A Weekend in the Middle of the Week

Annee, Hayden, and Heather have had the past two days off from school. We got a fair share of ice and then snow. Quite a few trees are down. We had a few branches down from our willow tree but others have had it pretty bad. A branch fell on a WKU student heading to class on Tuesday and she had to get carted away via an ambulance. Friends of ours had a tree take out their bedroom and they will be out of their house for quite a while. Below are couple of pictures of the ice and then the snow.

Saturday Morning Basketball

Annee and Hayden had another big morning of Upward basketball this week. It was picture day also. The photos below are courtesy of Angie Kniery whose son Joe is in Heather's class.

Louisville!

We had a great time in Louisville Sunday and Monday. It marked the first time that we had really ventured downtown. Wicked was excellent. Annee and Hayden got to hang out with Jen, Kevin, Bailey, and Jasper while we were at the show. Since they are pet deprived, it is a thrill for A&H to play with Bailey and Jasper. We went to the Louisville Science Center on Monday and saw an IMAX movie on Dinosaurs. Basketball went well on Saturday. We were able to fit four games (Annee's, Hayden's, WKU men and women) in with a birthday party in between. The tile is being put up in our guest shower today so we are making progress.

Wicked

No pictures today but hope to have some more early next week. We have a big day of basketball on Saturday. Annee and Hayden both have games and then WKU has a double header against New Orleans. Also have a birthday party in the afternoon. On Sunday we head up to Louisville. Heather and I are going to see Wicked, while A&H hang out with Kevin and Jen Chlarson and their dogs Jasper and Bailey.

Hoops has started...

Annee and Hayden had their first basketball games of the year on Saturday. The Polar Bears played at 8:15 on Saturday, while the Lady Rhinos played at 10:45. The season runs 8 weeks with games on Saturday and practices on Tuesday. I am assisting for both teams but was pressed in to head coaching duties for Hayden's game. We hope to have more pictures in the upcoming weeks.

Fixing Up the House...

We are starting to get our house ready to put on the market later this Spring. Ralph has been over the past week getting some rooms painted and the bathrooms fixed up a bit. We hope to move close to Briarwood so Annee and Hayden will live near the kids they go to school with. These are a couple of before pictures...

The Big Four-oh...

We spent New Year's Day celebrating my 40th birthday. I was able to open 40 presents! At the WKU basketball game that afternoon, Heather had them put a message on the scoreboard so everyone there now knows that I am not as young as I used to be. It was a great birthday! One of the highlights was a football game of our own. Hayden and I took on Eddie and Kevin. Contrary to popular belief, I am not in the greatest of shape.

It's not supposed to be cold in Nashville!

Kevin and Jen Chlarson and Scott (Eddie) Erie came down to celebrate the New Year with us. The three of them and Scott headed down to the Music City Bowl to watch Vanderbilt and Boston College and do some tailgating. It was a bit colder than usual. Here is a picture of Kevin, Jen, and Eddie braving the elements.

A good book...

There is often no better escape from the cold than a good book. Annee and Hayden both showed off their reading skills to Grandma Ann.

Winter Wonderland

Although the cold was not a big hit, Annee and Hayden did have some fun in the snow. They went sledding for the second time in their life. Dad even got some sledding in as well.

South Dakota Christmas

We spent Christmas night plus a couple more in South Dakota visiting Uncle Paul, Aunt Tricia, and Craig. Grandma Ann and Grandpa Jimmy were also for Christmas cheer. After spending a couple of nights in Alexandria, the whole crew spent the third night swimming at the Ramada Inn in Mitchell. I am particularly pleased that we were able to drive by the one and only world famous Corn Palace.

More Christmas Frivolity

Gift Opening (Part II)

Looks like many of Hayden's presents had a common theme!