Into Feburary

After Covid, we had a snow event, that happened to be on a weekend, so did not affect school attendance.  Gracie went to her softball tryout that weekend, so she and Nick left Friday night because of the incoming snow chance and Owen stayed home and was able to play with his friends.  He was supposed to compete at Hallsville on January 16, but since he had not been to practice all week, we didn't register him.  Gracie completed her tryout, but we are still waiting to see what the next steps are... it has been a month.

The first big snow...Owen is recovered from covid and ready to go.  He and his friends played as long as they could.

Ready to play outside.

Ruby likes it too.

Kellen and Owen riding the 4 wheeler.

They made forts and had snowball fights.

Kellen's dad was having fun too.  I think Nick would have been out playing, but he was with Gracie in Kansas City doing softball things.

Here they are eating BBQ after the tryout.

There was still snow the next day, so both Gracie and Owen went outside for a bit.  It didn't last long, though.  Gracie was mad and came inside after being hit with a snowball, then shoving snow in Owen's face.  Thank goodness for neighbors...Owen played with his friends again.

The smiles are deceiving.

Owen and the Talley boys are determined to pull the tube behind their 4 wheeler.  It was very entertaining watching them try to make it work.

I think they got it!

Success!

Riding over to Talleys.  How many boys can fit on their little 4 wheeler?

The following week was a return to somewhat "normal."  Owen went to practices, Gracie went to her practices and tutoring began for the spring semester, which meant a lot of working for me.

I caught Nick giving instruction at wrestling practice

He has also been doing a lot of officiating for high school wrestling this winter.  That has taken up a lot of Saturdays and evenings when he is not coaching.  Owen did get to compete in the tournament at Hickman the following weekend.  We were there all day, but it was a fun day and he got to wrestle 4 matches, going 2-2 on the day.

Gracie and Owen at Hickman High School.

Nice, Owen.

After his last match of the day.

Last match.  I think he placed third.

Resting

After another week of some normalcy, Owen got to compete in another tournament in Fulton.  He only had two matches and faced a pretty good wrestler as his first opponent.  His second match went into quad OT and Owen was exhausted.  It was the same wrestler that he beat in his last match at Hickman, the previous week.

New shoes!  They are really bright!

This was the first match at Fulton.

After his 4OT win.

Wrestling

More wrestling... I caught his coach behind him in the corner.

Hard fought win.

So far Owen is 4-4 for this season.  It has been rough with having to miss so many weekends due to Covid, toe injury, and most recently being sick again.  He was unable to compete at Missouri Nationals in Lebanon due to getting sick with the flu, which was really disappointing.  He has good memories from that last year.  It was very strange when we had 3 snow days and Owen was inside, sick during all of them because he didn't feel good.  Ugh.

Here is a picture after the most recent snow on February 2-3.

Gracie had a friend over when school was canceled the night before the snow event. The University also shifted to virtual learning for 3 days.  Gracie and Sadie had a lot of fun.

Owen did get outside for a couple hours while Ibuprofen was helping him feel a little better.  Then he immediately went back to the couch for a few more days.  Since Owen was unable to compete that weekend and the team did not need an extra coach, Nick opted to go to St. Joseph with Gracie so he could coach her team.  I had originally planned to take her, but it worked out better that Nick could.

I actually ended up getting sick, as well.  I went to the doctor Saturday morning and was also tested for flu, which came back negative, even though I had basically the same symptoms as Owen.  I felt horrible for the next 3 days.  I can't remember the last time I was sick like that.  I was also negative for COVID.  I ended up getting antibiotics for a severe sinus infection, but I think something else was definitely wrong with me.

Anyhoo...  Here are a couple pics of Gracie's team at the practices in St. Jo.

14U and 16U girls

I think the weekend went ok, but neither of them had much to say after they returned home.

I was still sick, so I probably wasn't listening anyway.  I stayed home for 2 days from work before regaining enough energy to actually go in.  Owen missed a day of school, but I think he probably could have gone back on Monday.

Dodgeball!!!

Gracie and some of her friends signed up to compete in the Courtwarming Dodgeball tournament.

It was pretty fun to watch everyone play.

Gracie getting the balls.

Brooke, Gracie and Sadie competing

We made more progress!!!

Shortly after we returned from Christmas festivities, we started working on the bedroom in the basement.  It was a group effort getting drywall into the house and onto the ceiling downstairs.  

Goodbye pink walls.

We hired someone to do the mudding and sanding of the drywall, and it was completed so much faster and better than we would have done.  Then choices were made for paint color after a base coat was done.  Decisions are tough.

Color on the walls!

Looking better!

Nick installed the new lights after the painting was all done and it is so bright in that room now.

The room transformed from this (pictures taken May 2020)...

To this...

Oh my gosh!  We have another bedroom!

It just needs trim and doors, which could take another four years to actually complete.

All smiles.

Gracie and Nova went bowling with Kellen and Hayden for Kellen's birthday a couple weeks ago.

So, we're over halfway through February.  Nick had his last officiating gig last weekend in Versailles at the high school district meet.  Missouri state wrestling is this week, which he is not officiating at.  Maybe next year... goals.  

We didn't have much else scheduled for last weekend.  There are no more options for wrestling tournaments before the state series starts on February 26.  Districts are in Odessa again this year, so we will head that way in about a week and a half for more wrestling.  

On Saturday while Nick was at the high school wrestling tournament, I took the kids up to Columbia to go shopping for awhile.  We didn't get much accomplished other than passing the time.  Gracie took Sadie with her and they tried on dresses for the spring dance, but nothing was taken home.  We did go to Lowes to get some paint.

Sunday was going to be uneventful, as well, but Gracie was asked to help catch at a Select Fastpitch practice, which lasted from 7am-11am.  After that, she went to basketball practice from 1-2:30.  She was pretty tired by the time she got home.  Nick went with her to that and then came home and we "finished" the basement project.

Owen and I went to work out at the Y for an hour or so and then he spent some time scooping poop in the barn before playing with Knox.  The rest of the evening was filled with superbowl entertainment and work in the basement.

February should pass pretty quickly.  Tennis has their first home match this coming weekend, so I will get to see them play for the first time.  Gymnastics has a home meet this weekend, as well.  Gracie is scrimmaging on Sunday at the Mizzou indoor facility with a couple other teams.  Owen has a couple more weeks before district wrestling.  

Hard to believe that March is just around the corner.  As of now, Gracie has decided not to do middle school track.  She and Owen both have the opportunity to do after school workouts 3 days/week at the high school, which will be great.  Owen will start baseball practices in March a couple days per week, which will overlap with wrestling for a bit.  Gracie will also have a couple basketball tournaments in March before her softball season begins competition.  

We are counting down to spring break!!!