Upward Basketball

Our team is improving.  So that's good.

JD is not the coach, but for the past few weeks he has been available on Monday nights to run practice. 

(Thank you, Lord! -The real coach says the same thing.  Ha!)

An (ahem.) assist:

I didn't get a picture of him, but Ty gets comments about "suiting up" every game.  And I believe that he would help the team...
 

 Little Man is the hit of half time:

 Halle's biggest problem is that she is too nice, and aggressiveness does not come naturally to her.  But she is getting better about it every week.  Last Friday she got TWO FOULS called on her.  That's huge.
 

I have to confess something here because I think most people who read this blog will understand both the gravity of what I did, and the necessity:
 

When the ref called her aside after the second foul to talk to her about not bumping the offensive player, I could tell Halle was feeling a little traumatized.  (She is the kid who follows EVERY RULE and thinks it's mean to steal the ball from another player.)  So I called her over during the game (a free throw) and told her she was doing a good job, and keep it up, and reminded her that in basketball you get to foul four times without leaving the game. JD was seconding what I said. 

I know, I KNOW.

We won't be those parents. 

I promise. 

 

Foul #1



 Foul #2: 

 

The only game of the season that JD was/is free to see-

 

 

She's improving.  She's loving it.  It's all good.

Be Mine, Valentine(s)!

We make Valentine's Day special at our house for the entire family.  We have always had our special breakfast with "love presents" and then we go around and around the table telling different things we love and admire about one another.  (Cheesy, but actually fun.)  JD and I will go on a date at some point after basketball season is over.*  That's just our life. 

 



Our beautiful mailbox station:

(It bugged me for a month that those were hung at different levels, but I resisted the urge to fix it.  The kids hung them themselves, and they are in the toy room...)

Our "Preschool Wall" became very lovey this month:

Cate is in to "projects"- I find a picture of something she wants to make and get her the materials, then let her figure it out.  This one is my favorite of the month:

 

Our annual breakfast table:

(Every bit of those decorations/paper products were gifted to us!) 

 Elsa dolls may have been my score of the year at Dirt Cheap: 

($1/each)

 Cate chose the menu this year- muffins, strawberries and smoothies:

 Isaac didn't care about presents, he wanted food:

Again.

 "Cool car.  Now give me the food.":

Halle saved wrapping paper from Christmas and wrote me book for Valentine's day: 

JD got a present too, but the pictures didn't turn out well.  Just believe me when I say that it was the funniest of the day.  :)

 

Halle's school Valentines:

She cut them apart, glued pretty paper to the back, punched a hole in the top and added ribbons.  She said everyone liked them.  (I kinda doubt it.  No candy.) 

 

Past Valentine's Days:

2010

2011

2012

2013

 

 

 

*Thank you, Susan and David!

This makes my kids laugh every. time.

Hugs and Kisses

 

 

**That KU sweatshirt has shown up in Valentine's pictures before!

a (REAL!) snow day

Usually "snow days" in Mississippi mean that either there *might* be snow flurries at some point in the day, or there were snow flurries at some point during the night before.  (ha!)

So today was a fun exception!

 

Isaac's first chance to play:

 After wandering around (falling down) in the snow for a bit, this is all he wanted to do:

 He could not deal with wearing mittens.  He finally just broke down and we had to go inside. 

JD thinks he hates anything that hinders his ability to 'OOT.  (Shoot baskets.)  He's probably right.

 

I didn't get any pictures of the kids "sledding,"  We used a swimming pool baby boat, and it actually worked really well!

 

 

So fun.

And cocoa worthy.

Cate's road trip-

Cate got to travel with JD and the team last week as they traveled to play at Spring Hill (AL) and William Carrey.

It was the longest any of us at home had ever been away from her!!

 We sent and received lots of phone pictures.

On the bus:

"Good Morning, Cate!":

 Shoot Around with Corbin and his (very strange) cat shirt: 

Pre-game:

 Hanging out with the girls' team:

 "Hey, Mommy- send this one to Cate!":

 Showing off the chocolate fountain to her jealous brothers and sister:

 On the bus again: 

 With Assistant Coaches Jermael and Beau:

(haha!)

 Me: "Smile for Cate!"

These are what she got:

 Before the final game:

 On the bus home:

Cate had SO much fun, and JD said she was good to have along as a de-stressor.  She is such an easy kid to take around too- a good listener, game for anything, loves to laugh, and just an all around good girl. 

 

They got home around midnight Saturday night, and I probably squeezed that girl for five full minutes!  The next morning, Isaac's reaction to seeing her was priceless.  He stared, bug-eyed, and started laughing and yelling "CATE! CATE! CATE!"   -I guess he really did miss her!  :)

Kit Kittredge: