Let the Games Begin

After a month of practice only, it was time for the basketball games to begin! There would be eight games on every Saturday morning in January and February. Collins was VERY nervous. Especially when the team ran out to the court under a giant inflatable tunnel while "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" blared on the loud speaker! My friend Alex commented, "Collins looked terrified". She was right, but luckily we survived that first game and new experience. 

There are four girls teams that play each week, and they start the morning with a prayer which is neat.

 

 Then, action! Collins didn't really didn't know what she was doing...but that's okay. She's never played before, and she went out there and tried.

They don't keep score in this league which is a bit of a bummer, but I think they are focusing on teaching the girls other skills like determination, focus, and integrity. But I did see some of the girls on the bench adding up the score to themselves. :)

First game in the books! It was neat our first opponent was the Lady Bruins which has Collins's friends Mary Louise and Bennett on it. It was nice to play with friends the first time out. Now, hopefully, the nerves will be gone and we can focus more on learning the game of basketball!

SNOW!

When I was just thinking that Collins got jipped on her winter break (she only got a week out of school), it unexpectedly snowed and solved that problem! Raleigh only got a tiny bit of the white stuff, but it was enough to keep them out of school for a couple of extra days. Play in the snow and get more time off from school? Perfect!

I remember from being a kid...waking up to snow is super exciting. 

Addie felt that!

 They couldn't get outside fast enough...

although this snow angel was a bit of a stretch. Not that much snow!

They didn't care...

 Turns out our driveway might be the best sledding spot in Blenheim...

Off to Gigi and Pop Pop's!

We made it around the whole neighborhood although I got a few complaints about being cold and not wanting to carry the sled...

and it wasn't until we almost made it back to our house that Luke actually understood why snow was fun. That sled ride with his sisters convinced him!

 Thank goodness for snow days- they are the best.

Luke's First Haircut

Okay, the boy was overdue. But I couldn't bear to cut his hair and have him lose that baby look so soon. He was barely one! 

 But once he could not see because hair was in his eyes, I knew it was time. So Addie and I took him to get it chopped...

 He did not like it as predicted.

He did look like a big boy once it was cut, but he was so cute I was okay with it!

New Year's Eve

It's the last day of 2017 and what activities do you need to fit in before the year is over?

Ice skating...

and Twister, of course. 

We actually had party plans this year and went over to the Browns' house where Collins ran wild with Celia-Gray, Addie hovered close by, and Luke met a new friend...

 and almost walked!

But the coolest moment of the day was after we got home. Collins heard fireworks and looked out the window and could see them exploding over the tops of the trees. Where were these big fireworks coming from? She and I decided to go find them! We hopped in the car (her in jammies and no seat belt which made it even more exciting) and tracked them down at Elizabeth Smith's house down the road. :)

Collins had never seen fireworks before (she's always in bed when they go off), and was AMAZED. She said it was the coolest thing she had ever seen, and watching her wonderment made my day.

Goodbye 2017, hello 2018!

Meeting the Babies

Rachel had twins! It's still hard for me to believe. My dear friend, and wonderful mommy to Hank, had identical twin GIRLS! We had to go meet these precious little things so Mandy, Sarah, and I made a road trip (unfortunately Andrea got sick)...

Meet Margaret Ruth (Maggie)...

and Clara Jane (I think I got it right but could totally have them reversed)...aren't they precioust?

It's not been that long since Luke was this tiny, but you forget pretty quickly how different a newborn feels and smells. :)

 

Just as good as meeting Maggie and Clara was catching up with their Mama and spending time with these ladies for the afternoon. And did I mention there were doughnuts? We don't get to get together as much anymore because we are in different cities busy with our families. So this get together was needed for all of us. But most important was celebrating Rach's sweet baby girls- what a blessing they are!

Winter Break

 After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it was time to do NOTHING. I mean don't really get out of your pajamas, don't leave the house, and let the house go to pot kind of nothing. We were just tired and needed a break!

We did manage to make a couple of laps around the neighborhood that week (it was so cold!)...

but we mostly played...

and enjoyed (most of the time) lots of togetherness. Exactly what we needed for our winter break!

The Grand Finale

It was time for our Christmas grand finale with Dad, Heather, and Alli, and guess who brought the mother load from Hickory?!? Question- how was there room in the car for THEM with all these presents?

The day started off with a birthday celebration first...Addie could not wait to Build-a-Bear with her grandparents.

She made Clara the Kitty who sang the "Trolls" song about a million times that day.... :)

Later that night, we worked on a tasty dinner and started opening gifts because we knew it was going to take awhile! The girls were thrilled to get a Barbie RV...

a moving pony...

a Lego set...

and Luke really just wanted to mess with the goat cheese. 

We let the girls stay up late and play Barbies while we ate cioppino (our new Christmas tradition)...

and cheesecake! It was a wonderful end to a big Christmas for us. My favorite part of the holiday this year was definitely our family celebrations. It's what it's all about!