Ice Skating and The Nutcracker

What a fun day we had with Claire on election Tuesday. We headed to Iceland for a couple hours of ice skating- a sport that daddy or myself had not been a part of in nearly 25 years. Whoa!  Good news- daddy fell once and mommy managed to stay on. It’s feet the whole time. The girls picked it right up and Mason began to catch on not too long after. 

We ended with The Nutcrackerr movie at Tinseltown before meeting Annie. Love these little moments. 

Happy 70th Papaw!

Man, did Papaw get the surprise of his life, showing up to his home with all his kids and grandkids there to celebrate him. Mamaw took the cake with a 1960 Ford Tractor (one he had been eyeing in Mt Washington for months) and a photographer there to capture all the moments. So happy for him, the life he has built and thankful for helping me be person I’ve become. 

BEHS State 2018

State took place at the Horse Park where high schools met their matches, competing in their class divisions with nearly 300 runners. The course was hilly and sloppy due to all the recent rain. The competition was fierce. Raelee ran her heart out. What a great experience this season has been. Way to go East!

Exhausted- placing 169th. 

Halloween 2018

Raelee hosted her first boy/girl party on the 20th with a Halloween costume theme. The kids had a blast, asking when the next party will be. 😬. Jordyn ended up trick or treating with her friends in Kingswood, while Mason (aka Batman), joined The Incredibles for our neighborhood trick or treating. He joined mommy for some trick or treating in Kingswood on Halloween, but got bored pretty quickly and was ready to head to scouts for the night. 

BEHS XC Regionals

This season has been a joy to witness. So happy for these kids and what they were able to accomplish as a team. 
State bound!

XC State and St Gabriel Cheer Comp

What a weekend!  Raelee placed 78th out of more than 400 runners in a hilly course with very windy conditions. The 4K is not her race but she proved to hang tight. So proud of her accomplishments and commitment this season. 

We were able to watch Jordyn perform her first cheer competition of the season before rushing to Masterson Station for XC. She did amazing!  Her team placed 1st and also were Grand Champs!  Go Generals!

Thankfully, Mamaw and Papaw were able to stay back for awards and bring her up to see her big sis run. 

They were also able to capture these pics. 😁

Raelee Runs in Bardstown- Places 7th!

It’s amazing to see the improvement Raelee has made this season. This sweet team of athletes has welcomed her with open arms and appreciated her contributions. She has enjoyed being a part. This race in particular, on a random Tuesday night, was an amazing one to watch. She stayed close to her leading teammates and placed 7th overall. Way to go girl!

The Great Pumpkin Carving 2018

We’ve never been too big on pumpkin carving. Pumpkin painting may be; pumpkin picking- definitely. But to actually get out a carving kit where you have to gut the pumpkin, not so much. I’m so glad we did.  After picking our pumpkins from Shady Farms in Mt Washington, the following weekend we carved them before heading to Nick and Whitney’s for supper and fire pit fun. We had such a fun time collecting the seeds, roasting them and creating these cool designs. This will be a tradition for sure.  

Fall Break 2018

It’s a shame JCPS doesn’t get a true fall break but I tried to make the most of it by taking a random Tuesday to break up the monotony of being at home since the kids were off. That day, Jordyn went with her friend Taylor to the zoo while I took Mason and Raelee to the Paint Spot in St Matthews and to see Little Foot at XScape. We even enjoyed a little “fall like” breakfast at iHop. We had such a wonderful day. Nothing like time with these babies. 

Busy Birthday Weekend for Mommy!

While I never really do much for my birthday, and definitely expect nothing, I never dreamed I’d be spending my 39th with 10 additional people in my house and running to a XC Meet in between. The weekend began on Friday night with 8 girls and 2 leaders, making our house their home, as we welcomed them for the My Life Conference with FBC. These girls were so sweet. What a joy!  On the other hand, there came the toilet clog of 2018, with an overflowed sump pump and a non-working basement toilet while all these kiddos were there.  While I did my best to YouTube options and FaceTime Mev, I failed at getting it fixed. Needless to say, a new sump pump was installed the following week. In the midst of the crazy, and while daddy and Mason were camping with the scouts, Raelee ran in the Louisville Classic at Tom Sawyer. She did outstanding; improving her time from the previous year by over 30 seconds and placing in the top 65 out of over 350 runners. She’s a beast!

Happy 12th Jordyn!

Jordyn celebrated her birthday a week early, after cheering the BEHS game with the big girls, inviting her besties  over for a sleepover and swim party. Yeah- swim party in late Sept.  She enjoyed some shopping, though, on her actually birthday, spending most of her time at American Eagle with a Starbucks pit stop to add in, of course. We just love to see this girl shine. She’s so smart, strong, compassionate and witty. Happy birthday our #2!  

Jordyn Cheers with BEHS

So the kid would not let me get ANY pictures of her because I’m the most embarrassing person on the planet.... but, she cheered the second half of the football game last Friday night. Afterward, seven girls joined her at home for a sleepover to celebrate her birthday early.  She has a sweet group of friends and they had a ball. Funny thing was we had to call Papaw in as reinforcement since Daddy had to work then take Mason to a Scout car show and I had to get Raelee to a XC meet. We knew they’d want to swim on Saturday morning, so he was there to manage the chaos. 😁 Such a good guy!

Raelee is Running Up

Over the summer, Raelee began running with high school, disappointed that there would no longer be a middle school XC program in Mt. Washington. Little did we know she’d blossom into a driven little runner. She’s put forth the work and has eased herself in with the sweetest kids she calls her teammates. Last weekend, she was all ready to run in her first high school meet at Tom Sawyer. While on the line, they cancelled due to “heat index”. We left disappointed, so bummed she couldn’t get this first race under her belt. This weekend was different. She left with her team, getting signed out of school early, on Friday, and loaded a van to Bowling Green to compete in The Gatorland Run. She roomed with Mia, Emma E and Emma L and bonded with them over some girl talk and ice cream. These four girls showed up for their meet today. They all placed in the Top 25 out of 168 runners. As a team, they brought home a 2nd place trophy. So proud of Raelee for earning the 23rd spot with a time of 22:09. Use this talent God has given you; get after it!  

Paying Tribute to DJ

We lost an amazing, witty, funny and loving man on Thursday, August 30th. While he’s fought a long battle with his heart, things were looking up. It was a shock to us all. We hurt for Kaye, Christie and Kenneth. We pray for love and comfort for them and DJs sweet nieces and nephew. He will be dearly missed. 

KY State Fair 2018

While we’re not “fair people” we somehow got talked into taking the kids to the state fair. Ten minutes in, we had already dropped $130!  Whoa!  The kids did have a great time riding rides and enjoying a funnel cake and fried Oreos. Yum!

First XC Meet of 2018

The Tiger Run kicked off this XC season officially, yesterday. Raelee got pinned at the start and did not finish well. This was a good learning experience for her. She was disappointed in her time but had a very mature conversation about what she needs to do to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The run next Sat...she’ll be ready. 

Mason is toothless!

Mason historically had only let Raelee pull his teeth (after all she did pull his two bottom ones). Yet while he was at Mr Billy’s house last Saturday, he allowed him to do the “floss trick”. One tooth down, and the next was to go!  Saturday, he allowed mommy to try the floss trick and out it came!  He looks adorable. He’s the first out of the three to have both, top teeth out at the same time. 

Raelee Runs for BEHS

We are thrilled with Raelee’s  hard work and determination. She has not taken training as an eighth grader, yet running with high school, lightly. Six days a week and 7:30 am mornings in the summer has been trying at times. She proved that her persistence is paying off at the Male 2 mile track race on Aug 11th. She ran on a turf she loathes yet still placed 6th overall and 4th on her team, running a 14:09. Keep it up girl!  XC Season here we come!