Running on empty....

I started this past weekend with a full tank of gas...and ended it with the empty tank light on. It was definitely a busy weekend!

• Chris' last basketball game was this past Friday. His team ended up 19-1 (they only lost to OG...which makes me dislike OG even more than I did before!). They had a great season! Tournament starts Tuesday!



• I took Amy (my ESL student) and her sister Angela (an 8th grader) to the game. When I went to pick them up, their mom had her coat on and was ready to go too, so I took all three of them to the game. Mom speaks very, very limited english - so it was an interesting night. I'm not sure they had ever been to a basketball game before - I hope they enjoyed it.



• Saturday was Jenna's first dance competition. At the last minute, Chris and Jacob came along too. It was a busy, hectic day getting her hair and make up done, changing her into her costumes, and making sure she was in the right place at the right time. Jenna did a great job and loved every minute of it. She has 3 more competitions coming up (Columbus, Dayton, and VW).....and she can't wait! I have photos to share, but I'll save them for a seperate blog post!



• After the competition we headed to UT to watch the girls' basketball game. One of Chris' former students is a senior on the team, so we went to watch her play. We met up with some friends and watched the game together. It was really fun to watch a college basketball game again.



• We attempted to find a Buffalo Wild Wings after the game, but the GPS led us to the a totally different restaurant. After trying a few other places, we ended up driving back to Bowling Green and ate at Frickers - a wings place we both used to eat at when we were in college.



• We had some time to waste between the competition and the UT game, so we drove around BGSU. We showed the kids where we used to live and where some of our classes were. We also browsed through SBX for a while and both kids ended up getting new BG baseball hats.



• We made reservations for our summer vacation! We are going with Mike and Deb on a grown ups only vacation to Jamaica for a week in August. I cannot wait!

photo from Couples Tower Isle website



• If anyone is bored over the next few weekends, you are welcome to join us. We are booked every weekend for the next 5-6 weekends with either a basketball tournament for Jacob or a dance competition for Jenna. Some weekends we even have both! I complain about all the running around, but it's worth it when you see them doing something they love!



• I had a photo session Sunday - 7 adults and 6 kids. Fun stuff!!



• I'm am done with this snow and cold weather. Please bring on the warm weather, green grass, sunshine, and flip flops.

I heart my BFF!

• CONGRATULATIONS to one of my BFF's Cheryl and her husband Nathan on the birth of their daughter, Annabelle Grace yesterday. I'm so excited for them and can't wait to meet her! I haven't seen a photo of her yet...but mom says she has lots of dark curly hair and looks like her dad.

• There's nothing like dressing like your BFF...especially when you are in 2nd grade. Jenna and her BFF Savannah have the cutest matching shirts and hair bands thanks to Savannah's mom. They even have matching shoes. They truly are quite the pair and are such great friends. I love that Jenna has found such a great friend!

• These two BFF's got marriend on Saturday and I got to help photograph their wedding. Congratulations to Jason and Jen. Be sure to check back later this week for more photos from their wedding!

We love snow days!

The weatherman delivered....and we are home from school as a result. It's been snowing since early this morning and they are predicting 8-12 inches of snow plus lots of blowing and drifting later. I have a feeling this won't be the only day we are home this week.


Someone is a little too excited about the snow. She will probably be outside playing a lot during the next few days!

My snow kids....I love that I can still ask them to "get close" for a photo and they'll do it for me. Not sure how long that will last.
Some self portraits....

I even got Chris to participate in a few self portraits.... (and yes, Brenda...he is STILL wearing his Dallas Cowboys coat. That was truly the best purchase ever!)

LOVE this one!!Peeking up over their snow fort....you can hardly see them because of the constant snow fall!

Snow, snow, snow...

Jenna has been waiting for a significant snowfall so she could go play in the snow...and she finally got it this weekend! It started snowing Friday night, and by Saturday morning she had enough snow to go play in. It's not nearly as much snow as some parts of the country got from this latest storm, but it was just enough for her. She bundled up and convinced me to brave the cold with her to snap some photos while she played. Later our neighbor joined her and helped her make a snow cave in one of our piles of snow. Today they ventured out into the snow again and made a snowman with a little adult help. Sorry, but Jacob will not be making an appearance in these photos. He is at the age where he does not want to have his photo taken...plus he went with a friend and his family to the reservoir to go sledding.

It looks like Jenna may have lots more snow to play in later this week. They are predicting another round of snow will hit us starting tomorrow night. I've seen predictions anywhere from 6 inches to 10+. We shall see!

Girlie girl...

No words...no explanation....just my little girl being very much her girlie self.

Ni hou....

Ni hou is one of the few Chinese words I know....it means hello...and a very special little girl taught it to me. Jenna and I both have had the privilege of having Amy in our lives this school year. Amy came to our school knowing virtually no english - she could not speak, read, or write english. She moved here from China shortly before school started. Amy is in Jenna's class and Jenna was assigned as her buddy on the first day of school. They have sat next to each other every day and quickly became friends. Even before Amy could understand Jenna, they formed a bond. They would walk around the playground holding hands, while Jenna tried to explain things to Amy. I also met Amy on the first day of school. I had recess duty that day and Jenna brought her to me. Amy didn't know what to do, so we taught her to use the swings and to say the word "push" when she wanted me to push her. Shortly after the first day, I started working with her daily to help with her english skills, particularly in reading and writing. I obviously do not know Chinese, so it was a little difficult at first...but Amy is a very quick learner. We were able to communicate with lots of gestures and pictures at first - we started with the absolute basics. She still has a long way to go, but she is learning so much! She and Jenna have become great friends....and I have become really attached to her as well. We go to the Chinese restaurant near her house once in a while to eat, and she comes to sit with us while we eat. She has invited us to her home to show us photos of China. Last week Amy came to our house to play with Jenna and Savannah. I was a little nervous about how it would go, but she jumped right in with the girls. They played dolls and hide and seek. They put on lipgloss and danced to Hannah Montana songs in Jenna's room. They giggled a lot! Later we all went to Pizza Hut for dinner (pizza is her favorite food). I really feel blessed that Amy has come into our lives. We have formed a special relationship with her, and I hope it is one that continues for a long time to come.

Amy, Jenna, and Savannah.....