Super Bowl Madness

The girls were just a touch crazy on Sunday morning after we got home from breakfast. Maybe they were just really excited for the Super Bowl?

Go Pioneers!

On Saturday we went to a local women's basketball game. This has become a nice activity for us to do on the weekends. There are lots of local colleges that have good division 1 and division 2 basketball and the girls are finally at an age when they can sit through a game.

Caroline decided to go to the game dressed as a cowgirl (because why not?). A good time was had by all!

One more of Sheriff Soden

Flashback ...

to a time when I didn't have to shovel snow and when going barefoot outside was an option:

Putting these two to work

Cowgirls

Lucy's school had a mother-daughter Wild West event. On the way to school, Lucy gave me the following pep talk: "Mom, I'm going to have a lot of friends there and I'm going to want to spend some time with them. I just wanted you to know."

She did, indeed, spend most of the night with her friends while I sat on the sidelines and ate an unhealthy amount of dessert. I suppose that both of us got exactly what we wanted!

Sundays

Our Sunday tradition continues.

An evening out at the tavern:

Christmas

I have noticed that this past year I have taken fewer pictures. I think that this is due (at least in part) to the fact that I want to be more in the moment and less concerned with trying to get the perfect picture. It seems that I am unable to do both.

So on Christmas morning I sipped coffee and enjoyed watching the girls open their gifts. I snapped a few pictures on my phone of the girls with their presents and then I snapped a few more while we snuggled on the couch after breakfast. 

Christmas was great. It was relaxed and fun and it made me happy.

But I admit that I miss being "home" with my family for Christmas - and I use the quotes because really this house that I am in right now is home. I miss having my parents and brother around to do all of our Christmas traditions (i.e. going to see a movie on Christmas Eve, playing the Chipmunks on Christmas morning to wake the stragglers up, watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, etc.). So we have started our own traditions as a family of four. I know that these traditions will be the ones that Lucy and Caroline remember. So even though I am sad every now and then, it is easy to get over it when I see their happy faces.