Letters to Santa

We had a great time at the mall today doing some shopping and getting to meet what seemed to be the real Santa. We also took a minute to drop our letters to Santa in the mail to ensure they make it to the North Pole in time. Mason is super into star Wars. Raelee and Jordyn love jewelry, shoes and clothes. That's what made up their lists. Looking forward to the first Christmas in our new house!

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Christmas at Our House

The basement was finished in the nick of time as it was my turn to host the family for Christmas. We had a great time with an Italian themed dinner. Aunt Becky was feeling much better and nearly everyone was able to make it!  Here's a few pics from the evening.

Cheering and Staying Busy!

It's been a busy few months but we are starting to wind down the major house projects. The basement is officially complete so we're looking forward to just enjoying some time at home. Jordyn is now cheering which is a sport she's a natural at. She's still tumbling once a week and cheering three times a week.   She cheers mostly at Mid America and sometimes at Tully. I have a feeling we will be competing soon!

Raelee Runs Nationals

It was a very windy and chilly day when the Tigersharks took the course at Masterson Station Park in Lexington. It all took place the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Raelee was nervous because she had to run with the 12u girls. Her birthday just missed the cutoff. Because she turned 11 before Dec 31st, she was forced to run up. Despite the challenge she ran amazing. We're so proud of her accomplishments and the confidence she's gained as a runner.

Meeting Baby Malcolm

Aunt Annie had little Malcolm on 11/11 and he is precious!   He was a big boy, weighing in at 8.4 and is still going strong. Here he is with the girls at 5 days old.

Happy Halloween 2015!

So we had a dream catcher girl, a scary circus entertainer and The Flash.  Our new neighborhood does trick or treat the Sunday before Halloween. So we invited Mamaw, Papaw, Ann, Ryan and Claire up for the event. We had a great time. Next year we'll have little Malcolm joining us too as we are only 8 days away from meeting the little guy.  Halloween itself we headed to Josh and Alecea's where the Hawkins side all dressed up and headed out. We have more candy than we know what to do with!  We know we're getting close to Raelee being done and Jordyn won't be too far behind. Tick tock.

Flag Football for Mason

These past few Sundays Mason has been playing for the Jaguars in flag football. Honestly, he's not super into it.  He seems to enjoy practice more than the game itself. Daddy coaches which has brought him a whole new appreciation for what Mommy does everyday. He has ran the ball the wrong way twice which we cant seem to quite figure out.

Nevertheless, it's fun watching him play and we hope he gives it another try next season. One more game!

XC Season Ends with a 9th Place Team Trophy at State

The girls had their work cut out for them at state this year at Masterson Station Park. The 5th  and 6th graders ran a hilly 3k where not one came across the finish looking comfortable.  Raelee ran a 13:55 which is what she ran in Woodford County too. Now we're battling a little turf toe, we believe, doing our best to make it through November 21st where she'll run nationals in Lexington. We hope for a very speedy recovery!  So proud of a great season. This was the last time she wore a Tully uniform. Can't believe it's over.

Happy 9th Jordyn!

Has it really been 9 years?  She is growing up all too fast and we couldn't be prouder.  She's tumbling these days and plans to try her hand at cheerleading at Tully this fall.  She's born to do it...we can tell.  Her daddy and Uncle Josh have been planning a surprise for her for months.  Being the huge UofL fan she is, they arranged for her to "tailgate " at the train in the stadium parking lot on Sunday afternoon.  Following Masons first flag football practice, we headed that way where I made her close her eyes as soon as we hit the Watterson.  She arrived seeing a UofL tent up, food ready and her family ready to celebrate with her.  It was very memorable for her and one we're sure she'll cherish for a long time to come.

Meet after Meet: We Love XC!

It's been awesome watching Raelee's improvement this XC season.  We're so proud of her hard work and dedication.  The regular season is officially over and now All Stars begins.  She has a national qualifying time she's wanting to reach.  She must run a 3k in 14:30 to qualify.  Saturday, at the JCPS Championship she nearly hit it.  She finished 28th and finished at 14:40.  We hope she shaves 10 seconds this weekend on a flatter course at Tom Sawyer park.  We believe she can do it!  Her girls team placed 4th out of 42 teams.  Go Tully!

What a Month!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted!  We have managed to officially sell our house on Blair Creek Ct, move into another on Cedar Falls Drive...all as we were in the crazy of a new XC season and back to school.  It's been a ride!  We will post pictures of the new place soon but we are awaiting windows to be replaced in the front and want to ensure these look great!  Here's our final moments at Blair Creek....bitter sweet.  Goodbye to a great 8 years.

Back to School!

Cross country is in high gear, our 4th and 5th graders have completed their first week back to school, little man has started pre-k and we are in the process of moving.  Needless to say, we're running on adrenaline.  We are looking forward to being settled into the new routines of the new house and just enjoying the space.  The kids had a fabulous week back to school and they are loving their teachers.  It's hard to believe they are approaching the end of their elementary school years.  Time is going by way too fast.

Gulf Shores 2015

We love the beach and this year was no exception.  The weather was perfect and we all had a great time!  Josh, Alecea and the girls joined us for the fun and we spent our hours at the beach, pool and condo.  The girls were tall enough to ride the big go carts at The Track by themselves, we danced on tables at The Hangout and the dads and big girls even rode the sky coaster at a place near the beach.  Headed home now we're sad to see that it's over.  Back to school and routines this week.  Until next year. ..

Ice Cream, Rain and Contracts

This has been an interesting couple of weeks.  It has rained more than it hasn't so ice cream and painting seems to solve our boredom issues.  In the midst of it all we managed to put an offer on a house in Mt. Washington,  put our house on the market and sell in less than five days.  So now the fun really begins.  Packing up boxes of memories we've made in this place we've called home for over 8 years.  We're excited about our new journey and are happy we can all continue at Tully but can't wait to make new memories in our new house!

Raelee...Our Artist

Yesterday evening Mamaw joined us for a cool chance to see Raelee's art on display after all of her hard work in the fall and spring during her CFAC semester classes.  The exhibition was held on the Bellarmine campus in the McGrath Art Gallery.  Her teacher chose one print from the fall and one print from the spring.  We were amazed at the talent on display from these elementary school students and couldn't believe what Raelee came up with.  See for yourself!!!

In the pink....Raelee's self portrait 

The tree in warm colors

The Last Frontier... Our Trip to Alaska

This was a once in a lifetime sort of opportunity to see Alaska.  Thanks to Grammy & Poppy, we were able to see the most beautiful landscapes and build memories sure to last forever.  We began our journey bright and early at 4:45 a.m. EST at Louisville International Airport.  We boarded a delayed flight (due to weather in Minneapolis) to Minneapolis, MN where we then changed planes, heading to Vancouver, Canada to port the Disney Wonder cruise ship.  With passports and 10 total bags of luggage in hand, we made it; but, just barely.  The fifteen Hawkins crew, along with about 20 others, were the final passengers to board the ship allowing us to bypass what are typically very long lines and miss the safety meeting on ship.  So, really, it worked out!  After two days at sea, the Wonder ported in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska.  One of the most breath-taking views, however, was the ships travel through the beautiful Tracy Arms, where we were literally surrounded by gorgeous mountains, emerald waters and ice blue glaciers.  Some of our most favorites memories included white water rafting in Juneau and panning for gold in Skagway.  While the 4-hour time difference did pose some initial sleeping challenges for the little ones, they were able to get it together and have a great time.  Here are some highlights...