More Basketball

This time it's David's turn to be in the spotlight! I so rarely post things about David or myself that I think it's about time to show that David and I do have somewhat of a life other than tagging along after the kids. For the first three months of the year the kids and I look forward to Thursday nights when we get to watch David play in his church basketball games. So far this year David's team has been playing really well and are undefeated.


Of course I think David is fabulous and always does such a great job. David, however, is not too thrilled about me taking pictures of him while shooting...I guess the flash was a bit of a distraction. Oh, well.
Go, David!

The Honor Roll

For earning all A's and B's on her report card, Savannah made the Honor Roll. We're obviously very proud of her for this great accomplishment and hope that she will continue to work towards such good grades throughout her school years.

He Finally Got One!

The Pierce family had a fun weekend in sports! Savannah and Xander both scored 2 goals in their teams' wins this past weekend but the truly big excitement happened in Xander's basketball game. Yes, it's true, after about 8 games Xander finally scored his first basket! He was standing all alone under the basket, got the pass from his teammate, turned and shot. I was cheering so loudly after his basket that the other parents probably thought I was a crazy woman. Xander has just come so far this season, from really not understanding a thing about the game, not even dribbling, and now he's moving around, trying to get open, fighting for the ball, and running after rebounds. After the game his coach recognized him for his first basket and said, "It feels good, doesn't it? Now you'll have to get me some more."

A team meeting before the game.

Playing a little defense. Gotta love the shorts!

Down on the floor, fighting for that ball! Just a few games ago he would have just let the other guy have it.

I recently got a new lens for my camera so I love that I can now just sit up in the bleachers and zoom in to take a shot rather than getting as close to the floor as possible. Still working on the ins and outs of it, though, so some pictures have turned out a little blurry.

Get that ball, Xander!

Our Wacky Weather

We have been having the wackiest winter out here in Maryland. The weather is up and down, cold then warm. Some days we need the heavy coat, hat, and gloves, the next the kids grab a light jacket that they shed midway through the day. The kids have been taking full advantage of the nice sunny days to play outside, riding their bikes and scooters to their hearts' content!

Valentine's Day

Ahhh, Valentine's Day, the day of love. My kids, as always with a holiday, were very excited. They put together all their valentines for their classmates, without treats, of course, since that is not allowed anymore. I keep waiting for the letter to come home that says no more exchanging of valentines is allowed! Despite all these restrictions the kids still enjoy the celebrations at school, especially Noah since he's the one who really gets to party.
The first station at his preschool party was the beanbag toss;

enjoying the prize with a few of his friends.

Noah got to make a beautiful tissue flower for me. Notice those bald patches in his hair where he recently tried to give himself a hair cut? He also gave himself a lip cut which took 40 minutes to stop the bleeding but that's a story for a different day.

So pretty!

Noah with his teacher Miss Carol who happened to be his "lunch" Valentine. She had colored a picture of the two of them...LOVE his teachers!

Sugar overload on the rice krispie treat...I think Noah dumped a whole bottle of sprinkles on his. I got a sick stomach just looking at the mounds of candy and sugar heaped on that thing.

And finally the craft, a lovely heart hand print thingy. Noah was so proud and kept telling me to take pictures of him working on it.

All day Noah kept wishing everyone Happy Thanksgiving despite my repeated reminders that it was actually Valentine's Day. As Xander was going through his valentines he was extremely upset to discover he had received a Princess one, a Tinkerbell one, and, worst of all, a Twilight card!!! Heaven forbid! These were quickly given to Savannah. Savannah came home from school on cloud nine because the boy at school that she likes confessed his adoration for her as well. These kids are always making me laugh!
For our family we had a fun little Valentines celebration: a yummy dinner, some candy for dessert,

and even some soda which is how we got Noah to clean his room before dinner. No clean room, no soda! I haven't seen him clean his room so quickly and so well...ever!

The kids also received little coupons good for getting out of a chore, a trip to the ice cream store with just mom, and a special afternoon treat.

The day after Thanksgiving? I mean Valentine's Day? Noah still has a little red soda mustache!

How to Make a Gumball Machine

Savannah's big "How To" project was due today and she was so excited to present what she had made. I had found a gumball machine project on www.ohcrafts.net and when I showed it to Savannah she quickly agreed that this was what she wanted to make!

For her project Savannah not only had to make something but she had to outline in detail the steps one must take to put the project together.
First, Savannah spray painted a terra cotta pot, base, wooden ball, and wooden wheel, an activity that would have been much easier if it wasn't freezing and wet outside. Purple was her color of choice.

After everything had dried Savannah flipped the terra cotta pot upside down and glued a bubble bowl to it.

Next she glued a wooden ball to the bottom of the terra cotta base.

She then glued the wooden wheel to the terra cotta pot to resemble an opening.

Pour in the bubblegum...

tie a fun, colorful ribbon around the pot...

and there you have it, your very own gumball machine!

She also made a poster display with a supply list, a step-by-step outline, and pictures of the process. Way to go, Savannah!

The Reading Machine

This past week Savannah had her first book club meeting. She, along with about 8 other 4th graders, met to discuss their favorite books as well as select some books to read over the next few months. Savannah is so excited to belong to The Reading Machine, the name the kids picked for their club. First up on the reading list - The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.

A Little Time with my Girl

Finally! After 4 long years the golden ticket arrived! Okay, so it was actually more a white ticket but it allowed me to attend Pastries for Parents with Savannah, something I have never been selected to do in all the time she has been attending elementary school. (I've been both years so far with Xander.) Unfortunately David had to work so Noah tagged along and he decided to make it quite difficult for Savannah and I to enjoy some Mother/Daughter bonding time. Oh, well...Savannah handled it with grace as she does everything else. She even read to Noah and shared her muffins. What a sweet girl I have!

Way to Go, Noah!

I love Noah's preschool! I love his teachers, I love the kids, I love the kids' parents, I love the field trips, I love that he gets to go swimming, I love pink/purple/plaid day as well as Pajama/Pizza Day, I love JOBS on Fridays as well as Belly/Book Time that I get to spend with him, I love the parties, and I love all the crafts. I could go on and on but I'll spare you the long list. Definitely the most important thing I love about his preschool is that Noah is learning! For some odd reason that I can't figure out Noah does not want to listen to me when I try to teach or instruct him. Crazy kid, huh? But Noah has no problem learning new things from Miss Kelly and Miss Carol. Recently the kids in his class were recognized for the different accomplishments they have completed so far this year. Noah received a medal for each area of completion: knowing shapes and colors, writing his first and last name, knowing all 26 Upper Case letters, knowing all 26 Lower Case Letters, and knowing numbers 1-10. Obviously I am extremely proud of him and wanted to take a picture of his medals. One picture quickly became a photo shoot.



That's my cute Noah!