Fall 2013

With all the busyness of the past 6 months, I have fallen behind on our family blog. So, I am taking some time as this year begins to give a quick recap of highlights from our life together. 

August brought us into a new school year with all three kids in three different schools. For the first time, we had a child in elementary, middle, and high school.

 

Jack started his Sophomore year at Boyd High School.

 

 

Lily started 6th grade at Cockrill Middle School.

 

Sofie started 4th grade at Minshew Elementary. The girls started school with all new kids because of our move to our new house and the zoning change. It was a great change of pace for them both.

 

Jack was chosen to be part of the Varsity Acapella Choir at Boyd High and he and his choir buddies enjoyed a successful year of performances.  They loved hanging out at Dairy Queen after concerts.

 

 

And they put on a splendid performance of The Pirates of Penzance.

 



 

I could not be more proud of my Music Man!





 

Late October brought cooler temperatures and Halloween fun.

Lily was a candy corn and Sofie was a good witch.

 

 

Bug's Fall was filled with a new soccer team. In addition to the Ladybugs, her rec team, Sofie was part of an Academy Club called Manchester.

 

 

She also started Jazz and discovered she loves to dance.

 

And Lily was invited into the Advanced Ballet Class as well as Pointe.

 



Bug was named Minshew Colt of the month for September, which made her feel even more excited about her new school.

With things going so well at home, I was free to sneak away for a long weekend in Iowa for some much needed "Girl Time" with Mom and Minniette.

With some new beginnings, we also had some sad endings this season. Bug's soccer team, The Ladybugs, decided it was time to move on after 5 seasons of playing together. Most of the girls are moving on to Club Soccer, but Sofie is going to leave soccer behind and try some new things.

She will always remember Coach Jeff...

And she will always treasure the lessons that soccer taught her...to do your best, have fun, and to do the right thing.  We are so proud of our little Ladybug and are grateful for the memories of watching her fierce feet attack the ball on the soccer field.

Looking back, it was  a season of smiles, new challenges, goodbyes, and big fun.

 

 

Summer 2013

We had a busy summer full of fun stuff! 

 

 

In Mid-June, Jack had the privilege of being part of the Boyd Broadway Bronco National Company for "Legally Blonde, The Musical".  He traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska and competed in the International Thespian Festival. There were only 8 productions selected from the entire United States and Canada, so this was a great honor for the Boyd High School thespians.  They performed in front of a full house and received a standing ovation. 

 



 

Shortly after Jack arrived back home from Nebraska, we headed north again for Iowa. While we were visiting family, we took Jack on his first official college visit. He took a tour of Central College and began seriously considering the advantages of becoming one of The Dutch.

 

While we were in Iowa, we got to attend our annual extended family

 summer bike ride, called IgNite. 

 

 

We had a family cookout, lit up our bikes, and rode the bike trail at night. The kids loved it!

 

 

Marty was on bike duty and he did a great job putting lights on the bikes for the kids.

 

 

 Lily loved breaking in her new bike!

 

 

It was great being silly with Mama.

 

 

The kids had a great time playing with Madilyn and Noah.

 

 

Lily attended a missions camp at church, and Sofie participated in basketball camp.

 

 

Both girls had fun playing with friends and growing closer to Christ when they attended Backyard Bible Clubs with FBC McKinney.

 

 

It was a great way to pass the lazy days of summer.

 

We spent the 4th of July in Arkansas at Beaver Lake.

 It was fun riding in the back of Uncle Rich's truck.

 

 We spent a lot of time relaxing as a family.

 

 

And we loved hiking together in the mountains.

 

 

The water was cold and refreshing...and tubing was tons of fun.

 

 

Marty and I enjoyed some quiet time by the lake in the morning.

 

 

We always enjoy our time in Arkansas with Marty's family.

 



To close out the summer, Jack attended driving school and got his permit. Big day!

 



And just before school started, we moved into our new house at 5020 Grampian Way, McKinney, Texas.

 

 

Sofie loves playing on the swing in our new backyard.

 

 

We love relaxing on the patio.  

 

 

It was a summer of lazy days...

 

 

Big Adventures...

 

 

And new experiences...

 

Seasons in the sun!

 



Father's Day

Father's Day...

A day to honor the man who leads our home, provides for our family, and shows us the love of Christ each and every day.  He is the one who shows our son what it is to be a man, and models what a man should be to our daughters.  He is bold, courageous, and strong...yet gentle and playful as well.  He is Daddy. How we cherish him!  

Happy Father's Day, Marty!

They are blessed to call YOU....Daddy.

Ladybug Soccer Spring 2013

 

 

Sofie just finished her 6th season of soccer!  Once again, the Ladybugs had a great season.

 

 

 

They finished with a winning season and got third place for their division with the McKinney Soccer Association.

 

 

 Only teams who place in the top three get a trophy, so Little Bug was super excited to find out the Ladybugs placed!  The team celebrated with pizza at Mr. Gatti's Pizza Place.

 

 

This is a picture of Sofie with her teammate, Emily, and a friend and competitor, Kaitlyn. They all go to church together. How fun!

 

GO LADYBUGS!!

Dance Recital 2013

Yesterday, Lily danced in the

Third Annual Dance Recital for McKinney Dance Studio.  She participated in two dances...one for lyrical, and one for ballet.  She wore per pink boots with her costume on picture day! Of course! ha!



The girls were so excited for their dress rehearsal on Friday evening. I think these costumes make them look like swans. They danced to the song "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars.

  It was a lovely performance and I got tears in my eyes as I watched it.

  Lily showed so much emotion when she danced. It deeply touched my heart. During the performance, I thought about how perfect the lyrics are for Lily...

"When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change.
 Girl you're amazing...just the way you are."



Next, it was time for ballet, Lily's passion. 

She looked gorgeous in her costume and she danced to the song "You Found Me".  It was beautiful!



After her ballet performance, we presented Lily with some pink roses. Daddy picked them out because he remembered they are her favorite.  Then, she took her bow. She called this her "Snow Queen" pose. One day, she dreams of performing as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker.

Proud parents of a Bunhead!

Her biggest fans!

It was a beautiful day filled with makeup, hair, and costume changes. A day I will treasure in my heart forevermore. How I love watching this girl dance. Lily Grace...we named you well.

Goodbye Elementary, Hello Middle School!

 

Lily graduated from 5th Grade at Glen Oaks Elementary on June 6, 2013. After a very tough year full of growing pains, Lily woke up to a new beginning.  She wore a dress she picked out specifically for this day...

 

 

Sofie wanted a picture with her big sis before school. She is going to miss being at school with Lily next year. They won't be together again in the same building until Sofie is in 6th grade and Lily is in 8th.  I will miss hearing them tell me stories of their hugs in the hallway and having each other's back at recess. My favorite story is when Lily saw Sofie being bullied by a boy while she was outside for PE and Sofie was at recess. She yelled at the boy about how he was treating Sofie. Then the girls went off to play on the swings together. Anther great story was when Sofie saw a girl that is notoriously mean to Lily. Sofie walked up the girl and said, "Be nice to my sister!"  I love their friendship!

 

 

 

We gave her two new charms for her locket to celebrate her big day...a horse shoe and a music note. Both represent all that waits for her as a Cockrill Cowboy.  She can't wait to join choir in middle school.

 

 

 The ceremony was short and sweet...like our girl!

 

 

We could not be more proud of Lily. She has shown tremendous courage and perseverance through  many great challenges this year.

 

Brylee and Skyler are two of her friends from Glen Oaks. No doubt, she will miss them next year when she goes to Cockrill.

 

 

But a new beginning awaits her at Cockrill Middle School. She is just a little excited!!