So much basketball this weekend!! Wow, I love their hustle. Both Merit and Willem work so hard. Two years ago, Willem began working especially hard on defense. Rebounding and always right there! He never took a shot, he rarely dribbled out of situations. Offensively he did not add much to the team, defensively he added a ton. Through school ball this past fall and then AAU, he has shown a growth in where he is at offensively.

This last tournament was very fun, the growth evident.

This kid LOVES high school basketball. He is so thankful for the great coaching he gets. He loves his teammates.

FRIDAY NIGHT! ESPN showed up at varsity! (look at these well dressed seniors having some fun!) And it was senior night. Such a special night. I was so teary when I saw those seniors and parents out on the court.

Merit had some buddies over for Super Bowl. Man, teenage boys can eat and I love it! Oren got to do plenty of show boating for the gang. It was a good evening, even though the game was fairly uneventful. Great snacks and wonderful company made the evening. And now I have cheddar broccoli soup on the stove...

I was a bit sad to see January end. January is a month of everything slowing down. There are struggles as January is the anniversary of my nephew's death and my grandma Dorothy's death. I think often of them during the month of January. But sometimes it is good to have a slow month - good for the soul. Our days are full, don't get me wrong and basketball is a commitment. But no gardening or lawn mowing and it being dark by 5 gives us that honker down feeling - it is easier to find time to bake and try new recipes and easier to get to bed on time--  I do love it.

 But cheers to February - the month of LOVE.