January Extras

 We kicked off the new year with getting back into the swing of things with church. Logan wanted to look his best this particular Sunday and threw on the ole bow tie.

Stoli missed Gus while he was away at training school just as much as we did. She quickly realized the number of treats she would get each day dropped when he wasn't around! 

He was having trouble sleeping one night and asked if he could borrow it...

Exceptional movie. So good.

In his blood.

Logan 0

Snowblower 1

After Gus returned from his 2 weeks at training school it was up to us to continue the training. Logan has loved every bit of it.

Roo-Up

He dressed himself this day. Well, most days he does but this day he wanted to look extra nice--no particular reason--so back out the bow tie came. & he let me actually fix his hair.

Brodi loved looking out these windows and Stoli LOVES find the sun each morning. Gus loves both.

A holiday weekend at HOME

Martin Luther Kind Day was coming up and not only were the boys out of school on that Monday, they were also out the following day too. I had Monday covered since I don't work on government holidays but not Tuesday but I took a vacation day and decided the boys and I would head south to invade Grandma Sara and Papa Tom's house. They didn't get near enough of us over the holiday...

The both won their basketball games for the day and we took off. Enjoy your free time Daddy.

We got down to my mom and dads just in time for dinner -- somehow I manage my time so that our arrival and departures are always timed around food. I mean--it's home cooking, my mom's home cooking at that.

We had ZERO plans for the few days we would be at my mom and dad's. We had to get in to see Papa Richard, we would go to church on Sunday with my parents and if all worked out, we would look at catching a movie. This weekend was about rest and relaxation.

We did another puzzle--actually two.

 The boys taught Grandma Sara how to ride on their hover board.

It snowed so of course they wanted to play in it but that meant Papa Tom and I had to run to Walmart to stock up on snow shoes & some warmer pants for the boys & Madison. We happily obliged and off they went with the dogs, Papa even gave them a ride through the snow in the golf cart --- I stayed in and watched from the window while I sipped on some hot tea--well, after I snapped these.

Miss Madison stayed over and the baked a giant cinnamon roll. We also learned that Logan has a little trouble saying cinnamon. I think it's pretty cute. He doesn't seem to agree.

It was opening weekend at the box offices for Paddington 2 so after a snowy start to the day we loaded up in Grandma Sara's car and we all headed to the movies. Paddington 2 was just as cute as the Paddington was but Madison had nothing to compare it to since she hadn't seen the first one yet. Well that was about to change because when we settled in for another movie and popcorn in front of the fire Paddington was on. Grandma Sara was glued to the screen just like her three littles. 

Before we knew it, Tuesday morning had arrived and it was time to say our goodbyes and head back to KC to bring Gus home. He had been away at doggy school for two weeks and we were all so very excited for him to come home. Logan wanted one last picture with Samson--he's part horse!

And Kaden wanted one last hug from Grandma Sara -- we are so lucky that she's ours.

Stealers and Owls

Round Two - Here we go.

So it happened again. Mom is the coach for Kaden's team for the second year in a row. I wasn't planning on coaching this year but it kind of was the only way to keep a majority of these boys together. This year we had 4 boys returning from our team last year and joining us were 4 boys from our baseball team and two more boys from another school that a few of our kids go to. Everyone knew someone & no one would be the odd man out -- never fun. 

2nd grade basketball is a lot different than first grade ball -- you can steal. And that is what EVERY kid wants to talk about in practice and in game, CAN WE STEAL THE BALL NOW. So we named our team The Stealers. Even though, we don't spend a lot of time focusing on stealing, we are still focused on fundamentals and if stealing is all that happens, no one is learning anything. We have a pretty solid team -- and so far we are able to compete most teams we have played for at least a period of time. Our shots haven't fallen like we would like them too, our defense isn't as tight as we would like it to be all the time but we are getting better and better with each and every game. 

I honestly kind of enjoy coaching these boys -- they're such great kids with supportive parents too.

And then there are the OWLS. Logan was really hoping that I would be able to coach him too but one of his friends' mom was already signed up and we felt it was more important for him to play with his friends than for me to be his coach. We agreed to a few extra at home coaching sessions with me though. This would be our first experience with Upward but since most of the boys had already signed up with Upward, we jumped on the train. So far so good. He is having a blast and the kid does not stop smiling and in return, neither can we. 

Fourteen.

You know how everyone has a "number", well that number for me is 14. 

One. Four. Fourteen.

I'm not really sure when it all started but from my freshman year on through my senior year in high school, fourteen was my number. At least it was for basketball and softball & it's what made it on my letterman's jacket too. To this day I still use it & it never fails that when I see the number, my high school athletics career comes flooding back. I know, kind of dorky--like move on already, everyone played in high school and you'd be mostly right. However, mine was different. 

Sports played such a big role in who I am today. It taught me how to be a team player and learn to count on others. It taught me how to lead and not just by my words but through my actions as well. I learned to accept that there will always be someone better than me but that didn't mean I could slack & just not give my all. It actually meant I would have to work for it that much harder, if I wanted it. It taught me toughness and I learned to compete. I'm still competitive. Like, annoyingly competitive but I can't help it--it's just in my blood. If you ask me about high school, a sports story is what you will get. I couldn't tell you what book we did our 10 grade English project over -- I don't even know if that was a thing. I couldn't tell you what my senior classes consisted of except for late arrival and study hall. I finished in the top 10% of my class, #4 out of 52 (yes, I graduated with only 52--it was a SMALL school but I LOVED IT) so it wasn't like I slacked when it came to my education, it's just my heart always belonged to the court. 

Papa Tom, my dad, coached me when I was little. We started playing basketball around the third grade and for 4 years he coached not only our school team but also our traveling team -- yup, I was that girl. But I loved it. For the most part. As I got older and entered junior high he retreated to the stands and became my number one fan, right alongside my mom. Even though there was a new coach in charge that didn't stop him from giving his advice & pointers -- most of which I didn't really want to hear but only because I knew he was right. 

My sports career didn't go beyond high school. If I'm honest with myself, that was a mistake but at the time, I was tired. I was following a boy to school and a lot of freedom was awaiting me. I absolutely could have played but probably not where I was looking to go -- or at least for a full scholarship so I said goodbye. Goodbye to my sports career or at least I thought I did. 

Then I had kids. Boys. Two of them. Both with the gift of athleticism. And here they are 8 1/2 and 6 1/2 and already in their second year of basketball (dude, it starts way tooooo early now for kids but that's a whole other post) and our youngest walked through the door the other night with his first "uniform" proudly sporting 14. 

We had just talked earlier in that evening about how their momma wore #14 when she played and wouldn't it be cool if one of them got to be number 14 too. It was by complete chance that he got my number. Or was it? Maybe it was always meant to be. Maybe the love for the game that I have always had wasn't ever about me. Maybe it was preparing me for my greatest role of all, their number one fan.