Snowcation

We have been having a snowcation here in NC! Monday we got out of school early and we started to get some snow flurries! We didn't get too much snow, but then on top of that we got a healthy layer of ice and sleet. Looks like we are going to be out of school until further notice!

Finley and I were left to our own devices as David had to go out of town for work. Boo! But luckily the power never went out so we were able to stay nice and toasty and enjoy all the modern amenities. 

Tuesday morning after getting all bundled up we headed over to the big hill near the playground to do some serious sledding. 

This was the first time we had been over there to sled and boy was it fun! The hill was basically a sheet of ice so we were able to go super fast. I was really impressed with how brave Finley was at going down the hill with me. It was definitely too fast and slippery for him to go down by himself though. 

Later that day as things melted a bit we were able to build a snowman! Finley insisted on kissing his snowman whom he named Frosty. 

Finley did enjoy doing our driveway by himself and slamming into the garage door at the bottom. 

We spent a fun couple of days just the two of us. We vegged out, watched movies, read books, and drank hot chocy. 

David came home late Tuesday night so the next morning we showed him how much fun it is to sled on the big boy hill. The hill was a little less icy and was starting to get mucky and muddy. 

We did a few runs before calling it a day. 

We hope you have enjoyed your snowcation too! 

I am trying not to think about all those missed days we are going to have to make up!

Say What!?!

7/5 - While putting little man to bed he asked me to cuddle with him as he frequently does. He then held me very tight and whispered "I'll never let you go!" He is such a sweet boy.

7/6 - Tonight while reading about prophets in the scriptures I asked Finley who our current prophet was. He responded without missing a beat "President Business". Oh my. I think we may have the Lego Movie on our minds a little bit too much these days! 

9/6 - Tonight we were at my parents house in CH. My dad asked Finley to help him carry a very heavy bag. Finley took one look at the bag, started laughing, and said "I don't think so!"

9/14 - Today Finley decided he was going to work on a book. He told us that his book was going to be rated PG-13. When I asked him why he said because it was going to be so scary!


11/2 - We are watching this season's Amazing Race with Finley. On tonight's episode the teams had to milk goats and then make butter out of their milk. While David was getting Finley ready for bed I overheard David asking Finley why he was pulling on himself while trying to use the bathroom. Finley replied "I am trying to make it come out like they did on the amazing race!" Oh boy. I guess maybe we should have explained what they were doing a little more carefully.

2/1 - Finley has a crush on the cutest little girl in his class named Juliet. He told me he asked her to marry him the other day. I asked him what she said, and he told me her response was that she wasn't going to get married. Finley then proceeded to tell her she HAD to get married when she got older, but she still wasn't warming up to the whole marriage idea.

2/18 - Today while sledding, Finley decided that he and I should race David down the hill. While I was more concerned with not crashing into each other we decided to give it a go. I am not sure who 'won' but Fin and I definitely went further than David. When we came to a stop Finley jumped up and shouted "How dare you challenge us!?" It was hilarious!

Tennis Match

For our big Christmas present from Grammie and Abuelo this year we were given tickets to John Isner's charity challenge right here in the boro! 

With Finley starting to learn how to play tennis from David, we thought this would be a great way to get him excited about tennis. 

We were all super pumped about seeing some awesome tennis players up close and personal. 

The charity match was emceed by Wayne Bryan who is the Bryan brother's father and former coach. First up was a little doubles match!

James Blake, with 10 career single titles and whose career high ATP ranking was 4, was paired up with John Isner in the doubles match against. . . 

the world famous duo the Bryan brothers! Even though I don't normally pay attention to double matches, these guys are at the top of their game! They have 103 career doubles titles, 16 grand slam titles at the US Open, they were 2012 Olympic Gold Medalists, and are currently ranked number 1 in doubles. 

And of course John Isner, the local boy, was the main attraction. John has had 9 career single titles, his highest ATP ranking is 9th, he is currently ranked number 1 for the American ATP tour, and he is known for winning the longest match in tennis history, oh and also beating Roger Federer (sorry Nicolle :)). 

I still can't get over how tall John is! It is crazy. 

The Bryan brothers were at a slight disadvantage as one of them was recovering from the flu. 

But to be honest that didn't stop them from taking it to James and John! 

Don't they look so cute in their matching outfits? 

Here is my attempt at getting Finley in the same picture as John and James. But as you can see, I couldn't figure out how to get everyone in focus. 

It was a really fun and laid back atmosphere. 

They players were constantly joking with each other and giving each other a hard time. 

Here are a few shots of the big man's serve. Last year John served over 900 aces for the third year in a row. 

Here is one of the Bryan brothers get a little friendly with the crowd. 

So the doubles match wasn't even close. 

The Bryan brothers demolished James and John. I guess playing together forever has its advantages. 

Before the singles match got under way the Bryan brothers played against a local set of twins who participated in the morning clinic to see if they could win a point off of them. 

This was Finley's favorite part of the game. 

They eventually had to link arms with the entire group of ball kids to make it a little more even. 

Next up was the singles match: Blake vs. Isner. 

James Blake retired several years ago, but he is still playing pretty well! He gave John a run for his money, but eventually the local boy prevailed. 

We had such a fun time watching the matches and cheering on some of our favorite tennis players! 

Isner hosts this event every year to raise money for the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center where his mom has been treated for cancer twice. It was so very touching to hear their story and how grateful they are to still have his mom with him today. I hope we can make going to this event a yearly activity! It was so much fun and this might be the closest we can ever get to the pro circuit.