Are you sure that was a rocket?

Last Sunday I went for a hike and enjoyed the beautiful (and very warm!) weather!  The view was so peaceful from the top.  

On Monday we went to Mason's volleyball game and there was a bit of a twist, the bleachers in the gym where they normally play had been fully pulled out and they were unable to retract them a bit in order to clear the volleyball court.  So the game move to the annex which is a rather tight space but it worked and the game was still able to happen!  And since we were basically right on the edge of the court I was able to get some fun photos of Mason serving!

And they got the win!  They also won on Tuesday and Thursday.  It is now spring break which comes at a good time for Mason to get some rest!  On Wednesday I took the boys to Tiger Fest at the high school to learn about the athletic teams and clubs that will be available to them next year!  Ready or not the transition is here!  Poor Anna has been struggling through a cold this week after a busy Friday and Saturday last week.  She was thankful for the chance to sleep in this morning and get her body extra rest!

On Monday night I was out for a walk and looked up in the sky and saw a rocket launch.  Due to the timing of the launch and the sunset and well, just the perfect combination of events, the launch looked rather odd, so odd I called Matt and had him go outside to see if he could see it.  Very unusual indeed!

Last night we got a bit of rain and there have been a few showers today.  The temperature has cooled off and more rain is coming this week and into next weekend.  Nothing major but nice to have a bit of rain mixed in between the warm days.  
 

Band event

Today the kids had a band event at the university that involved each band playing three songs and receiving three scores from judges.  Matt was able to adjust his work schedule since he is on campus and attend the event!  The boys band went first for the day.  They did really well and got unanimous 2's (Excellent!)!  Well done!

 

Later in the morning the symphonic band from the high school played.  They needed more clarinets so Anna and some of the other wind ensemble members joined the band and played their three songs.  

And in the afternoon Anna played the three songs with the wind ensemble that she has been working with since late 2023.  And this is the group that she will be playing with in Fresno tomorrow for similar type of event.  

Exciting to hear them play the music we have been hearing them talk about!

New driver in the house!

 Anna got her drivers license today!  Wa hoo!!  

And after we went to visit a friends new puppy!  He was very sweet and being such a good boy!

Very exciting day!!

Off to a busy start!

The volleyball season is off to a busy start for Mason!  After tryouts last week (Monday and Tuesday) and practice on Thursday and Friday, they had their first game on Monday!  It was a challenge but they were able to get into a little bit of a groove and pull off a win!  That was followed by a practice on Tuesday, a day off on Wednesday, then a very long tournament day on Thursday!  They started playing at 3:15 p.m. and finished 8:45 p.m.!  They were able to pull off a first place finish which was very exciting (and nerve wracking!) to watch!

Our nephew Eli is playing volleyball again this year also at his middle school so they got to play against each other and Matt's parents see them play.  

Here are the scores from their games:

Beat Mesa 15-8

Beat Los Osos 15-7

Beat Atascadero 15-11

Beat Paulding 15-8

Lost Templeton 10-15

Beat Mission 15-7

Beat Judkins 15-11

Beat Flamson 15-12

Lost St. Pats 15-9

Semi-Final

Beat Atascadero 25-14

Final

Beat Judkins 25-19

This is from when Eli's team was playing Mason's team (Eli served!)

These two videos are from the final game when Mason was serving.  

And here is the winning team!

And today Anna got in a good ride because the rain this week was early enough that it dried enough.  As we were waiting for them to finish dragging the arena we saw this squirrel enjoying the sunshine!  

After her lesson we went and visited the new baby horses!  These two were more friendly that some of the others.  

Thankful for a more restful weekend this weekend!  

Volleyball tryouts and more rain

This week Mason had tryouts for the school volleyball team and good news, he made the team!  We are excited to see how his skills have improved over the last year!  And today he had a gathering with his travel volleyball team and we realized it will be weird that he will be playing against some of them now!  

Anna wrapped up the end of the second trimester at school!  Feels weird to know that two-thirds of the school year has already gone by!  Today she is going to a musical at the university with Matt for a book series she really enjoyed.

Olivier has been keeping busy and had a fun event he went to last night with a friend.  They had a good time!

And this week we got more rain!  It has been nice to get a bit of rain and then some sun because the hills are all so lush and green!  Feels like spring is close, and it is!

Happy Birthday Matt!

Wishing you all the best for the year ahead!   We love you!

Fun at the bike park!

Today Matt was able to take Olivier to a local bike park so he could test out his skill.  It was a beautiful afternoon and the location near the beach is impossible to beat!