End of Basketball

For the last two weeks, there has been an overlap of the winter basketball season and the start of spring ball. The overlap has meant practices multiple nights a week and careful coordination to ensure the right equipment is in the trunk of the car. It has been chaotic and crazy, and also lots of fun. This past weekend, we ping-ponged between sports as the kids had their very last basketball games and then, with hardly a breath, we headed right to the ballfield. Eli's Kangaroo basketball team played hard all season. Eli sharpened his dribbling and shooting skills, and he learned more about being a teammate. Eli says that his team went 5-and-2, but I think there were a few ties, that he took upon himself to convert to wins. He was one of the few on the team constantly checking the score, even when we assured him that the score was not important for this beginning level. Emmy's team The Sun capped off the season in 1st Place with a 4-2-1 record. It was a fairly even league, and each of the games were pretty competitive. In the final game, The Sun matched up with the only other team that had 3 wins, so the outcome would determine the season 'champion.' We were so excited to get the win. Each of the girls grew over the season, and it was a fun group. In between the games, we had a family lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and I snapped a quick photo of us taking up a large section of the dining room. Emmy and Eli have had the best cheering squad all season long. 

Not long after Emmy's game ended, we headed out to the ballfield in Walkertown. The kids were still wearing their basketball clothes (minus the jerseys), but Daddy made a quick change, swapping his Upward shirt for Walkertown Little League. He more than earned his coaching paycheck this weekend! It was a whirlwind of a day, but spirits were high and there were lots of smiles. We were back at the ballfield today, this time at Forbush Elementary for a scrimmage with Emmy's Yadkin Ignite team. They played another in-county travel team, and it was a friendly game, but with some big hits and exciting plays. While we are sad to turn the page on basketball, we are all looking forward to the spring season ahead. 

In no particular order, here are a few other photos on my camera roll from the month of February: treats for School Counselor Week, field trips, the 100th Day of School, a gingerbread house during the Super Bowl (because, why not?), morning silliness in Aunt Megan's office, the SGES change campaign for cancer research, an ice skating birthday party for our neighbor Karlie, and a date night this past Friday for dinner at the Twisted Pine, followed by the Cody Johnson concert. For such a short month, we sure fit a lot into February!

Happy Valentine's Day

In the Kennedy house, Valentine's Day extends way past the 14th. It seems that we've been celebrating the holiday all month long. Last Saturday, the 7th was the Kernersville Daddy Daughter Dance. Before the dance, Emmy posed for our annual Valentines photos. She loves her Daddy so much!

Similar to last year, the Daddy Daughter Dance was just a few hours after one of Emmy's basketball games, so we hustled home for Emmy to shower and transform into a pretty princess. This year's dance was a masquerade with the theme "Behind the Mask." After chatting with a few other moms, I realized a mask would be essential, so I scrambled to borrow one from my coworker Jennifer. She had the perfect mask to match Emmy's pale pink dress. We took a few photos before they left, and then Boomer did a great job capturing more memories while they were there at the dance. Emmy saw several of her classmates and teammates. I especially loved the side-by-side comparison of Emmy and Darby, who posed for a photo after their basketball game and then again just three hours later in their beautiful dresses. While Boomer and Emmy were at the dance, Eli and I were invited over to the LeBaron's house to watch the Duke vs. UNC Chapel Hill game. Eli fit right in with Emily's boys, Sawyer and Silas. It was a fun night for all of the Kennedys.  

The Valentine's fun continued on Friday, the 13th with parties in both of the kids' classes at school. They came home loaded down with a haul of candy, trinkets, and other goodies. They took their time inspecting their inventory...and consuming some of it too!

As for today, the actual day of Valentine's, the kids woke up to their last messages from Grammy on their doors. All four of the grandkids have had special messages for each of the days in February. And on this final day, all four of them were dressed in their uniforms for games. How fitting for the winter sports season that we are in! The rest of the day included a full schedule of basketball for the Kennedys. Eli played at 8:30AM, and then Emmy had two games: 11:40AM and 2PM. Granny and Paw Paw were able to come for Emmy's games, and we enjoyed spending the day together with all the people we love. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Update 2/17/2026: Boomer and I squeezed in a Valentine's date on Sunday the 15th while Emmy and Eli were at Awana. Boomer arranged for my mom to pick up the kids afterwards at church, and he even made a reservation. We ate in downtown Winston at Tuscani, an upscale Italian restaurant in the Bailey Park area. We decided to get the tomahawk special for two, which came with salads and two sides. We chose the fettucine alfredo (I love a restaurant that has pasta as a side dish!) and the truffle mac-n-cheese. It was a delicious meal, and we were still home by a responsible 7:30PM...it was a Sunday night after all. I am so glad that we were able to steal a few moments together during this crazy season of life. 

A Winter Pause

Well as predicted, we got a second round of winter weather, and this time it was a surprising 8" of white, fluffy snow! It was quite different than the ice from last week, and it is the most snow Eli and Emmy have ever seen. The flakes started falling early Saturday morning, and they continued coming down for over 12 hours. It was a beautiful scene to watch from the window, and that is exactly what we did on Saturday. It felt like living inside of a snow globe. On Sunday, when the precipitation stopped, we bundled up to play outside. With temperatures still below freezing, we were sure to have on lots of layers. The kids enjoyed making snow angels, throwing snow balls, and going on a walk to the neighborhood park. Sunday church was of course cancelled and so has school this week. When the kids have not been playing outside, we have continued with our remote learning, played the Wii, and baked up some cozy treats. Emmy has been an eager helper any time I am in the kitchen. We have also used some of the time at home to get a jump start on our valentines. Eli chose a class set of race cars, while Emmy wanted to make her own this year. I'm glad we had the snow days to work on them. These last two weeks have brought a welcome pause from the busyness of life. As we begin to add back school, games, practices, and other evening and weekend events, I know I will look back on these days and cherish them for the slowness and togetherness they brought.