Macker Ball

Jason looking to drive

Over the past weekend Jason and Ryan Penrod played in the Lafayette Macker. They were both looking forward to playing until the emails and phone calls began rolling in. On Friday during the day they had received an email from one of the other two guys who was playing in the 3-on-3 tournament with them that he would not be making it. Not a big deal since they still had the other guy to round out the 3-on-3. Before the night was over the other guy had called to say that since the first guy bailed he would not be coming to play either. How old are these guys? 2? Needless to say, Jason and Ryan played on Saturday and Sunday 2-on-3. They even managed to give the other teams a run for their money. The GusBuster on their court awarded them with the sportmanship award for playing 2 guys short. Both of them really enjoyed their selves and were glad that they didn't allow 2 other guys to ruin what was a fun weekend of basketball.

Look at that shot and follow through

Valeri and Morgan Came Home for a Visit

Here We Are

Erica w/ Beckett, Mom, Jason, Megan w/ Emerson

Matt w/ Cooper, Valeri w/ Sawyer, & Morgan w/ Ainsley

It was great to have Valeri and Morgan come back to Indiana for a visit. It has been a couple of months since they were to for a visit but this time they stayed for over a week. I was so good to see them and spend some valuable time with them. We really got to know Morgan better and enjoyed our late night Saturday visit with him and Weed. I hated to see them leave knowing it will be a long time until they are able to come and visit again. It is hard to believe that Weedie is married but she seems to happy.

We had this picture taken one day in Indy since it had been almost 3 years since we had a group picture taken professionally. The last picture taken didn't have Sawyer, Beckett or Morgan in it and Ainsley was only 5 months old. I think we needed to update the pictures at Mom's house. I was fun to try to get all the kids to look in the same direction and look pleasant at the same time. We choose the pictures that showed our kids true personalities.

I am so thankful to live close to so much family. I couldn't imagine not getting to see them several times throughout the year! Love you all so much!

Our Dancing Queen

Dressed and ready for tap

Along with beginning preschool today Emerson also started taking tap lessons. She has been so excited for tap to begin because Ggma & Ggpa gave her some dance outfits for her birthday. She choose to wear her purple leotard with her purple tights (Grandma Pat would be proud) and of course, her brand new tap shoes from Brinkman's. She even saw a girl from her preschool class at tap and learned that the little girl's name was Megan.

Waiting patiently for her turn

Emerson couldn't wait to get into the room where she was going to have her lessons. She listened very intently and waited patiently for her turn. When her turn came she heel, stepped and toe, stepped until her heart was content. After class was over she made me promise that she could show Jason what she had learned when dinner was over. The recital date won't get here fast enough. Prissy looked so cute out there tapping! Sawyer wanted to join her but I think he and I will just keep watching!

Is this right Miss Laurie?

Preschool Begins

Emerson all ready for preschool

Emerson was so excited for her first day of preschool. She had picked out her outfit a couple of days ago. She couldn't wait to wear her new backpack that Grandpa Dave bought for her and to meet some new friends. Jason took the morning off so that he could go with Sawyer and me to drop her off. She couldn't wait to get inside and begin her day at school. I think I caught Jason with a tear or two welling up as we walked back to the car. He kept saying, "this is the first day of her educational experience...she is old enough to go to school."










Sawyer and me walking Emerson to her first day of preschool

Day at the Museum

Uncle Morgan, Aunt Valeri, Cooper,

Emerson and Ainsley dressed up like

dinosaurs at the Dinosaur exhibit

Honey and Sawyer play with the hand powered train

The kids and I spent the day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum with Mom, Bon, Morgan, Weed, Coop, Pain & Becks. The kids had so much fun exploring the museum. It was my kids first time there, Erica's had been there before, and it had been years since I had stepped foot in there. I remember thinking it was so much larger when I was younger. Sawyer loved the hand powered trains and Emerson loved the science area in the museum. They both really enjoyed the pool ball exhibit that they explored with Aunt Valeri. I liked the dinosaur exhibit. As you pull up to the museum it looks like three dinosaur have broken out and are running away. There was so much to do that we didn't get to that I would like to go back again with Jason soon.

Sawyer driving the digger

Uncle Morgan also gave the kids some change to send spiralling down one exhibit that displays how a coin wants to roll in a straight line. The kids loved watching the coins roll but didn't want them to disappear. Cooper even managed to catch a couple of his coins before they vanished.

Cooper, Emerson and Ainsley

watching their coins roll

I Entered My 30s Today!

The Party Group

(Ed, John, Emerson, Pat, Mom,

Sawyer, Megan, Jason, Ainsley,

Cooper, Matt, Beckett, Erica & Dad)

For my 30th birthday Jason surprised me with a party at a place called Jillian's in Indianapolis. Almost all of my immediate family was there...we were missing Valeri, Morgan and Brian. We missed you! Jason had planned it all out. Everyone would meet up at Jillian's, have dinner and then go bowling upstairs.

Sawyer and Mommy

The kids loved bowling. It was my kids' first time, Erica's kids has bowled before. They really did well. One of our lanes had bumpers and towards the end of the game the kids used the ball ramp to get the ball down to the pins. Emerson even bowled a strike and Ainsley was the clean-up bowler. Cooper was the power bowler and showed the girls how it was supposed to be done. Sawyer was unsure what the objective of rolling the ball down the lane was but never passed on a turn to push the ball down the ramp.

Mommy and Emerson

So far, I love my 30s. My 20s were wonderful! I was talking with a friend who wondered if I was dreading turning 30 and I said, "I accomplished so much in my 20s (graduated college with a BS and a MEd, got married, had two children, got my first real job with insurance & retired from the outside of the home working world) that I can't wait to see what happens in my 30s. Life is good and I wouldn't change anything!

Emerson, Me, Sawyer & Jason

Aunt Marguerite is 94 Years Young

Yesterday we spent some time with Aunt Marguerite at the nursing home in Muncie where she lives. It was her 94th birthday and I wanted to see her again. I have seen her a couple of times over the past year and a half but not enough. When we arrived (Erica, her kids, Dad, my kids & myself) she knew who Dad was by name and Bon and me by face. She never called us by name but did talk to us and the kids like she knew who we were. It was so good to see her and talk with her. Emerson and Sawyer warmed up to her immediately and sat next to her and interacted with her during the time we were there. Sawyer loved playing with her walker and Aunt Marguerite just played with him. I am so thankful that we took the time to go and see her and to have pictures of the kids with her.

Great-great Aunt Marguerite,

Grandpa David & kids

Sawyer Jacob

Our, Sawyer Jacob, is 17 months old. The time has flown by so quickly but each and everyone moment has been one to enjoy. He is a rambunctious, adorable, loving, & 100% pure boy, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Just the other day I turned around to find Sawyer on top of the kitchen table trying to get some food that Emerson had left. He is learning to be a good listener because we are always saying Sawyer please sit down and don't climb on the table.

I love my little boy and joke that I don't know if I could handle another little boy. He truly is a Mama's Boy in every sense of the word and I love every minute that he coddles with me. He is getting so big but is still so little at the same time.

His favorite play toy is whatever Emerson is playing with at the time. They really play well together. Sawyer is learning to be a very good assistant chef and daddy, thanks to what big sis likes to play.

Party Day for the Princess

Today was Emerson's 4th birthday party and she was so excited for her friends to come (cousins Cooper, Ainsley & Beckett) that she had to wear her Cinderella dress from the moment that she finished breakfast. She really had a wonderful birthday party. Ggma & Ggpa, Grandpa David, Grandpa Ed & Grandma Pat, Honey & John, Aunt Erica, Uncle Matt & the cousins, Mom, Dad and Sawyer Jacob were all there. She received outfits to wear to her tap lessons, a couple of movies, some books on tape, 2 outfits for school and a doll.

The birthday cake was unbelievable...HUGE! I over planned a little bit and wanted to make sure that we had enough of everything and we sure had plenty of cake. But it was Tinkerbell and that was what Emerson wanted. I think next year will be making the cake.

After the food had been eaten, the cake cut, and the present opened it was time to go outside and play water balloon toss. The kids got so into it that at one point Cooper and Emerson were chasing me with water balloons. It was a lot of fun until we were down to the last water balloon and Sawyer had it. Needless to say, someone took it from Sawyer so he was crying, Emerson was crying because it was the last one and Cooper was chasing everyone with it.

Princess Emerson is 4

Our little Princess Emerson is 4 years old today. The time has flown by so quickly. At dinner the other night Jason and I were talking about how 4 years ago we were sitting in the hospital waiting to be induced. Emerson asked, "Where was I?" We answered with Heavenly Father and she was okay with that. A few minutes passed and Jason said to Emerson, "When you wake-up in the morning you will be 4. She thought for a minute and then wanted to know how she would go to bed 3 and wake-up 4. Jason told her that the birthday fairy would come when she was sleeping and sprinkle fairy dust on her that would make her older. Emerson then commenced in rapid fire questioning of both Jason and me about what this fairy looked like, how big was she, had we seen her before, when would she come, how would she get into the house, who would let her in and would any of us see her? We did our best to answer each and every question she had but I don't think we did all that well because at bedtime she was still asking more of the same type of questions. Once she was in bed Jason looked at me and said, "I should have known that I couldn't just tell Emerson that a birthday fairy would come & she'd accept it. I just thought it would be something cute to tell her." We learned our lesson..think like an inquisitive 4 year old not like an adult.

When Emerson got up she completely walked past her presents into our bedroom and when we wished her a happy birthday she walked out of the room and said, "Where are all of my friends?" Once we explained that it wasn't her party day she was ready to open the presents. We even had to light a candle and put it into her cereal so she had a candle to blow out.