I wasn't sure I was going to meet my goal tonight of posting an entry like I had hoped. But here I am - kids are in bed, kitchen's clean, I'm not totally exhausted yet. The planets aligned, that's all I can say. Maybe this week-by-week plan for my new hobby might just work. :)

Today was a fun day. The kids each received their first pair of ice skates this year for Christmas from Nana and Grandpa, and today was their first day on the ice. What a trip!! Out of the five of us, I'm the only one who has skated before . . . and the last time was when I was 17. (You do the math.) I have to say, I didn't know how many falls on the cold, hard ice the kids would have in them ~ or me for that matter. Well, they LOVED it. Shannon must have fallen over a hundred times ~ or a better description would be every five or six feet. And each and every time she laughed with delight. Emma took to it very quickly and needed very little help at all. JB took a few laps to get his balance down, but once he did he was off and loving it. He even got the whole side-to-side thing down. Do I have a little Apolo Ono on my hands??? We'll see. When the buzzer went off and we had to get off the ice, the kids immediately asked "when can we come back?" So I think it's safe to say we're off and running with a new activity around here. Even daddy enjoyed himself. (Although he was the one with the camera today, so I don't have any evidence.)

This week is a busy one for all of us. It's the first full week back to work and school after Christmas break, but we have a few really cool rewards in store at the end of the week if we survive it. The girls start skating lessons this Saturday and JB will start up again with his lacrosse, but this time in a league. The kids are all stoked about their new activities ~ the excitement around here is electric. On Friday night we have the "Crosstown Showdown" in Rochester. Which is the boys basketball battle between Rochester High (my alma mater) and Adams High (the cross-town rival) played at Oakland University. We went last year (which was the first time they held this event) and we had an absolute blast. They sold out the stadium and we never sat down. Big days all weekend. We'll probably collapse after church on Sunday ~ but with smiles on our faces. :)

Have a great week!

J.