Brenna: "What's that you say"? "It's Saturday" "Well, I still can't go out to play."

Poor Brenna-she has been so sick.  I left work early on Tuesday morning and Brenna hasn't been to school since!  She has a cold, yucky cough, sore throat and a fever.  She can't get past that fever!  And this weekend was going to be so fun!  Here's what this little girl had going on.

1.  a basketball game

2. a sleepover birthday party

3.  a gymnastics meet

4.  her first indoor soccer game

5.  doing her MLK service project with her friends at the Giant

6.  another sleepover with her friends from Sunday into Monday

She is sooo mad she could spit.  But the poor girl has no energy too!  And now I think Noah's coming down with it.  Oh no!

Noah's basketball sean

Andy and I decided to have Noah continue to play with the Bantam's (age and grade level name) instead of being one of the youngest players on the Juniors.  Noah is playing with a league that has a natural progression from Bantam's to Juniors to Seniors and then to your school's JV team.  This way Noah is playing with kids that he will attend with in high school.  Most of the players are from the other feeder middle school and I love that Noah is getting the opportunity to play with them and become friends with them.  Keeping Noah on the Bantam's has meant he gets more playing time, increased confidence, and better control over his body.
     Last year, we said at every game that Noah was like a bull in a China shop.  I think that was a wrong simile.  Instead he was simply like a baby giraffe with legs too long and he needed to learn to control them.  Noah's growth has been very pronounced-he falls so much less now, he has better ball control, and it just seems easier to him.  He still gives 100% to every game he plays and is all heart.  I enjoy watching him as well.

Noah's biggest fans--who am I kidding-Brenna needs her friends too!

Noah fighting with all his might to hold onto the ball for his team.

Getting ready to run a play

Tobin's basketball journey

     Tobin has been a part of the QO JV basketball team for a little over a month and a half now.  Tryouts were intense and lingered over many days.  Finally, the day came when Tobin brought his jersey home and I was ecstatic!  Truly, I felt like I had made the team along with him-I couldn't have been happier.  He was, again, part of a school team-the best sure-fire way I know for him to have a great high school experience  Somehow, because he had to fight for his position on the b-ball team it meant so much. 
     However, as I learned with football, QO has a great sports program; the school has so many great athletes vying for the same position that you have to be extraordinary to be the starting team among all the good players.  With Tobin's team, the NEW coach, Coach Leone, kept 17 young men that are good players.  Most coaches don't have a bench with that much talent.  To have your choice, to know that any one of your young men will perform and rise to the challenge must be a dream. I don't think my brother had that on his varsity girl's team last year, when he had his golden season, 27-0, undefeated state champs.  He had his starting 5 and then there were the rest.  I don't think our coach feels that way about his team.  There is just so much talent.  As a result Tobin has had playing time in almost every game.  Over the course of the season his time has increased.  But almost everybody plays. 
     In my eyes, I see the coaches choice of who he plays in two sets.  He has those players who are naturally gifted at athleticism; they are just all around good athletes and have finesse when handling the ball and then he has those who have been playing with Coach Griff (who comes to the games and supports Coach Leone, but can't help but still coach the boys) since they were in 6th grade and know in their sleep what 70, Delay, cutter, and 40 mean! 
     Tobin falls into that last category.  In any other school, he would most likely be on the starting 5.  He knows the plays so well and he will be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time!  His defensive game has exploded.  I am so impressed with how well his defense has improved.  It is very rare that the player Tobin is guarding gets the ball.  However, I know that Tobin wants to improve his offensive game.  He usually puts up a bucket or two for a score, but hasn't done more than that.  I know that his goal is to get some "real" points on the board.  Do you know how badly I want that for him?  Tobin, I am rooting for you!  You can do anything you set your mind too-but know that you have to work for the goal, it won't just be handed to you.

Tobin has the ball on the far side of the court

Tobin waits to throw the ball to a team mate

Tobin passing to a team mate that is open

Tobin is number 14, right in the middle moving into a defensive positions

Tobin making a basket

You can see Tobin screeching on the brakes as he gets into position.  he is the 2nd white shirt from the left.

Dad and I are your biggest fans!  We love you and love watching you play!

Re-newed?

     On Thursday, December 30th, Brenna went to be a mother's helper. Afterwards she came home with $5.00 and a whole new perspective on the new year that was about to arrive! You see, she went down to help this mother so that she could get things cleaned up and put in it's proper place for the new year. Every project had to be completed, everything tidy and neat so that there was a new start for everything in the new year. Now, having never heard this or known anyone supersititous enough to follow through, it was a very interesting thought, one that has continued to be on my mind.

     I also read my cousin's blog about how her break invigorated her- she was motivated to run, clean closets, and make lots of really great food. (I wasn't there, but am sure it was just that good!) And I had to contrast that with my own experience of hustle, bustle and chaos until the day after Christmas and then everything came to a screeching halt...or if not a halt a slow waddle then.
     I did nothing after Christmas! I didn't want to do anything after Christmas. Wait...that's not true. So many times going into the Fall and Christmas break, I wanted to clean out my "27 Dresses" closet and thought I would clean it, but when it came time to do it, I put my foot down and just didn't do it! Andy took N and B to the Lake to be with Buff and his boys while I stayed home with Tobin as he had a basketball tourney on Monday and Tuesday.  So, I went to those games and then I really have no idea what I did!  I know it's not good to waste time and I get really upset when my kids squander the day away playing with electronic things, but that may be just what I did. 
    Oh, I did watch a few movies with Tobin.  We watched Eclipse and something else I can't remember right now.  But even after Andy and the kids came home, I still don't know what I did.  I helped organize a playdate for Brenna and ended up with 5 little girls (I love it and really wouldnt' have it any other way) playing at our house.  When I asked Kate what she wanted to do, she replied without hesitation, "I want to fly a fire-breathing dragon up to the moon and then parachute back down."  Now how's that for persective? 
     One day I was going to take Brenna to a movie at 2:30pm, but when 2:30 came, I just couldn'd do it...I was soooo tired.  I asked Brenna if we could go to the 4:50 one and she pouted.  So, Andy took her to the 2:30 movie and I slept the entire time on my couch!  I NEVER sleep on my couch!  And I enjoyed the laziness of it.
     And then along came New Year's where of course, you have to celebrate by staying up late and eating more rich food.  We had the Shah's over so that was absolutely wonderful, but underneath I was absolutely so tired!  I would seriously have missed the ball dropping if I had had the luxury to go to sleep which I don't think I've done since I was pregnant with.....pick one!  So, we toasted in the New Year at exactly 12:00am!  Happy New Year.  And then I found myself at 1:11 am on 1-1-11 posting that very information on Facebook!  Yep, that was silly.  I was so tired.
     But I could only sleep until 8:30 on New Years morning.  Not sure why, but my body wouldn't let me go back to sleep!  Andy made a killer breakfast of potatoes, eggs, cinnamon rolls and OJ.  I enjoyed eating every bite of it.  I didn't get out of the house until about 5:00pm-yep, that was the first time I left my house.  How lazy can I be?  All my good intentions went right out the window when I realized that the stores had closed early for New Years day.  I barely go to the mall in time!  Whew-glad I went when we did.  So, my car retraced it's much taken path, parked in front of my house and there I stayed for the rest of night.
     And on Sunday, the last day of my Christmas break, I realized that it had been much more of a winter's break (where hibernation was required) rather than a Christmas break (where I realized all of the gifts I had been given started with my home and family).   However, Sunday was kind of a turn around day.  I loved being at church and I haven't really felt like that in a long time.  I was happy to be sitting in Sunday School and happy to have the chance to speak with one of our ecclestiastical leaders after that.  I was exactly where I wanted to be.
    So, while I really bummed around for my whole break, my Sunday renewed my spirit and my happiness at being at church again.  So, I would say I got exactly what I wanted for New Years-a renewed spirit of love amd meaning.
   Happy New Year's!!

Basketball Tourney

Pics later

Happy New Year

We had fun having our friends over for dinner.  We were clearly excited about our raclette and did it again!  it was just as much fun this time as the last. 

Tobin was the typical teenager and didn't know which party he was going to until the last minute.  He ended up going to both parties and then having some of his friends spend the night!  They stayed up til 4am long after I had laid my tired, old bones down!