Vertical Basketball

Landon had a great season of Vertical basketball (his last year 😔).  He played for the Thunder and Matt coached.  He definitely improved as the season went on.  He made several baskets most games and did a great job on defense.  He loves playing basketball and every Saturday, we were there to cheer him on.  He also had grandparents and an aunt and cousins at most games too!

Back row: Eli, Caden, Tim, Landon,
Front row: Kian, Moses, Peyton

Near the end of the season, NMC put on a Family Fun Night with bounce houses, roller skating, games, and free food.  The kids went off with their friends and just checked in every once in awhile, so we got to talk with other parents.  They had a great time....but I didn't get many pictures, except of Emmy roller skating for the 2nd time in her life!

Christmas Celebrations

Christmas is such a magical time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It was so nice to have Nate and Sara here this year to celebrate.  We all went to church together and got pictures beside the huge Christmas tree in the narthex.

Our "perfect" tree! :) 

On Christmas Eve day, we always go to the Hahn's for a brunch and to spend the day.  We had a nice time eating, playing games, talking, going to the Christmas Eve church service, and just being together.

Landon and Emmy were so excited to be asked to be a junior groomsman and bridesmaid in Nate and Sara's wedding!  Emmy said it was her favorite gift of all! :)

Then that evening, the kiddos had to open their new Christmas pjs, get Santa's cookies and milk ready, and say goodbye to their elf, Tricky, for another year.

Emerson picked out bracelets and charms for all of the special ladies in her life and wrapped them up.  She has such a giving heart!  Mine has  a mom charm, palm tree, flip flops, and sunglasses!

Christmas morning, the kids were actually quiet until 7:30 when they insisted we get up so they could open presents!

Emmy got a school set for her American Girl doll and Landon got a Madden '19 NFL video game.

They were also excited about the illustrated books of Harry Potter.  We are reading through them together (currently we are on book 5....which is taking us literally FOREVER to finish...it's long!) but Landon said he wanted to start reading them on his own too.

We went to the Clarks for lunch and got to spend time with my side of the family.

Emerson got a camper for her dolls, which she loves!

The kids enjoyed helping Caleb and Brooklyn open presents too.

Phew!  Well, I think that is all for our December!  It is always such a busy time, but I look forward to spending time with family and friends and watching the kids get so excited.  Especially Emerson!  She always talks for days about how she can't wait for Christmas!  I hope you all enjoyed the holiday as well!

Another Eaglebots Win, Matt's Birthday, and Christmas Concerts

The Eaglebots did it again!  Got 1st and 2nd place in their second tournament on Dec. 1 with a combined high score in the state!  It is so fun to watch all their hard work pay off.  Congrats!

We also celebrated Matt's 41st birthday!  He is so special to our family so we were happy to celebrate him!

We have been going to Nappanee Missionary Church since August, but the kids REALLY wanted to take part in the Christmas Play at Union Center.  So, for most of October and November they had practices on Wednesday and Saturday.  They both played the part of toy farmers in a toy shop.

The kiddos did a great job and the set was amazing as always!

They didn't have big parts, but they enjoyed being a part of the production.

2 days after the church performance was the school concert.  Emerson had several lines that she had auditioned for.  She did a great job speaking.  This will probably be her area of expertise!  She's a great performer!

After the concert

Basketball, Snow, and Serving

Landon always wants to do ALL the camps/sports/whatever is offered through the school, so he had fun doing the Panther Baskeball camp for 4 nights.

Last Friday (Nov. 9th), we had our first snowfall of the year.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to make meals with NMC for Feed My Starving Children.  We worked together to fill bags of food to be delivered all over the world.  It's always a great time serving others as a family!

Cousin Time and Dawning Generation Clinic

We also got to watch Caleb and Brooklyn the same weekend.  We went to church at mom and dad's church to celebrate the ending of their vbs.

 We also got to go to the Fall Fest at the Davis's church where there were carnival games, blow up slides, yummy food, and candy.  Poor Caleb only got a short nap so he wasn't too happy,  but I think everyone else had a good time.

 Emmy went to the dawning generation clinic on a Saturday morning where she learned a song/dance to perform at the concert the following Tuesday.  She enjoyed being on stage.