March 2025

With March officially in the rear view mirror, it's so surreal to think we only have three full months left in Alaska. Time is flying! Highlights of March for us included: Hadley's Honor Band concert, Spring Break in Kauai & Oahu, Hadley's 12th birthday, the Alaska State Spelling Bee, lots of other musical performances & rehearsals for the girls, and more indoor soccer for Brady!

The first day of March was a Saturday, and Derek was still in San Diego wrapping up the tail end of his allergy conference....so Hadley was on pancake duty! And then it was off to our happy place--the library!

{March in Alaska does not usually look like this!}

{school band concert}

{cutie boys reading together while we waited for the concert to begin}

Hadley was so thrilled to be selected as the first chair clarinet player for our district's Honor Band. She also got to stand on her chair during the concert & perform a solo, which she was particularly excited for!

{Two days after we got home from Hawaii, we got snow! We were thrilled! Crazy to think that might have been our last real snow here. Our previous two Aprils in Alaska we were still digging out from snow, but now all of our sidewalks are bare & it's hit 50 degrees already!}

{handwork while I read aloud to them before bed}

{Shelby playing the piano accompaniment for the beginning orchestra concert}

Shelby participated in the Alaska State Spelling Bee for the second year in a row, and she came in fifth place out of the top 75 spellers state-wide. It was a bittersweet ending for sure. We are immensely proud of Shelby's preparation, poise, commitment, and drive. And what an absolute joy it is to watch your kids find their "thing" and get to cheer them on! This was Shelby's final year of eligibility for the Scripps Spelling Bee...it is the end of an era, and we truly enjoyed the ride with her! 

{Brady & I tracked each word that was spelled during the bee!}

We had to arrive around 9:30am to check in for the bee, and it began at 10:00. There was a 90 minute break around noon, so we had a quick lunch in the car and headed to the library...and threw the football around for a bit until it was time for Shelby to get back on stage!

And once the bee ended around 4pm, it was straight to the next event...a jazz band festival! Shelby was fortunate to have the opportunity to play on a grand piano for this performance, and it was outstanding!

{I love spending my days with this guy!}

{Advanced Orchestra Large Group Festival}

{my built-in running buddy!}

We are eager to see what April has in store for us!