Basketball Begins

 Last night Noah and his teammates celebrated a tremendous win over neighboring Stanwood.

The Arlington Eagles have won their first four games of the season.  This was a tough game for Noah as Stanwood has boys who are 6'8" and 6'10".  Noah  and his friend, Terry, are Arlington's tallest players at 6'5" each.  Noah played amazing defense.  He scored 9 points and held Stanwood's tall guys to only 7 points combined. Noah even made the front page of today's sports page.  This group of boys have played together for years, and they are really coming together as a unit.  It's going to be an exciting season.  On Friday we travel to Monroe for the first conference game.

Many of  the boys spend a lot of time at our house. They empty the fridge, play video games, watch movies, and leave messes every where.  As much as I grumble about their messes I love having them here. Noah has done a great job choosing his friends.

Homecoming 2012

Noah and his buddies had a busy day. They played and won two basketball games at Shoreline Community College, then they rushed home to shower and change, and then they had to meet the girls for pictures before dinner and the dance. Noah and Marissa make a cute couple.

                               They were part of a large group. Noah's friend Bradey drove his
                                          mother's day care van to get everyone to the dance.

                                                  Silly boys making their mean faces!

Idaho Vacation

 As promised here is a post without any basketball photos.  We spent a glorious four days at a floating house at the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille in Bayview, Idaho.  The lake is huge, the 5th largest in the United States.  Our friends the Brysons joined us on this expedition.  The weather was warm, nearly 90 degrees every day.  The house came with a paddle boat and a canoe, and we rented a ski boat for a day too.  The kids spent a day at Silverwood on the rides and in the water park.  While they were at Silverwood the grown ups enjoyed a day exploring the lake, tasting local beers at the Laughing Dog brewery, and having a great lunch at a local pub.  My favorite part of the vacation was getting up early, brewing a pot of coffee, and sitting on the dock watching the birds and reading.  I usually had it all to myself for at least an hour, and then gradually the rest of the crew would get up and join me. This is the view from the dock in front of the house.

 Tracy and I had to hold on for dear life when Forrest took off on a bumpy ride across the lake.

This house looks like someone's mad project.  It is on an adjacent dock to the one we rented.  It looks like a new room in a new style has been added each year for many years. I would love to have been able to look inside.

More Basketball

I have just noticed that all of the pictures I have posted this summer except for the Relay for Life photos have been basketball related.  Here is one more.  Two weeks ago Noah and his teammates attended team camp at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.  They had a great time and won every game they played including the championship game against Lynden.

I really need to get outside with my camera and take some non-basketball pictures.  So far in addition to basketball and Relay for Life commitments I have spent my summer break reading, cleaning out closets, shampooing upholstery and carpets, and working in the yard.  I have discovered two new mystery series.  Charles Todd is a mother/son mystery writing team.  They write the Bess Crawford series about a WWI nursing sister who solves crimes, and they also write the Ian Rutledge series about a Scotland Yard detective and his return to work after WWI.  I have already read six of their books since school got out.

Walking portions of the Centennial Trail is another activity I have been enjoying since school got out.  It runs from Snohomish to near the Skagit County line.  I have walked various portions of it around Marysville and Arlington.  Usually 5 to 7 miles at a time.  I hope to try out the more southern portions soon.  I promise that the next picture I post will not be basketball related.

Hoopfest 2012

 June 29-July 1, 2012 found the Jones family in Spokane for our 7th Hoopfest Weekend.  Alyssa and her favorite babysitting client, Chloe, love to hang out during this weekend of boys playing ball.  They tried to catch some cooling spray from the Spokane River on the bridge between games. As much as I grumble about the cost of our hotel bill at the Doubletree it was very convenient this year. The hotel is part of the convention center complex and Noah's court was right in front of the convention center.  I've already reserved our rooms for next year.

 Noah's team started out strong winning four games in a row. Then they struggled and lost their final two games to take second place in their 16 team varsity bracket.  They all played hard against some tough competition.  The first two games they just had three players so they all had to play every minute of both of their Saturday games.  Noah, Shawn, and Kaleb all worked very hard and won those first two games easily.  Bradey came over Saturday night and joined the boys for the Sunday games. No trip to Spokane would be complete without a visit with Grandma Axtell.  The kids had a great time visiting with her.

I am always surprised when I see how much taller Noah is than Forrest.  I think he's still growing.  He is 6'5" in his basketball shoes and 6'4" in bare feet.  He hopes to reach 6'6".

Relay for Life 2012

 This weekend was Arlington's 3rd annual Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society.  Noah participated along with his basketball teammates, coaches, and friends.  The boys were pretty tired as they played three games at Seattle Pacific University earlier in the day, and they won them all handily.  I missed the games to get ready for relay and to help my team set up our campsite on the football field at the high school.

 Most of my team was present for this photo.  Alyssa is missing as well as a couple of other co-workers from my school.  We have been working on raising money since October.  We had barbecues, bake sales, and one teacher sold jewelry that she makes.  Altogether we raised nearly $4000.

It was great to share this moving and emotional experience with my kids.  We all persevered through driving rain, thunder, lightning, and winds that knocked over canopies and sent tents flying.  The kids went home after midnight but I stayed all night.  A cool, clammy fog rolled in and chilled us all to the bone.  I warmed up in my car a couple of times.  Thank goodness for seat warmers!

 Noah as a sophomore got a privilege usually reserved for juniors and seniors.  He got to attend Arlington High School's Jr/Sr Prom.  His friend, Katie, a junior invited him to be her date. Katie and Noah were part of a group that included 7 couples.  They met at the Glen Eagle Country Club for pictures before jumping into an Expedition limo for the trip to Seattle.  They had a family style Italian dinner at Bucca de Beppo and then they were off to the aquarium for the dance.

 Noah and his friend Max have known each other since kindergarten. Max is one of my favorite former students.

 Noah and Katie look great together.  She bought his red shirt for him to create some contrast with her black and white dress.

 Alyssa came home for Mother's Day and to see Noah off to prom.

 Terry is one of Noah's basketball teammates.  They make a handsome duo.

 Katie's mom made all of the corsages and buttonieres for the whole group.

Basketball Weekend in Yakima

This past weekend we journeyed to Yakima so Noah and his North City teammates could participate in the Best in the West Tournament.  They played hard and all of the boys improved their skills by playing teams with bigger, stronger players.  They have had a pretty easy spring league season with 7 wins and 1 loss. And their previous tournament saw them win 4 games and lose 1.  This last weekend was tough, and they only won one of the four games they played.  However, all of the games were close and one even went to overtime.

 I had to put in a picture of this team from Tacoma in their pink and purple uniforms.  Number 15 with the big hair was Noah's defensive assignment during most of the game.  This kid is a big flopper and got away with it for most of the game.  Noah played with four fouls for most of the second half because the refs finally quit rewarding the dramatic antics of 15.

 Coach Eddy was very encouraging to the whole team.

 This photo is from the game they won against the Richland Wildcats.

 Noah stole a rebound from his own teammate.  Way to pad your stats boy.

By the looks on their faces you can tell this photo was taken after a heartbreaking loss.  Forrest keeps telling me that the purpose of this team is for the boys to play tougher competition to improve their skills.  It's not about winning tournaments.  However, I personally think winning makes for a more enjoyable weekend away from home.  Despite the losses the boys did enjoy hanging out at the hotel and eating out at fun restaurants together. The parents had fun too.  Alyssa came over and spent the weekend with us as Yakima is halfway between our home and Cheney.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

On Saturday we traveled to St. Helens to stay with the Wormans. Noah and Grayson played basketball in front of the house. Grayson decided that a pogostick was a great way to make up for the difference in height.

Michelle made a lovely banner for the anniversary party. Balloons, flowers, and good food made for a beautiful brunch.

Three generations eating together. Mom and dad pose with their four grandsons.

The Jones family minus Alyssa pose with the happy couple. We missed her, but it's too far for her to drive by herself.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! You are our inspiration.

Spring Break in Portland

Forrest, Noah, Noah's friend Kaleb, and I took a quick trip to Portland during our spring break from school. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed sitting in the sun downtown in Pioneer Courthouse Square. As you can see Forrest is still supporting the now defunct Seattle Sonics while I am sporting my new Blazer shirt. Noah and Kaleb joined Forrest in wearing their Sonics gear to the Blazer game. The boys loved NikeTown. We spent lots of money on shoes, shorts, shirts, and socks, and they wouldn't validate my parking! How rude!We made a trip to Voodoo Donuts. Very yummy treats, but the exposure of this shop on FoodNetwork creates long lines out the door at any time of day. Mom and Dad were excellent hosts as usual: fixing crepes for breakfast and taking us out for yummy meals. The Blazer game was great, except that they lost. It's been so long since we've been able to attend an NBA game. Forrest and the boys have high hopes that Seattle will get a team again soon.

After our quick trip to Portland, Noah had his wisdom teeth pulled and spent the rest of his spring break recuperating. I got to be the nurse, managing his medications and providing him with ice packs, cold drinks, and soft foods. He has made a full recovery and is make to his usual eating machine self.

Birthday Weekend

Mom and Dad came up to help me celebrate my birthday this weekend. On Saturday night they treated us to a yummy dinner at Ivar's at Mukilteo Landing. Sourdough rolls, delicious salads, and superb fresh seafood were on the menu. Usually the views from this restaurant are terrific, however, last night it was cloudy and hailing. We could see the ferry docking and unloading, but not much else. Then we came home and had yummy Mint Oreo DQ cake. Our crazy March weather continued this morning with many of our friends in Arlington and Marysville waking up to a couple of inches of snow on the ground.

It was weird to celebrate without Alyssa, but she will be home soon. She has finals this week and will be home Wednesday. Then she'll be on spring break until April 1st. I got a lovely quiet dishwasher for my birthday from Forrest, and he and Noah also bought me the sweater and butterfly blouse in this photo.

Sunday started with a yummy breakfast at the Stanwood Cafe followed by a game for Noah at Skagit Community College. After the game my weekend of seafood continued with an oyster burger at the Conway Tavern. We had lunch so late that I am skipping dinner, but will probably have a piece of birthday cake later.