#226 Bucks in 6

The Milwaukee Bucks did it! They won the NBA Finals. For the first time in 50 years, they're the champs. I was gone to Bible camp last week, so I didn't get to watch the last game live, but once we saw the results I celebrated as best as I could. I jumped up and down. I pumped my fist. I picked Tess up and spun around with her. The high schoolers thought I was a little nuts. I didn't care.

The Bucks did it! It's still hard for me to believe. For most of my life the Bucks have been aggressively mediocre. There were some flashes of brilliance, particularly in the last couple years, but even as my hero Giannis Antetokounmpo blossomed into the MVP, the team still couldn't make it to the Finals. But this year everything came together. Series after series the Bucks simply overcame each challenge. There were a couple times where I thought Milwaukee was done for, but they kept coming back.

And Giannis. Giannis! If I blogged about the Greek Freak every week for the rest of the year, I don't think I could do the man justice. He was phenomenal. He was mesmerizing. He was unstoppable. The chase-down blocks. The domination in the paint. The back-to-back 40-point games. The block at the end of Game 4. The alleyoop at the end of Game 5. 50 points (including 17-19 on free throws!) and willing the team to victory in Game 6. Eight years ago, Milwaukee drafted an 18-year-old kid who became the NBA's Most Improved Player, then the NBA's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He had chances to leave, to seek a bigger market or flashier teammates. But he chose to stay. Now Giannis is a champion and a Finals MVP. No matter what happens the rest of his career, he's going to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. And he did it all in Milwaukee. Milwaukee! All my basketball dreams have come true. So thanks, Giannis. Thanks, Bucks. Miwaukee won. Nobody can take that away from us.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#225 Mia and the 1K

About a year ago,our local library challenged us to read one thousand books with Mia before kindergarten. (We did the same thing with Lanie if you want to look back to post #197.) Mia's still a long ways from heading off to school, but last night we completed the challenge. Here's a picture of us reading the last book, Guess How Much I Love You:

As Mia has grown over this past year, she has come to enjoy reading more and more. (That's why we finished quickly.) She doesn't really talk at this point, but she often comes over to Tess or me with a book in hand and grunts at us to read to her. We still haven't progressed beyond reading board books with Mia, but she's more than satisfied with these short, simple books for now. She especially loves special books: books that play music, books with flaps to lift, books with textures to feel, books with pieces to slide with your fingers. We've wondered Where's Spot? time and time again. We heard about how Jesus Loves Me over and over. We've kept track of the animals on Noah's Ark and sung along with Baby Shark and the Family Orchestra. When we finish reading, Mia likes to take the books and look back through the pages herself. It is a joy to watch Mia's face light up when we read. I'm looking forward to getting to more complicatated books with multiple speaking characters that will enable me to break out the silly voices. I am beyond happy to get to read with Mia so day after day. Hopefully Mia will enjoy reading and being read to for many years to come.

Grace and peace,

BMH