September Little Things

September was another busy month.  I've come to the conclusion that we have entered the busy stage of life and every month is going to be this way!  Between soccer, baseball, church and other school activities, there is rarely a night that we don't have something to do.  Here are a few of the memorable things that happened this month:

-I got a call out of the blue one afternoon from my former Reading Recovery supervisor. She was organizing a birthday party for Sammie, one of my other supervisors who has ALS, and wanted me to get in contact with all of the other Reading Recovery teachers.   I was able to reconnect with four of the teachers and we met for lunch before going to the party.  It was great to see them and catch up on their lives.  They were such wonderful mentors to me when I first started Reading Recovery and I forgot how much fun we have when we are together.  It was also nice to see Sammie and I know she appreciated us coming to help her celebrate her birthday.

-Parker ran for and got elected Student Council rep for his classroom.  He was so excited so we decided to celebrate with a Sweet Frog treat after school.

-During Homecoming Week, students were encouraged to dress up every day to support the Yellow Jackets.  Tuesday was "Twin Day" so the kids all picked a friend and they dressed alike.  Parker and Lexi came up with their outfits on their own!  Reagan and Eden found a shirt at WalMart and Lily wanted to be twins with Eden so we got her one too!  They all looked so cute in their matching clothes.  The reading teachers decided to participate too.  I'm so thankful for my coworkers.  They make going to work so fun!

Cleburne Eye Clinic finally had their ribbon cutting/open house.  Unfortunately, it was on the same day as the homecoming parade.  I was sad that I couldn't be there for the entire event, but I was able to stop by for a few minutes before I had to take the kids to the parade.  The new clinic is beautiful and is such a wonderful addition to our community.

It's hard to believe that another month has come and gone.  I know I'm going to blink my eyes and 2016 will be over.

11 Years

Today marks 11 years of Katelyn being in heaven. 

11 years that we've missed her smiles. 
11 years that we've missed her hugs. 
11 years of not watching her play with siblings.
11 years of wondering who she would look like.
11 years of wondering who she would act like!

We can sit and cry or we can rejoice that she's been celebrating with Jesus for 11 years.  And look forward to the day when we will celebrate in heaven with her!

Lily and Eden miss Katelyn so much!  They talk about her all the time and even asked today what we were going to do to celebrate.  I long for the day when they will meet their sister and our family will finally be complete!  Until then, we will love her from our earthly home and never forget how special she is to our family.

Happy Birthday Katelyn!  You will always be our angel!

Homecoming 2016

This weekend was Homecoming in Cleburne.  We started the festivities with the Homecoming Parade on Thursday evening.  Parker made Student Council for his class this year so he was invited to ride on Gerard's parade float. He had a great time and Gerard's float received first place in the decorating contest.

Parker and Makenzie- Mrs. Adams' Student Council class representatives

Lily and Eden could have walked behind the Gerard float but thankfully the opted to watch from the sidelines so they could get lots of candy!

The Homecoming Parade Marshalls were the 1984 boys basketball team that went to the state finals.  Granstan was the assistant coach of that team so he got to ride on their float and was also recognized at the football game on Friday night.

Emily and the kids came into town for the game and we ended up staying until halftime.  This was the kids first high school football game and Parker enjoyed watching the game with his daddy.

It was a fun end to a busy week!  We've never joined in on Homecoming Week festivities but the kids enjoyed it and had fun cheering on our Cleburne Yellow Jackets!

Las Vegas/Grand Canyon

We just got back from a weekend getaway to Las Vegas.  The eye clinic goes every year for the annual optometry convention and this year they asked us to join them on the trip.  We've been to Las Vegas several times but found a few new things to do on this trip.

Cory, Mike, and Mark went to shoot guns at Battlefield Vegas.  They picked them up in a military vehicle and drove them down The Strip to the gun range. 

Cory got to shoot several guns that were used in WW2, which was right up his alley!

 

While the guys were playing with guns, the girls were having breakfast and shopping.  I tried a frozen hot chocolate and unfortunately it looked better than it tasted.

We went with the clinic one night to see Jersey Boys and it was wonderful!  I'd heard a lot of good things about the show and it didn't disappoint.

On Saturday morning, we rented a car with the Pollards and Kuykendalls and drove to the Grand Canyon.  Cory has always wanted to see the Grand Canyon so this was a bucket list trip for him.

We made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam before getting back on the road.

All of our maps took us to Route 66 and we were able to get some cool pictures at a run down gas station.

Paige, Traci, & Cory

After 2 1/2 hours on the road we stopped at a little market to go to the bathroom and get some snacks.  We thought we were just 30 minutes from our destination but the clerk told us that we had missed our turn and were still 2 1/2 hours away from the Grand Canyon.  After the shock wore off, we loaded back up and headed back in the direction we had come from.  Cory saw a sign that pointed in the direction of the Grand Canyon so we took it and ended up on a deserted dirt road.  After 10 miles, we realized that we were in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service and no map.  We decided to keep going on the dirt road and finally, after an hour of driving and passing not one single car, we made it to the end.  We still had another hour to the Grand Canyon but at least we were on a paved road with other cars!

After five long hours of driving, we finally made it to the Grand Canyon.  It was everything we had hoped it would be and more.  Words can't describe the beauty of the canyon. 

Some of us hiked up to Guano Point that overlooked the canyon.

 

By the end of the day, we were exhausted and ready to get back to Las Vegas.  I don't think I've laughed more than I laughed that day nor have I ever been more worried than I was on that dirt road!  It was quite the adventure and I'm so glad we were able to experience it with such good friends! 

Our trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon will go down as one of our favorite trips.  We are so thankful that the partners invited us along and we are grateful for the memories we made with our friends/coworkers.

Soccer 2016

Eden decided back in the summer that she wanted to give soccer another try in the fall. We were lucky to get back on the same team with the same coach and friends.  She had her first game today and did a great job.  She is getting more aggressive and enjoys playing offense more than defense.

Several of her good friends are on the team- Sara, our neighbor Meghan, and Grace 

Eden's teacher, Mrs. Humphreys, was so sweet to come watch her first game today.  Eden was so excited she was there!  We truly have the best teachers!

We are looking forward to a fun season of soccer!  Go Thundercats!