We just wrapped up basketball season, which means that spring will be here before we know it! Leah's team, The Fireballs, had a GREAT season, and this little girl perfected her lay up recently. Leah also participated in a skills clinic this winter led by our high school girls' basketball team, and really enjoyed this experience. Coach Mark did an amazing job with Leah's team this year, and these fierce girls were a lot of fun to watch:
Mark also coached Luke's basketball team, and Luke loved having his BFF, Aiden, on the team with him. The boys had a tough season record-wise, but got better and better, and finished with an great tournament weekend and several awesome wins:
Grandpa came to visit in January while Daddy was on a work trip to Cancun. We celebrated Leah's belated birthday with him and had a nice visit:
Meanwhile, this was Big Boss' view:
I mean, some work trips are just more grueling than others. Here's one of Mark's "meetings":
We loved seeing these pics of Daddy's boondoggle, and the kids (and Mommy) proclaimed that they'd be happy to tag along next time!
In February, Mark and Leah attended the Father-Daughter Dance at school, and this is one of their favorite nights all year. They went to dinner at Chick Fil A beforehand (Leah's choice!) and danced the night away, while Luke and I had a movie and pizza date at home:
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| Millie didn't understand why she couldn't go to the dance, too! |
Valentine's Day brought lots of goodies, red hearts, and a dressed up Doodle:
Mimi also visited in February, and watched all three kids while Mark and I went on an overnight getaway to a lovely resort in Raleigh. We attended a fancy afternoon tea, rented bikes, went to a brewery & pizzeria downtown in the evening, and spent the next morning at the spa. It was heavenly, and we were thankful for the opportunity to go while Mimi and the kids had fun at home:
Luke had an awesome winter filled with several special accomplishments. After placing first in both his class and grade level spelling bees, Luke came in third in the school-wide spelling bee and made it through 17 rounds of tough words! As a 6th grader, this is amazing, and this kid LOVES acadmic competitions. He also placed second in the school geography bee (after winning his class & team bees) , and studied his atlas "for fun" ahead of time to prepare. We are so proud of him! Luke LOVES watching Jeopardy and his goal is to compete in the Teen Tournament in a few years.
Luke was also nominated by his P.E. teacher to be the Spotlight Student of the month in February. The character trait for the month was courage, and I couldn't be prouder of our awesome kid. Luke was recognized at a special breakfast for students and parents, and we watched him receive his award. I was so anxious about the transition to middle school, and Luke has had an absolutely wonderful year. He continues to find joy in all new experiences and approaches them with optimism and exuberance. Luke makes good choices, stays true to his values, has a great group of peers, and is not swayed by others. I pray that this continues as he navigates middle and high school.
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| Northwest Middle School Viking Spotlight Students |
Luke's favorite part of 6th grade continues to be band. He and Aiden joined the Pep Band, which plays at all the middle school home basketball games. The boys look forward to each game, and this is has been a fun new activity this year:
We had an in-home trainer come for Millie in February, and it was life changing! Her observation that Millie has no concept of personal space was spot-on, and she gave us some strategies to help reestablish the order of our "pack". Since the trainer's visit, Millie doesn't jump on people, has stopped stealing our shoes and socks, and is much easier to take on walks. We still love her Doodle snuggles, but were so appreciative for some tips on how to communicate with our energetic puppy!
It's been a great winter, and we are looking forward to the beginning of soccer season and spring activities soon!
