YMCA Basketball

This was Addie's first time to play basketball.  We signed her up thinking that she would be on a girls team but there weren't enough girls so the made co-ed teams.  I was a little nervous at first but I think it really helped her become more competitive.

 Addie was on a really great team of boys (there were only two girls on their team) and the coaches were really good about having the boys pass to the girls.  Addie played best at defense but I definitely saw a big improvement in her throughout the season!

 It was so much fun watching her play, she even made a couple of baskets!

Austin also played on the YMCA boys team with a lot of his Ranch Heights friends.  They also had a good team of boys and he had a lot of fun.  He was pretty quick with the ball himself and I could see flashbacks of his dad playing every once in a while! :)

 Austin is always outside shooting hoops and playing around.  I've seen such a big improvement in him.  We had so much fun watching both Austin and Addie play basketball and hope they continue to love it!

Imagine Dragons Concert

My first concert was when I was a senior in high school I believe and we went to the Tulsa State Fair and listened to Little Texas.  Ok, maybe I was a junior.  But our friends thought it would be a fun Christmas present to get tickets for our girls to go watch Imagine Dragons.  They have some great songs, and their lead singer is Mormon.  It was a great idea, the girls were so excited!

All of a sudden, we were the cool parents!  They didn't even mind that we came along!  I can't believe how grown up they look, though!  It happened so fast!

 We all met up for dinner beforehand at a little pizza restaurant in downtown Tulsa before hitting up the concert at the BOK.

 Avery with her lifelong friends, MaryKate Vaclaw, Izzy Vaclaw, Brigette Bulleigh and Julianna Ahlert.

 We had seats up in the suite but after a while Avery decided to go down and stand on the floor with her friends.  I was grateful to have a seat!  So I've only been to country concerts and I compared Blake Shelton to being at a rock concert which is still true, but I couldn't believe that Imagine Dragons was even louder than the Blake concert!  It was really awesome and I would totally go again!  I'm glad this was Avery's first concert, it will be one she will remember forever!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!  This was how we started off our morning.  Some cinnamon rolls, a few kiwi, and even a little chocolate.  It's Valentine's day, we can get away with it!  These flowers actually aren't for me though!  Jordan was so sweet and called me up to get flowers for both my mom and Sara.  

 This is what I spent doing the whole day before Valentine's Day!  Both Austin and Addie wanted to hand out mustaches.  Ashton did the chocolate hugs and kisses!

 Avery leaves for school so much earlier than the other kids, I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them together!  I had to pick her up for a dental appointment so I grabbed a quick pic of her before I took her back to school.  She's so beautiful!  I love the red jeans today!

I signed up to help with Austin's class for the Valentine party.  Here he is decorating his cookie.  

I snuck down to see Ashton at her party, I love that she's still so excited to see me!

 I finally found Addie already at lunch in the cafeteria!  She took her lunch today and had a special Valentine's treat in her bag.

 When I got home I had flowers from my Valentine who has always been so good to me and who I love with all my heart!  Hope everyone felt loved and special today!

Watch D.O.G.S

 Our elementary school has started a new program that is called Watch D.O.G.S which stands for Dads of great students.  Dads volunteer to come up to the school for the day.  They greet the kids coming in, help during lunch, volunteer in classrooms, pass out stickers when they see someone doing good and help after school at the crosswalk.

 Our kids have been begging Randy to be the Watch dog, so on one of his Fridays off, he went up to the school.  Not only did he get a shirt to wear, but all three of the kids got to wear a shirt too.  They were also given stickers, pencils, bookmarks and they got to stand as their dad was introduced as the Watch dog for the day.  They were each able to also have lunch with their dad!

It is a long, full day.  It doesn't feel like a day off, in fact I think this job is harder than his real job!  But it was also very rewarding!  I think it is an amazing program and I'm so glad that our school has chosen to participate in it!

I came up during the lunch hour also and I loved seeing the kids so happy to have their dad there all day! I snuck this picture of Randy walking Addie back to her classroom.  I'm so grateful for a husband that spends so much of his time taking care of his kids... he truly is their hero!

Welcome to 2014

 Loved ringing in the New Year with some of my favorite people.  There's not a lot of people I feel like I can truly just be me around and these are a few of them.  There were a few more things we did during the Christmas vacation that were very memorable.

One of them was going to the Zac Brown Band concert.  Joe and Lindsay were coming through on their way up to Utah where they are now living so they said they would watch the kids while we went to the concert.  I almost didn't go because I wanted to spend time with them as well, but they insisted!  I was glad we did!  We had pit seats, well we STOOD in the pit but it really wasn't that bad!

 And look how close we were!!  The Zac Brown Band was AMAZING!!  These guys are so incredibly talented and not only did they sing their songs which I love, but they sang a whole variety of songs from every genre!  It was truly entertaining!

 Yes, this is my husband Randy.  I could barely believe it myself!  Randy was invited to go on a pheasant hunt with some vendors and he decided to go!  He was a little hesitant because how cold it was and he had never gone hunting before.  But this was a little different.

 There were different stations that the guys were set up at, and so it was someone else's turn each time that pheasants were released.  I was told he did great, which I'm not surprised at.  Randy is a natural at everything he does.

 He had a lot of fun and came back with pheasants to eat.  They prepared the pheasants there and sent them home in coolers, but I still didn't cook them!  We sent them over to Randy's parents house and they had us over for dinner.  The kids were so excited to eat something their dad had caught!  I just like the pictures!  He's so handsome!! :)

 We also took the kids ice skating during our Christmas break.  This was the first time for a least the younger two girls to go.  I think Austin and Avery have been before with friends but as a family, this was our first trip.

 Thank goodness for these little buckets!  They got Addie off of the wall!

 Austin was pretty brave!  I'm probably holding onto him for balance!

 Ashton felt safest between mom and dad!

 The kids had so much fun!

 Avery brought her friend, Peyton, with her.  They were both naturals.

 I believe Randy was trying to take Austin down and ended up going down as well!  I might have been the only one who didn't fall!

 Right before school was supposed to start back up, we had a huge snow that kept us out a little bit longer.  I believe at one point Austin was helping dad, but it looks like he might have been sitting here a while!  

We had all gone back inside to get warm and after a while we realized that Avery was no where to be found.  When we found her she was out shoveling our neighbors driveway.  We were so proud of her and her example.  So much so that we went and shoveled a few other driveways for some neighbors.  We love you, Avery!! 

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas everyone!!  I've really started enjoying the traditions we have come up with for our family.  It has made for a fun, well-rounded evening which includes some spiritual moments and some great memories.  Each year we try to remind our kids just how blessed we are and try to do something for someone else to make their Christmas special as well.  This year, we didn't have to look too far to find out what we could do for someone else!

Sara was not supposed to have her girls for Christmas.  But with the help of a "camera", the girls ended up staying with Sara. ;)  Long story, but now she was left with no gifts and no plans for the girls.  My mom had gone to Nashville for Christmas so we took in our little family and did Christmas for them!

Christmas Eve we've been ordering pizza, and then hitting up a fun family movie.

When we get home, we read the scriptures and the account of Christ coming to the earth, and then we let the kids open one present.  This year, they all received nerf guns... which followed quickly with a nerf gun WAR!!!

 We had the kids all get ready for bed, but instead of going to bed we headed out on a Christmas Scavenger hunt which also included stopping at QuikTrip for some hot chocolate, and Christmas caroling to Randy's parents and Uncle Chuck and Mary.

 

 The kids all slept upstairs again.  Addie put in a school paper that we make the kids sleep upstairs so we can look at their Christmas presents first!  That made me laugh!  They actually started sleeping upstairs because on Christmas Eve because they all wanted to be together and of course always have a hard time falling asleep that night!

 I guess I didn't take a lot of pictures the next morning.  Ashton got a new jeep.  I went around to take a picture of her in it and while I was trying to go around she stepped on the pedal and it pushed me to the ground!  It was hilarious!  I wish we had gotten it on video.

Addie also got an electric vehicle, a motor scooter.  They are both pros already and drive them everywhere.

 After all the excitement we headed over to Grandpa and Grandma John's house for breakfast.  This will be a very memorable Christmas and we are truly grateful that we were able to do so much for our family.  It gave us the opportunity to be like Christ and make Christmas was it should really be about!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Tis' the Season!

Our Christmas Season always gets started with the ConocoPhillips Christmas party.  I love how they always go all out for the family and really make this a fun family event!

It begins with games and crafts for the kids, pictures with Santa and cookies for all!

 After all the fun, we get to go into the Auditorium and have a private concert just for the employees and their families.  We were entertained this year by an a capella group named Rockapella.  They actually used to be on the PBS channel with a show called Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

    

 This year was extra special for us.  Our concert included an appearance by a special little 5 year old!  Ashton was asked if she would go onto stage and sing with the guys.  At first they asked for Addie because they were looking for someone a little older, but Addie said no way!  Ashton agreed to go but when they called her name out on stage, she hit the floor so fast to hide behind her chair.  However, when the guy came to get her she went up with him willingly.  They sat her on a stool and asked her a few questions and then began singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  When they would get to the "to town" part they would put the microphone in front of Ashton.  At first you couldn't hear her very well, but she warmed up to the idea and by the end you could hear her.  But you didn't hear "to town"... she was saying "tonight".  Everyone thought it was so adorable.  She was a star!  We were very proud of her! 

We also have a special guest that comes to town to help us get into the spirit of Christmas.  Georgey the Elf was back!  He is Santa's big helper who watches over the kids and makes sure they are acting good and stay on Santa's good list.  But he gets pretty silly at times.  Here are a couple of the things we found him in the middle of when we would wake up the next morning.  Rolling down the stairs, 

 taking a bubble bath,

 tea party with the American Girls,

building some snowmen, 

 and participating in a snowball fight!

 Each year I sign up to help with class parties, but I only sign up to help with one kid per party.  Ashton got the Christmas Party.  They decorated cookies and competed against each other by decorating their teachers instead of decorating a Christmas tree.

 I also took Avery to watch Mika and Sora in the Nutcracker this year.

The girls and I went to watch Avery perform a Christmas Concert with her school choir.

And we even got a little snow before Christmas this year!  Yup, I think we are all getting in the Christmas spirit!!