting down because it's too hard. In process. And aren't we all.

 Eve rises to the occasion as only the oldest girl in the room can - she can sense, from a mile away, when littles will be looking to her to set the tone and the example for how 'the big kids' act, and she pulls it off without breaking a sweat, every time. She's a wonder, that darling girl of mine.

 Field Day. Grace's date was mercifully overcast, so much fun...this was our best shot of over-the-top exuberance, and kudos to me: hula-hoop shots are notoriously difficult. Mrs. Sweeney's 1st grade class boasts some serious personalities, but I'll tell ya what: they genuinely love each other: there's no drama when it comes time to choose a partner, they cheer for each other's teams in relays, they're just good, supportive little classmates. Hate to see that group break ranks for the next year. The boys' scheduled field day conflicted with...

 Eve's end-of-year-luau-themed bash, so I had to take a pass on following both of them around Bison Park's field, because, really, if you're having a co-ed party for 12- and 13-year-olds, you just can't leave them alone for 2 hours. I mean, you CAN, I suppose, but I can't. Just a bit cold and drizzly on that last day of 7th grade, which was unfortunate for many reasons, not least of which because the rest of the spring was abnormally warm, and who would even think that we couldn't use our slip'n slide and eat our weight in Otter Pops because of the temperatures?

 Just a guest sampling: I forget her name, Desi, and Phoebe. There were even cute boys.

 Parties have become somewhat cast aside this year, I have found. Which all works. The 1st graders gave us a lovely concert of patriotic music they've been rehearsing, followed by a breakfast. Here, Grace stands with Phoebe and Kaylin, two dear, sweet friends with whom she also spent the year in the Brownie troop. Happy memories with great girls. A mom can't ask for much more than that.

 Shane's parting shot for me to witness was his 'Business Builders' unit presentation. Mrs. Mann, who is, sadly, leaving Clear Sky this year, was such a tour de force teacher for this 3/4 combo split - I hate to call it 'advanced', but, for lack of a better term...I prefer to tell Shane it's for the kiddos whose brains work differently than can best be accommodated by a standard classroom. That seems to work. Anyhoo...their groups worked with a Castle Rock small business to create for them a product and business plan, and Shane's group was assigned to 'They Just Keep Growing', our favorite local consignment store. They always create a media presentation along with their projects throughout the year, and here, in the upper right, you can see S hane functioned as the supplier for this little operation.  

 The Annual Clap-Out to honor the students for sticking out another year - this was mere seconds before Grace completely lost her composure over leaving her peers and classroom...many, many teary-eyed kids and teachers filed out of those front doors that day, a testament, I think, to what goes on in an inspired classroom environment, despite the criticisms of education these days. What these people manage to do with limited resources and unlimited children to inspire and discipline and instruct has always been an awe-inspiring thing, bordering on sacred.

 And he's off to 4th grade, folks. It hardly seems possible. And Ty's about to be big man on campus: 6th grade. Oh, you wait your whole life for that, don't'cha?



Hippity Hoppity

 Sunday, April 7, attempting to pay attention to General Conference in our 'King Benjamin Tent.' We're pretty stickler-ish about GC participation on Sunday. But the Saturday session? Always interrupted by festivities...such as an Easter Egg Hunt.

 And then there were two...two age-appropriate Crawfords, allowed to participate in public egg hunts. Sigh.

 Always easier to shoot an egg hunt from the back. Don't know why.

 Gracie Lou and I, braving the crowds at Park Meadows' Easter Bunny display...I HATE that they've gone all corporate and won't let you take your own photos anymore. We paid for a 5x7, but then the digital images? You have to shell out to publish them! Seriously! Bitter!  But we did get this dandy balloon wrist corsage.

 Coloring eggs.

 More. Shane just puts a spin on every activity that's hard to resist.

 Thanks to a later church time, the kiddos could enjoy their Easter fixin'ins beforehand (which I'm sure the Primary teachers just LOVED and appreciated so much!).

 Peeps on a stick. That Bunny. Ingenious.

 The kids got their usual delivery from The Bun: candy, videos (Happy Feet Two, TinTin, etc.) and these beautiful Manning t's. Unhappily, even the King of Easter couldn't procure jerseys on such short notice. Hmmmmph.

They clean up nicely, don't they?

All Good Colts Grow Up to be Broncos

 Just to chronicle this for posterity...

I am the daughter of a Denver Broncos original season ticket holder. My entire life has been conducted, for the most part, in front of an orange and blue football backdrop, but there were definite moments in life when the Broncos weren't the backdrop, but the forefront. Many, many moments. My father was a Broncos lovah. And once I was of an appropriate age, I followed suit. I've rooted for clothing all my life, particularly orange and blue clothing, and whomever wears it. My exile in California was pure frustration, largely because that gentleman pictured below, my hero of all time, Mr. John Elway, finally got his Super Bowl ring, and capped off his career with yet another.  Imagine my chagrin upon moving back to Denver, only to have Jay Cutler at the helm. Then Kyle Orton, for criminy's sake. And then, like a ray of heavenly sunshine through the clouds, they played Tebow. As a lark. To shut up the fan base. Who then, in a wildly improbable manner, propelled our boys to many last-minute and inexplicable wins. Took us to the 2nd round of the playoffs, even.

 We were thrilled with our Timmy. What he lacked in ability he more than made up with leadership, humility, guts, determination and passion - and the whole over-the-top Christian thang, which bothered some, was just icing on the cake. In love with the boy. And then we saw this picture. Which changed everything. 'Cause Peyton Manning, possibly a Bronco? Tim WHO?

Pins and freaking needles for 10 days, people. ESPN on a nonstop loop (yeah, you know it is anyway around here, but, still). And then, lo and behold, all my wishes, all my dreams, all my quarterback coveting since the day this kid graduated from Tennessee, is ours. I try not to p ersonally appropriate him. I really do. But my fabulous Peyton, here, remaking Broncos football in his own likeness and image. No, really. 

But, Baby, It's Warm Outside

 Spring Break 2012. Lemme start out by saying that Spring came exceptionally early this season - we began emjoying our 70- and 80-degree days the second weekend of March, and with a few exceptions, maintained those temps. Crazy for the Rockies - Denver was blooming mid-March, but the most miraculous detail was that Castle Rock was as well, even at the higher elevation. Spring clothes kicked out, sunscreen demanded of merchants who had little in stock, pools closed when they could have been raking in customers.

 Week One found us with upper 80-degree temps, which posed its own unique problems...you couldn't find a parking space in the Mile High City within a mile of any museum or park. So, out of desperation, out of our neighborhood, and out of options, we saw 'The Lorax' in 3-D for a mere $50. A matinee. FIFTY DOLLARS. We also headed to Jump Street and the rec center leisure pool.

 And fought the crowds at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - seriously? A 40-minute wait just to get into the parking lot?

 Eve is quite the photographer.

 Capturing those moments.

 The Lorakeet room was hysterical with noise. The Crawfords were right at home.

 After week one of tropical paradise was complete, more standard spring weather descended, and by that I mean that instead of 88 degrees it was 66. And since Eve is on a traditional schedule for the middle school and not modified traditional like my elementary-age young'uns, we had a week of Chuck E. Cheese, playdates, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, et. al., which ended each day promptly at 2 p.m. in order to free me up to pick up big sissie. Here, Gracie sleeps on the way up to ski Loveland with daddy and the gang.

 Pre-ski. Or pre-slushing, if you prefer. The resorts were most unhappy with our warm-weather bliss down in the valley below.

 There are locations in the metro area, but I'll tell ya, BeauJo's in Idaho Springs, en route from just about any resort you care to name, is the ultimate capper. Not one shade less charming and unique for being located in an extremely tight main street with little to no parking.

 Travelling exhibit at DMNS...this is a natural, right? And, bummer. Many, many field trips held that first week back at school - it was the Crawfords and every public school class in Denver.

 Just a sampling.

 The photo doesn't quite capture it, but the lizard is just as alarmed with what's in front of the glass as Shane seems to be with what lies behind it.

 That's one heavy plastic python.

Cool 'n groovy amphibian and/or reptilian wrist-gear. And so it ends, our little spring break. 

Toys

 Grace has turned into quite the thespian. This last February she starred in her second KidStage play at Clear Sky, a 'Toy Story' knock-off titled simply 'Toys'. She was an adorable sheep, one of Bo Peep's flock. And yes, those are bunny ears, tucked under to resemble, I guess in some small way, the head of a lamb. My new mantra, applied with varying degrees of success, is 'keep it simple.'

 Grace and Sophia. Sophia's mother's mantra is not 'keep it simple.' I admire her energy.

 As much as Eve has always professed a desire to act, she simply cannot stomach being in front of an audience. It wounds her soul. But Gracie is firmly in her element: broad, sincere smiles and giggles, beautiful recitation of lines, pure joy in the  process. There are no small parts, people. Only small actors.

 Patiently waiting for her certificate.

 Taking her bows. Seriously. Look at that smile. You could bottle that and sell it, for millions. I envy children for their purity and joy.

Dealing with your public, and their incessant clamoring for a piece of you - even just your signature - is trying. Or so I've heard.

Partay like a Princess

 Gracie's a saint. That's all there is to it. I comfort myself that she's never known a different existence, one where a child's birthday is promptly celebrated after one's birthday, a world where one's siblings didn't have swim meets and basketball games and who knows what all else scheduled every weekend throughout December, January and February, making it necessary to hold one's birthday party in late February rather than late December.

 Still trying to figure out the configuration for the new Blogger. But a great time was had by all when Ariel showed up to lead Grace and a few other princesses through their paces, beginning with a story and then face painting. Ariel was a magically, scantily-clad little wonder, and had many magic tricks for the girls, such as pulling random items out of her fun bag, as well as a coloring book that miraculously colored its own pages when the girls said a few magic words and wiggled their fingers at it just so.

 I love a parade.

 I hate the new Blogger. I most explicitly pushed the 'delete' button. I did.

 Two Ariels. Lets hear it for Birthday Express for sending her. And lets hear it for Groupon, who let Birthday Express send her to us for half price.

Love the Ariel cake, and the precious girl blowing out those candles. That patient, lovely, good-natured girl. 

Bison Strong

 The Bisons reconvened under Coach Nadine Boyd, who's so fabulous it's not even funny. The 2011-2012 season was beyond amazing. And that Crawford kid they had playing guard sometimes, though he'd rather be forward? Dang cute. Super scrappy. A joy to watch.

 Ty's basketball pics came up so much better than Shane's, for unfathomable reasons. They played in the same gyms with the same lighting, I used the same camera. They both have the amazing Crawford good looks. So it goes. Here Ty goes up for the sure shot.

 Unstoppable on the fast break. Ty's a great shot, fast up and down the court, super alert as to what's going on around him, anticipating the shot, the pass, the out-of-bounds ball to save. Practice was only a hair less enjoyed than the games, he loved the entire process. And those coaches - heaven bless them. So knowledgeable and able and dedicated, love their time and sacrifice and example: the kind of coaches who didn't order one of their players to 'take out' an opponent, or ask a cop to come and sit in the stands because the opposing team's parents were 'threatening.' Youth sports are ruined by the adults every freaking time.

 These, my friends, are the 2nd place trophies for the 5th grade playoff tournament, which they just barely lost to the team from Larkspur (great. So two years ago the Larkspur team didn't win one single game. Look how far they've come! Yeah, super heart-warming. It still stings). But what a great time filled with great boys - every last one of them had heart and hustle and sportsmanship.

 A few frustrated tears later. It's all good, Tysie-mo-Mysie.

The Bisons who entered the 5th grade boys' Hoopla 3-on-3 Tournament - a raucous good time in between games. Zack, Ben, Hunter and Trevor (front row, far left and far right, back row, far right) formed one team; Ty, Bryson, to his immediate right, and Collin, 2nd to left, front row, formed the championship team - what's not to love there? I have a lovely shot of the championship trio, but it was sent from an iPhone and will not upload, for the love of Pete. What a stellar season.