We took the kids skiing for the first time over MLK weekend, and it was such a fun adventure! We were apprehensive about this ski trip to Appalachian Ski Mountain, as the forecast looked frigid. Sure enough, it was 3 degrees (with a wind chill of minus 16) when we arrived at the slopes, but with the addition of some last minute extra gear (hand warmers, face masks, etc), we were fine! L&L were in Ski School all day, and the instructor refrained from rolling his eyes when I asked, "Is it ever too cold for the kids?". He reminded me that we had indeed chosen to participate in a winter sport, and assured me that the children would be fine. Ski School ended up being a fantastic program, and gave the kids a great foundation of knowledge and ski skills. Here's Peanut, all bundled up and ready for her day:
Big Boss and his snowboard:
Mama and her little skiers:
 |
| Notice that I have absolutely no skin exposed to the cold... (and thank you, Daddy, for my pink face mask!) |
By the end of the day, L&L were going down the beginners' hill with confidence, and we can't wait to take them back again soon!
In other sports news, we just concluded basketball season, and Mark coached both kids this year. Luke and Aiden once again had the same uniform number, and we were positively giddy (moms may have squealed) when we discovered this coincidence!
 |
| If you can't be on your best friend's team, it's fun to have the same jersey number! |
We love basketball, and our winter Saturdays are spent on the court cheering on our two favorite players. Leah's finger came out of the splint in mid-January, so she was back to playing for the rest of the season. This was her first season on an all-girls team, and the Polar Bears were fierce! Her shirt sums it all up:
 |
| Great season, Polar Bears! |
 |
| #8 for our eight year-old! |
 |
| Coach Daddy with his basketball girl! |
Bean and Poppy came for a visit last weekend and we kept them busy with 3 basketball games for the kids. Luke is also preparing to receive his First Communion this spring, so Poppy planned a special lesson on the Last Supper, which included a Seder meal. I love how intently L&L are listening to their grandfather in this picture, and am thankful for these special moments and experiences:
I wrote a blog post about Luke's Spelling Bee experience last year, but it somehow got lost in the pre-published blogging world and I never posted it. It's worth an explanation, though, so here goes:
Last fall (2017 = 4th grade), Luke decided that he wanted to be in the School Spelling Bee. 3rd-5th graders are eligible to compete in the annual school-wide Bee, but only one student is sent to represent each class (and the first step is to win the classroom Bee). In 3rd grade, Luke was the runner-up for his classroom Bee, which meant that he was able to attend the school Bee, but that he didn't compete. However, being a spectator made a definite impression on him, and he told me, "Mommy, there are snacks. You get to have cookies and Hawaiian Punch at the Spelling Bee!"
The official classroom practice lists came home in October. There were several hundred words, and Luke practiced them faithfully, every single day. Pronounce, spell, repeat... over and over again. When I told Luke how proud I was of him for working so hard, he repeated, "I really want that Hawaiian Punch!". I realized that this was indeed, his sole motivator, and found it quite amusing. On the day of the classroom bee, Luke was as prepared as he could have been, but I was still a little nervous for him. I didn't hear any news all day, and Luke came off the bus that afternoon shouting, "I did it! I won!". Phew! He was one step closer to that Hawaiian Punch.
Another word list came home. It was a couple of pages long, and there were words that I couldn't even begin to pronounce... Words that I had to look up and explain to my innocent 9 year-old, like "connubial" (We glossed over that definition)... Words that included apostrophes and backward apostrophes, like pièce de résistance, and all kinds of words with french roots, silent letters, etc. I'm still not quite sure how to say "coquelicot"...
 |
| One of our practice word lists. |
 |
| 4th grade school-wide spelling bee. |
 |
| Mom Confession: It's nerve wracking to sit in the audience and watch these kids compete. |
Luke did an AMAZING job at the bee last year, and finished as the runner up (in the top 3) at the school level. The PTO president was so tickled when I told her the Hawaiian punch story that she sent him home with this giant jug of it as his special reward:
 |
| 4th grade Spelling Bee "Trophy" |
Once again, this year Luke won his classroom Spelling Bee, and competed in the School Wide Bee last month. This time was a bit easier for us, as we knew what to expect and there were fewer unknowns/jitters. Luke diligently memorized and practiced the new list of Scripps National Spelling Bee words every day for several months, and often talked about how excited he was that there would Hawaiian Punch again:
 |
| 2018-2019 Oak Ridge School-Wide Bee Finalists |
When the new PTO president found out that Luke would be competing as a 5th grader in the School Wide Bee, she sent me an e-mail asking what flavor Luke would prefer to have (this is reason #827 why I love our tight-knit, special community). Apparently, Luke's a legend, and next year when he is off at middle school, Oak Ridge Elementary has joked that they will still have Hawaiian punch at the School Bee in his honor:
 |
| 5th grade Spelling Bee cutie, with his hard-earned prize! |
We're so proud of you, buddy, for the time and dedication that you devoted to learning all those Spelling Bee words. You learned that if you put your mind to something, that the rewards can be sweet (and tropical flavored)!
Another fun winter adventure was traveling to Charlotte to see The Lightning Thief. Luke still adores the Percy Jackson book series, and this musical based on Rick Riordan's best selling title was perfect for our little man! We had a wonderful time, and are loving this new era of musical theater for our family:
Maya and Uncle Matt were in town recently for her travel volleyball tournament. We loved watching her play, and L&L were in awe of their superstar cousin. After the game, Leah went out on the court with Maya, and these two could not have been cuter hitting the ball around:
Each year, the kids go on a field trip to the Greensboro Science Center... in every single grade. This was my 10th time chaperoning one of my children on a GSC field trip, and I was a little weary about the idea of the same old thing again. However, I had THE sweetest group of girls last week, and this may have been one of the easiest and most fun times ever at the science center. Just goes to show that there can always be a great new adventure in even the most familiar activities:
It's been a great January/February full of winter adventures, and only a few weeks until the start of spring!