A Whirlwind...

Sometimes just thinking about something can make me want to take a nap... that's how this weekend was.  Matt's team took second in their conference, so they packed up Friday morning and headed to Kennewick, WA to play in the final tournament of the season! The NWAACC's!!!  I debated whether or not it was worth it to drive up and watch the tournament (we hadn't gone to any away games this year, so it wasn't a norm...) and finally after texting my cousin who lives a little over an hour away decided it would be worth all the effort!

And it was.  

So... on Friday morning I called my mom and convinced her that it would be a fun weekend excursion to take the kids on a six hour drive to visit great grandparents and watch a few basketball games!

It was totally worth it!

Em playing with Grandma Chandler... Look at those baby blues!!!

four generations!

My sweet Grandma and Emmitt!

Madelyn and her Great Grandma! 

How beautiful is my Grandma?!?  All 84 years of her!!!  She has spent the last 22 years of her life as a widow.  We ate lunch together on Sunday and reminisced about my grandpa's funeral service that had happened exactly 22 years earlier!  I don't think a day goes by that she doesn't shed a tear for him.  She loved him SO much.  Two years ago she told my mom that if she had known when Grandpa died that she would spend the next twenty years without him, she never would have made it.  I thought about how true this is... how many of us would have a desire to keep going if we knew about all the mountains that lay ahead of us?  Thank you Jesus for giving us enough grace for each day!

We took off Saturday afternoon and arrived in the Tri-Cities around 7:30 on Saturday night! We visited with Grandma and Grandpa Olson and then headed to the Toyota Center for a 10PM basketball game!!!  Seriously!  We're crazy! 

But our presence mattered and the girls advanced to the next round!  Off to Grandma Chandler's house we went!  Thankfully we spent all day on Sunday visiting with family and then headed back to Kennewick that night for an 8PM game (a little better, right?!?)!

Sunday night resulted in another win and the girls (and boys, actually) both advanced to the final four and semi-finals of the NWAACC tourney.  

We headed back to Moses Lake on Sunday night and spent one more night with Grandma before saying our goodbyes on Monday morning.  

One last stop at Grandpa and Grandma Olson's house, where we passed on our tournament passes and left our good luck dust... unfortunately it didn't help.  The girls lost on Monday night (we didn't stay for the game) and so they play for third place tomorrow.  

Our trails were marked with silliness, songs, and a little bit of screaming (all Em, of course ;).  Madelyn travels like a champ!  She sang songs, practiced knock knock jokes, entertained her brother (and us) and was just all around silly!  After practicing knock knock jokes, Madi attempted one of her own.  It went like this:

Madi: "Knock, knock"

Mom: "Who's there?"

Madi: ***pause*** "MEEEEEEEEE!"

And it was funny!

Emmitt slept some, laughed at his silly sister some, and then screamed some.  All in all, he did great!  I hope he turns into a jolly little passenger like his sister when he can sit up and see out the window!  These two will make some GREAT road trip companions! =)

Emmitt met his Great Grandpa Olson and Great Grandma Olson for the first time!  He charmed them, as usual...

*This picture is super grainy, but Madi is such a nut that I just had to post it... Weirdo! ;)

53 hours and 900 miles later... we are home alas!  Now we're counting down the hours until Daddy comes home and basketball season is OVER!  Or should I say, "over"?  (Madelyn had a complete meltdown when we got home tonight and Matt wasn't here.  Thankfully a quick phone call helped ease the pain!) The babes are sleeping and I am contemplating CRASHING instead of unpacking the bags and starting the laundry... my bed sounds a-mazing.  

It was tiring, but I'm SO glad we made the effort.  (Definitely couldn't have done it without my mom though!!!) I love spending time with these people and I always come away with a deeper appreciation for life and the people that mean the most to me.  I'm challenged to think about what the most important things really are - serving our Jesus and loving our family?!?

If only I had the insight and wisdom of an 85 year old in my (almost) 27 year old mind...

I hope and pray that our children will have the opportunity to remember their great-grandparents, and I know that the more they see them the more likely that is to happen!

Thanks for the fun weekend, family.  Thank you Lisa for convincing us to come, and thank you Chemeketa for the excuse to visit our great-grandparents!