Valentine's Basketball Game

We started Valentine's Day with the girls' basketball game.  I didn't get many videos because I got so into the game.  It was a tight game all the way to the end, with Chloe hitting a bucket to tie the game, but then the other team made a shot with just seconds left.  It was the first loss for Essie & Chloe's team but the girls continue to improve. 

More Basketball Videos

I uploaded these videos on Sunday but somehow it's taken me 5 days to actually post them.  I'll blame it on the never-ending head cold that I've had for almost 2 full weeks now.  Just when I start feeling better, we have a 20 degree temperature shift and my head plugs up again.  Ok, probably more details than you want to know so here are the videos.

The girls b-ball skill are greatly improving and they are getting more confident, which is fun to watch.

MLK Day 2015

MLK Day was spent as a family enjoying each other's company and temperatures in the 50's.  The kids all brought home excellent report cards the week before and for the first time ever, all 3 kids scored on-grade level in the MAP scores (state assessment tests). We thought that deserved a celebration so we enjoyed lunch at our favorite Kentucky original restaurant, Wallace Station.  We even ate outside at their picnic tables (crazy for January!) We couldn't travel too far from home because we had evening activities so we headed to a park in Lexington.  McConnell Springs is the founding sight of the the town of Lexington. In June 1775, William McConnell and his fellow frontier explorers camped at a natural spring in the wilderness of the Virginia territory known as Kentucky. Word came from nearby Fort Boonesboro that the first battle of the American Revolution had been fought in Lexington, Massachusetts. In honor of the battle, the group named their future settlement “Lexington”. It is now a 26 acre park that is surrounded by a vast industrial area.  It was my kind of hiking-level trails that were all paved.  

The kids thought it was boring (of course, no mountains and boulders to climb all over)

Chloe performing in the amphitheater

Essie checking out a small cave

The Boils

When the area gets a heavy rain, the water boils up in this area like this

Chloe

Railroad bridge

This is definitely a great place for young and old to walk some easy trail and enjoy nature, especially for those who live in the city.  For my kids, however, we'll need to find some much more strenuous hiking the next time around. 

Girls' First Basketball Season

The girls decided they wanted to give basketball a try this year.  They are playing on an Upwards team, which has been a great experience for newbie ball players.  I missed their first game (due to work) but got to catch the action during their 2nd game. 

Essie & Chloe

More Basketball Highlights

I'm a bit behind in posting but here are some highlights from AJ's last couple of basketball games. 

Last week's game, not sure what the final score really was because the league stops keeping score once a team is up by 15. This was the breakout game for AJ where he decided to have some fun.  We thought AJ would actually have some competition because the other team had a kid as big as he.  As you can see though, AJ ran circles around him. 

  

AJ Starts Basketball

Here's some highlights  from last week of AJ's first basketball game of the season.  He's playing on a local rec. league team. His team won easily.

Christmas With The Kinnells

We had a Christmas/New Year's celebration with Matt's parents and sister tonight.

Classic Chloe-I love it!

Guess who got this present?  

Aunt Buffy made this amazing blanket for AJ.  She almost got it done, just has to finish piecing it together. 

Matt found this pendent for his Mom, who was just given a Pandora bracelet for her 10 years of services at Asbury University.  It's the Ethiopian flag inside a heart. 

AJ wanted a study pillow like the girls have.

Essie

Chloe

The girls love to listen to Adventures in Odyssey

Grandma

The whole family pooled their resources for Grandpa's gift.  A new LED TV for his bedroom.

You know your family loves you when they give you your Xmas present in this festive gift bag.

Ale-8 shirt for Matt

Craft projects from Aunt Buffy

Aunt Buffy knows how to get to this boy's heart-NIKE gear!