Bryana's Birthday Bonfire

"Hey mom and dad, can I have a few friends over for a bonfire and just chill?" "It is my 17th birthday!" Pleeeeaaassse...

25+ friends later.....

THANKS MOM & DAD!! :)

What An Awesome Ride

I'm definitely NOT talking about the "ride" to and from Indiana. Boy was that long and boring. I'm talking about Jayson's first basketball experience this year. He started in the Fall 08' trying out for the Armstrong 6th Grade Boys Traveling Team. We didn't know a thing about traveling basketball, parents, coaches....nothing. But Jayson was determined to be on the "A" Team. Thanks to him, he made great friends in 5th Grade and most of them played for the Armstrong Youth Program. One of the boys' dad was even the head coach of the "A" Team (It took me a while to even figure that out).

He made the "A" Team!! After meeting some really fun families, we quickly learned that traveling basketball was more than just that...it was gas mileage and plenty of Gatorade. Tournaments almost every weekend in places that living here for 13 years we had never even heard of. It was ALL good though. We enjoyed every minute of watching Jayson play! He's quite the entertainer!

Of course, after the Winter Season ended he hadn't had enough of playing, and of course I hadn't had enough of yelling out on the court, so we signed him up for Spring AAU Ball! Intense competition, more gas mileage, and more Gatorade...right up Jayson's alley. We were hooked.
We have seen Jayson grow by leaps and bounds, literally. He has grown physically as well as mentally. From the first tournament of stepping over the line while taking in the ball and running so fast with the ball that we thought he would go through the wall....to the last tournament of guarding the Nation's #5 Point Guard with skill and showing us some incredible reversed lay-ups. Our Fort Wayne, IN Tournament was a great ending to Jayson's first year of organized basketball!

Needless to say, we are very proud of him. We have met some great people along this "ride" and Jayson has learned a lot. We cannot wait to see what the future has for him.

To Be Continued...

Getting Ready for Indiana

Today was the second of our car wash fundraisers for Fort Wayne Indiana this weekend. My son's first AAU Team is going to the famous Speice Fieldhouse to play in a 6th grade tournament. We are excited and have turned this into a "family vacation". This is also the end of what has been a FABULOUS basketball season for not only Jayson, but us as well. We have thoroughly enjoyed traveling basketball and Spring AAU!

Look out Indiana....here we come!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

June 7th marked 12 years of marriage for us. We celebrated by going to the Cheesecake Factory. The food was great, but the time together was amazing! Who would have known that a 17 & 18 yr old could make things work for almost 18 years? I am blessed to have such a wonderful marriage, but it takes a lot of hard work for sure. We are constantly learning about each other and finding new ways to let each other know how much we care.

Last night at dinner we talked about how over time it is so easy to neglect one another. We decided to go to the store and try to pick something out for us as a couple...not for the house, nor the kids, not even for us individually. It had to be something for the two of us....boy was that difficult. Which proved that doing things for "US" has not come very naturally. Although it has been 12 great years of marriage and almost 18 years of being together, we have committed to putting our marriage first and being creative in how we display our love for one another.

We had the kids pray for our marriage, that we would remain faithful to eachother and put the others needs first. They did an excellent job and who better to keep us accountable.

Ready, Set, Here We Go

Well, today marks the official ending of 11th grade and the beginning of Bre's Senior Year. So far, we've already scheduled Senior Pics for Summer, purchased a Senior Girls T-shirt and yes, we are already planning the BIG Grad Party. As Bre goes to the 2009 Graduation this evening to see friends, I can only imagine the emotions and excitement she will have.