Triumph!

For the first time, Louise's basketball team did not lose!  (It was a 14-14 tie).  Alison was filling in as head coach - coincidence?  We think so.  We let the star center celebrate with a hot cocoa.

Also in the past week, we have started selling cookies in earnest, going door-to-door and staffing cookie booths.  Louise appears to have her father's approach to retail in the photo below, but when the camera wasn't around, she was determined and charming.

The girls and Alison honored the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr by participating in a day of service (1.5 hours long!) at the high school.  They decorated blankets, assembled hygiene packets for homeless people, made valentines for nursing home residents, and made thank-you cards for soldiers.

Red stripe

Charlotte passed her first Karate test and earned a red stripe:

 
We've been festive and busy since our last post.  Katie visited on Christmas Eve (perhaps Louise's favourite gift):












On Christmas Day, we opened a bounty of Christmas treasure,

then headed for the airport.

















We all loved Tucson - the scenery, the grandparents, the games, and meeting Aunt Julia (one of Mary's two daughters).  

Images from Tucson:

After we returned home, we enjoyed a trip to the da Vinci Science Center in Allentown...

Snow...

...and dress-up: