Basketball Season, Caleb's Presidential Fair, and Gabe's Cub Scout Blue and Gold

This last week was probably the busiest week we've had in a while! We had two big things - the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet and then we had Caleb's Presidential Cookie Fair the next night. Then just today, it was the boys' very last basketball games of the season.

Caleb's team did consistently well the whole season. I really don't know that they lost even one game. (But they don't have a scoreboard so therefore I never knew the exact score.) Gabe's team on the other hand… they had a pretty rough start. I think about 4 out of the 7 boys on the team had never even touched a basketball in any sort of game before. But they improved a lot over the season and actually won today AND last week, against two teams that had both previously beat them earlier in the season. So they were all pretty excited about that!

For Caleb's Presidential project, he was assigned Teddy Roosevelt. He had a lot of fun learning about how the teddy bear got it's name and other fun stories about him. (He once got shot during a campaign speech in Milwaukee and continued to give his speech while he was bleeding through his shirt!) Then he also did some square dancing at the presentation day, which was entertaining to watch! ;) I also had to make the president's favorite cookie, which were these shortbread cookies. I made them first as a test about a week before. They were genuinely disgusting. I refused to ever make them again. So I may have altered the recipe a bit and told Caleb that I still followed it, they just turned out better the night of the Presidential cookie fair. (Lies we tell our children….) But we came home with an empty plate so I didn't feel bad about it one bit. ;)

For the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet, we chose to do a Lego theme. So all of the decorations were based on Legos. It was a pretty fun night! They had a lego building contest, a Lego toss game, had sloppy joes for dinner, and got these cute little lego heads with skittles in them that I made by painting baby food jars yellow and drawing on faces with a black sharpie. Gabe earned his "Bear" Badge, so it was also a big day for him!

Glad this week is over! I need some sleep. (Oh, I also got a new iPhone so me and Avery were testing out our different "selfie" faces for the camera…) And Josh went snow mobiling with his boyfriends…

Here are some pictures!

First Time Ice Skating!

I had to quick write about taking out kids ice skating for the first time ever! Is it a little sad that Gabe is almost ten and has never been ice skating? Maybe. But did he learn quickly? Yes! When we first got there, it was pretty funny watching Gabe and Caleb slowly make their way onto the ice like two little baby deer learning to walk… lol. Their legs wobbled around like jelly and they had a hard time even standing up straight. But by about an hour later, they were making their way around the rink at a pretty decent speed! They did each fall, probably at least 30 times… haha. But luckily no major injuries. I was of course, the ice skating pro. ;) Josh was pretty shaky too. Avery (who we had rented skates for, and also a little walker thing to use on the ice) refused to even stand up. I had to carry her in my arms while I skated around the rink. It was a good workout.

We also ate dinner at Chick Fil A before we went. It was the kids Valentine's Day celebration with us! haha Then Josh and I went out the dinner ourselves on Saturday night while Macy Rhodes (a cousin of Josh's) babysat our kids. Avery cried when she left.

Other fun things - sledding, a cub scout trip to the police department, Caleb's "tree" valentine project that I made with him and his friends at his class party, and Avery painting (which she loves.)

Here are a few pictures!

Sick of the Snow!

I was trying to think up a good title that would best summarize the whole month of January and that was the best I came up with. I am very literally, DONE with the snow. It has snowed more this winter than I think all of the past two winters combined. Right now we have at least a foot of snow, probably more, sitting on our yards. It it like, piled up four feet high in some places where Josh made the piles as he shoveled. I am ready to spend my winters in Hawaii from now on. Someday… someday….

Speaking of Hawaii, there is a SMALL chance we may be going to Hawaii with Devin and Charm… in February of 2017. That is still a long ways away so it remains to be seen, but the hope is that we can use their grandma's timeshare for a week long trip there. We will see if it actually happens or if the aunts revolt and end up yanking away our dreams at the last minute.

What else? Avery started back up at the BYUI preschool a few weeks ago. We weren't sure if she would get a spot since her application somehow got lost or something. But she did get in right before it started. She is also still doing the Burton elementary preschool the other two days of the week. She loves them both, but is still her little diva self now and then and has her moments where I wonder "If she is like this now, how will we survive her teen years?!"Help me.

Caleb is busy working on his presidential report and display board for "Teddy Roosevelt." I remember having to do this for Gabe. Gabe had Benjamin Harrison, who wasn't really a prominent person. So Teddy Roosevelt is a little more exciting, but also more work since there is so much information! Caleb is really liking the stories though, especially how the Teddy Bear came to be! Caleb is also playing basketball on a little rec league team. At his last game, he made six baskets! (He was motivated because Josh told him if he made four baskets he would take him to the new Super Walmart and let him pick out a toy with his tooth fairy money! haha He finally lost his second front tooth! As we watched Caleb score basket after basket and make eye contact with us and smile, Josh laughed and said "See? All he needs is a little motivation.")

Gabe is also on a basketball team with the fourth and fifth grade league. Josh somehow got roped into coaching at the last minute because they were desperate. So he has Gabe's team that he is trying to make men out of. He honestly has some very inexperienced players. :/ Gabe is one of the best, and this other kid named Tyke. They score the majority of the points. Their third game was this last Saturday, and though they didn't win, it was a good game and the teams were pretty evenly matched. Gabe's team led pretty much the whole first half, but the other team must've drank their Gatorade at half time because they ended up coming back and winning in the end by about six points. Gabe is also busy trying to finish earning his "Bear" badge in Cub Scouts. I am the Cub Master (why they called me into something outdoorsy/boy scout related I still am not sure…) so I have been trying to help push him along with it. He really does enjoy it, it's just finding the time with regular homework, sports, playing outside with friends, and everything else in out lives!

Josh's work schedule is ever changing as usual. He has been working a 12 hour night shift for the past few months. He will work two days on, two days off, two days on, three days off, etc. kind of in a pattern. But they just redid everything and now he will be working 4 days on, 4 days off. I swear I have erased the calendar work days and rewritten them so many times… good thing I used a pencil. Plus with SWAT team, teaching an Alive at 25 class, K-9 duties, and other "mandatory meetings", it seems like he never really has a full-fledged "day off"! Luckily my Etsy shop hasn't been very busy this month, so I haven't been super mad about it!

As for me, hopefully my shop will pick up a little in the coming month because I DO like extra money. I know in the past I have started to get busy with wedding things in the Spring, so I am somewhat expecting that to happen again, however it seems like more and more shops have decided to start selling the same silhouette wedding programs that I created, so that's not too cool. I wish there weren't so many copy-catters! In the meantime, I have been trying to help Rachel with some Save the Dates and wedding invitation planning, and also organize our upcoming Cub Scout Blue and Gold "Lego" themed banquet. (Hence the picture of the baby food jars painted like Lego heads)

Well that's about all I can think of for now! Oh yeah! And at church - Avery started Sunbeams in January! She is officially done in nursery! :( I will never have a nursery kid again! That's pretty crazy. She loves her Sunbeam class. Our ward also just got new boundaries so we have lost some great people, but hopefully it will all work out and we will figure out the new callings and everything soon!

Here are some picture!