Winter Fun Pre-Quarantine

Excite Night typically kicks off the winter sports campaign in the Bowes household, and as the years have gone by it has become an even bigger event in Lexington too. Now it is held in Rupp Arena, and Callie tends to go with her girlfriends instead of her family. Reese her invited her friend Ella to go with us and spend the night, which made everyone happy even though Reese and Ella didn't get a picture with Scratch.

The next morning we showed Ella a little bit of how we have fun in the Bowes household and why we have never chosen to fully furnish the front room in our nearly 13 years in the house. Nothing beats a good, competitive game of soccer before pancakes!

Reese and Ella also spent time together for the second year as teammates in the I Am 3rd basketball league. They were lucky enough to have some other good friends on the team and had almost too much fun in the process.

Basketball tends to be seen as a big person's game, so it can be tough to score when you are still under 5ft and only developing your game. Like many of her teammates, Reese had the energy and attitude necessary to do well, but just needed to work on some of the other basics you need to get the ball in the hoop. Every game was fun to watch and this team certainly had the will to win.

Although the Mystics lost almost every game in the regular season, they went on a Cinderellaesque run in the playoffs and made it to the semi-finals before falling in a tight game. Their two coaches were pleasantly surprised with how their team exceeded expectations and enjoyed the ride. Perhaps the only person who didn't enjoy the ride was the mother of the girl who was injured and couldn't play but still insisted on coming to every playoff game. That's some dedication.

Reese's teacher in third grade was Miss Schenning who has turned out to be a fantastic teacher. She makes learning fun and is always finding new ways to keep her students engaged. On this particular day she had set up a red carpet event for the authors who had written and illustrated their own twisted fairytales. This picture was taken right after we had all managed to get through the paparazzi and listened as Reese read "Goldi Sports and the Soccer Family." The entire event was fun and it was obvious that all the kids ate up all the attention and were proud of their work.

Speaking of proud, we had a great time watching Reese and her school friends play on the Cassidy indoor soccer team. Mr. Mahan came back from retirement for the second year in a row to coach the girls to another league championship. The great thing about this team is that it brings girls together who are on the highest club teams with girls who have hardly played at all. Reese had fun and worked her bum off to ensure her team's victory. We were very proud of her efforts. On the night this picture was taken parents were talking about what was going on in the outside world, wondering if we should shake hands when we saw each other. It was March 11, so we hearing about the growing number of cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. and wondering what it might mean for us in Kentucky. Like most people who aren't epidemiologists or Dr. Fauci, we had no clue what was about to unfold.

Perfect North with a Perfect Group of Friends

For ten years now we have been getting together with the same three families a half dozen times a year to drink wine and talk about life. We call it our wine club, though we don't feel any wiser about wine than we did ten years. But we certainly have made some good friends. We kicked off 2020 by heading out of town for an overnight trip to the mountainous wilds of southern Indiana. There is a place called Perfect North and it was calling our names for some high quality tubing. Despite the fact that our chosen day was in the 40s and rainy, we had high expectations and decided to make the most of it.

After riding a moving walkway up the hill, we decided to get a group photo before the fun began. When we first started getting together Sarah was pregnant with Reese and the oldest three kids were still in elementary school. Now the oldest are juniors in high school and Reese is in third grade. Time sure does fly.

You want to know what else flies? These five people on tubes interconnected to maximize their velocity and overall thrill. It was a lot of fun and you could definitely build up some speed despite the conditions. 

Unfortunately, if you went solo and weighed less than 50 pounds you needed a little more effort to get to the finish line. Poor Reese came to a stop well before the landing pad and did her best to run to get out of the way of the next crew heading down the hill. After a couple of hours we headed back to the hotel to change clothes, get warm, and settle in for a fun night.

We definitely came prepared for the evening. Our room connected to the Abrahams' room, so we had some space to maneuver. Sarah was going to singlehandedly make sure no one went hungry by putting more than 90 Swedish meatballs in the crockpot in our room. Our group of 16 divided up nicely into four teams for an epic game of Telestrations, and it is somewhat surprising that no one else in the hotel called in a complaint to the front desk about us. This is just a great group we are lucky to have as friends. We can't wait to make more memories with all of them.

A New Year in NYC

After 13 years of bringing our kids to New England for the holidays we finally thought they would be deserving of a trip into the Big Apple. It is so easy to jump on a train in New Haven and end up in Grand Central Station. We were excited to show the girls the city during the holidays especially. Grand Central Station certainly impressed them with its size and constant activity. They have been to a few cities in their day, but NYC is different.

We headed right to Rockefeller Center because we knew we wanted to see the Christmas tree and the store displays. The tree looked great, but the stores had already moved on from Christmas, which was definitely a bummer. But it didn't keep us down long. We were off to the next sightseeing activity.

We knew we wanted to see Central Park before the sun set, and as we approached it Sarah got to talking with one of the many pedi-cab guys hanging around. Before we knew it we had negotiated for a ride around the park. Although it is fun to walk around, sometimes when its cold it's nice to ride around with a warm blanket over your lap. And we got to see a lot of the key spots in park, or as our driver kept telling us, all the various spots where scenes from Home Alone 2 and Ghostbusters were filmed. However, the girls were quick to point out that Elf was also filmed in a few locations there too. 

Our driver was such a delight to spend time with. He had different songs queued up for the different parts of the tour. We heard the Friends theme song when we stopped by the fountain from that show's opening credits, we heard Imagine when we stopped by the shrine to John Lennon, and he played Country Roads by John Denver as we wrapped things up. Maybe because we are from Kentucky? It made for a great experience overall.

After our tour of Central Park we checked out FAO Schwartz - new location and smaller size, but still loads of fun. Then we went to the M&M store for some must have candy rewards and a bathroom. Both were very welcome at that point in the day. After that we headed to Times Square to check out all the lights before heading back to Grand Central Station. We did our best to pack as much fun as possible into the quick trip, and we were pretty happy with the results. On our next trip we will have to see a Broadway show.
 

Christmas in CT 2019

The day after Christmas was filled with packing and getting ready for our trip to Connecticut. But for one last event we went to a Christmas party for Reese's soccer team and then drove up to Cincinnati. We had an early flight the next day and decided to try something new. Instead of getting up at 3am to drive to the airport, we slept in until 5am and took a shuttle. Long story short, we were in CT by mid-morning and the girls were able to go on a hike with their cousin Zoey by early afternoon. All was right with the world.

Fortunately for us the celebrations were only just getting started. That very evening Katie and Chris hosted their annual Christmas party and so we got to see a whole bunch of folks. And it was especially momentous because of how many Skonieczny's were in New England for the holidays. Only Steve, Barb, and Simon were not there, so we had to make sure to memorialize the occasion with a picture of the Sketch's who were there.

The very next day we all hopped in our cars for the drive up to Bethel, NY, and what has become a fantastic addition to the CT Christmas traditions - spending the night at Tommy and Terry's house. Since this was our third year doing it we have been strategic in wearing layered or cool clothes because they keep their place hot, just the way Sarah likes it. 

As always, our magnificent hosts put an incredible spread together with stiff drinks for one and all. It is truly a special thing to all be together and have our kids get to know Tommy and Terry in this way. It is just a great time through and through.

And Tommy and Terry are so generous in opening up their whole house to us and letting the kids roam free. This year it meant that they allowed Reese and Zoey to decorate their bedroom in a winter wonderland themed extravaganza. Later in the trip it even turned into them giving tours to everyone who was there. Terry didn't take one thing down until the girls left, which just showcases her sweet, sweet, heart. After some very good meals, a good night sleep, and some fantastic conversations, we headed out. Our drive home was made slightly more exciting when Reese threw up in the car about one hour into the trip. Poor Zoey was a bit traumatized and our rental had a wonderful smell the rest of our time in CT. 

Fortunately it didn't keep Zoey away forever and we didn't spend a lot of time in the car. We took a hike and spent some time at Hammonasset State Park, which means a lot to this landlocked state family. It was definitely cold, but the girls enjoyed hopping on rocks and hanging out with each other.

We even managed to grab a good family picture, which took a little bit of time because of Reese's goofiness. And Callie wouldn't let Sarah be the only one to get some real estate on the rock. Any time she can showcase her height in comparison to her mom she jumps at the opportunity.

These five just so happened to be sitting next to each other at our Christmas dinner celebration, take 17. We obviously had to make sure we got a good photo of the original five who started this expanded family. They are still looking good after all these years.

Because we don't get back to Madison all that often we try and make sure we spend as much quality time with family and friends as possible. It's hard to get dedicated time with everyone, but the Skoniczny family certainly gets top priority. The girls never complain about this because they love spending time with Ella, Ethan, and Eli. What better reason to get together than celebrating the new year. This year the celebration included an epic nerf gun battle in the basement. Everyone was involved and there was the right balance of intensity and eye protection. After their initial hesitance both Callie and Reese got into it and we brought in 2020 in style.

The action didn't stop there, however, and we were lucky to have the chance to see the UConn Women's Basketball team play in Hartford. The whole family made the trip up to see this legendary team in action, and it was a fun outing and certainly one that we hope to repeat in the future.

Nana Banana and Sport are big time UConn fans, so this was not their first game by a long shot. But they were especially excited about being able to share the experience with their granddaughters. And both Callie and Reese appreciate watching women's college basketball even more now that they have seen quite a few games in Lexington.

Since we hadn't yet gotten a picture of all the grandchildren with their grandparents, we chose what we thought was the perfect setting. This is a great group of folks right here, and it is so cool to see how well they all get along.

The grandkids even displayed a willingness to recreate a picture from years' past. Not sure whose idea it was, but everyone gave a good effort at trying to capture their persona from that years before. The only one who had real trouble was Zoey, who needed to be crying if she was going to be true to the past. But Zoey was just too happy to get into that headspace. We're okay with that and can't wait until we all get to be together again.
 

Christmas Day

Christmas morning finally arrived, and as always we appreciate the fact that Callie and Reese like to sleep in. As you can see in the background of our traditional top of the stairs picture, the sun was shining bright by the time the girls were ready to start the unwrapping process. John made sure the Christmas tree lights were on and that Santa had done his job, and the fun commenced.

Obviously the stockings are the first items that Callie and Reese choose to address. And we know that their grandparents would be happy to hear that Reese in particular is always very happy to see the toothpaste and other toiletries that Santa chooses to put in the stocking each year. There is a strong tradition of practical Santa on both sides of the family.

The big gift for the girls this year from John and Sarah (that's right, Santa is not allowed to get credit for the good stuff) was a Nintendo Switch gaming system. We are not a big gaming family, so it took some research to figure out what would be best. But we are pretty sure we made the right call. And Callie was into the FIFA soccer game right away.

Once we had relaxed for a bit and enjoyed some family time we welcomed over the Abrahams and the Johnsons to hang out for the afternoon. We had such a good time that the only picture we have is Sarah doctoring Kelly's finger while Seth is doing dishes in the background. We didn't realize Kelly was so squeamish about blood. It may seem like a strange picture to end on, but in many ways this sums up a great deal about why we feel so at home in Lexington. We have some great friends and are lucky that they are part of our built extended family.

More Christmas Celebrations

In the midst of all the Christmas cheer we were able to schedule an evening with the wine club. We are now in our tenth year of wining, talking, and laughing, which means these kids have grown to know each other very well. They have a great time together, even if the older kids spend a little too much time on their phones these days.

The really older kids get along quite well too. We are a quirky group of folks, but by this point we are familiar with all of those quirks and still love getting together as often as possible. Every gathering leads to a whole lot of great conversations and good times.

The past couple of years we have made a gift exchange a part of our evening. The kids are part of the deal too, and they can get pretty cut throat in the stealing portion. Reese still doesn't forgive Zach for stealing the gift that she had her heart set on. There's always next year!

We always love going to the Christmas Eve service at First Presbyterian Church, and this year Callie got to be part of the service by lighting the candles while Vivie read the opening words. It seems like every day provides a new reminder that our kids are getting older. And it is always wonderful to see how comfortable they are in our church community.

After Sarah dried her eyes from crying during the singing of Silent Night that ends the service, we managed to get a good family picture among all the beautiful decorations. Nights like these reaffirm our decision to stay in Lexington for Christmas every year.

It just so happened that our annual tape ball evening with the Abrahams fell on Christmas Eve and John, Callie, and Reese spent some time making sure all of the numbers were in good shape. It's always important to have the numbers properly covered in tape so they don't fall victim to the aggressive ripping strategies of the assembled masses.

We ate dinner quickly so that we could get right to the business of tape ball. There are a couple of questions that arise each year. First, did John use too much tape and will that make the ripping part last far too long? Second, will some child cry during either the ripping or the stealing portion of the evening? Fortunately the second question has become less relevant as the years go by.

Once the fun begins, all bets are off and the shouting starts in earnest. As demonstrated here, Callie tries to roll a 6 so that she can start ripping. Meanwhile, Reese works as hard as possible to get some kind of hold that will allow her to rip off a portion of the ball. The facial expression says it all.

This year the evening of tape ball also provided the opportunity to get to know the new Associate Pastor for our church. Nothing like a good secular event like tape ball to show why we need to go to church more. Linda is a great sport, though, and she even stole the sweater pictured here. Reese was the initial owner of it, because of course the youngest could not resist the temptation of the biggest present. So when Linda stole it she made Reese's Christmas. And as more evidence of how cool Linda is, she sent us all a picture of her wearing the sweater while getting on her flight to Virginia on Christmas morning.

Reese's Glow Birthday

Although we decorate for Christmas before Reese's birthday is celebrated, we try and stop all holiday activities to spotlight the birthday girl and ensure that the holiday festivities don't merge too much with her birthday wishes. However one tradition which is pretty cool is that our elf Sam always kicks off the party with birthday greetings from the tree.

It doesn't mean that we ignore our decorations of course, and when it is fitting we are more than willing to incorporate them into the birthday scene. This year Reese chose to have a glow-themed party filled with a variety of activities. Each glowing ball ornament had a specified activity for a specific time of night. It was fun throughout the night to open a glowing orb to find out what was next.

We don't like to reinvent the wheel if we don't have to, so first up was a series of Minute to Win It challenges, which you might recall from Callie's 9th birthday party. The first challenge was getting an oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. Needless to say we had no one complete the task, but everyone did enjoy the cookie in the end.

Next on the list was a task where the contestant used a small plastic spoon to move ping pong balls from a small bowl to a cup. This task took a little time for the players to get used to, but most did quite well. Since we only did half the group at a time we also appreciated the cheerleading and support provided by those not engaged in the challenge. It is a sweet group of girls.

The ping pong balls continued to be the focus of another challenge. This time the girls had to bounce ping pong balls so that they would settle into the square contraption you see pictured here. They had to see how many they could get in a minute. Easier said then done, that's for sure.

Perhaps the most entertaining challenge of the evening was the good old Junk in the Trunk. A tissue box filled with ping pong balls was strapped around the waist and when the music started each contestant had to shake those balls out of the box without using her hands. There was a whole lot of shaking and a lot of creative contortions involved.

And no contest worth its salt ends without an awards ceremony. We had candy bar medals for all who participated and fortunately everyone was happy with the tasty treat they ended up with. The games were over but the party was just getting started.

It's pretty amazing how many different glowing things you can buy when you start looking. Here the girls got to create everything from glowing bounce balls to headbands to bracelets to glasses. They had a blast putting it all together.

And once the lights went out it was quite a sight to see. But it didn't end there. With the assistance of Callie and her friend Maddie, the girls learned a dance routine designed to show off their glow gloves in a lights out performance. All night long Callie and Maddie were fantastic assistants, and they definitely helped ease the anxiety of hosting six 9-year-olds for a sleepover.

Of course the star of the show was Reese, who we still cannot believe is 9 years old. We used to write full on evaluations of the girls when they were younger, but their lives now are so crammed full of activities that we are just trying to keep up with them these days. Let's just say that Reese is an energetic, enthusiastic, loving, smart, bundle of sweetness who makes our lives better every single day. We are so fortunate to be her parents.

And Reese is fortunate to have a good group of friends like these. At the end of the evening they grabbed a whole bunch of popcorn and candy and settled in to watch the movie Elf. It was a great night  and the girls were all wonderful guests. Another fun birthday in the books!