Certain days on the calendar are usually pretty plain, but the first Tuesday in February ended up being really neat. I took Danny back to the orthopedic and he was cleared to play basketball that afternoon. Then after getting him to school and doing some housework I got to work out with Michelle’s friend’s mom, K, for the first time. I was laughing at how much stronger I was on my right side than my left side. Was I like that before my surgery too? I was able to go grocery shopping, eat lunch, and get ready for my evening before my high school girls got home. Since Hubby wasn’t feeling well, Michelle volunteered to make sure she and Natalie got dinner (I taught her how to cook hamburger patties) and walk with Natalie over to the middle school and I would meet them there after the basketball game. Hooray for Michelle stepping in! She had already volunteered to help tune violas before Natalie’s orchestra concert and attend but I was sure grateful Michelle was willing to flip parties too. I love home games! These boys played well against a very difficult team. The fact they lost 70-73 was actually pretty impressive considering how much this team had beat other teams in our school district by previously.
My parents were able to join us for the amazing as usual middle school orchestra concert! The progress these students make in only a few months is incredible. My favorite piece this time was performed by the 6th graders called The Abandoned Funhouse. So creepy and entertaining. They did such a good job. Photo credit goes to the principal. He saw me taking a photo and offered to let me get in the group. We are so lucky to have him in charge of our middle school. And we are so lucky to have Mrs. F as our orchestra director, so when she announced she would be helping with her daughter’s Capstone Project fundraiser at Coldstone after the concert we had to go! So yes, I had dairy free ice cream for dinner but thanks to Michelle, she and Natalie got to have ice cream for dessert.
Wednesday meant school and work, basketball practice, and a cute painting activity for Natalie’s Young Women’s class.
And then on Friday were the big games against our closest rivals so a lot was at stake. Hubby was feeling better so he stayed for both the JV and Varsity games but Natalie and I went home after cheering on at the JV game. I couldn’t take the stress! I was convinced a fight would break out at some point and my son would be right in the middle. Luckily I was wrong and his team ended up going out to eat to celebrate the varsity win together.
Saturday night Kate had a sleepover at a friend’s house and posted this beautiful picture on Instagram. Meanwhile, I we had four middle school girls at our house. Pizza for dinner it is! They are such a nice group of girls I couldn’t say no when they asked me at work on Friday! They seemed to have a great time. I have a picture of them playing pioneer but I promised not to post it online. Let’s just say I was so impressed with their creativity and teamwork and delighted to see middle schoolers be able to have god old fashioned screen free fun.
Oh my goodness, what a basketball game! I rarely get upset with referee calls because I am grateful to them for even showing up, but our games against one of our rivals sure taught me that even I can be so upset I can’t sleep at night. Let’s just say I felt like my son’s team was playing against both the other team and the refs. Case in point: one of our best players had an opponent constantly egging him on and at one point pulled our guy on top of him, fell to the ground, and called out, “ref, get him off me!” and our guy got a technical for it. 4 out of our 5 varsity players fouled out (usually only one does) and none of the other team. And they were playing just as aggressive as we were if not more. Both our JV and our Varsity lost by only 2 points in both games. Considering the officiating, I was proud of those scores. And if you look closely at the team huddle photo, you’ll see Kate in the stands cheering the basketball team on.
One last special thank you to my mom. She saved the day by not only providing flowers for Natalie at her orchestra concert but also gave all my children Valentine’s Day gifts. I had been so focused on the day to day and our upcoming trip that I had completely forgotten to mark the day with those I love. (Dan and I had agreed to celebrate later since he wasn’t feeling well.) Thank you, Mom, for making your grandchildren feel so loved!
Comments