A Trip to Tyler to See Aunt Stephanie

Aunt Stephanie was in Tyler visiting her family, so we headed down there to see her.  We stayed in a hotel and of course, the kids loved it!

We picked the kids up a little early from school. Karis wanted to make sure she got her homework done before the day ended. 

We had dinner with Aunt Stephanie on Friday night and then she took us to the zoo on Saturday.

Marking off each animal we visited. 

Watching the penguins eat lunch. 

Daddy and Aunt Stephanie checking out the lion. 

Looking at the large crocodile. 

Aunt Stephanie did a lot of heavy lifting that day!

Mommy's favorite animal!

Feeding the ducks, fish and turtles. 

Such a fun treat to spend time with Aunt Stephanie!

It was a warm day so when we were done, we stopped for ice cream before heading back home. 

Open House at MKB

It's always fun to see what the girls have been working on at school. They are so excited and proud to show us everything. The highlight of the evening for Daddy was reading this:

I loved seeing this entry in her journal!

Maverick of the Week

Karis was the 2nd Grade Maverick of the Week for the week of March 7th. She couldn't remember all of what her teacher said to her when she was recognized, so I emailed her teacher. 

This is what her teacher said:

"The second grade teachers selected Karis for her patience, collaboration with peers, and her work ethic. She certainly deserves the recognition! I'm very lucky to have her in my room."

We are very proud of her!

We went out to dinner and got ice cream afterwards to celebrate!

Spring Soccer

Karis has started her second season of soccer. She is excited to play! Her team chose a new name and color. This season they are the Shooting Stars. 

This is Karis before her first game. It was an early game and it was cold! 

Guess who is the new Assistant Coach for the Shooting Stars?  Daddy-o!  He is excited to support the team and work with a great head coach. Karis is getting used to having her Daddy on the field with her. They are learning to respect one another and work together in a team setting!

Psalm 1

Our church challenged everyone to memorize Psalm 1 as a family. Karis and Makena were up for the challenge.  They worked hard and each week they memorized a verse until they had all six memorized. 

1 Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, 

but the way of the wicked will perish.

The kids were highly motivated by a donut party for those who memorized the chapter. They were excited to get their special ticket to the party! 

Karis even got to throw a pie in her teacher's face. All part of the party fun! We love our church that teaches us and challenges all of us to live as followers of Jesus. 

Class Valentine's Day Parties

Here are a few pics of the kids' Valentine's Day parties. With three kids in school, Derek and I have to do some tag teaming on days of class parties.

Kyle and his best bud Elliot. 

Kyle and sweet Sophia. 

 

I was so busy running Karis' party as Homeroom Mom that I only got this one photo. Mommy fail...
 

Daddy Daughter Dance

One of the girls' favorite events! 

They went to a Valentine dance with the best Daddy in the whole world! 

 

Our friends who recently moved to Houston came back and stayed with us for the weekend so they could attend the dance.

Daddy and the girls had a great time!

Buckner Field Trip

The first graders had been collecting new shoes and socks to donate to Buckner International. We went to their facility to learn how the organization is helping children worldwide receive new shoes. The kids helped prepare the shoes by lacing them, putting a rubber band around them and writing a note to the recipient of the new shoes.  The kids had a great time working hard so that children could receive some much-needed shoes. 

The kids got to experience what it would feel like if they were one of the many children who have to walk to school without shoes. They experienced three types of grounds that are found around the world. It did not feel good!

New Year's Eve

We went to a friend's house for New Year's Eve. Before we went, we told the kids we were going to our friends house and we'd be staying up until midnight. They never knew that people celebrate on New Year's Eve by staying up until midnight. They were so surprised and SO excited that they were going to get to do this! 

We had dinner and then the kids watched a movie while the parents played a game. I thought for sure some kids would fall asleep during the movie, but everyone was still awake at midnight. 

We are looking forward to a new year!

A Trip to Austin, TX

We drove down to Austin for a quick 1-night getaway after Christmas. The kids love to stay in hotels and Derek wanted to see a few friends. 

We had lunch with Derek's little brother. 

We then met our friend for coffee. John served with Derek at Saddleback Church. 

We hung out at the hotel for a little bit and then we walked to the mall across the street to meet some other friends for dinner. Derek used to work with Rachel.

Needless to say, it wasn't the most exciting day for the kids. They had to be patient and entertain themselves a lot at the restaurants and coffee shop. They did great and we were so proud of them. Right outside of our hotel was a cupcake food truck so we rewarded the kids after a long day. 

We ate delicious oversized cupcakes at 8:30 pm in our hotel room! 

 

The next day we had breakfast at the hotel and then Derek and the kids went exploring near the hotel. I was suffering from allergies and a bad night of sleep so I took a nap in the hotel. Once we checked out of the hotel, we found a food truck park and ate lunch and drove around Austin to see some sights. 

Here is a fun family pic. It was our first attempt at a selfie with John. John was taking the picture, but he didn't realize he wasn't in the frame!