Happy Birthday, Bella!

Bella through the years. . .

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 

2013

2014

2015

2016

Isabella is TWELVE today! One more year before we have an official teenager on our hands. I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming and so thankful that she is my daughter. She is responsible and kind, mature for her age and yet knows how to let loose and be silly. She's pretty organized, yet her bedroom is often a mess. But it's a well-decorated bedroom. She gets ideas from HGTV and Pinterest and has come up with some really cute decor. She is also becoming an excellent baker - her chocolate chip cookies are the best! And lately, if my phone is missing, I can bet that she is using it to take random selfies like these. . .

I literally have hundreds from this past year.

She continues to enjoy basketball and gymnastics. We bought a golf cart this year and she likes to take it "joy riding" when she gets home from school. And we're even having her babysit the boys from time to time. She sure is growing up!

Happy Birthday, Isabella! We love you so much!

Some random pics. . .

Here are a few more pics from when the kids stayed with my parents.






It's noodle time again at church. We sell bags of these at the turkey supper. It's a great fundraiser!




Fall is my favorite time of year. I know that we're just one big windstorm away from the leaves all falling down. So I really want to notice and appreciate all of the beauty out there.


Who needs artwork on the wall when this is the view from your dining room table!


Bella's basketball team saying a prayer before their game. This is such a great group of girls.


Our high school girls volleyball team made it to the state finals, so we decided to go to the game. Bella got all decked out in her black and white. Even her braces coordinate!


They couldn't quite pull out a win, but it was so exciting to make it all the way to state! And I love how our town comes together to support the kids. This was the place to be that Saturday morning.


We took the kids to Sky Zone after church last Sunday. They earned it by filling their stone jar. (They put a stone in the jar whenever we catch them doing something good. When it gets full, they get their prize.) We bounced and jumped, went through ninja warrior courses, climbed a warp wall, and played dodge ball for two hours. Bella and Andy both got minor injuries; but overall it was fun, quality family time.

Basketball season is here!

Bella's playing on the school team again this year. Practices began the first week in September, but their first game wasn't until October 23rd.


I love watching Bella play. I'm amazed at how good she is - especially since I am so horrible at all sports. Any athletic ability must have come from Andy.


The boys are playing biddy ball again and had their first games this past Saturday morning. Both boys made a basket in their games!








You know where we'll be on Saturday mornings for the next couple of months!

Halloween Festivities

There is always so much fun stuff to do whenever this time of year rolls around.

The weekend before Halloween, our town always has an event on the square. There was a little trunk or treat, fortune telling, marshmallow roasting, hayrides, games, crafts, and pumpkin painting. By the time we got around to this area, there was only one pumpkin left. Bella and Graydon shared it while Andy took Curtis off to one of the story telling areas. Graydon's side was black with red eyes. . .


. . . while Bella made hers into a rainbow. Very artistic!


My favorite part of the evening was the story tellers. I could have just sat and listened to them the whole night. The stories were not too scary and the tellers were so good. And I just found that whole part to be really relaxing.

When we got home that evening, it was pumpkin carving time! Andy helped a little with the carving and I did a lot of scooping out seeds and guts. Other than that, the kids did most of it on their own this year.






Halloween! I kind of like that it was on a Tuesday this year. Normally there would be homework, basketball practice, gymnastics, etc. On this night, the teachers didn't assign any homework and all of the activities were cancelled. It was like a bonus family night.

Bella was a witch. . . for the third time!








Graydon was Harry Potter. The sunlight in these photos is a bit deceiving. It was a chilly night, so we had to improvise with this costume a bit. I don't think I've ever seen any Harry Potter illustrations with him in camouflage.




And of course Curtis was Batman!






Ready for some trick-or-treating!




We started with the trunk-or-treat at the baptist church and then went up and down a street near the town square.


Some of the houses were really decorated, which made it extra fun.








Since it was so cold, we cut the trick-or-treating short this year. The kids didn't even mind. The Yellow Trail Museum always has Halloween fun, so we went there to warm up, do some crafts, and get root beer floats!




When we got home, we lit our pumpkins and watched Disney Halloween cartoons.


I was in bed a little after 9pm that evening. I guess trick-or-treating wore me out this year!