BUNCO Babes begin!

I am so excited to have a group of 16 girls committed to getting together monthly in Woodtrace for Bunco.  Gamee even helped me start it all up by making the CUTEST dice cookies for dessert.  I had been sick much of the week prior, so she did EVERYTHING herself.  I am so grateful for Gamee!  The first night was a huge success and we had so much fun.  We may be competitive, but I feel so lucky knowing this group will be doing life together for years to come!  Cheers to new friends and friendly competitions, ha!

Last STORM game

What a great season Caelin had on team Storm!  Coach Frank took time to specifically coach all girls throughout the season.  Caelin learned a lot of skills like the L-kick, stopping the ball, and more accurate passing.  We are looking forward to the Spring team of Brazil starting soon. 

Caelin's FIRST lost tooth!

Caelin has been looking forward to losing a tooth for quite a while.  Needless to say, when her bottom 2 teeth felt loose, she started checking daily and preparing for the tooth fairy.  The first tooth finally fell out at school during lunchtime and originally she thought she swallowed it.  She cried and told her teacher who tried to comfort her.  She was so sad all during recess.  When they came in from recess her friend Kade noticed that the tooth was inside her water bottle from lunch!  She was so excited and proud when she got off the school bus.  Looks like we have a tooth fairy visit coming tonight.  Caelin left her a note saying it was her first and asked the tooth fairy to leave some fairy dust behind.  Such a big event!

We have 2 new bike riders in the house!

Cade has been working hard these past few weeks on riding his bike.  Gamee and Grampee also helped by teaching new tricks like balancing on the bike, riding down driveways without the petals first, etc.  Cade was not confident at first although we ALL knew he could do it.  A few scrapes and bruises were picked up along the way, but that is just the right of passage I think.  As soon as he started to get the hang of it, he just took off!  Of course, steering and the brakes still needed a few more days of practice, but we were so proud.  My favorite part was watching his face when he figured out he really could do it.  Cade is such a brilliant young man and can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to.  Caelin saw Cade's success but was still not ready to lose her training wheels.  Tonight we just told her they had to come off.  There were tears, but we both knew she was more than ready.  Daddy and I took turns running alongside her while the tears flowed (and some arguing that she was very mad at us).  Within a few minutes, she was doing it on her own!  Of course, once they both found out they can ride their bikes to friends houses, they were sold on practicing.  What a great milestone for them both.  I am so excited for summer bike rides around the lake!

Happy BD to Papa in Heaven!

It goes without saying that a piece of our hearts will always be missing without my Daddy here.  Holidays and special days are a reminder to me about the love that he gave.  Charles knew this was going to be a hard day, so he surprised me with a cappuccino blast from Baskin Robbins (Dad's favorite).  It made me smile to picture him slurping it down in minutes, then proudly stating that "I am gonna have a ton of insulin now" with a grin.  Yes, it was irritating to hear him say at the time...but I sure do love that grin he would give.  Not to mention how he would blow the straw wrapper back through the drive-thru window as a joke while driving away.  Cheers to you Daddy and what would have been your 70th birthday.  We love and miss you more each day, but will see you again soon. 

Ringing in the New Year in Round Rock

We were so excited to be able to spend almost a week in Round Rock this year after Christmas.  We celebrated Aunt Mendy's 41st Birthday, Christmas with all of us, Bear's BD and the New Year!  Each day seemed to bring new blessings and memory making.  The 4 cousins has many sleepovers, movies, arcade day, soccer, and enjoyed battling each other in Minecraft.  Caelin's favorite part was getting her guitar from Nana and Cade's was spending time with the cousins.  We played several family games of LRC and then kids enjoyed the competition as well.  At times it was chaotic with 4 kids and 4 dogs, but that was just part of the fun.  I didn't get many pictures as we were so busy, but what special memories we made.  Now we just have to settle in and prepare for school to start in a few days.  The kids are already counting down to Spring Break, ha!

Welcome 2019!

2018 was focused on "TODAY is the day that the Lord has Made," Psalm 118:24.  In 2018, I strived to seize every day with joy. This does not mean you ignore negative things going on around you, but to stand firm in the storm and CHOOSE JOY.  So many times in life I have allowed myself to be happy only when those around me are happy. However, God reminds me that happiness is first within ourselves. 2018 brought so many changes that I sometimes felt like I was turning in circles trying to keep 10 plates spinning at once.  It is true that we as humans are creatures of habit.  So to have a new home, a new school for kids, new community, and new jobs for Charles and I was a bit overwhelming at times.  I was blessed to have had daily reminders to seize the day.  I am proud that 2018 is considered one of the best years of my life as God did great things and I learned a lot about myself.  If we do not slow down and look around, we miss the MORE in each moment...more joy and more opportunities.  I have thought long about what I wanted my focus to be in 2019.  It is hard to nail down one thing. Of course, I have resolutions: eat healthier, keep working out, build a behavior program for students in my job, have stronger relationships with others, etc.  When I ask myself "what does God want me to accomplish this year", it took a while to find a specific answer.  I guess the one thing I continue to hear is "draw closer to me," James 4:8.  For me, this means reading the Bible and spending time with God DAILY.  To accomplish this, I know Ephesians 5:16 will be a verse of 2019 which states to "make the BEST use of time".  One of the ways I plan to do this is by reading the entire Bible in one year.  Since I drive 25 minutes to and from work daily, that is almost an hour of listening to the Bible.  So, that will be one of the changes as I work to "make use of my time" better.  As I look back on 2018 and smile, I am filled with happiness knowing that 2019 is going to bring blessings I cannot see at this moment. Let's do this!