[Warning: Proud parent moment ahead!]

The boys both made it into the school-wide spelling bee this year! So, there were about 13 kids, grades 6-8 going up against each other for the top honors--and two of them were ours! Both of the boys did really great and we were proud of them. Ian got knocked out of the competition with the word "regency" and several rounds later, Christopher got knocked out with the word "visually". He was the in the last four standing. They're both great spellers!

In other news, we had a very nice--and quiet--Christmas. We were both able to take some time off while the boys were on Christmas break, which was really nice. We didn't go anywhere or do anything...very relaxing. We did see Fun With Dick & Jane, which was really funny. We wanted to see Narnia, but we haven't made it to that one yet. Ian did see it with a group from school last week on a field trip and he said it was very good.

We've had to move my grandparents into a more specialized assisted living facility--one that deals specifically with Alzheimer's Disease. Grandpa has had some really bad episodes in the past few weeks, with some pretty drastic changes, not gradual, as you usually see with the disease. So, now they are in a really nice place where Grandpa can go to the Alzheimer's Unit for about 5 hours during the day and participate in activities that are geared toward his specific needs. During this time, Grandma can rest or socialize, knowing that he is being well-cared for.

The boys went to snowcamp with the church and had a really good time. They played snow football, went sledding and tubing, and Christopher even rode a mechanical bull! They had a speaker and a 1 a.m. bedtime! They came back very tired!

My cousin is getting married in February, so Scott will be playing the piano for that. We haven't met the bride, yet. We're looking forward to seeing some family at the wedding that we haven't seen in a while.

Oh, and the "big day" will be upon us before we know it...my favorite holiday of the year...no, not Valentine's Day...Groundhog Day! I'm not working that day, so the party won't be as big, but festive just the same! I do love that day! It's the first real look toward the hope of Spring--which is a pretty huge deal when you live in West Michigan, where you might not see the sun for 10-12 days in a row.

Taking life one day at a time...