Tipping Off Basketball Season

Basketball season is finally underway for the Kennedy kids! Both Emmy and Eli had their first games on Saturday, the 18th, which was a week delayed due to the winter weather. After a month of practicing, everyone was very excited to finally play. Eli's team the Dragons had the first game of the day at 9AM. Eli started strong by bringing the ball up the court, dribbling closer to the basket, and then passing to a teammate. Not long after that, he got the ball again and made the first basket of the game! Yay! It was very exciting...and also short-lived. Within the next few minutes, the player that Eli was assigned to guard scored, and it didn't take long for the tears to start. Eli's understanding of the game is pretty strong, and it was evident that he got upset when his opponent scored. Mind you, this league does not even keep score! The score board showed 0-0 for the entire game! Eli rotated on and off the bench for the remainder of the game, but he did not have any other highlights other than that first minute. Immediately after Eli's game, Emmy's team the Leopards had back-to-back games at 10AM and 11AM. All seven players were there, and Coach Kennedy was prepared with carefully-drawn lineups to ensure the girls had periods to rest during the double header. In Emmy's league, they do keep score, and even though there is a 10-point rule, by my count the Leopards won by double digits in both games. Emmy had several points, steals, and assists. It was exciting to see Emmy picking up right where she left off last year with her constant pressure on defense, tenacity to go for the ball, and accuracy with making a layup. We've since had another week of basketball. During the games on Saturday, the 25th, Eli made a 180 from the previous week. There might have been a little bribery involved...we promised him a cupcake if there were no tears. During the first period, he took his turn sitting on the bench, and when he got on the court after that, he was focused and excited to play. He had several baskets, and after each one, he would do a wide running arc down the court, with fingers pointed in the air, and then high 5 his coach. Hopefully we can find a happy balance between the tears and celebrations - regardless, it was a much more enjoyable experience for everyone!

In addition to Upward basketball, Boomer and I were able to go to the Wake vs. UNC Chapel Hill game on Tuesday, the 21st. We were invited by Boomer's friend Alan Brown and his wife Brandi, who have season tickets. The seats were in a great spot, on the very first row of the upper section, with a cut-out view directly to the court. The only downside to the game was its late start - 9PM! Boomer and I coordinated riding together that morning, and after I finished my gate duty shift at Forbush, he picked me up, and we even had time for dinner at Olive Garden. We didn't arrive home to close to midnight, when we relieved Grammy from watching the kids. We are so thankful for her help. A little bit of missed sleep was totally worth it to see Wake win in a close 67-66 victory. Go Deacs!

Aside from basketball, the common theme in January seems to be eating out...

....with a little bit of sickness mixed in. Eli was under the weather for about 48 hours with symptoms that mimicked the flu. Luckily he recovered over the weekend and was back at school on Monday. Eli especially loved "Ninja Night" at Awana when the Activity Center was filled with large inflatables. I have to brag on my boy, because he is on a long streak of being dry at night. We have continued with Pull-ups as a precaution, but hopefully we will be kicking all Pull-ups soon. In other news, Emmy lost another tooth and was rewarded with $2 from the Tooth Fairy. I'll brag on her too, because she has been excelling in her water safety classes on Tuesdays. This past Tuesday, Grammy stopped in at the pool after her workout class, and she sent several videos of Emmy working on her stroke and even diving. I hope that these lessons build her confidence for swimming this summer. Boomer was out of town this week for his annual conference at Pinehurst, and the kids and I managed in his absence. We are glad to have him home, and we are looking forward to another weekend of basketball. 

The Ultimate Snow Day

We have had quite the snowy start to January! On New Years Eve, as we were gathered at the Houstons' house, we heard a thunderstorm outside, and true to the old wives tale, ten days later - snow! Even before the snow arrived on the 10th, there were several days of below freezing temperatures, and with a little bit of precipitation, school was cancelled on Monday, the 6th and Tuesday, the 7th. Emmy and Eli hung out at Grammy and Grandpa's house while Boomer and I went in for Workdays. They had fun doing crafts, playing games, and sipping on hot chocolate. On Friday, school was cancelled again with the threat of an even bigger snowstorm, and around 4PM that afternoon, the flakes started to come down. Both kids were very excited, and Emmy made her to-do list for our impending snow day. When we woke up on Saturday morning, the kids' wishes had come true: about 2-3 inches of snow covered the ground. We headed outside shortly after 9AM and stayed out until lunchtime. After a short break to eat, we ventured out again for Round 2. Emmy's friend Casey was supposed to have her 9th birthday party at a skating rink that afternoon, but with the snow, it pivoted to a sledding party instead. The roads were safe enough to drive, and we joined the other families for several more hours of fun, along with birthday cake and ice cream. The kids had endless energy...and we adults did our best to keep up. With over 5 hours of outdoor adventures, it was the ultimate snow day!

On Sunday, we stayed indoors and found other activities to keep us occupied, like puzzles and the Wii. The kids love Mario Kart and the Wii Sports of bowling, sword fight, and frisbee. On Monday morning, with schools closed again and the preschool on a delay, we had breakfast together at the Kernersville Bagel Station, before dropping off Eli. Emmy tagged along with me for a Workday at Starmount. We repeated the same schedule again on Tuesday, with a Workday at Forbush. So far during the month of January, Emmy has spent more time at my schools than her own! Today was our first day back to a regular schedule for everyone; no delays, no closures. However, with more winter weather on the horizon, we may have several more snow days still to come. Even though it has meant waiting on the unpredictable weather phone calls and then scrambling for childcare, we are soaking up the slower mornings and the forced hibernation in the evenings. 

Happy New Year!

2024 was a big year for a lot of reasons: Boomer's promotion, the completion of my master's degree, an international trip, Emmy starting 2nd Grade, Eli's last year of preschool, and both kids trying new sports. We celebrated the end of 2024 at the Houstons' with the Williamses and the Whites. Emmy and I wore matching outfits, so we were sure to take a picture. I'm thankful that she still likes to match with Mommy. Zack made what has become his traditional NYE meal: low country boil, and we had wings and other snacks and treats. We toasted to the New Year around 8:30PM, and then we headed home to put our sugared-up children to bed. The four Kennedys rang in the New Year in bed with our eyes closed! Happy 2025!

Right after New Years Day, it was back to work. I had Teacher Workdays on Thursday, the 2nd and Friday, the 3rd. Emmy tagged along with me to Forbush on the 2nd. She did a great job helping with tasks like shredding, and she brought along lots of activities to keep her busy. Even though I was working, I enjoyed the time with my girl.  

After the two workdays, it was a nice surprise to be back at the weekend. And what a weekend it has been! On Friday evening, Boomer and I had an unforgettable date night. We headed to Greensboro, and we started off with dinner at 'cille & 'scoe. I got the shrimp and grit cakes, Boomer had the "Slow and Low" (short ribs and au gratin potatoes), and we shared an appetizer of popcorn cauliflower. Everything was delicious, and I also very much enjoyed my Cookie Espresso Martini. After dinner, we had a short (but very cold!) walk to the Tanger Center to see Hamilton. We had purchased our tickets back in July when the show was first announced, and we had been looking forward to it for weeks. While I have seen a couple of shows at the Tanger Center before, it was Boomer's first time, and he was wowed by the impressive venue and the talent of the performers. We love making memories with the kids, but we also love making memories just the two of us.    

After our late evening, we enjoyed a slow Saturday morning. Upward basketball games will start next Saturday, so we had this one last free Saturday until March. After breakfast, Boomer mentioned going to the Wake basketball game, and I thought surely he was joking, since the game started in less than 2 hours! With the noon tipoff so soon, ticket prices dropped, and Boomer snagged four tickets. It was around 10:15AM, and after a quick change into our gold and black, we were in the Joel about an hour later. It was an ACC matchup against NC State, and there were a lot of Wolfpack fans. We cheered loud for our Deacs, and they played very well. After leading the whole game, it was a strong victory 77-59. The game ended around 2PM, and we headed across the street to Putter's, with a crowd of other Wake fans. We snagged a table right away, which seemed like another stroke of good luck. While at Putter's, former Wake player Aaron Roundtree came to the restaurant, and the kids got a picture with him. Instead of kneeling down, he grabbed both of them in his arms, which was quite a sight. It felt like the cherry on top to a spontaneous day. 2025 is off to a great start already!