Kicking off Winter

As we headed into the new year, Reese's basketball career continued as another season with I Am 3rd wrapped up. This was a special team as it combined Coach Tyler and his daughter Ella with several soccer friends. The Nuggets were a force to be reckoned with and won their age group in fine fashion. They didn't necessarily have the best shooting percentage, but they definitely had the best collection of athletes out there.

A wonderful surprise landed on our doorstep shortly after the new year began. Sarah's Aunt Teri, or GA as she is known in our household, had crafted one of the most amazing quilts that spoke to Sarah's heart. If you look closer at this picture you will see that the theme is National Parks.

We are fortunate to know many of the parks on this quilt firsthand, but there are also many appearing here that are still on our bucket list. It took us a couple of days to realize it, but Teri had stitched a heart around the picture of Arches National Park, the very place where John proposed to Sarah back in 2004. John wanted to frame the quilt, but Teri told Sarah it was made to be used, so use it we shall.

Mid-January we got an invitation to celebrate the birthday of Ella Sewell, one of Callie's good friends from soccer. It was very sweet in that she wanted both of our families to go out to dinner.

We are always up for a good meal with good people, so off we went. Callie and Ella played club soccer together but go to different schools, so it is always good to be able to make moments like these possible. 

Of course January also brought a little winter weather, which should not come as a surprise. However, any time snow falls we have to look around the house to see if we actually have appropriate coats and boots for the girls. We managed to pull a few things together to ensure they didn't freeze and they lasted outside long enough to get a few pictures.

We live only a few blocks away from one of the local sledding hotspots, though we haven't taken advantage of it as much as we should. Callie and her friends, however, arranged for an impromptu get together on the slopes. In a sign of the times, they were as concerned about how their winter outfits looked for this picture as they were about the sledding itself. They certainly didn't want any parents to tag along. The teenage years have truly dawned.