Channing's Maroon and White Ball

Channing went with several of her friends to her last Timberwood middle school dance. She got dressed up and her friends and her took pictures, ate dinner, and danced the night away! 

She looked beautifuł! 

She has a great group of school friends. 

A great group of Christian girls wanted to make a cross. 

She had a fun time and I'm glad she got to go have fun with her friends.

Channing is 14!

Channing loves her birthday and her excitement makes them fun for everyone! It fell on a school day, so it wasn't super exciting, but she made the most of it with her friends. She woke up and had her donut!

She loves smoothie king so her dad treated her before school. I love how she is confident in herself and was happy to wear a birthday crown and be celebrated! 

We ate a quick dinner together and had dessert before she went to her church activities for the evening.

She is a very mature 14 year old. She is very kind and empathetic to others. She loves to be around friends and be social. She is always up for a party! She loves music and singing. She is happy to put middle school past her and move on to high school. She loves to please people and help others out. She is always trying to help me or do my hair or makeup. She loves fashion and makeup and all things girly. She enjoys kids and babysitting. She loves the color pink and hot Cheetos or most any chips. She puts salt on everything and would always choose a salty snack over a sweet one. She loves to write notes and think about others. I sure love having her as our daughter! 

Tipis on the Guadalupe River!

We got to spend Easter weekend with our friends in New Braunfels at the tipis on the Guadalupe river. We did this a few years ago and really enjoyed it so we went again. 

We had a tipi in the corner this time and the weather was nice. 

We went with the Browns, Hafens, Whartons, Mackays, Thomas', Armendariz, and Hatches. 

I have a great group of women to hang out with! 

We made smores and talked by the fire! 

One afternoon we went cliff jumping and it was a lot of fun! All the kids and I jumped! 

They played versions of volleyball and other fun games together. 

They also got to kayak and play in the river. 

I am grateful for good friends and wonderful families we get to associate with! 

We had a great weekend and I am grateful for fun getaways!

Cavin is 17!

Yesterday Cavin turned 17 years old! He had an early morning soccer game so we ate a donut quick and headed out the door. 

His team does fine but severely lack a goalie, so they should have won but ended up losing 4-3. He has an incredible kick on defense so he is always booting the ball down the field. We then watched Deacons team annihilate in their soccer game. 

After the games, we came home and watched more soccer! He is like Ragnar in that they love to watch soccer. His two favorite German teams were playing, so we watched that and got lunch from Whataburger. His grandparents and Natalie joined us also for the morning. 

That evening he didn't want to do much, so he played video games with his brother and we played 5 crowns. 

I can't believe he only has one more year of his childhood. He is smart and motivated at school. He just took his SAT and ACT and is preparing to apply for colleges in the Fall. His favorite candy is airheads, he still loves hamburgers and chips and wipes out our pantry often. He likes to play most sports but especially soccer and football. He is almost 6'4 and 215 pounds. He still loves music and plays the cello at church and school. He is always joking and tells me several times a day "Just be quiet mom" as a term of endearment ;) He is a homebody and wants to be home when he is not at a school or church event, he prefers hanging with his brother to hanging with his friends. He is a good kid and is easy going. He doesn't share a lot but I hope he knows we love him and are proud of who he is. 

Channing's Track Season

Channing participated in Track with her Timberwood Middle School. It wasn't her favorite season, but it I guess it is better than doing "off season". She is a long distance runner like me, so she ran the 1600 meter and the 2400 meter races. She did well and progressed her times throughout the short 5 meet season.

This was her first meet where she ran the 1600 meter.

She ended up making it to districts in the 2400 meter and she ran at the same high school track where I had all my meets growing up. 

I'm proud of her for conditioning, training, and improving even if it isn't her favorite sport. This was likely her last track meet ever. I'm afraid as of right now I have no children who enjoy running like I do, but I hope they know it will help them stay active and healthy and I love that they try new things.

Spring Break!

Spring break almost always falls on my birthday week each year! Sometimes I love that, sometimes I don't. It usually means a lot of people are out of town. This year Ella made it a special week and surprised us by coming home for Spring break. We got home from church on March 9th and she walked in the door a few minutes later. Deacon came running into our room saying, "mom I see Ellas face!" I was like ok.. is she face-timing on the phone? He said "No, like in our house!" So I came around the corner and there she was! Apparently her roommates surprised her and bought her a ticket home so she wouldn't have to be alone and could be here for my birthday and Ragnars citizenship celebration. That was so kind of them!! 

We went to Top Golf and Texas Roadhouse as a way to celebrate Spring break since I had to work the rest of the week. 

We had a nice time and it was beautiful weather! 

The rest of the week we just watched movies, went on a walk, played pickleball, played games, and the kids just hung out together.

My actual birthday was a little anti climatic as it was Sunday. We just went to church, played games, and had dessert. Ella had to fly home that morning to get back to college. I was so glad she got to come home for Spring break and the family could be all together. That time is precious. 

My friends, Jen, Kelsey, Becky, and Rachael came and played pickleball and get a treat the next night. I am very grateful for them!