By February of each year, our lives are fully saturated in basketball. All of our children (except Shafer) play on organized teams now, and Kevin and I coach the Elementary and Middle School Chattanooga Lady Patriots. So, life is overflowing with basketball practices and games.

Shafer is falling right in line with our family’s  love for the game. He dribbles non-stop on the sidelines as he cheers for big brother Shaw and sisters Shayli, Sharayah, and Shayli. He always looks forward to halftime when he can get on the court and “practice.”

I just wish you could experience his big smile of achievement when one swishes through the net! Regardless of age, there is a fascination with the game and a love for scoring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite thing about basketball season is the a mount of time we spend together as a family. Even though there is not a spare moment, our days are fun-filled and we are all getting more exercise than usual.

And our children are learning important life lessons from being on the court. We have always taught our children that we want them to be CHRIST-filled players…and we lay that out by teaching 6 principles to guide their behavior as an athlete:

Even though there are times we miss the mark, our goal is to reflect a Christ-like attitude even in the midst of being a fierce competitor. 

We had a wonderful season and celebrated with two awardceremonies to recognize all the players for a job well-done.

What a blessing to be a part of seeing children learn and develop while building friendships and learning skills that will benefit them for life!

 

 

 

 

We also celebrated another special occasion this month as Shanel turned seven on February 2.

She and her sister, Sharayah, have recently become “surf-lovin’ girls,” so Shanel chose a birthday cake to fit the occasion. All her friends had a blast at her sleepover that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

They finally awoke when we all began screaming, “It’s snowing!” I found it funny that her surf party concluded with playing out in the snow!

 

 

 

Valentine’s Day brought lots of special treats! We attended our annual church banquet where the girls performed the songs, “It’s Your Life” and “Walk on the Water” from the Soul Surfer soundtrack.

The food, fun, and fellowship made for an amazing night. Sharayah even won the gigantic jar of jelly beans and a prize pack for being the closest guess to the correct number, with Shaw coming in second place.

Last but not least, we were invited to go on an exciting field trip to Camp Hidden Hollow in Chickamauga, GA. Wow…I’m not sure we knew where we were going, but the kids did not want to leave once they experienced the vast beauty of the lake, swinging bridge, horses, cabins, chapel, and acres of open land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Sally sure does know how to recruit summer campers! They all left with an application and are begging to go back and experience all that Camp Hidden Hollow has to offer.

As you can gather from my blogs, there is never a dull moment. Life with Shafer, Shaw, Shanel, Sharayah, Shafer, Kevin, and the dog Shadow is a thrill-seeking ride!

 

 

Love to each of you,
Shafer’s Mommy