My Loves

While there are many many many things that I love about each of the wonderful people in my little family, I have chosen ONE thing to share about each of my 4 favorite people (yes, it was hard to pick just one!)...something that at this moment, I really love and appreciate about them...

Kris...

I love how selfless Kris is. He works very hard all day, and then comes home and does a fantastic job of getting into husband/daddy mode. He puts all of us before himself. I am one lucky girl.

Caleb...

Something I love about Caleb these days is his imagination. From creating buildings and other such things out of his blocks to turning his bed into a spaceship to asking us all to go on "adventures" with him, his imagination is truly running wild right now and I love it!

Meredith...

I love Meredith's joy for life. Aside from having her milk cup taken away from her, there isn't much that doesn't make her happy! Her joy is evident in her voice, her eyes, her smiles and her actions.

Shane...

I love that Shane is content to hang out in my arms, that he has no care in the world but allowing me to love on him.

We have had fun celebrating Valentine's Day this year...making valentines, talking about love, etc. Last night, we had a special family dinner and this morning we had a big breakfast. Everything that I can manage to make into a heart shape is becoming so (pancakes, breadsticks, grilled cheese, brownies, etc!)...

And today, I helped out at Caleb's preschool party....very fun.

The bag he made for all of his valentines...


Waiting patiently for his turn to pass out his cards...


Delivering his valentines...



Caleb and his buddy...


Listening to one last story before it's time to go...


Happy Valentine's Day to you!

I hope that today is a day that you experience the love of Jesus and the love of those around you.

Toy Story Fun

Caleb loves Toy Story. 1, 2, and 3...he loves them all! His favorite toys from the movies are Woody and Jessie and Buzz and the slinky dog. =)

And, while he never actually adds Mr. Potato Head to that list of favorites, two of his favorite parts from the movies have to do with Mr. Potato Head himself.

In Toy Story 1, Mr. Potato Head makes his pieces crooked, and calls himself Picasso. Caleb has no clue who Picasso is, but he thinks this part is hilarious. So, Caleb's own Mr. Potato Head often gets a "picasso makeover"....


(don't mind the pink headband...)

Another favorite part is in Toy Story 3....at one point in the movie, Mr. Potato Head puts all of his parts on a tortilla shell, thus becoming "Mr. Tortilla Head"....again, Caleb thinks this is hilarious. We had tacos the other night for dinner, and we decided that we could (and should) spare a tortilla for the sake of making Mr. Tortilla Head. Caleb did a pretty good job, even though it was a bit tricky to get all of the parts to stick in the shell, which kept ripping.



And yes, his ears are actually tongues. Between him and Mrs. Potato Head, we are down to one set of ears. And they were currently on the Mrs. So, tongues as ears. It works.

One and a Half

Our baby girl is 18 months old today!



Meredith is just as spunky as ever, and her smiles light up our home. Her laugh is seriously contagious. We can't help but laugh when she laughs, and we have all been known to get into giggling fits together as a result of her little antics. =) She has a lot of fun energy, she loves to jump, run, march and dance. She can hold her own during "tackle sessions" with Big Brother and Daddy, but can also be a bit of a drama queen when she decides she is done.

She is a little chatterbox....she has many words that she uses on a regular basis, and seems to be adding new words each day. Just this morning, she added "Bible" to her vocabulary.

She has been adjusting well to being a big sister. While there are moments when she seems a little attention-starved (ie: when I am nursing Shane and she tries to climb right on top of him!), for the most part, she is doing great. She likes to hold him, and always gives him toys, his pacifier, books, etc...

She is still quite tiny....below the 10th percentile in weight, and just above the 10th percentile in height. Although, you would never know that she is so tiny based solely upon the amount of food she consumes. The girl can eat. No doubt she gets that (the eating part, not the tiny part) from her Momma.

We have lots of nicknames for our only daughter....Kris calls her "Princess" or "Sweetie Pateetie". I often call her "Sissy" (as in Sister) or "Little Pickle" or sometimes just "Pickle". Caleb has caught on to these nicknames as well and it is very cute to hear him affectionately use them.

She has a wonderful joy for life, and a sweet innocence that is precious. We love her so much, our special little sweetie-princess-pickle-sister.

Meredith is a true joy, and sometimes I want to "freeze" this stage that she is at. I am trying so hard to enjoy each moment of each day, knowing that these days pass so quickly.

Melt My Heart

My



Baby's



Smiles



Melt



My



Heart!

Hall of Fame Banquet

It was a huge blessing to have Coach Evans (my high school coach) at the ceremony...I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to play for him. He has taught me so much about so many things. God used him in a mighty way in my life and it's great to still be in touch with him and his family.


Coach and Mrs. Evans...and Grandpa Evans! Seriously...us Lady Indians were the luckiest high school team out there.


#34. #23. #24.
Brandy (in pink) and Shawna (with babe) are two of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. So blessed to have been able to call them teammates. Even more blessed to call them my friends.


Shawna and I have played ball together since 5th grade! All through middle school, high school, and college...yup, that's 12 years!


College teammates and Coach Gum...Go Lady Eagles! Each of these women (along with others who aren't pictured here but whom I got to to see the next day), as well as Coach Gum have played such a significant role in my life. I am so very grateful for all of them!



Coach Gum, "introducing" me...
Amazing Coach. He and his wife Sandy were such great mentors to me all through college. Love their family.


Date Night!
It was fun to get dressed up and get out of the house without 2/3 of the kids. =) Thanks to Auntie Heidi for watching Caleb and Meredith while we were out!

Not the clearest picture, but look at his cute little smile! He made for a pretty good date, as well. How handsome is he? ;)


Family. Most thankful for them. This event might be the bazillionth event my parents have attended for me. They are great like that.


These past few days have reminded me of how much I really really love to play basketball. Maybe I can manage to get myself back into shape and join a league again. You know, in between changing diapers and feeding babies and stuff. We'll see.=)


Senior year...headed to the National Tourney. Yeah, baby. =)

*S*N*O*W*

When he looked out the back door, he said, "I want to go play out in the backyard but first I have to shovel that mountain." And yes, there is a bit of a mountain out there!


Out the patio door...


Out the dining room window...


Shoveling their way out...the front door was the best option for an exit!



Our neighbor friend Madeline came over!










Tomato cheeks and "ackys" (boogers) all over his face ...that's when we knew it was time to go in!


Snow sweeties...