Basketball

One great thing about the kids getting older is they are getting better and more involved in their sports. And with basketball, I am lucky enough to be their coach! 

 This year they were on different teams, since Julie is in an older division now. They both missed the first part of the season thanks to their injuries. But when they got back on the court, they did great. Julie is really getting to be a great ball handler and her defense, as always, is her strong suit. The girls team was so much fun. They were sassy, but very fun and loving.

 Andy enjoys playing, he loves being out there with his buddies. He did great this year, much more involved, tried his hardest and made lots of awesome plays. And he still gives me a hug at each quarter and time out.

I really lucked out on both my teams this year and am so proud of my big kids for being examples to their teammates and for having a great attitude even though they didn't get to play the whole season.

Hair Cut!!

If you remember, Julie cut her hair and donated it a year and a half ago. Sadie all of a sudden started talking about how Sissy did that and how she wanted to be like her. I didn't believe her at first because she talks a lot about cutting her hair but always changes her mind at the last minute.

But this time it stuck and she wanted to cut her hair and donate it. So we did!!  It was so long and so hard to keep up with. The lady who cut her hair was so sweet to her and even got a little teared up when we were all done. 

 Sadie LOVES her new do. She loves being able to brush her own hair and not needing to have it braided and de-tangled every day. She loves that she has hair like Sissy now!  She looks so much older, like a totally different kid. But we all love it and think it suits our big girl!

Father Daughter Dance 2016

It was pretty fun getting the girls ready for the dance this year. Julie wanted her hair curled. Which means Sadie wanted her hair curled. 

 These sisters looked beautiful! And were so excited to go out with Daddy.

 Tyson was great enough to bring his good camera to the dance. He shared some awesome shots of my hunk and the girls. And yes, Sadie had a last minute wardrobe change. She decided the purple was more fancy.

 I love the green in the back ground. and how grown up is Julie all of a sudden?

 I think John got his workout carrying and dancing with this little one. Julie was with her friends a lot of the time, Sadie had friends there too but she took a little longer to warm up.

While they were at the dance, Andy and I enjoyed Kung Fu Panda and some awesome video games. When we got home, we watched nature shows, Andy's choice of course. It is always fun to have some one on one time with this handsome boy.

Injuries

Whelp, it happened, we had our first broken bone. Julie won the award by fracturing her wrist on December 15th. She was such a trouper and was mostly upset she was late for school! Since it was her right wrist, we were lucky she only had a few days of school before break. Writing was a little difficult with her bright orange cast!

 Not to be outdone, right after Christmas Andy fell off the top bunk and broke his collar bone! I know! These two. Andy had a slightly harder time getting used to the sling. He had to sleep sitting up and since it wasn't protected like Julie's cast, he had to be really careful about bumping it. And about getting hugs.

But, being the amazing healthy kids that they are, they both healed wonderfully. Julie got her cast off 6 weeks after injury. Andy was able to stop wearing his sling after 5 weeks then could be back to his silly, wild self after another 2. Both were very happy to have both arms back!

Julie Turns 9

It is so cool that as the kids get older, they can not only tell you what they want for their birthday parties, but they can also arrange them themselves! This year Julie told us exactly what she wanted. Friends for pedicures, dinner and a slumber party. She picked the friends, made the invitations and arranged everything.

And, as an added bonus, she has some pretty sweet friends. I had a blast chaperoning these girls to the pedi's. They were nothing but manners and giggles the whole time.

Dinner was just as great. A table for them, a table for us. These girls are the cutest.

 And you really can't beat the Madonna Inn cakes! Sadie had a hard time letting the big girls do their thing. But Julie let her help blow out the birthday candle, so all was well.

 Every day we are so proud of our big girl. She makes us laugh, makes us question and makes us better people. She has a heart of gold mixed with a little sass. We love you Julie Bess!

15 Years

This month John and I celebrated 15 years together! The view across the table has changed a little since our first date 15 years ago. 3 more smiling, goofy faces! And a man more handsome than the day we met. I love this view. 

The view on my desk of the 15 orange roses he sent was pretty swell as well. What a sweet surprise. 

Christmas Time

Holy moly was this Christmas a whirlwind!! With the kids getting older, each event is more fun.  We are able to just hop in the car and do things on a whim. But, a lot of times, when we get places, they find friends and off they go. Its amazingly cool, and a little sad. But mostly great. 

We did get to see Santa at my work one night. Sadie insisted she wasn't going to cry. When we got up there, she did so good. She spoke to him and told him exactly what she wanted. She didn't get much choice on sitting on is lap because he just scooped her on up!

 We did the Margarita tree lighting as always with the Hammers. It is one of my favorite events, even though this year there was no soup. But we ended up with sushi, so we really can't complain.

 There was a lot of sitting around, enjoying our new home. It really does well with a tree in the living room. John also outdid himself on the outside, but of course, pictures can not do it justice.

 Christmas morning the kids were up early, happy, excited and sweet. They loved all their gifts.

 Especially the bunnies Santa brought them. Sadie named hers "Charlie Brown Snowball."  Julie's is "Colors" and Andy's is "Snoopy."  They are great fun and have a nice little home in the living room. They might be a bit spoiled.

After a bit we had some nice time with Memere and Grandpy before all the rest of the family showed up. Sadie loved her umbrella!

 Grandpy got the kids tool boxes. They loved them. Sadie made sure to wear her protective eye gear while working with her tools.

 This year we had some extra visitors! Cousins Lauren and Jemma were here for Christmas! Of course with Justin and Audrey too. They came in on Christmas night. We had all the family over for dinner. But I was cooking, talking, eating, so I didn't get any pictures. Darn! But it was wonderful having our home filled with family for the holidays.

 We spent the rest of the time just hanging out enjoying each other. It was a busy Christmas season, but many great memories were made.