Organized basketball

I have to start this post with a little back story . . . my parent's have a lot of our old sports memorabilia at their house. So on one recent visit, the kids and I were checking it all out - there were trophies, baseballs, pictures, etc. Everything was great until Lauren saw this one photo of me where I was crying. The picture was taken my senior year during the final home game out at SDSU (which we lost by the way) so obviously I was sad. But that didn't make sense to Lauren - she didn't get why I would be sad if I was playing basketball. So I made it really simple for her . . . I said I was sad because that was the last time I played basketball. Well, her little mind started going and she said, "I'll play basketball with you so you can be happy again" - sometimes I wish everyone thought like a 3 year old, things would be so much easier. Anyway, we talked about it a little more and decided that one day we would play basketball together so I could be happy again. Well, after that, I thought she had dropped everything and would just forget about the whole conversation and the picture, but to my surprise, she didn't. In fact, she pointed that picture out every time she visited Grandma and Grandpa's house and talked about why I was sad - apparently she was very concerned about me.

So there is the background, and now onto this weekend. About a month ago, one of my former high school teammates (basketball teammate) mentioned that she was putting together an Alumni game. I wasn't too thrilled about the idea until she kept hounding me and saying that I should, "do it for my kids - they would really like it." It wasn't until she said that, and I had another round of concern from Lauren (after seeing "the picture" again at Grandma and Grandpa's house) that I decided she was right, I should play. After all, there was nothing to lose (except maybe my breathe), and lots to gain . . . get some exercise, see old friends, and most importantly, give Lauren the chance to watch me be happy again - what a good deal! So I laced up my shoes (running shoes, I don't even own basketball shoes anymore), and hit the floor. The game turned out to be a little more than I expected (there were only 10 players which meant no subs, and lots and lots of running), and other than losing (the teams were a little lopsided if you ask me - Jen? Jodi?), it was great! The best part though was seeing how excited the kids were about everything. Ryan helped me warm up by "bounding" (apparently he thought it was called "bounding" and not "rebounding") the ball for me. And throughout the game both kids ran down to bring me my water, or just stand by me for morale support - whatever the reason, it was just great to have them there. The highlight of the night though had to be the short car ride back to my parent's place. Lauren looked at me from her car seat and with a big smile said, "Mom, you happy again?" I of course smiled back and answered with a great big "YES" (hopefully this means an end to looking at "the picture" for a while). Then Ryan chimed in with, "Mom, maybe you could give me some tips on playing basketball sometime." And, "You're the best basketball player ever." Seriously, what's not to love about that? And yes, maybe they are a little biased, but I'll take it! I guess I didn't realize how different (and neat maybe) it would be for Ryan and Lauren (Ellie was there as well, but she had no comment on the whole thing) to see me doing something other than just being their Mom. Most days I cook, clean, and play (Barbies, not basketball) - this weekend they saw me run, jump (or should I say, attempt to jump) and shoot hoops (Lauren's new favorite saying) - I'm sure that was a crazy experience for them.

I guess this means Jodi (the organizer of the event) doesn't have to wonder whether or not I'll play next year - if the kids are half as excited as they were this time around, I'm a shoe in.

Beyond basketball, Trav had another household improvement accomplishment today . . . he installed a new faucet in the kitchen sink. There were some minor glitches and a few f-bombs dropped along the way, but all in all, it was a pretty decent 3 and 1/2 hours (that includes a shopping trip to Lowe's for supplies because the plumbing was all screwed up). And when it was all done, the faucet worked, the sprayer worked, and most importantly, there were no leaks!! Yeah for Trav! And I, being the wonderful wife that I am, rewarded him with some nice warm tacos from Taco John's at roughly 8pm (the end time for the completed project) - at this house, you don't get fed until the job is done!

Ellie finally gets outside

Today was a nice (by MN standards) day so I decided it was time to get Ellie out in the snow and she what she thought. And as with most things, she loved it! I put her in the baby sled so Lauren could pull her around and although she was strapped in, she managed to wiggle herself almost out - guess that is enough sledding for the day. After that, we (Ellie and I) just sat on the big snow pile and watched the big kids run and play. Occasionally Ryan or Lauren would stop by and say "hi" which was just enough to keep Ellie smiling and entertained. About 20 minutes into the fun, Ellie's checks were getting pretty red so I took her inside and left her with Trav while Ryan, Lauren and myself enjoyed the snow a little longer. We finished off our afternoon with hot cocoas and cartoons - not too shabby.

Christmas 2010, Part 2

So "Christmas, Part 2" started around 1:00pm on Christmas Day. This is when we packed up the kids and headed south to Grandma and Grandpa Quast's house. By the time we arrived, the rest of the crew was already there so the party was in full swing. And it wasn't long after our arrival that another special guest stopped in for a visit - check it out.

Apparently Ellie isn't a fan of the guy in the big red suit! Once Santa left, we sat down to open more presents (two days of presents has to be every kid's dream!). The kids once again walked away with some great gifts - Barbies, games, legos, clothes, you name it, they got it! The rest of the day was spent eating (a common thread for Christmas Part 1 and 2!), chatting, and playing games. Here is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa dancing to the "Monster Mash" on the Just Dance 2 game - those are some sweet moves guys!And here are some more pictures of the kids opening gifts and just hanging out.

Christmas 2010

Christmas was done in two parts this year. First up . . . we hosted the Loken side of the family on Christmas Eve. Mom, Dad, Aaron, Ann and Colton all came over for the day/night for food, fun, and more food - literally, we ate all the time! The afternoon started with appetizers (just the beginning of the food), then we all sat down to open presents - yeah! Everyone made out with some good stuff including a few new Wii games that we played for the next couple of hours. After that we sat down to eat again (by this time I was 3 pounds heavier than I was at the start of the day). Once we finished the meal, we headed back downstairs, and to our surprise, Santa had stopped by! He must have snuck in while we were all busy stuffing our faces - that man has great timing! The kids were excited of course, but when Ryan took one look at the huge present in front of the tree and realized it was Lauren's and not his, he was a little upset. He couldn't figure out why Lauren got the big present and not him, but luckily the thought was a fleeting one and the minute he saw his presents, he was good to go. The highlight of the present opening though was definitely the "Barbie Dream House" Santa brought for Lauren. I'm not sure who was more excited for the big moment, me, or Lauren. She has been talking about getting a Barbie Dream House pretty much everyday for the past few months so I was expecting lots of screaming and jumping when she saw it. But, to my surprise, she pulled off the paper and said matter of factly, "oh, my Barbie Dream House." Really Lauren? Where is the, "oh my gosh I love it!", or the wild screams of excitement because you just got the present of your dreams? None of that here. Apparently the dream house was just given. After all, Lauren had been really good (according to her) in the days leading up to Christmas so I guess it was a sure thing in her book. Regardless of her reaction, she did love it, and has played with it every free minute she has had in the past few days. Ryan also loved his new gifts, especially the Leapster he got - maybe a little too much. When he has that thing in his hands, his ears apparently don't work. He gets so focused on the game that it literally takes me almost standing right in front of him before he realizes I'm talking to him. I'm sensing that Ryan might take after his Daddy in this game playing stuff, and let me tell you, that is not a good thing! Trav could play any random video game for hours - I refuse to let Ryan have the same addiction. That means he better get things under control on his own, or Momma is going to have to step in and set some limits (luckily I can do that with my 5 year old son - too bad I can't do the same with my 32 year husband!). After all the presents were opened, we took some time to Skype with Auntie and Uncle Mike out in California. It was fun to be able to share some of the holiday fun with them even though they weren't able to be here. Luckily their wedding is in less than two weeks though so we'll all see each other soon!

All in all it was a great start to our Christmas festivities. After a good night of sleep and a delicious breakfast the following morning, everyone packed up and headed home. But instead of kicking back and relaxing, Trav and I also packed up and headed out for, "Christmas, Part 2" with the Quast side of the family (details in the next post).

SNOW

It seems like all we've done lately is sit by the window and watch it snow - literally everyday! Once the snow finally quits falling, the kids and Trav usually take care of the shoveling while Ellie and I stay inside where it is warm. But because these past few days have been warm (relatively speaking), I've mustered up the energy to get Lauren outside during the mornings while Ryan is at school (and Ellie is napping) to have some "snow fun." We've climbed mountains (they are mountains to Lauren at least), ran around the cul-de-sac having imaginary sled dog races (she's is the rider, I'm the sled dog), and even built ourselves a nice little snow fort. Lauren has been loving it and it gives me a nice workout so I can't complain either. Here are a couple of snow filled pictures of the kids and Trav hard at work, and some of Lauren having fun.

And here are a few of the girls playing in the basement while Ryan is at school.

Christmas program

Ryan had his school Christmas program on Friday, and boy was he excited! He has been practicing his songs at home for the past couple of weeks and has reminded Trav and I (and pretty much everyone else he has talked to lately) that this Friday was the big day, and that they were all invited to watch him. Well, as it turns out, he had a pretty good following. Two grandmas, one grandpa, two parents and two sisters - not a bad turn out for his first school program (and thanks again to the grandparents for taking time out of their busy days to watch - he loved it). Once we all got ready, we headed out to watch the boy do his thing. Here are a couple of clips from the big event (for some reason the videos are off center - not sure why, but you can still see him so I guess that works).

After the great program, Ryan invited us to join him and his classmates for juice and cookies in the school cafeteria. Here is the singer with some of his followers.

Once everyone was good and full, we headed off to Ryan's classroom so he could show everyone pretty much everything in the room . . . the floor mat that he sits on, the board that they use for "writers workshop", his table, his locker, you name it, we saw it! He loved having all the attention focused on him - go figure! Anyway, it was a great day. Ryan did a super job and we were all so proud of him. Can't wait for many more programs in the years to come!

Christmas card 2010

Here is our Christmas card for 2010. Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope it is a good one.

Love, Travis, Angie, Ryan, Lauren and Ellie