Let's Play Ball!!

Last Friday we had opening ceremonies for Wylie Softball. Once again Cary is coaching Kaylee's team and I do not know which one of them is more excited. I love my husband for many reasons but one of the many is that with the business of tax season he finds the time to coach and Kaylee loves it! Their team name this year is The Express after the Round Rock express which is a farm team of the Texas Rangers. If you know us at all you know we are huge Texas Rangers fans around here, well two members are huge fans the other two are moderate fans.

I love that we live in a place where the military plays a great presence at events and where a prayer is lead almost always to start an event as well.

I do not think Cary had to do much to get the girls fired up. They are so excited!

Giving little cheer at home plate.

They are off and running back to their spot on the field.

Two of my favorite people! I think we are ready to play some ball now.

We have Granite!

After lots of planning, picking out a pattern, and discussing a layout we have granite. It is so nice to have a countertop again. Now I am starting to see what the kitchen is going to look like a little more.

The picture below is of the laundry room cabinets that were white in the previous post but are now black. I love them and cannot wait to start organizing them. Of course we need hooks, pulls, and doors first but we are on our wa.

Another Week down...

Last week the cabinets got stained and this week they got sealed and lacquered. I am so pleased with the stain we decided on. Thanks to my new friend Ronald who help me get to the perfect color of cherry. I never knew how many different shades of cherry there were till now.

The other side of the kitchen.

Here are the laundry room cabinets with the first coat of primer. We are getting closer. Looks like the finished product will happen after Spring Break. I cannot wait!

And the Remodel Goes On...

Here is the side of the kitchen where the sink will be located. The awful trash compactor is gone and will be replaced by a pull out drawer that will hold the trash can in the future.

The other side of the kitchen. Notice the big opening for the double ovens. I am so excited about those and cannot wait to get started cooking.

There use to be a half wall where the large opening is now. It definitely made the room feel so much bigger and the traffic flow will be so much better between these two rooms. Thanks to my friend Larry for knocking down the half wall for me;-)

The new design in the laundry room. We added a locker type storage area as well as a small closet to store mops, vacuum, etc... The cabinets above the washer/dryer combo are larger as well since they now go to the ceiling.

Guest bath with a new cabinet mounted on the wall. I am all about more storage in this remodel. Thanks to my other friend Phil for all the hard work that continues to take place. I have never seen such clean workmen before.

We are the Champions!

On Saturday at 11:30am Kaylee played in her last basketball game of the season. I was a little sad to see the time come to an end and I think Kaylee was too. After an undefeated season the Rage made it to the final game which would determine a 1st or 2nd place finish for them. All the girls were really excited to be playing in that final game. During the game Kaylee had several good assists and a basket. All of the girls played their hearts out. In the end the Rage came out on top and the game ended with a 20-6 victory. That put them in first place and champions over-all. It was so exciting for Kaylee to be on a winning team for a change because she works so hard and seems to always be on the losing team. I think that she may have found a new love in basketball.

So this is what first place looks like;-) I love the big smile on her face!

What a sweet group of girls!

Our sweet friends the Driskills even came to watch Kaylee play which thrilled her soul.

Our family with the new champion!

Father/Daughter Masquerade Ball

Well the big event finally arrived! Our daughters have been so excited about getting to have a special Daddy/Daughter Ball that they could hardly contain themselves. We went a few weeks in advance to the store to pick out the perfect dresses. I thought that they both did a great job.
I had gone the night before the ball to help decorate so I already knew about some of the fun activities in store for them. The colors were bright pink, blue, purple, and lime green as far as the main decoration colors. There was a precious photo area set up for one of the professional photographers in town to take their photo upon their arrival, which I will posts when it arrives. Next they would enjoy some finger foods and be able to make their masks since it was a Masquerade Ball. Also they had some fun sheets about each girl that were filled out then from that information the Dad wrote a blessing for them. I love that part! Then they moved on to the dance floor for some fun. I am so glad that I have some amazing friends who put this special night together and that our girls have such a wonderful memory.

I love these two girls to the moon and back!

Kaylee with two of her sweet friends Laurel and Chloe.

Campbell and Lily dancing the night away.

A proud Daddy with his two favorite girls or at least that is who I think are under the masks;-)

Valentine Parties

The first party of the day was for Campbell's class. I arrived to find a desk filled with many yummy treats. When the children entered the room you could see the smiles and excitement come over their faces as they noticed all the treats. After a quick picture with my sweet girl she sat down at her desk to enjoy some of the yummy food. Who doesn't want a cake pop? They also played a few games and just enjoyed reading their Valentines from each other. I remember that being a highlight of the party when I was her age.

Campbell and Morgan waiting patiently to start one of the games.

The next party was of course for Kaylee's class. I am so glad that they still do a Valentine's Party in fourth grade, that Kaylee still wants me to be there, and she even hugs me and acknowledges me when I arrive like she has not seen me in days. Her class also had several yummy treats and a lot of Valentines to open. They even played a Name-That-Tune game with songs that contained the word love in them. Even the parents got to help them guess a little since some of the songs were before their time;-) A few were even before my time. It is always so fun to see Kaylee with her friends. What a fun day!

Kaylee with two of her sweet friends.

Kaylee with her awesome teacher.

Thank you Lord for days like today when I am able to experience such precious moments with my daughters.

We ended the day eating at Olive Garden as a family and just enjoying some fun time together. I would not have changed a thing.We also arrived home to a surprise for us girls. I got a beautiful bouquet of these gorgeous red roses from my amazing husband and the girls each got their own bouquet from their Daddy. I love the way Cary spoils his girls!

Happy Valentine's Day 2012!!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my sweet friends and family!

The girls woke up this morning to a few special surprises. First of all they had a new Valentine's outfit to wear to their school parties today. Then they saw that their doors had been decorated with all of the things we love about them. Next, their Dad made sure they had a Valentine's donut for breakfast. Lastly, before heading to school they opened their gifts from us which included a heart necklace, stuffed heart elephant, and a little candy. We love our sweet girls and are so thankful the Lord made us their parents.

Now I am off to take on the day which includes two Valentine Parties!!

Notice Campbell's toothless smile...she lost her other front tooth on Saturday morning!

Thank you Pinterest for the great idea for their doors. They loved them!!

Rage Basketball

Once again I am behind on blogging and it is partially due to our basketball schedule. Don't get me wrong, I love every minute of it. Kaylee is having a wonderful time but when your team is undefeated who wouldn't love it. It has been so much fun to watch Kaylee hustle up and down the court. I am always in such awe of her because I do not have her athletic skills. That is no great shock to most of you reading this blog.

We have also enjoyed family time with my parents and Cary's sister Landrea who have come to watch our sweet girl and her mad skills.

Cary with his sweet baby sister.

Kitchen remodel

We have also been busy remodeling our kitchen. Yes, you read that correctly. After six years of patiently and not so patiently waiting on my part the kitchen is getting a do-over. You will see here the things our contractor and team have accomplished so far. I was amazed at how quickly a kitchen can go from full to bare.

Before the re-model started. Bare countertops but that is all.

(January 16, 2012)

First day of demolition of kitchen.

(January 16,2012)

(January 21,2012)

The first paint color on the walls.

(February 1, 2012)

The second paint color on the walls. I decided the red was too dark with the cabinet color I am using. Oh well, at least I caught it early.

(February 9, 2012)

We are waiting on the cabinets so this is what the kitchen currently looks like. By the way the contents of the kitchen are all over the house in boxes and I really miss cooking but I know it will all be worth it in a few weeks.

Rage vs Pretty Tough

Last Saturday was Kaylee's first game of the season. Kaylee was a little worried about the team they were playing since they were all so tall but we learned quickly that height is not everything.The first period Kaylee and the rest of the team played like they were a little bit distracted. It took a little while for them to get into the game. I do not know if it was the Christmas break or what but their reaction time to the ball was off.
After a little pep talk from the coach they seemed to all snap to it and the second period was much better. At all the pre-season games Kaylee would look for someone to pass the ball to and was very reluctant to make a shot. Today was totally different, she seemed to have more confidence in her abilities. I was so excited when she took her first shot and made it!! Then she went on to make another shot and made that one too. She did not look near as excited as I was for her. After the game I asked her why she did not look very excited and she said,"I was still in shock that I made it." I love my sweet girl! They ended up winning the game 16-2. Now I cannot wait till the next game to watch her improve each time and enjoy it so much. Lucky for me we have games every Saturday;-)

Happy New Year 2012!!

Since Cary had to work the week before New Year as well as some that weekend this year, we got to ring in the New Year with some of our favorite people. Notice only the women are in the picture above. The men were too busy to be bothered;-) We had the party at Dr. Shanks' office, can you tell he is an eye doctor?

It was so much fun to just be together and visit about the holiday happenings. Of course, the food was delicious too. We feel so blessed to have such a great group of friends who are always there for each other and are actually in each other's lives daily. I cannot think of a better way to ring in the New Year. I pray the coming year is filled with blessings for all of you as well as clear guidance from the Lord along the way. Happy New Year!!