Quick Winter Snapshot

It's March and the winter was no big deal this year. 

We had more sunny blue skies than I can ever remember. 

Perhaps this has something to do with global warming! ..I'll take it!

We started off the month of January getting back into the swing of things in school. The boys were really enthusiastic about a STEAM bridge project. They selected some bridges to study around Portland. The teacher in me wanted them to actually see the bridges first hand, so I took them on a special bridge excursion. 

 

The Tillikum Crossing pedestrian bride 

Quick stop at Bonneville Dam to see Herman the Sturgeon at the fish hatchery

"The Bridge of the Gods" in Cascade Locks

Basketball games and practices filled many of our afternoons and weekends. Evelyn played basketball for the first time. Everyone was truly surprised it was her first season. All her aggression and strong will pays off!

John coached the boys' team again. They had a very successful season, struggling a bit in the end, as they were placed in a higher bracket for the playoffs. 

The most exciting game happened in the first playoff game when they played a team and went into overtime. The game was won in the final 3 seconds when Jack made a 3 point shot as the buzzer went off. 

A DQ celebration was earned. 

 

I also learned that chess is considered a sport. Caleb wanted to join the chess team, so with a little carpooling and life juggling to make it all work, he was able to compete in his first ever tournament. 

Sitting at this tournament introduced me to a whole new world. I am trying to learn this game but I am still so overwhelmed and confused by the strategies and rules. It is like a foreign language. However, I want to support Caleb in this, so I will sit, confused all day at a tournament.

The second weekend in February brought the "Daddy-Daughter Dance," a beloved tradition at the school. The theme this year was "candy land," thus Evelyn had to get a dress to match it. Her rainbow dress proved to be a hit. 

The dance fell on the boys' 11th birthday. However, that didn't stop me from making sure they got a proper celebration which included a haircut, dinner at Panda Express and Crumbl Cookie. 

Perhaps the best birthday gift was the snow that fell later that week. 

It last a mere 48 hours, but the kids took advantage of every single second of it!

 

before it was all gone...

Valentine's Day was spent on a fun double date down town at a comedy show and dinner. 

 

Evelyn and I also hosted a "Galentines Day" party for the 7th grade girls. We had a pasta dinner and played some fun games. Evelyn was very intentional on how she set up and organized the space. She wrote out cards for each girl at the party. 

The first weekend in March our dear friends from Ohio came into town for a visit.  We went to a Timbers game.

The weekend was filled with food, fellowship and fun. 

There is so much that happens in the day to day, but a few small snapshots hopefully highlighted some of the big events. 

Onward to SPRING!!!