James does basketball

A few months ago, Jamesy was holding my hand walking somewhere (I love it when they still do that), and asked me when it would be his turn to play basketball. 

After soccer, swim lessons and kung fu were made him grumpy/anxious/scared, I wasn't sure how this would go. But I have been so proud of him!

He is trying to hard out there. He listens to his coach, and he runs up and down the court. Sometimes he gets confused about offense/defense, but in his last game he tried to make a basket (to try and get an ice cream cone). 

JB said if he ever made 3 baskets, he'd get an Imaginex Dino like his cousin Phin has. So now he keeps asking if he can just have one anyway.

His coach also coaches Ben, and he is quite patient with these 6 year olds.

Deardeuffs get together

My brother Joe's darling new baby was blessed this month, and a lot of family members came from Missouri and Seattle for it.

I reserved a cultural hall for a few hours on Saturday to spend more time together and host the whole group. 

We lined up in birth order. Six siblings together is still only half the group, but very impressive!

Me (2), Joe (3), Michael (4), Peter (6), Emily (8), Stephen (10)

Between us we have all the Deardeuff grandchildren.

Back row: Max w/ Owen, Ben w/ Levi, Kate, Nathaniel, Jacob, Caleb, Andrew, Havala, Davey.

Front row: Joseph, Yoheved, Matrim, Danny, James, Kaylee, Millie, Birdie

Joe's wife Susan took a picture of the photographers during the grandkids picture.

We have a lot of boys. Here are the girls together. 

They ran around and played and played. JB smoked pork. Peter was the main planner and I helped.

Here's my dad holding grandchild number 20.

This is the picture he took from that chair.

We grew up playing lots of board games and card games as siblings. I am trying to get my children to play games together more. They say, "Ok, Xennial."  (Because I'm in between Gen X and millennial. Ok they don't say that.)

Sunday was another chance to all be together again for the blessing, before people drove back home. Susan had a nacho bar for the luncheon, which was the BEST idea. 

with my mom and little sister Emily

(All the little cousins loved Ben)

Their baby Owen is so cute. It was kind of an emotional weekend. Losing Gavin was such a terrible, heartbreaking thing. Owen doesn't replace him, but he is such a blessing.

Andrew does basketball

This is Andrew's second year of Jr Jazz basketball.  I don't mean to compare the two little boys to the older boys, but, they don't play with the same intensity that's for sure.

Andrew is so social. He immediately greets his friends on the team (they are all his friends now), and he just chats away. But I think he also is learning to listen to his coach and work on learning new skills.

My only complaint is that with our Saturdays so busy, we signed Andrew and James up for weeknight games this year. Who has 3rd graders starting to play at 8:30pm on a school night? Though Andrew loved it. He's always begging me to let him stay up late.

Zoo babies

There was a free zoo day over the school winter break. The big boys didn't want to come. I think they relished a quiet house.

Millie had a bag of her treasures she carried around. Andrew wanted to climb on anything.

He also thought it was colder than it was. But look how close the lions were! And they had a long roar war that was spooky-cool to hear.

Monkeys were active.

And I feel like the alligator is plotting something behind my babies.

JB made hot chocolate in a thermos for us, which was a great idea.

Then I took the shaggy boys for haircuts.

The noovee theater

(Millie says noovee for movie)  We had quite a fun December!

My work rented out a theater and we saw "Frozen 2." Before hand was a photo op. Just on the other side were Max and Ben, holding our free popcorn and drinks and shaking their heads "NO" when we beckoned them over. I don't know why they didn't want to pose with the characters, haha.

 

I think the boys and JB and I spent most of the movie watching Millie watch the movie, and it was very entertaining.

Then, after Christmas, our friend's law firm had a theater rented out, also with free popcorn and drinks, for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

Andrew is such a big fan.  We felt spoiled and very entertained (though I do not agree with bringing back the Emperor).

I contributed some money to a brother's Disney+ account and the boys and I have been watching The Mandalorian. BABY YODA! Also Millie has been streaming princess movies on the daily for her quiet time.

Christmas

We always try to draw out Christmas morning, so it isn't over too fast, but usually it's over unwrapping by 8:20 AM. I think everyone had a nice day!

JB and his two mini-mes have matching clothes now after Christmas Day.

I've been working on that Star Wars crochet kit ever since, wearing those pants and my new socks, and straightening my hair a lot.

Socks were a theme. JB got a great deal on some Stance socks for each boy.  They love them. They got some neat activities or toys, and I always try to give a new book each year.

Millie's Christmas was almost all from the thrift store. I have been holding on to these things for months as I find them. A Belle dress, a play house, and a princess story book. Plus new barrettes for her golden wispy locks. 

We then went to JB's parents for Christmas dinner. For a nice surprise, Nona took the girls to go see Little Women. I love all adaptations of the book, and enjoyed this one a lot.

Christmas Eve

The little kids' jammies came from Hong Kong with Nona this year.

They unwrapped them on Christmas Eve with almost all of the other cousins 

They didn't have them in tween and teen sizes, so Nona got these for the four oldest.

(Jane, Emily, Benjamin, Maxwell)

These four cousins are close in age and are like a rat pack

(Andrew, Aaron, Phineas, James)

Then we have the toddlers/preschoolers 

(Millie, Millicent Mae, Spencer)

After that were the babies Kira and Silas, and we were missing the 3 in Idaho and 1 in Arizona. They unwrapped matching PJs as well.

I'm pretty sure Andrew and James wore theirs for a few days in a row of the Christmas break before being made to bathe.