SNOW!!!!

I am SOOOO behind on my posts! 

Someday soon I will go back and do Christmas and everything I have missed! 

 

But, the kids have been out of school for 4 days because of SNOW!!!  Yes, 4 days!!  So, I have taken a TON of pictures of all the FUN we have been having! 

 (I didn't take pictures of the non-fun/yelling/getting in trouble times!!)

 

We really did have fun!  Sledding, making a snowman, a snow fort, sledding, playing outside, yummy soups, some chores, movies in the basement, going to the movie,

crafts, and who knows what else!!

 

DAY 1---we took the kids and Hallie and Leah to "the mountain" to sled!! 

Off of Kellogg--right by the Palace, there is a great hill!  2 years ago, we saw a ton of people there sledding as we were driving by and said we wanted to go there!  Well, it took 2 years for us to get enough snow to go!!!

 

To get from the parking lot to the HILL, you have to cross this little stream!  So, we had to get 4 kids across the water.  Steve decided it was just easier to carry Paige across.

 

 

Steve stayed at the TOP of the hill to help the kids with the sleds!

I stayed at the bottom of the hill to make sure they didn't slide into the stream.

Actually, I just took pictures!

 

 

Can you tell Tyler GOT SOME AIR in the left picture??  There was a man-made bump that Tyler kept going over!  He really got some air under his sled!  SO FUN!!!

 

Then, he would have to rest on the ground!

He's not hurt Grandma...just resting!!

The kids claimed it was HARD WORK walking up the hill so many times!

 

PURE JOY!!! 

 

WHAT FUN!!!

 

And of course it's more fun when you take FRIENDS with you!!!

 

So much fun!  And, that was just a few hours of the 4 days off school!

 



This years FIRST GRADE music program's theme was WINTER!!!

I always get frustrated because we usually get a note ONE WEEK before the program....not only announcing the date (we need more than one week's notice at our house!!) BUT ALSO, telling us  the clothing attire "requirements" for the program!  This time it was fairly easy...hats/gloves/mittens/anything to do with COLD WEATHER!  We can do that!!

And-- I now ask the school office for all the music program dates at the beginning of the year...because I HAVE I KNOW more than a week before!  I usually have jewelry shows scheduled and can't change those with a weeks notice!  So, I have learned....and now we are more prepared!!  (But you will notice I do not have Tyler's music program pics for this reason...I did not have the date early enough and I had to miss it!  Not cool.  Not cool at all.)

And you can't have a WINTER PROGRAM without snowflakes the kids made!!!

(We think some of the kids forgot to dress for the "winter" program!  Maybe they didn't get the note at all!  HA HA!!)

So, another exciting, 22 minute school music program!

Paige loved it!!!  That's all that matters!!!

Football memories

Every Saturday for more than 2 months we have traveled to watch the boys play football!  Often I had to take Tyler alone because Steve was coaching Jaden and couldn't leave or had to come late to Tyler's game!  I told Tyler is was like a DATE!  Just me and him.  And sometimes we took Paige on our football date out of town!  Tyler learned that his mom is not good with directions!  We got lost more than we did NOT get lost!  And, he will tell you he was late to 2 games...because we got lost!  It kind of became a joke when it was getting close to arrival time and we had no clue where we were! 

 

I'm all about making MEMORIES with my kids!  I didn't say they were always GOOD memories!  These weren't really "bad" memories!  We laugh about it!  I told Tyler I saved him from warming up in the cold weather....when I got him there late!!

 

One memory---the entire 45 minute drive to his game (before we got lost) Tyler and I talked about HIM Driving and what type of car he would have, etc.  He asked if I thought he would get a Mustang....UM, NO!!!  So, I tried to explain you don't really "pick" your first car.  You get something old, something cheap that we can afford, etc.  So, then he started trying to spot cars on the highway that he thought maybe he could get!  It was SOOO cute!  And if you know Tyler....he asks LOTS of questions!  He does not like silence!  We talked about HOW to drive, taking the driving test, you name it, we talked about it....

for 45 min!!!  Love that sweet kid!

 

Some RANDOM end of the year pics!

 

A pep talk before the game!

 

 

And, he's down...

 

Before Tyler turned in his helmet for the year---we had to take a picture of the stickers the team earned!  This was the first year the boys earned stickers for things like:

no scoring in the red zone

keeping them to 1 TD or less

 

Tyler's team ended the year 5-3-1

 

 

And the one sticker on the front of the helmet was Tyler's INDIVIDUAL STICKER!

  Each game an individual sticker was given to the player who put forth the best effort and played the best!  This is an honor to get this sticker!

 

Awards at the end of the season! 

Coach Bantz was awesome and we are sad he is moving and will not coach again next year!

 

 

 

TEN!!!!

Tyler John turns 10!!!  Double digits!!  WOW!!

 

Tyler wanted to start a NEW Tradition that they (the kids) get to open one present in the morning before school!  Well, Steve and I were SO EXCITED (especially me!!) to give him one of his presents so we EASILY agreed to the NEW tradition!!

 

 

YES!!!  Our 10 year old SON....wanted PINK TENNIS SHOES!!!

And not just a little pink...he wanted ALL PINK shoes!!!

 

Tyler found some similar shoes when we went to Branson in November and was DYING to have them!  We didn't get them.  1---a boy with pink shoes??  2--they were $100 

 3---a boy with pink shoes  4--I figured I could always order them later

if we decided to actually get them.

 

Long story short---Tyler never forgot about those shoes.  He kept asking!  Begging!

Christmas came and left and I think he was a bit disappointed he didn't get them!

I did call the Branson store, they were sold out.  So, we started looking around. 

 NOT EASY to find ALL PINK shoes.  But, we did it! 

YES they are women's shoes....size 8 1/2.  (I wear size 9---crazy!)

 

 And now---if I had a dollar for every 4th grade boy or mom of a 4th grade boy that wants to know where I got Tyler's "cool pink shoes"---I'd be RICH!!!!!  The boys LOVE them!  Tyler LOVES them!  At least it's a gift I think we will all remember we gave him....

when he turned 10!!!

 

The day starts with YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST!!  Dad's Biscuits and Gravy!!

 

A picture with your siblings...and your PINK SHOES...before school!

AND---for the record.  Jaden would not be caught dead in the pink shoes! 

 

We had a FOOTBALL theme for this b-day!  The older they get...the harder the "themes" get!  Basically it's just the type of plates/napkins we buy and maybe the cake! 

And, I didn't even get a picture of any of the decorations!! 

 Again---the older they get---it's not about that as much!

 

HINDSIGHT---I wish I would have done a PINK PARTY!!!  Tyler LOVES pink!  He (and the other boys in his school) have loved pink for a year now!  It really would have been fun to just have EVERYTHING PINK!  And, Tyler would have loved it!!  But, it is taking Steve and I time to warm up to the idea of PINK!!!! for TYLER!!

I'm anxious to see how long this fad lasts!

 

 

 There were other gifts too:  MONEY, basketball bag, K-State sweatshirt, an arm-sleeve to wear for basketball (because the Pros wear them!  HA!!), Neon shirt (he LOVES Neon too!) and more!!

 

Tyler requested the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting that Grandma Balzer made!  (Grandma Roth makes it too---but he had, had it at Grandma Balzer's recently!!)  PERFECT!!!  Let's ask Grandma to make the cake and bring it!  This is MY FAVORITE cake too!  YUMMO!!

But, again...no theme, just his favorite cake!!

 

And, when you're 10---you are definitely old enough to light your own candles! 

 

 

And, he got to end the night playing his new guitar for everyone! 

 The first song he learned was...LEAN ON ME!!!  Steve taught it to him in a matter of minutes!  SO FUN!!

 

TYLER:

You are an awesome son!  We love you SOOO much!  You are hilarious!  You've got the best attitude and you continue to be a friend to EVERYONE!  You are an awesome athlete and you love Jesus!  You are always wanting to invite friends to church with you and I think that is great!!  You have gotten straight A's so far and you are a great student!  You love playing Football on the PlayStation when it's cold outside.  But, otherwise you want to be OUTSIDE playing football or basketball. 

You love hanging out with friends!  You think it's quite "cool" to text your friends and mom and dad from your IPod Touch!  I especially giggle when you text me from the basement to say, "come put me to bed!"  (Love that my 10 year old still wants EACH parent to come pray and tuck him in at night!)

I love that you are getting older and we can have "real conversations"!

You love little kids and I think you're going to grow up to be a teacher/coach/ or something in that field!  You say you're going to grow up to be a PROFESSIONAL athlete! We shall see!

Love you buddy!  Thanks for being an awesome SON!

love--mom and dad

Family pictures

I always wait til the last minute try and get family pictures for a Christmas card!  And, really...it wasn't even waiting til the last minute!  It was finding someone to take them when we had a spare minute! 

 

So--Thanksgiving morning I decide I'll just find some half-way coordinating outfits and take some pics myself at my parent's house----they have a lake in the back yard, a brick wall, and a cute bench!  I thought surely I can get JUST ONE picture for a silly Christmas card.  NOTE TO SELF:  Don't try to pick out matching/cute clothes the morning OF and when you need to be somewhere!  not a good idea!

 

Without telling my sister-in-law my plan, she just happened to be outside at my parents taking pics of her own kids and started taking pictures of my kids too!  GREAT!!!  I just let her continue and then explained that she just happened to be taking pics for our Christmas card...no pressure! 

 

AND---look at all these FABULOUS pictures she took!  AND edited for me!  LOVE HER!

 

 

 

TYLER--9, almost 10/ 4th grade

 

JADEN--7, 2nd grade

 

PAIGE--6, 1st grade

 

NOVEMBER 2012

Halloween/Garage Party

Our FAVORITE thing about Halloween is our Garage Soup Party!  All the neighbors are welcome!  Everyone brings a soup in a crock-pot to share and the kids have hot-dogs!  It is some GOOD EATING!  We eat and chat! 
 The kids play!  And, then we head out to trick-or-treat! 

We are blessed that we live in a nice/safe neighborhood that we can still trick-or-treat! 
 The parents walk behind the kids and it's so much fun to see them get excited about
 "their favorite candy" or the "rich house" that gives out regular size candy bars! 
TOO FUNNY!!!

 

I remember as a kid there was a house in the way back of our neighborhood that gave out QUARTERS!  We would try to go to that house more than once and I remember our parents telling us we could only go once!  WOW!!  a QUARTER!!! 

All the neighbor kids!

The 3 cutest!!  at least in my opinion
Paige--a witch!  We bought her a hat and gloves ($5)
Tyler--Muhammad Ali--decided on this after reading a book about him
(borrowed boxing gloves, $0)
Jaden--football player...himself!  ($0)
We did awesome this year!  3 great costumes for $5!!! 

2 Football players---Leah and Jaden

2 Witches--Annie and Paige

Jaden and Hallie

New this year to our party---Kylie--Paige's new dance friend!!

Halloween Parties

Halloween means a costume parade at school and a

P A R T Y!!!!!

 

3 kids in the same school means I spend more time running from room to room

 than I do actually AT the party!  But hopefully the kids will just remember that

 I WAS THERE---not that I was "in and out"! 

 

4th grade waiting their turn for the parade!

Each grade parades around the gym for the other students and parents!

 

Spencer and Ty--new friends in 4th grade!

 

 Jaden's SECOND GRADE class waiting their turn to parade around!

 

 Jaden and Carson J.

 

Mrs. Rider's FIRST GRADE CLASS 

 

 Emmi                                         Zoe                                              Carly H.
 

 Paige and Colton--Paige gets to be in CIRCLE OF FRIENDS this year and
 Colton is her buddy!