UK 64 - UGA 55

Last Tuesday (February 19th), I had the opportunity to attend my very first Wildcats home game at Rupp Arena. It was a lot of fun - and not just because Kentucky ended up winning!

Look at how fantastic our seats were! They belong to a friend of ours who was nice enough to let us use them since he couldn't. Are we lucky, or what??! Woo hoo!

In addition to a great view of all the action on the court, we also had a direct view of the UK Pep Band. (I really appreciated that part!) While all the band members did their part, none was more energetic or committed to his role than the trumpet player at the end of the uppermost row! He really stood out from all the other band members as one who seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. We (as well as most of the other people close enough to see him) were not only quite amused by all his antics, but also really appreciated his tremendous effort. Keep it up, kid!

Jordi in the Choir

You know how Jordi is about music - she'll gladly participate any chance she gets! Well, Miss Debbie asked Jordi to come play the tambourine and sing in the Youth Choir during the 10:30 service last Sunday. Of course, Jordi eagerly accepted!

We had to be there early for practice. That's Miss Carol, the music director, playing the piano, and cousin Emily sitting beside Jordi.

Caroline was asked to join in, too, on the maracas. Unfortunately, she's "a little shy of the people," so she was only willing to play her instrument out in the hall during practice - and then not at all in front of the congregation!

Showtime! Jordi played the tambourine wonderfully, and we all enjoyed singing along with the children. (Notice that Caroline passed along the maracas to little Steven; he had a great time up there!)

Happy (belated) St. Valentine's Day!

Oops! I find myself a week behind in posting! Oh well, there's only one way to catch up, and that's just to get to it! So - let me pick up where I left off last week...

Three cheers for chocolate! We are all smiling so big because each of us has just received our own box of the delectable stuff!

Here are the girls, showing off their yummy Valentine's gifts from Daddy. No matter how old you are, it always means a lot to get such a wonderful present from that one special guy in your life!

Snow!

By the time we got home from ballet class on Monday, there was about 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground. So, even though bedtime was right around the corner, we decided to bundle up, get outside, and enjoy it!

Here's Caroline in her little play house. For some reason, it seems more appealing to her when it's covered in snow!

It's sad, but true - we don't own even one sled! In light of my NH upbringing, I hate to admit that my girls think this is an acceptable form of sledding!

Here's Jordi, helping Caroline slide down their meager hill. Oh well - there's no denying that they're having a great time, even without sleds. And that's what counts, right? (Although - I promise - next time I post pictures of the girls playing the snow, whether it's later this winter or next, they will have sleds!)

Oranges from Florida

Yesterday, we got a special treat in the mail: a big box of oranges from Papa Jerry! Not just any oranges, either. These were a special delivery of my all-time favorite type of orange, the Florida navel. Usually, this kind of orange is only available in November & December, so I feel very lucky to have a second chance to enjoy their deliciousness!

As you can see here, Caroline shares my love for this citrus fruit. These oranges happen to be very juicy, so it seemed only natural to sip this juice directly from the source! Just roll it around real good to break up the pulp & release the juice, poke a straw directly through the skin, and - voila! - instant orange juice in its own cup!

Shrove Tuesday 2008

Annually on Shrove Tuesday (a.k.a. Mardi Gras), the Men of Calvary host a fun & festive Pancake Supper. This year was no exception! The menu included plain, chocolate chip, blueberry and peanut butter chip pancakes with either traditional maple syrup or warm, homemade blueberry syrup (yes - it's delicious!) and a side of sausage. It was a very tasty meal!

And what's dinner without a show? This magician/balloon guy made his debut last year, and was just as popular this time around. Jordi thought he was wonderful - see how she's holding one of his balloon creations in each hand and another on her head? Well, she had a whole armload by the end of the evening!

Here's Jordi and Steven, one of her little friends at church.

Here's Caroline in her Mardi Gras mask; she put a lot of effort into getting that mask adjusted just right so that she could see out of those teeny-tiny holes!

It was a great evening!

Our Weekend in Lexington

After a month of hunkering down at home, recovering from the hectic holiday season, it was time for a brief family getaway to Lexington. Tim & Judy were returning from their annual trip to Florida, plus Aaron was coming in from Indy, so the timing seemed just right!

Caroline hadn't had a proper haircut in many months, so our first stop on Saturday was Kiddie Kutters. Luckily, Kennisha was on duty, and she gave Caroline another perfectly done and very cute hair cut!

Here's a picture of the girls with one of their souvenir gifts from Nana & Grandad: giant lollipops! Poor Caroline - she had dropped hers a couple times before we opened it, so it fell apart (quite dramatically, I might add!) when she took her first lick. Fortunately, she finally came around and decided to enjoy what was left in the stick!

Finally, what's a visit to Lexington without a stop at Culver's? Gotta love the Butterburger! The best part is that the kids' meals come with a free cup of frozen custard - yum! Please notice that, as you can see in this picture, Jordi ate and actually enjoyed her cold ice cream this time!

Candy Fun

This picture doesn't need much explanation:

Thank you, Muffin, for providing the type of candy treats that little girls think are so neat!