Team Edwards Off to a Great Start

Well, school has finally arrived for these Minnesota kids. Bryana has entered into her last year of High School and Jayson is now a BIG 7th grader! We started out our school year right by having a family meeting. Our meeting consisted of sharing our personal goals for the year. Daddy always encourages the kids to have goals to reach for during the school year. Both of the kids have made making the Honor Roll one of their highest achievements this year. We then talked about what needed to be done in order to achieve these goals and then discussed some family goals this year as well. Like, taking an RV Road Trip during Spring Break to see Bryana's after High School destination in Texas. And of course there cannot be a family meeting without the discussion of new rules and expectations of the kids. After all of the family business we decided on a theme for the school year 09'-10'..."MAKE IT HAPPEN". We expressed to the kids that instead of talking a good talk about what we want to do this year, whether it be getting on the Honor Roll or going on a huge family vacation, we need to do what it takes to "MAKE IT HAPPEN". We ended our meeting with prayer as we always do, asking the Lord to order our steps.

For the last two weeks before the kids leave for school we say "MAKE IT HAPPEN". It's cool to know that we all know what that means and have something to propel us to victory!

Team Edwards is off to a great start! :)

Puppy UPDATE: Meet Mochaccino Edwards

We'd like to introduce you to our newest family member! As you can see, it did not take very long for us to find our little "Mocha"! With the help of a girlfriend, I spotted him online. Truthfully, it was not him that first caught my eye. And actually, I giggled at his picture and commented that he looked like a "little drunk man". My mind was pretty made up that one of the brothers was our "Mocha". After looking online and speaking with the breeder, I had about a six hour wait to see all four male puppies and then make my final choice. When the time came Jason and I drove to meet the breeder. Why did I have butterflies?? I kept thinking, what if I choose the wrong one for us? Jason continued to reassure me. Maybe it was my commitment rebellion! I knew that once I picked him there was no going back. Well, I looked at all the brothers, trying to ignore the little curly head brown tipsy looking one, but I could not ignore him at all! Out of all four, I just kept going back to this one. As I was reluctantly holding him, the breeder said this one will have the teddy bear face and look. Now how could I refuse that! I was SOLD at that very moment.

Today is our first full day with him and he is watching basketball with Jayson as I write this. How much more perfect can you get than that! :)

Welcome home Mocha!

Our New Family Member...Coming Soon!

Well, if you haven't heard by now...The Edwards are getting a puppy! Yes, 3 of us are just as shocked as you are that DAD finally gave us the go-ahead to get one! We are very excited, but must first purchase all the necessary items before we bring him home. We decided on a Yorki-Poo, which is a Yorkshire and Poodle mix. He will grow to be between 8-11lbs, hopefully! They are non shedding, great for any allergy issues and they are great with kids. I've done my research! Plus, little dog means "little poop"! :)

We will keep you updated as we start the search for our new puppy! As you can see we are already working on making him feel right at home when he gets here.

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...