Spring Soccer

We are full swing into soccer at our house!

Jonathan is playing for ABYSA, and he loves it! He has several friends on his team and a fantastic coach!

Lauren is playing on two teams ~ her middle school team and an ABYSA team. She loves every minute of it! Soccer is her favorite sport, and she is more than ecstatic to be a part of the middle school team! We were all excited for her to make the team ~ her first school team!!!

#12 ~ warming up before her first game

She missed the first game of the season because she was sick with strep throat.

Her ABYSA games are on Saturdays. She and her friend, Lizzie, are the only two girls on the team! Lizzie's grandfather, who likes to be called Pop, is their coach, and the whole team loves him!! They are a really fun group to watch!

The only thing that would make these games more fun would be warm days!!!

Skiing Sugar Mountain

We have had very little snow this year, but we decided we couldn't wait any longer for snow skiing! Our friends, the Newtons, met us at Sugar Mountain, in Banner Elk, and we made the most of it!! These are all iPhone pictures, and we were skiing at night, so they are not great ~ but at least we have the memories!!

 The Newton family ~ love them!!!

Our family minus the little guy!

I posted this to Instagram ~ it is my favorite photo of the evening!! Love these sweet kids!!!

Jonathan was too hard to video! He never would let me get in front of him!! I am so proud of Lauren ~ she gets better and better with each trip!

I had not been on snow skis since Andrew was born! Oh, how I have missed it!! Joe took Jonathan back up to Sugar a couple of weeks later, and it was covered in snow ~ even the parking lot!! Lauren was really, really sick that weekend, or we would have been there with them!! Thank you Grammy and Grandpa for taking such good care of our little guy! Next year we hope to take him with us!!

Light Green Belt

Several weeks ago, Jonathan tested for his Light Green Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He was so excited when he found out he had passed! 

Mr. Tener and Ms. Jones presented him with his certificate.

Sophie also passed her test! They couldn't wait to get those new belts on!!

Jonathan was also excited because he had new sparring gear, thanks to Beverly and Brendan ~ they were so sweet to pass it on to us!!

Jonathan, I am so proud of you! You really worked hard to learn all your one-steps and your form! You really amaze me! I am so glad you enjoy it so much!

All County Honors String Orchestra

Lauren and her friend, Taylor, were invited, along with several other classmates, to be a part of the All County Honors String Orchestra. This is only their second year of violin, and they were both hesitant at first, but with a little coaxing, they agreed to participate. After their first rehearsal, they were so happy they did!! It was a really big commitment ~ they practiced for fours hours on Friday night with a short pizza break, arising early the next morning for three more hours of practice! Their afternoon concert was fabulous!! I loved it!!

This is the only picture of her on stage, the rest were very blurry. The lighting combined with where we were sitting made it really hard to get good pictures. I just love that she was blessed with this opportunity!

 These girls were all smiles after their concert ~ they truly enjoyed it!! We are so proud of them!!

Visiting Papaw

A few weeks ago, the kids were out of school for a Teacher Workday, so we decided to visit Papaw. It worked out great because it was on a Wednesday ~ his social schedule at the assisted living home is quite busy, so usually that is the best day for us to visit! I love that he is so busy!! We met Daddy for lunch at a local diner, The Black Bear Cafe, and he joined us for our visit!

We really enjoyed our afternoon with Papaw! He was in the best mood! He told us lots of stories about his childhood ~ his eyes would just light up and his laugh was contagious! We love him so much!!! He is such a blessing to all of us!!!

Andrew and Brooks

Several weeks ago, Andrew's friend, Brooks, came over to play for the afternoon. They love it when I pick them up together from preschool!

 They are just too cute! I love how Brooks has his arm on Andrew's shoulder!

 On our way home we just had to stop for ice cream! They were all smiles, and they ate every bite!

It was a beautiful day, so they played outside almost all afternoon! It was a little chilly in the shade, so we tried to stay in the sun. We only have one helmet for little guys, so we tried to stay away from hills! I couldn't convince one to wear a helmet when the other wasn't!!

These two cuties had so much fun together! I love how Jonathan and all of the neighborhood kids played with them when they got home from school ~ the little guys loved it too!

Birthday Fun with Friends

Jonathan was so excited about his birthday party with friends! He had it all planned out - a trip to Fun Depot with his best buddies, who would then spend the night. But, as is often the case for January birthdays, it all got postponed a week due to snow and ice. He was so disappointed, as were all his buddies. Luckily, the next week passed quickly, and it was time for fun! A snow day (just light snow in the morning) meant he got to put the icing on his basketball cake. I think he ate as much as he put on the cake (maybe more!).

All of the boys enjoyed playing outside before coming in to eat pizza, then... they all agreed Jonathan should open his presents before they took off to Fun Depot. I always love how each kid gets so excited when his present is being opened. Each gift was so perfect for Jonathan - his friends really know him well! 

Solomon, Cade, Will, Jonathan, Dylan and Jackson

After pizza and presents, Joe took all of the boys to Fun Depot (I asked him to make sure they were good and tired before he brought them home - ha ha!) - they enjoyed laser tag, mini golf, bowling, bumper cars, rock climbing and more. Unfortunately, there was one injury - while playing laser tag, two of the boys collided, leaving Jackson with a small cut and a huge knot, right between his eyes. We felt so bad for him, but he was such a trooper! He is one tough kid!

 They were ready for cake and ice cream when they got home - crazy I know at ten o'clock!!

After dessert, they all piled up in sleeping bags to watch "Lord of the Rings". It didn't take too long before they were all sound asleep - they really were tired!

 Dylan was the smartest one of the bunch - he claimed the couch!

 I was surprised, but they actually slept in until seven! Poor Jackson got sick during the night (scary, but ultimately not related to his collision), but he seemed much better by morning - the knot on his forehead was still bulging - later in the day he ended up with two black eyes. His mom was so sweet - she said it was a typical evening for him!

 The next morning they were wild!!! They had a blast jumping into piles of pillows, couch cushions and blankets! I know I'm crazy, but I loved it! Andrew did too!

These boys were so much fun! They were loud and full of energy, but they were also very kind and respectful - such an awesome bunch! Jonathan is blessed with great buddies!

While the boys were having fun, Lauren and Emma had fun sewing (Emma made her first tote - so sad I didn't get a picture) and baking - they made an awesome chocolate chip cookie cake!

So thankful for these sweet girls and their special friendship! It was such a fun night for all of us!