Softball Season!

Jessica likes fast-pitch softball. This year her team is the Stingray's.

She is one of the team's pitchers...

last Saturday she struck out the first two batters of the game!

What form she has!!

Rockets!

The boys love it when Mark takes them to shoot rockets.

Jackson waits patiently while Mark sets things up.

3-2-1, blast off!!!

They even think it's fun to find the stray rockets.

2009 Band Concert and Dance Team Photos - Go Nicole!

Nicole has been involved in the school band for a year and a half learning to play the flute.

She has done a wonderful job with this new instrument.

Nicole was so excited this year when she tried out and made the

Jr. High dance team.

What an accomplishment!

She loves performing at half-time during middle school games and,

because she has an in with the high school basketball coach,

she loves it even

more when she gets to perform at the high school games!

(Nicole has the hat on - gangsta!)

Basketball Season

Mark is coaching Austin's 3rd grade team. However, Austin is in 2nd grade and much smaller that his teammates. I was nervous these games would not be so fun to watch.

I've learned otherwise!

This may be the funniest thing I have seen in a long time!

Austin has a habit, like the big boys, of wiping the bottom of his shoes.

Please excuse the smallish shorts on my blondy. We were in a hurry and it's all
we could find!

Austin runs full speed every possession.
Austin can play some D! Get in there!!

Chrismas 2008

This was the first Christmas our family has spent entirely alone.

(Nice, but lets not get into that habit.)

The girls helped out quite well with the activities in the kitchen.

Mark made his favoirte fruit salad.

Our Christmas program was chalk full of "good stuff".

Nicole played "Little Drummer Boy".

Jessica read her favorite scripture.

And, the boys sang "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".

I told the story of the Christmas Orange and Mark read Luke 2.

Each year after our program is over, the kids share the gifts they have bought for each other. (On the Saturday before Christmas, the family will gather all the loose change from around the house. We count it up and split it between the four children. This year they collected $80.00+. They draw names and shop for that brother or sister.) It's a wonderful and fun tradition!

Then it's time for bed!

The trip down the stairs is so exciting!

Thanks, Nana for the Star Wars toys!!!!

Merry Christmas, we hope you all had a wonderful day and we wish you all happiness!

SNOW!

It's always a special treat when it snows here.

The kids think it's magical!

The Hunt for the Perfect Tree

We took the kids to a local "cut your own tree" farm. It's a fun tradition watching the kids run around searching for what they think is the perfect tree. This year we were in a bit of a hurry because Mark had a basketball game to get to and the sun was setting. The kids were great and Jessica found our tree. The best part of the outing is yelling out "SAW" as loud as you can!