Karate Champs again!

Competing as Yellow Belts this time, Andrew and Braden, participated in their Karate Championship! There were about 200 kids on the floor and can you believe that Andrew and Braden both competed at the same time!!! How frustrating! Colton and I got to cheer Braden on and take some pic and Tom got to cheer Andrew on and get some video. Both boys improved so much since their last competition. They ended up with a repeat of last time with Braden taking 1st place and Andrew taking 2nd place. Attitudes were fantastic, especially Andrew, and we couldn't have been prouder. Group pics are courtesy of Colton! :) Always so much fun to watch our kids show off the skills that they have been working so hard on!

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36

Happy birthday, Tom!

Tom's birthday was on Wednesday this year... one of our busiest days of the week! We wanted to celebrate with friends but there wasn't enough time and the rest of the week was filled...we wanted to make him breakfast in bed, but amazingly he was out of bed already that day... So, we wished him happy birthday in the morning and then had a real quick party for him at dinner time! I made a yummy spaghetti dinner and Colton and I picked up balloons and made a jello cake for dessert! The boys made hand made cards and Andrew gave him a Home Depot gift card, Braden wanted to give him 4 quarters but couldn't find them so chose to wrap up 2 hostess pies, Colton gave him a Star Wars X wing kite, and I gave him a Bible answer book and Steven Wright DVD. Although very rushed... it was great to be together to celebrate our favorite Daddy! We love you so much! :)

A trip to the Planetarium

I am so thankful that Andrew wants me to be a part of his life... at school! He will still hug me and wants me to sit with him at chapel, be his room mom, and go with him on his field trips! I am embracing each moment! Last week we had fun going with his class to the Planetarium. The kids were so excited and in awe of the dome and how cool it was to learn in a place like that. I was in awe of how different a planetarium trip is now compared to when I went on school trips in MO so long ago. The Hubble telescope has taught us so much about our place in the universe! How awesome it was to see the pictures that the Hubble has captured for us! Amazing!

The weather was bad, so we headed back to school for a picnic on the classroom floor. It was fun getting to know Andrew's buddies a little better. You can imagine me asking them all sorts of questions like what they are in to these days, favoirte ice cream, favorite movie, favorite book, etc... You can learn a lot if you take the time to ask!

Thanks, Andrew, for wanting me to be a part of you life! It makes my heart glad! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

We love holidays! Valentine's Day is no exception... The boys had fun at their class parties on Friday and then they got to be with some of their best friends, Lauren, Nicole ,and Miss Jenna, that night for pizza, play, and "Space Buddies"! Tom and I got to go to Scott and Karen's with two other couples from our small group to have a early Valentine's celebration! Karen outdid herself with a fabulous meal and ambiance that made us all feel like we were eating at a 5 star restaurant! Then we went up to the movie room and watched "Fireproof"! I cried just as hard the 2nd time around. What a wonderful movie and special time with our friends!

On Valentine's Day we celebrated with one of our favorite 3 year olds, Grace, at her BEE day party! Always so much fun to be with friends. Then we were going to spend the day outside, but it rained ALL day... so Tom and the boys made hand made cards and a quick trip to the store and came in with balloons and roses! Everyone got fun gifts and we spent the day doing Dance Dance Revolution, watching Bibleman, and driving through Chick-fil-A for dinner. Tom and I ended the night with a movie. What a fun weekend! :)

"God is love." 1 John 4:19

They've captured my heart...

God's blessings are many... here are three of mine! :)

Look What We Made for Dinner!

What a treat to make these cute snowmen for dinner the other night. Healthy, yet fun!
All you need is a skewer, bananas, grapes, apples, corrots, pretzels, and chocolate chips!

An artist in the making...

Colton loves his Magnadoodle! He likes to draw a picture and surprise us with it and then we draw a picture to surprise him. So cute! He drew a snowman on his own! Quite impressive for a 3 year old! :) We also got out the paints the other day (something I should do more often) and he loved it! The simple pleasures in life are worth a lot! :)