My Little Ballers.

Our basketball season has come to a close.  Eva and Jaden BOTH played Upward Basketball this year and, as always, it was a great experience!!  Here are a few pics from their games.  Sorry they are a little dark...didn't feel like editing this morning...

Jaden had guarding down to a science!!!  Little man didn't let the other team get past him!

Eva has done an amazing job this year - and loved every minute of it!!  We will probably be moving her to a more competitive league next year.

As for this little guy....well, he is 11 months old and has made it through baseball season, soccer season, and basketball season.  He's a little trooper (and quite flexible)!!

He was also excited to see our neighbor Rod refereeing one of the games....and their outfits kinda matched!!  Ha!

"Fans never fall asleep at our games....they might get hit by a pass!!"

--George Raveling

A New Trick...

The other night I was cleaning up dinner dishes and Greyson was crawling around in the living room.  When he is crawling around in the house my ears are always on high alert because he loooooves getting into things. I heard something that sounded like plastic, so I quickly walked out to him.

Nothing was there.

I went back to my dishes and heard the noise again.  Again, I walked out to him.  Again, nothing was there.  I picked him up, looked underneath him, opened his hands, and looked all around him.  NOTHING.

I went back to my dishes.

A few minutes later I heard the noise again!!!  This time I quietly peeked around the corner.  Greyson was CLAPPING!!  He had never clapped before and I giggled as I watched him stare at his hands in utter amazement and then clapped them again and again!  The noise I was hearing was the sound of my little boy figuring out his new favorite trick....CLAPPING!!!

Such a cutie patootie...

Boy vs. Animal

I'm beginning to think I maaaaaaay be raising an insanely cute small animal instead of a baby boy.  Trust me on this one....I've got reasons to back up my thinking.

1.  The first upper teeth Greyson got were his fangs, and he quickly began growling after those came in.

2.  He is a small scavenger, spending much of his day crawling through the house looking for anything and everything that will fit in his small mouth.  He is currently under the kitchen table doing just that.

3.  While I am getting ready in the morning Greyson is always at my feet....biting them.  Hard.

Yes, I know that he doesn't understand biting yet.  I understand that his teeth just hurt because he is teething....but it IS animal like behavior eh?!!!

All of this being said, my little "animal" melts my heart in more ways than I can count....and makes me smile every single day.

My Weeping Heart....

I haven't wrote on this blog about Isaac for a long time, but those of you that have been long time readers will remember him.  He is the 7 year old son of some friends of ours that was diagnosed with brain cancer a year and a half ago.

This boy and his family have fought this disease with all they have. 

They are some of the bravest people I have ever met.

They have walked a path that NO parent EVER wants to walk.

However, Isaac sadly lost his battle this past week.....and our hearts are weeping.

Please remember Isaac and his family in your prayers in the coming days...and please do all you can to support the fight to find a CURE for CANCER.  

It is a cause that is now very close to our hearts...because of a little boy that will forever be in our hearts.

"We have two options, medically and emotionally...give up or fight like hell".

--Lance Armstrong

In Case You Needed a Giggle...

Jaden is my little boy with a big heart.....and a little mouth that goes non-stop from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed.   To say this little guy is a talker would be an understatement...but this mama loves the funny conversations that often pop up.  Here a few of the most recent:

1.  After picking up Jaden from school I was talking to him about his day.  I asked him if he liked the note I tucked into his lunchbox.  He responded, "Ya, but mom....next time can you make it a little catchier?  It was kind of boring".    Nice.

2.  While putting up the baby gate for Greyson we were discussing how it is the same gate we used for Jaden, but not for Eva.  Jaden said that when we have another baby we'll get another gate.  Eva quickly piped up, "We are NOT having another baby!!!"  To which her brother responded, "I AM...and this time I'm buying it with my OWN money!!!"

Never a dull moment around here folks and I love it!!

After School Yummies!

I've mentioned before that I love occasionally having something special for the kiddos to eat when they get home from school.   I miss them during the day and I feel that walking in the door, smelling something yummy baking, and knowing Mommy was thinking of you is an important part of their childhood.  In the past I have made muffins, cupcakes, pretzels, cookies, or something like that....but this time I tried something different.

I had baked blueberry muffins for Jaden's basketball team (they had an early morning game) so when the kiddos got home they smelled the muffins and said, "Did you make blueberry muffins?!!!"  

I said, "I did....but I made something a little sweeter for all of you!!"

Their special treat today was APPLE NACHOS!!  This sweet little snack was super easy and was a huge hit (Eva and her friend devoured them)!  I simply sliced up apples and drizzled them with caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, and a few crushed up oreos (I buy the little jar of oreos in the sundae section so we don't have those cookies sitting around the house).  

Even though Jaden wasn't a huge fan (at least that is what he SAYS...he managed to eat a few though), the girls begged me to make them in the future for a special treat!  Too cute. 

"If you haven't time to respond to the tug at your pant leg...your schedule is too crowded"

--Robert Brault