Jan/Feb Misc

 Apparently throughout January and February, most of the photos I took of Jaden and Cody were basketball-related. Our miscellaneous photos from the start of 2023 are nearly all of Adley! So, here is mostly what she (and a little bit of the rest of the family) was up to in January and February.

Playtime

Adley purchased a new baby doll with some of her Christmas money. Her new Baby Rose makes a good friend for her beloved Baby Grace.

Adley is thrilled to have some neighborhood friends of her own to play with now! The boys have always had a whole troop of neighborhood boys to hang out with, and now these cute girls are finally old enough to come outside on their own and play too. Charli and Oakley have become sweet friends for Adley.

Adley occasionally asks to bike down to our neighborhood playground. She enjoys playtime there too!

Building Workshops

Adley and I have become monthly regulars at both Home Depot and Lowe's for their kids' building workshops. In fact, we go so often that I usually don't remember to take photos anymore! In January, Adley built a snowman photo holder at Lowe's...

and completed a unique flower vase in February at Home Depot.

On the way home, we had to pick up some pretty flowers to fill up her new vase!

Piano Lessons

After learning a piano song for our informal family Christmas concert at the grandparents' homes, Adley asked me over and over again to teach her more songs. I figured we should capitalize on this enthusiasm and begin official lessons. Adley has been thrilled to start learning the piano and practices multiple times each day. Here are two of the first songs we recorded.

Crusader Run

In February, our family signed up for Concordia High School's annual Crusader Run. Uncle Jon is the primary organizer for this event, so we like supporting him. Jaden and Cody were at a birthday party sleepover that morning, but Jason, Adley, and I participated. Adley and Jason did the 1-mile run, along with some other extended Schleicher family members.

As you can tell by our attire, it was a very chilly morning!

Kim and I did the 5K run. I got 2nd place in my age division!

The Schleicher Runners-- what a fun morning with family!

A Visit with the Klundts

Also in February, we had a special visit from some dear Montana friends. Wayne and Connie Klundt were active members of our church in Billings, and Connie worked as church secretary on staff with Jason for several years. The Klundts were visiting one of their daughters in Texas for a month and asked if we were free for a visit while they were nearby. We were thrilled to see them and offered to host them for an overnight.

We showed our kids this picture of Connie back when the boys were little. Connie and Wayne are also parents to twins, so they were a wonderful support for us after Jaden and Cody were born. Connie gifted them with these adorable Santa's elves outfits that they wore on their first Halloween.

We somewhat re-created the photo now 10 years later. They've only slightly changed since then! ;)

During Wayne and Connie's visit, we played several games,

strolled through some shops in downtown Tomball,

went out for some Texas barbecue,

and just enjoyed time telling stories and catching up. We sure love this wonderful couple!

Wayne and Connie brought us a little taste of Montana too-- Montana shirts for all three kids and huckleberry syrup and jelly for the whole family. What thoughtful gifts!

Adley Kindergarten

Here are some of Adley's recent kindergarten events:

 For their 100th day of school, Adley's assignment was to bring in a poster decorated with 100 items. Adley spent careful time counting out 100 stickers and was so proud of her completed poster.

Valentine's Day

Rodeo Day

Innovation Lab-- creating 3D shapes

Dancing in Music class

Adley had three special family members serve as mystery readers for her class. Jason read to the class in January. Adley was so proud to have her daddy visit!

Papa and Grammy read to Adley's class in February. After reading A Balloon for Isabel, Grammy and Papa used a balloon, an orange, toothpicks, and gumdrops to demonstrate the science behind Isabel's problem in the book. Grammy and Papa definitely knew how to make their storytime fun and engaging!

What a special treat for Adley!

JV2 Basketball

 From December through February, Jaden and Cody played on their school's JV2 basketball team. The team was made up of mostly 5th graders, all players with little prior experience. Because of this, our athletically-inclined boys quickly arose as leaders on their team. Both boys were consistently top scorers and rebounders. They were confident, aggressive players and were so fun to watch! Their coach often played both boys at the same time, so we enjoyed seeing their minds work together on the court. Here are a few photos of our #13 and #15 playing together.

Haha, can they look any more like twins here??

The boys enjoyed playing a few games against their cousin Ryan. We loved finding out that their jersey numbers were sequential! How crazy is that?!

Jaden had an exceptional season as a Salem saint! He was the primary point guard for his team and was the leading scorer for nearly every game. At the team's first game, Jaden scored all of the team's 14 points! He was a consistent shooter, regularly scoring between 8-12 points each game. His highest record was 17 points! Jaden was especially consistent with his free throws, averaging at least 75% accuracy throughout the season. Jaden was a confident dribbler and played intelligently as point guard-- passing off to teammates when they were open and not being afraid to drive in for a shot. He was also an aggressive defender and a frequent rebounder. Jaden always worked hard on the court and gave each game his all!

Jaden often did the opening tip-off for his team. He frequently won the tip-off too, often tipping the ball straight to Cody who took the ball in for an easy lay-up. These two pulled off this opening play during at least 4 or 5 games! Here, Jaden faced off against his cousin Ryan.

 

Cody had an amazing basketball season as well. He often played the position of shooting guard (or wing, as I remember calling it growing up). He was a very aggressive, heads-up defender and got tons of steals during the season! Not surprisingly, then, many of his points were made by fast break layups. He had a lot of practice with these shots and quickly became a very consistent at making his layups! It was so fun to watch Cody tear down the court on defense and knock the ball away from opponents who were trying to make a fast break. Cody was always faster! He got a lot of his team's rebounds, too. Offensively, Cody typically scored 4-6 points per game and was very good about passing off to open teammates. His best game was the last of the season at 10 points. He was a confident ball handler and made a lot of progress on driving into the lane throughout the season. This talented baller was so fun to watch this season!

As a team, this JV2 group grew so much throughout the season. They learned to be more confident with the ball, attempt more shots, be aggressive on defense, and work together as a team. We appreciated their coach's patient and affirming attitude. The team ended up winning just about half of their games and showed a lot of support for one another. All in all, it was a great first season for Salem basketball!