"B" is for Barret, Basketball, & BonJovi

Paul, being 6'4", often gets asked if he plays basketball. The question is quite hilarious if you know Paul or have seen him dribble. The man has many talents, but basketball or let's just say sports in general, are not his passion. I, may even be worse! So we haven't done our kids any favors with our gene pools but, Barret may be able to move past this problem. He played basketball this year and did an AMAZING job. He scored, fouled, passed, fouled, dribbled, fouled, and had a great time! This season, he was on the Hawkeyes and really excelled in the game. This is his third season and I have finally learned the appropriate time to yell "rebound!" A few weeks ago, he had 2 games in one day. During the hour break between the two games, we went and got a donut. As we were talking about the game, Paul told him he wasn't playing very aggressive and he noticed he didn't even get one foul. Barret most have took this into consideration and decided to get in and play! At about 38 seconds before the final buzzer, Barret was fouled out of the game! We couldn't believe it-5 fouls! It was so funny. Our "gentle giant" was playing nasty! He did a great job and I hope he will continue to enjoy the sport enough that when he is Paul's age he will be able to answer

"Yes, I played and I loved it!"

I few months ago, Paul bought an I-phone which eliminated his need for an i-pod. Barret quickly took it over and I quickly erased Paul's play lists. (a 9 year old boy listening to ACDC is never a good idea.) Not knowing what kind of music he liked, Barret let me add a few of my favorites. The first time he heard "Living On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi, he was hooked. He now owns all 75 of Bon Jovi's songs...who knew they had that many? He is also a wealth of useless knowledge on the band. Need to know when Jon was born? Ask Barret? It has gotten so bad that the other morning his teacher called saying, "Ginger, Bon Jovi will be in Dallas in April! You have got to get him tickets!" She even offered to take him! (A memory I am sure that would last a lifetime!)

Baby Anna, Hunter, and Jackson

Sweet Baby AnnaLast weekend we went to the blessing for sweet "Anna Banana". She looked SO beautiful! She had on a long fluffy white dress. Her little sleeves made her look like a butterfly. It sure is fun to have a baby girl in the family again.

We went on Saturday and took a tour of Amber Springs (amberspringsevents.com). It is a beautiful place. It is nestled in a bunch of tall oak and pine trees. Nate and Dad did a great job building it. That night, the boys went grocery shopping and came back and grilled it all up. It was a lot of fun sitting around the table eating, talking, and laughing. After church, we went to Amber Springs (really hard not to say Texas Old Town) and had a yummy brunch.

"The Group"

We also celebrated Jackson and Hunter's birthdays. Hunter is a sweet boy. He hugged us and thanked us for coming. He seems really old for his age and is extremely bright. He has such a kind, sensitive heart. He also has big, beautiful, brown eyes. Jackson is a funny kid. Nate and Jackie will be busy with him. He is obsessed with trucks and big equipment. He kept on bringing out equipment books to "Papa" and naming each one. My dad thinks it is amazing...and I agree! He is too cute and says some funny thigs. I hope they had a happy birthday and I am so glad they are back in Texas so we can see them more.

Feeling The Love

We had a great Valentine's Day! It was a little tricky to have Valentine's Day on a Sunday. I had to plan ahead which is not always my strong suit.

I heard Taylor telling someone that we always had heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and heart shaped pizzas for dinner. I didn't realize we did that every year, but who am I to break tradition...so that's what we did. I set the table the night before knowing I would never wake up before Barret. The kids seemed to be surprised to see the table decked out in red hearts. We enjoyed breakfast and exchanging Valentine cards and treats and just having a lazy morning. After church, we made our heart pizzas. The kids set the table and made sure it was just like breakfast. Wyatt was putting the regular glasses out and Barret quickly explained "use the red ones, it is Valentines!" I thought it was cute that he got into the holiday experience.

I love Valentine's Day. I am married to a great guy and have 3 amazing kids who love me.

What more could I ask for on Valentine's Day?