It was the best of times - we had a truly incredible weekend, packed full of swimming and volleyball, family and friends! We started our adventure on Friday night, where the little B's and Big Daddy enjoyed time in the water.
Our motel was perfect! It was right next to the Max, so we were able to experience taking a train for the first time, and it was fun! Below, we are headed out, bright and early Saturday morning. Can you spy Britt and Brady?
A very nice stranger offered to take this picture for us when he saw me taking pictures of my three B's. He also gave us some great advice on how to ride the train and where to get off. I managed to embarrass everyone at our stop, because they closed the one we were supposed to get off at, and I may have screamed, "Stop - we have to get off! How do we get off this thing?!" in a moment of panic, but the NEXT stop was ours, and now my family has lots of material to make fun of me. What can we say? I'm a country girl!
As soon as we got there, we ran in to one of Brailey's teammates, Lexi - perfect timing. From there, we ran into Kameron and Nikki. We only had six girls for this tournament, so everyone is here except for two!
The supportive siblings. They have sat through quite a few tournaments this season. They have also become pretty good buddies. Isa's sister, Soni, is on the left, and Britt on the right. Thank goodness for Kindle Fires to keep them entertained for at least part of the time.
Winner, winner, winners! They did really well the first day, and came in second in their pool. They could have easily been first, but it just didn't happen. You can see they are happy, happy, happy in this picture - the sweet feel of victory!
Which one is Bethani?! Her twin sister, Kris, who is several months pregnant, came to watch her niece. They fooled quite a few people! Maren, our coach, said, "I didn't know your mom was pregnant!" Brady got them mixed up, as well. Aren't they beautiful? I have enjoyed every second spent with Bethani this season. LOVE HER!
And I love this lady, too - the gorgeous, inside and out, Madison! We met her this fall, and she coached OVC's 16's team. They went undefeated and won their bracket! Ironically, one of the girls on her team is the daughter of Brailey and Britt's beloved second grade teacher, Bea Downes. It has been so fun to talk volleyball with Bea in the school halls.
Madison made a special point to come and see Brailey play - she's such a sweetheart! She told Brailey to relax her legs and put them up on the wall for a bit between games.
Brailey played so well on Saturday, Brady and I caved in and bought her her first pair of Nike Elite socks. Her feet had been hurting up to this point, and after wearing these socks, which claim to support the foot, she said her feet actually felt better! Maybe they are worth their high price tag, after all... Maybe. In any case, she was thrilled with them!
Britt makes friends wherever he goes. These little boys adored him! They were quite sad when Britt had to put his Kindle up to watch his sister, but they still had fun playing with him. 
Saturday night, after a trip to the Boot Barn in Troutdale to exchange my Christmas boots and a nice lunch and more swimming, we went back to the Convention Center to watch the coaches play. All the coaches were invited to play, and it was so much fun to watch them! We also got to see Madison's team play. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have included this evening activity in our itinerary, because Brailey was super tired the next day, but it was still fun to see the incredible athleticism of the coaches and to ride the Max one last time. Brailey is wearing her sweatshirt Brady and I stood in line for over an hour to purchase. It was worth it!
Britt was a little worn out, himself. Truth be told, we all were! Below, they are outside the Oregon Convention Center on Sunday.
Pretty in pink! It wasn't the best day for OVC 12's on Sunday. They were all tired and sore, and the chemistry just wasn't there. They could have easily beat every team they played, but it didn't happen. Still, it was a fun season, full of learning, experience and lots of new friends, and we can't wait for next year! Praise God that Brailey loves volleyball!
