Jan & Feb At a Glance

So here we are, making the most of a snowy winter. It seems fitting. When we travel we explore and enjoy all that the country has to offer. I figure we can try to do the same here.

Here are some letters of the alphabet that I purchased when I was expecting Sadie. I have been storing them for-ever. Well, I finally defined each child's space in the house. Now they know they belong. (Chase has one too. It just didn't fit in my collage).

 

 We also initiated Date Nights. February was Colby's night to have the only-child feel out on the town with his Dad and Mom. He ordered a burger with Colby Cheese (because he's cool like that).

 And then, sometimes we would just kick back at home while Ryan (and Chase) work from home.

 Grandma received tickets to Oprah for Christmas. She shared the second ticket with me. It was a really nice evening. Oprah spoke about 1) Fulfilling your calling in life 2) Following the spirit within you and 3) Living your life giving service. She's on the right track!

 We attended swimming lessons.

They tunneled holes through mountains of snow. And in doing so they channeled the snow onto neighbors driveways. *whoops. Sorry.

 We commuted through the winter graveyard. On this particular day there were spin-outs all through the ditches.

 And then, on those nights out with their Dad, they got refreshing treats.

 On a good weather day (and there were alot of them), Sadie and I made a wonderfully peaceful/beautiful road trip to Montana.

 It was also Quinten's week to host the class Mascot (Andy). They charted their time spent together and of course they attended a basketball game together.

 

 Sadie and I baked with chocolate. It's a girl thing.

 We registered Sadie for Kindergarten....(and I nearly fainted with the shock of it all).

Sadie and I also spent a day in Preschool together. She brought her Water Baby to class and demonstrated. The class really seemed to love it.

 "The Suits" My term for a whole lotta boys.

 

 

One suit doesn't want to stand around for too long.

 Sadie and "The Suits"

We had a week off school in February. We organized some really fun days. One of the highlights was definitely our swim day. Everyone loved it! We'll be doing this one again.

 

Here are some of those kick-back moments that are special in their own way too.

And that's not it! some of the most amazing highlights of our winter will come as a write up dedicated specifically to them. Our Family Ski Day. Our Winter Ice Management. And of course, Life according to a 1.5 year old. There is never a dull moment when he's awake and roaming. 

'Tis The Season!

It's that time of year again! To escape to Costa Rica.

This time we switched it up and coordinated our parents to vacation together. Yes, that's right, we took one for the team and volunteered to stay back to provide a truly enriched vacation...without us.

We were sort of envious the whole time. 

 

Really and truly though, after having traveled to Costa Rica 6 times in the last 7 years we thought it was best to explore and enjoy the country that surrounds us. Some of my greatest childhood memories come from winter sports. So that's our goal this season. We've been spoiled because I love the tropics. It's time to expand our horizons and it doesn't hurt to save the money either.

It sounds like they had a fantastic time - without us. Oh well.

Dance Your Heart Out!

 Sadie completed her Dance Explosion Class. Here she is, ready for her first day!

 And Her Last Day - Performance Day!

 It takes a fair bit of concentration.

 And energy

 She loved every minute of it. We're very proud of our girl. She's fearless. We love her enthusiasm.

We also have a couple Hip Hop Twins. It was a great classs. Even though they both said they didn't like it, they seemed to smile alot. They also worked really hard to get the steps perfect. I love that determination. I had a parent come up to me after the performance and say, "Your boys are really great!" My silent response is, If they had ensured the enrolment age was maintained at the 7 to 9 year olds then you would see alot more talent too. Half the class seemed like toddlers that were incapable of following instructions. Perhaps that's where some of their frustration came from. But it was also due to the fact that they thought they already had all the moves. Haha! I'm sure they learned a couple more.

Basketball is Our Life!!

Will on Game Day! He's aggressive, he's determined and he loves it.

 

 Here is a picture of Colby taking a practice Shot

 

Quinten taking a practice shot.

Colby and Quinten. Coached by their Dad. 100% Awesome!

A little bit on one-on-one play. My favorite part of watching twins play basketball is that there is usually always one of our boys on the court that we can watch in action!

Logan on the Drive

Logan on the Foul Shot

Waiting to be Subbed in...

So he can run his little heart out. (So Proud).

 

The score in our semi final game. with 40 seconds remaining. It was a nail biter. This score keeper was rather happy to be my celebrity of the day.

Logan's Community Team. It was a great season!

But that is not where basketball ends for Logan. He plays on the Junior High team at school. The school division agreed to have each school pull together a Grade 6 team to help the students develop skills for their next year. Grade 7 is when they are able to try-out for the Junior High Team. Because Logan is already on the team, the coach of the Grade 6 team asked that Logan not participate. It was sad news but it made sense because Logan was told he already has enough experience and he shouldn't take away from the opportunity for the other students to develop their skills.

 

 

Then an interesting turn of event occurred. The Grade 6 team lost miserably. The coach approached me to ask if Logan could please join their team for the next game. He said they really needed his skill to boost their spirits. And so, for the Grade 6 Home Game Logan arrived to play. With 28 students on the team (that is ALOT) Logan was rotated in every second shift. Meaning, he was played much more than he should have been if a coach was attempting to keep even playing time for all the students. But he wasn't. He wanted to win. Haha.

 

It was fun to watch Logan play with more confidence because he assumed a leadership role. He was glowing (and maybe being a little too diligent in an effort to not disappoint).

I could tell he was running as fast as he knew how. With all the determination to impress. It was a great confidence builder for him. By the first half of the game their team was up by 20 points so he was excused to race off to Okotoks to play with his Junior High Team.

A quick switch of the Jersey and he's off to play again. We are so proud of his love for the sport, his committment and his determination.

 

 But that's not it for Basketball. We also have the need to give a huge shout out to the Spectators. Who provided their own realm of entertainment. This little man learned to walk the line. Literally. He knew that their was a portion of the court which should not be stepped on. This also meant that when he was the most frustrated he knew exactly where he needed to run.

 What fun can you find when you're stuck watching another game?

 The sideline show. Featuring Chase!

 I have no idea where this hat came from. But another moment of fun found....this time - by Will. Perhaps he won the white hat award.

 Pink Shirt Day. Stand Up Against Bullying!!

 Pink Shirt Spectators. Love Them!

Perhaps this sideline photography isn't entertaining enough for you. Well, let Chase step-it-up for you then! He'll delay the game by 20 minutes by pulling the school fire alarm. He'll create an evacuation and call in the heros in uniform to reset everything back to good.

He'll run away and be brought back by anyone willing to make the run. (Quinten)

And when the season is almost complete. It's time to simply pack your own sleeping gear. He's throwing in the towel on this season.

For the Love of the Game