Matthew West concert

Willow and I had early entry tickets to Matthew West's "Don't Stop Praying" tour! We were in the 2nd row! He put on a great concert and we enjoyed songs by Cochren & Co as an opener too! I barely needed a zoom to get a good picture!

He posted this on his Instagram story after the concert:

If you zoom in on the bottom left picture, you can spot Willow and half of my face!

Bryan Adams concert

I was so excited when Morgan asked if I wanted to go to a concert with her in DC! She made me agree before I was told who it was ;) but I was happy to agree. We went to see Bryan Adams, which was such a fun blast from the past. It felt like a middle school dance (in the best way of course). We talked non-stop the whole time we were together and enjoyed a trip to IKEA since we were so close. I was not so sure navigation was taking us to DC when we were on roads like this for so long!! I breathed a sigh of relief when we got on the interstate :)

 The signs at IKEA are so fun - easy for people of all languages to understand!

I love that his concert tour was called "So Happy It Hurts." I wish they had a t-shirt with this design!

We were in the nosebleed seats but the music sounded the same!! The benefit of being in the top row is that you don't have someone singing into your ear from behind you!!

These two old ladies were up way past our bedtime!!

We enjoyed some time in the mall area before driving home. The cherry blossoms weren't at peak but they were blooming!

Murrays visit!

We lucked out with a visit from the Murrays on their way to TN for a basketball tournament! They slept at our house so we were able to maximize our time :) We played a lot of games, did some art, and went to a free event at the Art Museum that had a variety of different things to try. We love when we have time together!

 

New Room

For Christmas, Willow picked out artwork for her walls to replace the butterflies that she's had since we moved in (when she was 4!!). She also got new curtains and a lamp. 

Hockey

We went to a handful of hockey games this season. Willow enjoys watching. Owen mostly counts down to when we get snacks. 

When they score 4 goals, everyone gets a free chicken biscuit from Bojangles! That happened in two of the games we went to!

The energy level is high when the Railyard Dawgs score! Woo!

 Willow went to a Virginia Tech hockey game with me. The rink is just 5 minutes from our house and there's not a bad seat! It was fun to see the action up close!

Fair warning in case you forgot where you are!

Massanutten

The grandkids often get to Massanutten with Nana and Grandpa but the adults like fun things too, so this winter we all tagged along. We enjoyed sledding (manmade snow) and the water park as well as lots of games at the unit!

 They have black mats at the bottom to slow you down and stop you. Kim must've had a super slick tube!! She flew past all the black mats and landed in the emergency mat!! The workers added more black mats after that!

The kids made birthday cards for Nana, Kim, and Chad. It was sweet to see what Owen chose to draw based on what each of them likes. 

Owen is getting better at the birthday song on his clarinet! He also did a duet with Hannah on her violin! 

Willow: JV Basketball

Willow was part of the small but mighty JV basketball team this year. They had their setbacks with a small team to begin with, along with injuries. It's always fun to watch Willow challenge herself, though, and she's always got her biggest fans in the stands!

Here's a video from the season. 

After the season ended, Willow joined a travel basketball team for a few months before it fizzled. It was a good experience and gave her exposure to a new coach and an increased level of play.