Hoopsfest!

In the schedule we saw that on Saturday it was supposed to be Hoopsfest, but we didn't know what that meant. We were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a big production! On hand for the game was the biggest group of fans any kid could ask for: Uncle Jay and Christina drove down from Columbus; Uncle Paul came in from Cleveland; Aunt Jill and Uncle Nick came from Dayton; as well as Grandma and Grandpa R, Aunt Erin, Uncle Joe and Gracie, and Grandpa M.

Usually they have two games going at once, on shorter courts. This game the kids played full court, which is a big difference for those little legs! But I'm getting ahead of myself--before the game even began the lights went off, a smoke machine started up and a spotlight shinned on a banner made by the moms of each team. As the team was announced they broke through their banner and ran to the center of the court to be announced. For whatever reason our gold team wasn't able to break through their banner. Here is a short video of it:




Louie didn't score any points that day, but he had rebounds in the double digits! Each time the announcer called out his name! It was such a fun way to end the season.

Stay tuned: baseball starts at the end of April!

A Little Bit of Sunshine

Ahhh...just what we need amidst all the snow and chill of February.

On Friday we met up with Amanda, Owen and Eli at Krohn's to pretend that it was warmer than it actual was. Of course the day we pick to go it's a fairly mild day (38 degrees) that we could have spent outside, as long as it was on concrete. Otherwise it would have been pretty muddy. Regardless, I'm glad we made the decision to go to the conservatory.

Right away it was time to eat! I can only imagine what it's going to be when these guys are going through puberty!

After inhaling their pb&js they headed over to this sand vessel and played while Amanda and chatted. So very nice.

I know that it's always hot inside the conservatory, but today was extraordinarily warm! How awful that I get to be around all these gorgeous flowers and in the sun and warmth (sorry, I thought this shot was nicer and it seems really blurry!) and I complain about it!

The boys shared their special treat of gummy frogs with Owen and Eli. Not sure how good they were. They might have been lime flavored, which I'm not a big fan of.

Owen is destined to be a tour guide. Maybe that is the way he can support himself through college to earn his degree in some sort of science. This kid knows what he's talking about!

Seeing all the plants got me excited for spring. I am starting to plan for the garden.

And I dreamed of a day that I could actually grow a beautiful plant...

This patient lady waited for the boys to get in position to take the cave picture. I don't think she expected to be in it!

Did you think I was kidding about how hot it was? We had to go outside to take a breather and let the boys run around without their coats on!

They had such a good time playing tag and chase and I'm sure everyone thought we were terrible moms to let them outside without hats and coats.

It was a gorgeous day spent with great friends!

Bringing About World Peace

Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

A Couple of Updates

1. Here is the link for the bumblebee pencil topper. It's cute to make even if it's not Valentine's Day. Charlie and Benny ended up making their own, but used two pencils so that it could be a finger puppet! (They came up with that all on their own :)
2. Here are some more pictures of the icicles outside. I wish that I had some way to show you how big they really are, especially in diameter. Maybe I could just tell you that the big icicle there is as long as three Merediths and about as wide as one...ok, that's an exaggeration, but when I went to knock them off this morning I was concerned for my well-being. Those suckers are huge! They are thick and heavy and I was glad that I didn't go bonkers in knocking them off, hitting the house with them because I could have broken some windows!

All About the Girls

Last night we celebrated Fat Tuesday like we always do with a family pot luck. We had jambalaya and a king cake (Grandma got the baby!) and an assortment of other treats and appetizers.

We played Balderdash while the boys made Mardi Gras masks and took turns hiding the coins around the house. You would have thought I's get some good pictures of the night, but no, just of the girls.

Here are a few:

Nighty-night!

Checking out each others jewels

Sweet cousins

Really Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

I just finished a book called Identical Strangers, which is a true story about two women who were adopted as babies find out at 35 that they have an identical twin. What is most fascinating about the book was the idea of nature versus nurture. The book was written by the twins themselves and not only did they include their own story, but those of other twins they met and those they researched.

More often than not, from what they found much of your personality is determined in your genes. I had a hard time digesting that one. It is understandable that your DNA plays a role in making you who you are, but don't you want to believe that the experiences that have shaped your life have also been a part of you, you? I do.

But then I look at Kevin and see how amazing of a person he is and if the boys and Meredith are blessed with any of his aspects, then they are lucky kids. For instance, last weekend we were home and did a good, thorough cleaning of the house. I was upstairs with the boys in their room and Kevin was straightening up in our room. All of a sudden I heard some construction-type noises in downstairs and I figured he finished and was working on the basement.

Later, I go down and see that he has constructed this awesome shoe-shelves-doo-hickey that is perfect for our closet! This is something I've struggled with for so long--the frustration of never being able to find anything on the floor of our closet. He goes and whips it out in about 15 minutes. He is amazing!

I'm so glad that in their little bodies they have the ability to do great things like their daddy! How interesting it will be to watch these kids grow and develop into themselves, regardless of who shares some of their genes.

Lil' Auburn Baby

Are you starting to see it??

There is a bit o' red peach fuzz on my baby's scalp!

I know it'll come in one day, and that day it will be beautiful!