February in Review

This has been a busy (and trying) few weeks! First of all, one of my dearest friends from newlywed/graduate school days moved back to our neck of the woods! We had been trying for months to find a good time for a few of our families (from the newlywed days) to get together for dinner, and we finally did! Our 5 couples have now expanded by 16 children! We were very thankful to God that the weather was nice, so our little ones could play OUTSIDE! ;)

The day after our get together, Bryon left for a week in Las Vegas. We were bummed to not have him home with us for Valentine's Day, but the kids made me feel very special, and I found several versions of "Roses are Red" all over the house! This one was courtesy of Thomas:
Tuesday after Valentine's, Matthew started complaining that his head hurt. He woke up on Wednesday with a fever. This was a surprise, since he hadn't had a fever since he was a kindergartner! I could tell by his eyes that he had the flu. When I told him my suspicion (which was later confirmed by the doctor), he bawled. Not because of the flu, but he was so worried that he wouldn't get to play in his basketball tournament that weekend. His doctor knows Matthew well, and assured him that he would be able to play in short bursts for the games. It was nice having Matthew home with me. I have never had a child miss more than one day of school at a time, so I enjoyed my extra alone time with Matthew. On Thursday night, Bryon came home. I have never been more excited to see him! After our crazy week, I was again reminded of what a sweet and helpful husband I have.

No sooner had his plane hit the ground, Bryon had to get ready for the 5th and 6th grade basketball tournament. Bryon coaches the kids in Upwards basketball, and he put together a "Dream Team" of the 5th and 6th grade boys and girls that we get to watch each week. Poor Matthew wasn't quite himself, but he managed to drain his first 3 pointer while playing on the 6th grade team! We were very proud of him, and I was thrilled that he got a little playing time in (7 games!) even though he didn't feel great. No one can ever question Matthew's tenacity! ;)

In the middle of the tournament, Thomas went to the first annual UIL elementary meet for various academic events. Thomas was one of 4 third graders at our school to quality for the spelling event. He didn't place, but had a great time!

Thomas has dealt with digestive issues for many years. We now think he has an intolerance to dairy, and has stayed away from milk, cheese, and high sugar foods. I have been so proud of his sweet spirit about the whole thing, and he has even lost 5-7 pounds! We assured him that he didn't need to lose weight, that he was perfect how he was, but it has been so nice to see him feeling so much better!
Curly top....You can't keep a good curl down! Typical Mary Beth after school...

Mary Beth loves to drink water out of my espresso cups! ;)
Outside playing "HORSE" or "PIG" with his Daddy.
This past week was Jump Rope For Heart. Mary Beth came home with a jump rope, and she hasn't stopped jumping, or yelling "Mama! Watch this!" since!


Oh, the frustration and jubilation of jump roping!
After a weekend of 9 basketball games (one of which I coached!) , Bryon's entire family coming up for the day, UIL spelling meet, and hosting book club, Bryon had to go to Austin on Monday! This would normally be no big deal, except for the fact that we had 2 piano practices, 3 soccer practices, and 3 basketball practices (not to mention Bunco that I had to miss. Still a little bitter. ;) ! Out of the goodness of his heart, Bryon cancelled one of the basketball practices, but it was quite a night! There is always one week where basketball and soccer overlap, but having all the practices happen to be on the same night has never happened! Mary Beth and I got to watch Matthew practice last night.

It was good to see my boy back playing soccer! I adore the sport, and it makes me happy to see him running around with shin guards on! Well, we survived our crazy 1 1/2 weeks, and we are looking forward to the last weekend of Upwards this weekend