Grace, Nicki Dodson, Sophie

The girls went to their first Young Women event this week. New Beginnings welcomes in all the girls who will become Beehives this year.It is hard for me to believe they are old enough to be in YW. Goodness. I am excited for Grace and Sophie to have all the blessings of the YW program though. There is a youth temple trip already planned for May 7th on their birthday! So exciting. Nicki is a sweetheart and a good friend to both girls.

 
  I happened to mention to Mom that since we moved we couldn't find any of our cookie cutters. So she sent 300+. Awesome! Every shape you can think of! These other pictures are of Grace and Sophie's awards assemblies from school. They both are doing so well in 6th grade, on Honor Roll. Sophie earned a special award for an online math program she spends a lot of time on. Her class was supposed to do 25 lessons by the end of the semester, she did more then 300. Because she likes them. It is fun to her. Grace got an award for her photo and a few other things. I'm so proud of them both.

We had a sports filled weekend. This is Luke and the other All-Stars from his basketball program. 2 kids from each team were invited to participate and he was so excited to be included! His team actually lost the All-Star game. It was so close all game, back and forth, and then the other team went on a run at the end. Still a really great experience. I was so proud of how hard Luke played and his sportsmanship.

 Luke is a hard worker on the court. He scraps for every ball that comes his way. The kid in this picture has got to be 40 pounds bigger then Luke.

 Noah competed in a karate tournament on Saturday. He won first place in his division for grappling (karate type of wrestling) and a second in sword fighting. I was so proud of him! He just works and works and doesn't give up. There were about 16 kids in his division, all about same belts and experience. Mike Carr karate has been such a blessing to Noah. Great experiences. Mike knows his students by name. I'm not sure how he does it but I am grateful for his influence on my son. He is so very kind and supportive while at the same time demanding the best of his students and not putting up with them not giving it. Noah was a little disappointed to get second in sword fighting, the winner got to go to a championship round and he really wanted to. So he did not want any pictures at the end of his trophy and all ribbons together. He did an amazing job!

 

 Luke and Noah's last basketball game. I am happy and sad at the same time. Both boys have had a great experience and learned so much! Plus being in the Rock Gym is fun, it is 100ish years old. I am really glad Summerfield Elementary restored it and incorporated it into their school. But I have to admit that I am always glad when we get a few less commitments as a family.

Before the storm...

 A huge snow and ice storm has been predicted for the whole east coast. On Martin Luther King day we got ready for it by putting icemelt down for an elderly friend and then trying a new cupcake bakery in town. They were not as good as Maxie B's, but still yummy.

 After the storm...

 

 Not as much snow or ice as predicted, which is good. We got about 4 inches with a thick layer of ice on top. Nothing too crazy. If only we had stuck with being pulled behind the tractor...whole family went sledding at park in town and I messed up my back. Icy snow + tube+old mom+ pole ='s lots of pain. After ignoring Jason when he told me it was not safe to sled at this park and crashing into a pole, I followed his advice and got checked out at the ER. Bruised ribs and really sore back. Nothing that won't heal. In the mean time I can only hobble around like an old woman. Learned my lesson!

Grace won 1st Place

Grace's photograph won first place for her school in their Reflections contest! She took it at an aquarium we visited this fall, titled it Dreaming Blue. It was displayed downtown in Greensboro's Cultural Arts Center. It was FREEZING cold the night we went to go see the display, and I took a wrong turn in the parking lot and kids and I ended up at a dead end fence topped with barbed wire. It would have been more funny if it hadn't been so dang cold! So proud of Grace. She has a natural eye for photography. Her school is starting a photography club that I she wants to join. I am glad because I don't know anything to teach her.

December 30, 2015 Happy Birthday Luke & Noah!

Hard to believe these guys are 9! We started the day off with special breakfast, bacon included. I promise Noah was happy. I think he is a little confused about Sophie's bacon 'stach...and Grace did not want her picture taken for some reason?

 Noah requested strawberry pie and Luke pumpkin cheesecake instead of birthday cakes this year.Super yummy, and easier then cakes, but I was still a little sad. It just seems like they grew up so quickly sometimes. We went bowling as a family and then came home to open presents.

NFL blankets from Grandma and Papa Hardy! Boys also got scooters, build yourself Lego type guns, light up hats and gloves from G&G Smith, the girls gave them each a nerf shooter. Because we don't already have enough...

What a blessing these boys are to our family. I can't imagine life with out them!

Happy Birthday Jason!

 Jason's Birthday! We went to the newest Star Wars as a family. It was fun, a lot better movie then I expected. It was funny, when 2 of the new characters find the Millenium Falcon it was like seeing an old friend. I was totally smiling... super cheesy I know! I included this picture because Sophie was making faces in all of them. This captures her mood lately.

 I had to post this sweet picture of Luke reading with one of the bunnies

Top of Hanging Rock the day after Thanksgiving. I realized I never posted it. We hiked up with Ben, Em, Talus and Bayden. Super beautiful, warm day. Not crowded at all until the end of the way down.

Merry Christmas!

 Christmas Eve. This was just about the only good picture. Everyone was tired and making silly faces. We had the Elders over for dinner, it is always nice to have the missionaries in our home. They shared a wonderful Christmas message and we gave them both new ties.

Christmas morning! 

 

It has been in the 70's for the past few days with almost 100% humidity. We had to turn the ac on last night.It is my first Christmas ever needing air conditioning. It is weird. We would much prefer cold and snow,  but I keep telling the kids to enjoy it as we can't change it! Jason, Luke, Noah & I played basketball this afternoon. Grace had on shorts and a tshirt and squished barefoot in the warm mud. She found a long lost boomerang in the orchard! Weirdly as a family we watched all of the Hunger Games movies, except the one that is still in theaters. Now we want to go to it too! I thought about getting everyone to go today, but then several of us would have to get dressed. Staying in pj's all day seriously is awesome. 

It really was our bunny Christmas! Charlie, Holly and Belle are licking Gracie's fingers. They run to the cage door when you open it, so stinking cute and affectionate. Sophie is holding Charlie in her Meowy Christmas sweater. The girls got the bunnies out to see if they could get a picture of all 4 in a Santa hat. They couldn't. But this one is cute.

We had a new batch of bunnies born Sunday.... Sigh.... I guess Jessie got pregnant the day she delivered these guys. We know better now! But we have another 6 baby rabbits with Jessie in the garage. 2 of these sweeties have home to go to in a week or so. We will post the other 2 on craigs list and share the bunny joy with someone else. Merry Christmas!