My Grandpa Bill

 My Grandpa Bill died yesterday morning after recovering from a significant surgery.  As I am typing this, it is almost hard to imagine that he is gone.  I know since he was in a nursing home after the surgery that he was facing an uphill battle of rehabilitation and recovery but there weren't any clear indications that his health would decline so rapidly on Friday morning.  I can still hear him saying "yes my love" when I would tell a story and getting tickled over some of the extreme stories I would tell.  He loved each of his grandchildren fiercely and that love got even stronger as the next generation entered the world as great-grandchildren.  He loved being the patriarch of this family.  When Grandpa and Grandma would come to visit, it was clear that Grandpa would be holding the newest addition any moment that wasn't spoken for.  He would light up when holding a new baby in his arms.  His love for race cars has been passed down to his three great grandsons as Zander, Maddox and Eli have multiple #3 cars in memory of Grandpa's favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt.  I remember visiting their home in Florida (which was just up the street from ours) and seeing a whole room covered in #3 memorabilia.  Grandpa had the best smile that will be greatly missed at our family gatherings.  I am thankful I will have the opportunity to celebrate his life with family this upcoming week.  This celebration will be a great reminder that we will see him again one day and thanks to God's love when sending his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, death no longer has the final say.  This temporary goodbye will be overshadowed with a triumphant reunion one day.  As this is the third grandparent I have had to say goodbye to within the last three years, I cannot wait to hug each of them again one day.  Thank you Jesus for the promise of eternal life for all those that believe in you!

Snow Ball and Basketball

The boys had their first school dance (ever for Maddox and since first grade for Zander).  It was fun to watch them get dressed up on a Friday night and hang out with their school friends at the "Snow Ball".  Maddox had a hard time warming up to the whole "school dance" concept (which is ironic since he is such a good dancer).  I think he might have still been recovering from being sick the week before these dance festivities.  Here are some pictures of our handsome boys along with some pictures with their friends!

Just for fun... here are some comparison pictures with Zander and his friends from kindergarten (top left) and first grade (top right).  It is crazy how fast his elementary years are flying by.  I cannot believe we only have one more school year together!

Daddy was out of town for work for five days.  Mommy got to help coach Maddox's basketball game and practice in Zack's absence.  It was a busy week with trying to get both boys to their many activities, covering at work for a friend that was sick and feeling under the weather myself.  We survived though!  I enjoyed moments like the one below where we could catch up over ice cream after Awana on Sunday night.

Our Saturdays are filled with cheering on our favorite basketball players right now.  I love these sweet kiddos and the cheering section we have as well!  Hopefully I'll be able to grab a picture of Coach Daddy with the basketball star at some point along with Grammy and Grandpa who are faithful fans!  Zander has decided to not play basketball this season as he is spending time with a local Trail Life Troop learning leadership skills and character development along with the importance of family values with a Christian focus.  The other night he requested to set the table for dinner unprompted. ;) 

I love Zander's heart for Jesus.  He led the opening prayer at Awana last week and our children's pastor sent us this picture of his sweet prayer. ;)

Daddy came home from his annual sales meeting with some new jewelry!  He earned a new "Sales Champion" ring for significant sales within a certain product industry.  We are so proud of him and how hard he works for our family! :) 

Moving through January!

We have been quickly moving through the first month of 2023! I can't believe we are already halfway through January!  We made it back into the work/school routine pretty nicely and Zack has been getting off work a little earlier in the evenings to be home more with the boys... that has been a huge help!  The first weekend in January, I got to meet up with my best friend, Liz, for 24 hours of uninterrupted, kid-free fun!  We stayed at her mom's house which is centrally located between our homes.  We stayed up until 3:00 a.m. chatting, tried a few new places back home, walked the Greenway while chatting some more and finished it out with dinner before heading back to the "real world".  I am so thankful for Liz's friendship.  She is someone I can talk to for hours, laugh with until we cry and be completely myself around. I love that we were able to catch up as we start a new year!  Since we have done this two years in a row now, we have decided its an annual tradition! ;)

We celebrated the 80th day of school in our 80s gear!  Maddox is not pictured since he had strep throat for the second time this fall/winter season.  Grammy and Grandpa helped immensely while mommy and daddy continued to work each day.  Prayers for continued healing for Madman! His stomach has been in pain since Monday and his appetite hasn't come back just yet!

Maddox attempted to play a couple periods of his basketball game on Saturday (but didn't want to take any pictures for his fans).  We fit in a birthday party for one of his best friends, Luke. He made it around the roller skating rink in a little slower pace than Maddox's normal top speed! ;) 

The highlight of the weekend was taking the boys to see Monster Jam. Daddy got us tickets through his work and I believe while this was our first time seeing the monster trucks in action, it won't be our last!;)

Happy New Year 2023!

We made it to 2023!! We had our annual gathering at our house as we counted down until the new year.  Each year, we stay up a little later!  Zander actually made it up with me to midnight this year.  We watched the ball drop through a LIVE feed on my phone.  I think all 8 kids had a lot of fun and the parents did as well! ;) 

Also, this week I was able to see some of my childhood friends (Houston and DT) and youth minister (Eddy) while celebrating Houston's 40th birthday.  We have been friends since 4th grade and his birthday is a good reminder that my milestone birthday is just around the corner now that we are officially in 2023!

This week, we have enjoyed some family time since daddy has been off work as well!  We went swimming at the indoor pool, conducted science experiments, read books, assembled puzzles, played games, enjoyed some Nerf battles and played new games on the Nintendo Switch.  We timed our family adventures around getting a recall taken care of in my car and some required maintenance for Zack's car.  Our big outing for the week was heading up to Stone Mountain for a family hike.  Burke enjoyed being with his family exploring the mountain.  He definitely needed a few days to recover after the strenuous hike for a 13 year old pup!  

Linds and I fit in our last run of 2022 on New Year's Eve.  This run got me to 1,060 miles for the year!  This is four miles more than last year's runs.  So crazy!  Every year I say I will taper off this larger distance but I find myself still pushing to see if I can reach the goal. As I approach my 40th birthday, I know my hips and knees will thank me by opting for some elliptical workouts over the outdoor runs.  That will be the plan heading into 2023.  Linds and I have signed up for our annual half marathon in April so there will still be some runs to prepare me to that yearly race but also more leg-friendly workouts as well! haha

On New Year's Eve, we also went to the local Auto Museum.  It was fun having Grandpa and Grammy talk about cars they recognized from their early years.  It was a great rainy day activity to finish out 2022.  

We head back to school and work this week!  As we head into a new year, I pray that God will continue to have my focus be on His will and plans for my life.  I pray I will take each day as it comes and experience less anxiety with what might or might not happen next.  We have a big year ahead with some fun plans we are looking forward to.  I am also excited to see the plans God has in store for our family that aren't even on our radar yet! ;)

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

- Hebrews 10:23

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43:18-19