Yesterday, Trey had his debut as Jake's fifth grade basketball coach. Trey really does not enjoy basketball, but he loves Jake so he coached this team. Things started out shaky and they were down by 10 at halftime. The boys came out after halftime and did great. One of the boys made an awesome shot with about 3 seconds left to tie the game. In this league, they do not have overtime and the game ended tied. Once the refs told the boys that, Jake yelled throughout the gym, "we didn't lose!". They all had a great time and it was a fun game. I get to see Trey coach all the time, but I love it when I get to see him coach his own kids!

Our Jake turned 11 this past Friday. I cannot believe that it has been 11 years since I first saw him! As all moms, I remember everything that happened the day I delivered him. I had been very sick and on bedrest. I had been struggling with pre-eclampsia and my blood pressure was very high. On January 9, my due date, I went to see my Dr. and my blood pressure was 220/100. They sent me right to the hospital and started treatment for the high blood pressure. I couldn't have the lights on or the TV turned. Thinking back, I think that was the last time I would lay in silence! Jake was born at 6:23 and our lives changed forever. He has brought so much joy and love into our lives. Trey and I love this boy so much and cannot imagine life without him. He is such a smart, sweet, and fun son. More importantly, he is our brother in Christ. We just love him so much. Of course, that means that he sometimes falls prey to our silly jokes. For his birthday, all he wanted was an Ipod. He was sure he was getting one and he was. However, we had to pick on him a little. We wrapped up an old Precious Moments figurine and gave it to him. This first picture is his reaction to the fake gift. He really tried to be nice about it, but the tears were building up, so we brought out the real gift. The next picture is the joy and relief he felt when he saw the Ipod!

Christmas!

baseball camp

For Christmas, Oma and Opa paid for Max's baseball camp at Texas Tech. He had a blast! A bunch of his friends went, too. It was a great day and an awesome gift- thanks Oma and Opa!

We have had lots of fun in December. Max won these glasses in school and loves them. He wore them everywhere (yes, even the store) with his Indiana Jones hat. We decorated Oma and Opa's tree with Ashley and Brynn. We helped deliver Christmas presents with Mission 2540. The kids loved playing Santa and I love that they see how important it is to help others. We all went caroling with Oma and Opa. This is a yearly tradition that I love. I love seeing my kids deliver poinsettias to homebound people from our church and seeing their eyes light up. I love hearing them sing sweet carols. Addie got to have some girls over to decorate cookies and ornaments. I am still finding sprinkles and glitter on the floor, but it is totally worth it-they had fun.

Jake and Addie finished their seasons in early December. They both had fun and did a great job.