Eugene Visit & Basketball pictures

We headed down I-5 after Lanna’s game on Saturday to Eugene to spend two short days with the Belmont-Smith family and break in their new house. The girls could hardly wait to get there, and we were barely to Vancouver and Lanna was asking “How much longer?” How many times have you taken this drive child? Sheesh! “20 minutes, dear.” BTW, Lanna’s team (Li’l Renegades) kicked booty again and is playing well so far.

We spent Saturday visiting, playing, watching the Winter Olympics, kids playing the Wii, and adults playing Seqence. We also checked out a soul food (southern?) restaurant in Eugene. It has been a while since I had a pulled pork sandwich with slaw; it was messy and delicious and I am proud to say I ate every bite. Lanna had the ribs and managed to eat just 1 ½ out of 4 ribs. We are sure she has had ribs before, so we were a little perplexed when we saw her sucking the end of the rib, and when asked what she was doing she replied “I’m trying to suck the bone out of the end.” Hmmm, we all gave each other quizzical looks and then chuckled.

Hockey at the Ice Arena

The Eugene Parks and Rec held a free hockey day for kids, complete with full hockey gear. The kids were all excited to give it a try and did great. It did not take them long to get the hang of skating on the ice while holding the stick and shooting on goal. Maggie and Cole did not come off the ice once the whole hour and a half, skating around, taking slap shots on goal and passing to each other. Lanna had a quick break to allow her tailbone to recover from two falls in a row, but then headed back out. She was sore, but she didn’t want to come off the ice. Jo did great as well, with lots of smiles, having fun out on the ice with everyone. The kids really enjoyed the experience and would like to try it again.

Everyone is all smiles in their full hockey gear before hitting the ice.

Sisters sharing a nice moment.

Lanna's trader card shot.

Maggie's trader card pose.

Maggie and Lanna face off.


Everyone on the ice: Jo (#33); Cole (behind girl in the middle); Maggie (upper center); Lanna (far right with adult)

Panorama of the rink. Maggie is front center, Lanna is laying down in front of the goal.

We were sure the kids would be tired, but had no idea how exhausted the adults would be. We went back to the BS house for lunch and some rest time, and all the adults took little naps while the kids continued to play. It’s hard work watching your kids skate. Next, it will be Ensure and dentures. Good thing the kids are responsible. However, as a parent you are always on. At various times, one adult or another had one eye open surveying the action, and when we heard the garage door open, Tina jumped right up to check things out.

Post-hockey picture. Everyone is sweaty, but had a great time.

We headed out late Sunday evening to be home Monday in preparation for our floors being refinished. We all wished we could spend one more evening visiting, but all good things must come to and end. It was an enjoyable time and we can’t wait to head down again soon.

Pictures of Maggie

At the Chehalis basketball tournament, professional photographers were on site taking pictures at every game. There were several good ones of all the girls, and we purchased two of Maggie.

Look at the concentration, she even made the shot!

Maggie on the breakaway. Notice how big the girl to her left is. I question if she is really a 5th grader. We referred to her as Shaquila.