Micah's Birthday

 For years now, if we ask Micah how he wants to celebrate his birthday, he always answers, "Go skiing". So for his 18th birthday weekend, we rented a house near Holiday Valley in New York and went skiing the the Oysters. It was fabulous!

The house was a lot of fun. It had a game room that all the kids spent a lot of time enjoying and a hot tub. There was plenty of space for all of us to eat together and hang out watching the winter Olympics. We had great weather and snow conditions. It got warm enough the second day that the kids were ditching their coats, but not so warm that it got slushy.

Scott enjoyed some quiet time in the lodge, while the rest of us skied together in a variety of different groupings. We would meet back up for food and breaks. Matthew needed a few runs to get warmed up, then was skiing better than he ever has before. The three older boys loved finding paths in the woods or doing jumps, and they were excited that the double-black diamond called "The Wall" was open on the second day. There was also quite a bit of racing and other shenanigans and fun. 

Carter, Jackson, and Micah in the first chair, followed by McKinley, Matthew, and Hannah 

These two cuties stayed together the whole time

Matthew and I happened to cross paths with Ryan and the boys at the top of a lift

This tree-lined blue trail was my favorite.

The younger three didn't follow our directions on a run, and ended up having to make a long trek along flat ground. They were a little tired. :) 

We were the first group on the lift on Sunday!

Dressed alike and without glasses, I think they could pass as twins!

Micah at 18 years old:

- Future plans: going to Grove City College next year to study "something with business and/or math"

- Favorite foods: muffins and rolls

- Favorite friends: Carter, Jackson, Ryan P.

- TV show/movies he enjoys: White Collar, Psych

- Uses his free time to: skiing, games

The End of Youth Basketball

 Except for a fun Cavs event in a couple of weeks, basketball is done. Matthew missed a tournament with his team while we were skiing, but they managed to win without him! (The only other time his team has won a tournament was when we were skiing in Colorado two years ago. 😅) Then for their final tournament of the season, they fought their way through some challenging games and ended as runners-up. Not a bad way to end!

Another day, another incredibly tall 12-year-old...

This team has been such a great experience for the past three years - wonderful coaches and great kids. They may not have much height, but they make up for it in hard work and perseverance! Even people outside the team have commented on their mental toughness and determination. 

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

Some Basketball Pictures and Videos

 Free Throw Video

More Free Throws

Matthew boxing out (and then tripping over his teammate's foot)

Just one example (of many) of playing against much taller and bigger kids. 

Hard to believe these boys are all the same grade!

both 6th grade travel teams

End of December and Most of January

 Miss Jen took Hannah and Gwen out to celebrate their baptisms this fall.

We talked about having people over for New Year's Eve, but decided to take advantage of the snowy weather and go skiing instead (then watch some football and go to bed at a reasonable time). 

The Oysters came and joined us! (Jackson not pictured, but he was there.)

Hannah and McKinley

Each kid took a turn making dinner over break. Micah's chicken shawarma was delicious!

We got to play with Kensleigh one day.

Our annual small group Christmas party was missing several people due to germs and schedules. And the only picture I took was of my buttercream charcuterie board. 

Scott left the party early to fly to Florida. Our church's college ministry does a retreat, and they asked Scott to come teach. 

A nearby town had a "coffee walk", so I bribed the teenagers to hang out with me.

Lots of basketball games...

Last weekend was my annual suite retreat. We went back to the finger lakes in New York, and stayed in a lovely place. As usual, we had an absolutely wonderful time. 

Coach Becking

 Our community lost a very special man right after Christmas to an unexpected and sudden death. Josh Becking has been one of Matthew's football coaches since second grade. He also coaches basketball (not Matthew's team, but both teams practice together) and baseball. Basically, if you're a sixth grade boy in Tallmadge who plays a sport, you knew Josh. He was incredibly positive and intentional with the boys. He was selfless with his time and energy and was a man of great character. We are so grateful for the time we had with him and the influence he was in Matthew's life. 

The boys are wearing his name on their sleeve for every game.