Wonderful Holiday!

Wayne skyping with Kirstin and Pete putting antlers on him

Randy and his White Elephant gift..wears it well!

Wayne opening gifts at home

Kids opening gifts...dogs playing with theirs

Alex, Graham and Connor flying kites at Gma's.

Alex and his twin, Connor, watching basketball

Connor, "Let me help you Graham." 

Playing cards with Great Gma Rita

"Alright!! Jump in the paper!!!"

We will help you Elyse

Elyse, Graham, Alex, Connor

With my holiday break soon over (yes, we return January 2nd...too soon!), I thought I would quickly send out a post sharing some pictures of our Christmas gatherings.  We had a wonderful time at all of the gatherings that we had with family and friends!  Thank you to Randy and Lori for hosting the Kerian Christmas gathering, my mom and dad for hosting the Nadermann Christmas, and Wayne for cooking for our family Christmas as I was not feeling well Christmas eve day.  Everything was perfect, it couldn't have been better, and it was so nice to have Kirstin home!

With the weather being in the 30s and 40s Christmas day, Wayne brought his kites to my parents and the little boys enjoyed flying Wayne's kites, as did Wayne, except there were a lot of power lines around that we had to be careful of.  Connor can now say "Kite" and it is so cute.  He can also say "Lyse" and "Aex" but not "Kim"....come on Sara.....get working on that! 

It was also nice that on Christmas day we got to spend some time with my grandma, the kids' great grandma.  She is a major card player, so she played cards with the kids, chuckling at "What kind of game do you play...this is crazy!"....as Elyse immitates Gma Rita in her older lady voice.  I was very glad to get to chat with her and see her!

Kirstin was not able to be home in time for the Kerian Christmas, but we did skype her in to watch and be there as much as she could.  She, sadly, left to fly back to NC this morning.  It was a very emotional morning for her, as I think she realized how much she misses Iowa (or maybe just sleeping in and never having to cook...yeah...that might be it! :)  Just kidding Kirstin!  We were so glad to have you home!  Your dad is still pretty shook up about you leaving....

I came across some old pictures of Ken that some of his friends had on Facebook while he was at West Point.  It was fun and bittersweet to look at those pictures and show the kids how Ken "really looked".  Kind of warmed my heart for the holiday break, but still miss him endlessly.

We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends over the holidays!  Thanks to our families for a wonderful holiday!

Seeing "Enemy" Once Again...

Elyse shoots....she scores

Boxing out Nikki

team time out....Elyse is "35"

Elyse turn around shot...did make it..

Won't say much about Elyse's basketball game last night against Oelwein except that the officiating DOES make a huge difference!  Wow!  Crestwood never got a break the whole night. 

Elyse did get a little action on the JV, not much as she has to save her quarters, but she did get in and scored a few.  The JV dominated over Oelwein and pulled off a huge victory so that was fun to watch.  Long though as the officials called everything and Oelwein's JV had a few freshman on the team that struggled.  Lots of whistles blowing throughout the game, but super job to the JV. They are still undefeated!

Varsity has gone to 4 and 3 overall, 1 and 2 in conference.  Last night was a rough night as the girls ended up getting called for everything.  I had to turn to my dad and tell him to calm down many times, even though we were all yelling at the officials.  But Elyse was pumped because she knew she would face "Enemy - Nicole".  Those of you who follow this blog know who she is.  Elyse went in the middle of first quarter, all of 2nd quarter, and most of 3rd quarter playing awesome ball, great defense, and shut Nikki down!  I feel comfort saying she had one of her best games defensively thus far.  She ended up having 4 fouls half way through the 3rd quarter, some legit calls, some not.

So although we were winning at half and tied or close at end of 3rd, the varsity team ended up losing.  Can't win them all....but Elyse wanted this one desperately!  Next time...

A Beautiful - Fun - Night at Madrigal



Elyse racing Tiffany on "stick horses" in front of everyone

Elyse middle jester

Elyse, front middle, bidding audience fare well

Molly, Elyse, Alexis

I will admit, I wasn't that excited to go to Madgrical at first.  Wayne and I had been to it a few years ago and it was nice, but let's admit it, also long.  It was in the high school, and they did a super job trying to change it into the time period and Christmasy, but still the high school.  Well, that changed this year as Madrigal was wonderful!  I will admit, I even had a few tears at the end watching Elyse singing up and having fun!  I looked over at Wayne many times, and he was just staring at his "little girl" with a grin on his face.  I wish I could have captured that moment.

This year's performance was held in a building that used to be a catholic church and is now called the Heritage Center.  It was decorated with so many Christmas trees and Christmas lights while all other lights were dimmed.  The atmosphere alone was just nice to relax and be a part of.

Elyse was a jester for the two performances of Madgrical. Wayne and I knew not to make eye contact with her throughout the performance or she would come over with her group of jesters and pick on us.  Needless to say, there were only a few comments directed at us so we were pretty safe the whole night! Wayne tried to pay her off before the night so that he wouldn't have to do anything.  The one time we did go years ago, Wayne had to get up in front of everyone and spell words with his butt.  Tramatized for life!!! :)  She did a wonderful job performancing as the jester, even picking on her cousin Tiffany who happened to be in the audience Sunday evening.  Tiffany had to have a "horse race" like midieval times against Elyse.  It was cute because they used the horses with the heads on a stick.  Elyse's horse ended up going out of control and Tiffany won...very cute! 

The evening ended with Christmas songs that all the audience joined in.  This was exactly what I needed to get me more in the Christmas mood!  And I will say....not sure where she gets it...but Elyse has a beautiful voice.....

Another proud moment to share.  All are invited to next year's Madgrical....

Where do we go tonight??? The "Open Door"....

Playing defense on inbounds

Elyse is guarding this Mammoth!

posting up against "Mammoth"

another big girl from Charles City

Nice Elyse!

Going for 2 in blue

nice elyse!

As everyone else, life is spent building that tolerance back up for the bleacher butt watching basketball games.  Alex has had a little time off and gearing up for his next tournament the 17th.  It will be the team's last one and then they start 7th grade boys basketball at school.  He is so, so, so, so, excited for that!  Last night during half time of the varsity girls game, he was out doing the "dollar a shot"- you pay a dollar, shot a 3 pointer, and get 2 back if you make it.  He made 6 so he was pumped!  Funny how we gave him the dollars to play but we did not reap any of the benefits.  :)  We are anxious for him to start as he is spending lots of time in the gym, practicing with Kyle, and lifting/footwork every day after school at the high school.  He is a trooper!

Elyse's team, varsity, is now 3 and 2 overall.  As mentioned before, they started out strong and then went into a rutt losing to Waverly and then to South Winn.  We won't even comment about the South Winn game except for the fact that Elyse found out how much her coach can yell...and she better have a tough skin....:)  But she continues to do well, as others,  but loving the challenges and the pushes she has been getting. Defense continues to be her favorite.   I don't know where they all came from, but there are some BIG girls in our conference.  Wow!  Two games have been against 6'2" girls - only an inch taller than Elyse but probably 25 pounds more. Hesitate to take it up against them??? Yes, she is! :)

A funny thing did happen last week against the big girl from Waverly.  6'2" big girl and strong!  Elyse went in and was playing hard defense, wasn't even in 30 seconds, and got called for intention foul for pushing too much and "grabbing the girls' jersey".  Her coach was furious as the officials and told her to keep doing it!  She had a look on her face like "What the heck just happened?".  Luckily the girl missed her two free throws, but they did get the ball back.  Elyse walked in the door and we all started laughing.  She quickly ran down to email her Lightning coach to tell him what happened.  He responding with some funny comments and then told her to remember she isn't "down south" playing any more!  :)  Too funny!

She did get to play a few minutes of JV last night for the first time  (just part of 2 quarters) to get as much play time as she can (they can play 6 quarters a night), which she enjoyed because she was back playing with her "original team" and "besties"  of sophomores!  She's still not sure where she fits in exactly, but she's staying positive....and "enjoying the journey", as her Lightning coach would say!  :)

Thanksgiving in Minneapolis and Birthdays in Red Wing

Wayne and Grahams' Funny Faces

Alex and his buddy, Connor, watching football

Connor decorating cookies..."One More"

Wayne playing CandyLand with boys downstairs

Skyping with Kirstin on iPad...Graham was showing her his picture

Cousin Cuddles!  Adorable!

Elyse and Alex making cookies

Graham and Sara with cookies

We had a wonderful time spending a few days in Minneapolis at the Johnsons.  They hosted their first holiday in their new home and it was super!  Sara made a wonderful meal, Derek was a super host, and the boys were so fun to play with.  The weather was beautiful so it couldn't have been a better Thanksgiving!  There was, and is, lots to be thankful for!

Along with a fabulous meal, there were fun times playing outside, skyping with Kirstin in North Carolina, lots of football on TV, and a few naps in between.  The kids also had fun decorating Christmas cookies, which was cute to see.  Connor's comment of "One more" every time someone stopped giving him frosting or sprinkles to put on his cookie (and eat) was so cute!  It was just a wonderful few days in Minneapolis!  Thank you Sara and Derek!

We were home for a night before Wayne and I headed to Red Wing to join the Kerian family for a surprise birthday for his sister Carol.  We met up with some of the others before surprising her with some fun in Red Wing.  While I am not a gambler, it was fun to walk around with the Kerian family, eat a nice dinner, and watch some of them do some bowling at this really cool, retro, bowling alley.  I also have to comment that there is no one luckier than Wayne's mom!  She has a special "touch" for gambling as it seems she always hits it big!  She did again, which is exciting for her!  Yahoo Judy!  While some of the others gambled, Wayne and I sat in the lounge area and listed to an amazing band!  They played every type of music from 80s, 90s, and current. 

So after making a few stops in Rochester along the way home to do some Christmas shopping, we arrived home to relax and prepare for the week.  I seriously think I need a vacation from my vacation as I am exhausted!  Could that be that we stayed up too late last night.....and we are getting old?  Nah!  It was a great weekend of making more memories!

A First for Some of the Kerians

Thanks to Derek, Alex, Elyse, and Wayne had their first experience at an NHL hockey game! They took off Wednesday night before our Thanksgiving feast to go to an exciting Minnesota Wild hockey game.  Derek had the General Mills seats so the kids felt like they were "famous" going to the Wild game.  Thanks Derek for inviting them to go and having a great time with you!  They all loved it!

Surprisingly, the one that loved it the most was.....Elyse!  She is now hooked on the Minnesota Wild!  She downloaded some Wild fight song that she listens to all the time as well as wants a Wild sweatshirt.  She even put down "Wild tickets" on her Christmas list.  She is hooked!  While Alex and Wayne had a super time, Elyse had a "sweet time" (those were her words).  She said it isn't much different than basketball except you can hurt each other, which she said she liked.  (What is happening to my sweet baby girl? :)

It was also pretty cool that Carrie Underwood's husband was playing on the other team.  I think he is in the picture that I posted that she took.  You can tell they had awesome seats, mid-rink!  I just went down to her room to chat with her and she already has up some hockey players mini-poster on her bedroom wall with her ticket.   So cute!

So a big thank you to Derek for taking the fam to the hockey game!  For some reason, I don't think it is the last one!  :)

Crestwood Girls Varsity Basketball Season Starts with Big Win!

Elyse goes for 2

Fouled on the shot

Going for 2 and fouled

nice lob into Elyse

Hmmmmm....What to do...What to do

First shot of sophomore varsity season for Elyse.  Made from top of lane

Coach having words....Elyse looks terrified!  :)

I don't know who was more nervous...the girls on the basketball team or some of their moms.  The mom of one of the juniors on the basketball team teaches with me.  She was so nervous at the end of the school day before the first basketball game I thought it was hilarious.  Truthfully, I was a little nervous for our daughters as well.  Once the game got rolling, things went smoothly and there were smiles on the girls playing....and their moms. 

The Cadets girls basketball pulled out a great big win. The ending score was 79 to 24, Cadets pull the big win! Elyse got a lot of time in every quarter and came out strong.  It was a great first game to see the different combinations of girls and the possibilities the year holds.  From what we saw this first night (granted, the other team was not good but it was still a win for us) this is going to be an exciting season of girls varsity basketball, and all levels as JV pulled a huge win as well.  A friend of mine text me after the game to tell Elyse she did a great job and to say that she thinks Crestwood basketball is going to a whole new level this season.  We can only wait and see!  Thursday night the girls play Waverly, a team rated in the state......

Elyse is number 34 in white (just for you, Dennis)  :)
Great job girls! 

Alex's AAU Tournament 2 - Tougher in Waverly



Alex on defense

Alex going up strong

Boys in retro warm-ups from high school

Alex on the steal

Alex going for 2

Tournament two for Alex's AAU team was a little tougher than the first one.  Waverly host a huge tournament so we didn't even start until around 4 in the afternoon.  The boys gave it their all but ended up with 2 losses and 1 win.  While the loss to Waverly was the toughest, as it was also the closest, the boys did well and it was good for them to play some tough teams.  Our first game was against an all-star team from Mason City that had already had over 20 games this season.  They were amazing!  The loss to Waverly was a close one between some of the boys' biggest rivals and friends in the district.  The last game was an easy win, which was probably good to end on that note as it was already after 6:30 on a Sunday night and we had an hour drive home. 

The highlight of the day came when their coach gave each of them the high school's old warm ups from the 90s.  The boys put them on and were in shock!  They said they were going retro and having a "flash back" day.  They looked like bowling shirts to me or something Charlie would wear on Two and a Half Men!   The boys wore them with pride so I had to post a picture of their "retro warm-ups"!  It was very nice for the high school coach to let the boys have them to wear! 

Great job Crestwood 7th grade AAU!  One more tournament before Christmas and then a little break!

7th Grade AAU Basketball has Begun...took 2nd Place At Tourney!

Alex making free throw

2nd Place Medal from Coach

Guarding "The Tree"

Alex going up strong

Alex on the shot - nice form!

Basketball season is in full swing, and so far everyone is still coming home from practices and games (Alex) with smiles.  That is a great way to start the season!

With one week of practice under her belt, Elyse woke up at 5:30 AM to get ready to leave at 6:15 this morning for some scrimmages in Mason City.  She was growley (as any teenager is at that time) so I hope she is taking some of the "energy" out on the basketball court.  She did not want us to go and watch, as many parents don't this first set of scrimmages.  She said they have some "kinks" to work out and she is just not sure where she will be playing as a sophomore.  So...anxiously waiting to hear updates about how they are doing.  (It truly is killing me not being there to watch but I will respect her wishes....this time!)

Alex had his first AAU tournament already last weekend down in my "old stomping ground" by Edgewood. (Alex is number 6 in pictures) The tournament was in Maquoeta Valley and their first game was at 8:40 so we had a chance to go down Friday night and spent the night at my parent's.  It was nice to go down and relax at "home".  Of course, Mom had a yummy meal made and played some card games with the kids (which they love) so it was a great night before a morning of basketball.

Alex's team did wonderful and came out in 2nd place!  They all did super.  We had one game that we lost in which the team had a guy who was 6'2" as a 7th grader!  He was like a tree to our boys so no one could stop him.  We just want to erase that game from the record and focus on the others that the boys won.  (The worse part was that one of my old basketball coaches, assistant coach my senior year and just out of college, was the coach of this team with the giant boy.  It was worse loosing to them simply because of the coach - whom I got along great with but just wanted to beat!).  And the fact that when I was talking to Coach Wright afterwards, he reminded me how long I have been out of high school...that left a stinger too! :)

Alex played great ball!  He did roll an ankle tripping on a shoe string (yes, he did) but came back and played strong after a little break. Alex has been consistently lifting weights and doing cardio after school in the high school weightroom and it is showing!   We love his dedication!

Alex Going in Strong!

 Grandma Janet and Elyse were along so it was nice that he had a little cheering section and did well!  Great job Crestwood 7th grade AAU!  Next weekend we head to Waverly for a tournament that is usually pretty tough and against some boys that Alex's team likes to talk "smack" with.  Could get interesting as they are all very competetive!  Excited!