Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Ice Storm of 2026

We've had an exciting week here in VA! Not as exciting as Grandma and Papa in Nashville, but exciting enough! Our storm was forecasted to drop 14-18 inches of snow, heavy ice, power loss, road closures, etc. Christopher was not supposed to be home during the whole storm so I was in major prep mode. I got all the food ready, figured out heat, got the generator ready, all the things. I wasn't too worried because I have an amazing tribe around me where I knew I would have help if I asked. Thankfully though, the launch got cancelled and he was able to get on a last minute flight and made it home so I wasn't riding out the storm alone!

The kids were so excited....and full of big plans. Andrew's group decided to ride out the storm of the year here at our house. All the boys arrived the night before the storm (Friday or Saturday) and the last one just went home a few minutes ago (Wednesday Night). We had a full house for the storm and it was awesome. Bigger kids in the basement - Zack's group on 3 mattresses in his room!

Too many stories to write up but here are a few highlights
*Go-Karting in the powder (not great), go-karting on ice - amazing
*running out of gas on the way home from the park THEN getting 2 flat tires. Took all four boys pushing and pulling to get it back home. - Then Andrew rebuilt the engine.
*Andrew testing out ice and losing - up to his waist
*Falling on the ice - even cars couldn't break through it
*Heating station to try to dry and warm up the boys clothes and shoes
*Boys heading over to Jane's house to clear her driveway since Warren was out of town
*Kids so tired they didn't get up till about noon
*Ice sledding on the ponds
*Playing ice roulette
*Nighttime walks
*The boys asking random houses if they could sled down their hills
*Picking up Xander and having to navigate a car that was not only completely stuck, but had bald tires, and had run out of gas.
*Have school cancelled everyday


 

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Best Husband Award

 Every time Christopher goes to CA he always makes an effort to go meet up with Ahma and Joy for dinner. Joy is awesome and will drive however long to make it not a longer day for Christopher. Yes I wish I was there - but I love seeing them together!



Andrew's Senior Swim Meet

Andrew had his Senior Swim Meet on Thursday, and it’s hard to believe he’s already a senior—getting ready to graduate and move on to bigger and better things in college. This year’s team had 11 seniors, which is a pretty big group, making the night even more special.

Funny enough, Andrew’s senior poster had the same theme as Ben’s: “Just Keep Swimming.” Full-circle moment for sure.

I can’t help but think back to his very first meet as a freshman, when the coach put him in the 500. It took him almost 15 minutes to finish—but by the end, the entire arena was chanting his name. When asked afterward why he didn’t use his legs, his response was classic: “I want big shoulders.” This kid. 😂

And also… who is the stranger with the long hair they put in the program?!?





 

New Robotic Arm

Ben made this new robotic arm! I swear he is a genius! Takes after his dad.....


 

Andrew's New Lady

Meet the newest lady in Andrews life. No name yet. When I asked him what he was thinking he said "well, she ain't fast and she ain't pretty"......


 

Nick loses ANOTHER top tooth!

 This tooth has been hanging on by a thread for a few days, and it finally fell out when he was eating dinner. Unfortunately he swallowed the tooth. Opps! It's ok, we wrote a letter to the tooth fairy and she understood these things happen!