Pure J.O.Y.

O.c.t.o.b.e.r 

Being positive is a daily goal of mine and in order to do so it is a must that I surround myself with others who embrace this quality. When doing so, each day is filled with much more joy!  This month definitely fulfilled this as we all got to spend time with those near and dear to our hearts:)

We started off the month with having Mike's sister Heather and our nieces here.  Sadly we do not get to see them enough so we very much enjoyed our time together!

Joden was teaching me how to set the table which he learned in school from their counselor!

 Reeve played learner league volleyball at the Y this fall.  She LOVES volleyball and it truly makes my heart happy watching her enjoy herself on the court!

 These two sure enjoy each others company!  Crazy to think how we embark on different journeys in life, which in the end lead us to such great friends:)  

 Enjoying a fall Saturday with two of my favorite people!  

 Took Joden on a date to the Explorit Center in Aurora.  It happened to be a day off from school on a Friday so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  What a great memory we will have together!

 Went to Olive Garden with my mom.  Tried to take a cute picture and of course Joden has to do this...but it did bring a smile to my face!

Sure enjoyed our weekend in Sidney to celebrate my sister-in-law becoming a mama!  This will be our first niece in 4 years so we are pretty excited:)  She is super cute and the shower was beautiful and it went extremely smooth!

 

 That night we also got to see our niece and nephew all dressed up for Homecoming!  I am sure we will blink and that will be our kiddos...cannot believe how fast Miss Lainey has grown up.  She is gorgeous!  And of course Grant is handsome:)

 

 Enjoyed a laid back night playing cards with the Schumacher crew.  We tried to take a group picture using a selfie stick:)

Random picture from my good friend Kelly of Reeve from school!  Don't grow up too fast sweet girl:)

Got my bridesmaid dress in for Kati's wedding....love it and it was only $50 on Amazon!

Picking out Christmas gifts!

For several years I have heard of Mossy Pond and finally went to check it out with my sister.  We had a great time and of course found some great items!

Enjoyed some Halloween fun!  Started it off with the Trunk or Treat on Saturday at our church and then bundled up for a cold night out on Halloween day.  Also down below I had my kiddos work together to create shoulder up Halloween costumes.  They honestly did pretty awesome with this task!

 

 So much candy!!  

Life is a journey filled with many challenges and we never know what others may be battling, so prayers for all to at some point, each day, experience joy or share it with others<3

Lots of family time!

September 

Being a parent can be such a hectic adventure, but stopping each month to blog provides the opportunity to reflect on it all!  One of our biggest hopes we have for our children is that through all their activities and adventures hopefully they are learning how to work hard, be a good teammate, and always respect their coaches/teachers.  

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

Reeve transitioned this year from 4 on 4 soccer to 7 on 7.  It has been a joy watching her get after it out there.  She is very laid back so she does not get too worked up and is grasping the understanding of spacing.  Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for her soccer career :)

 Joden is now in 10U and it has been enjoyable to watch him also.  All the boys are understanding the game more and more, which makes it even more exciting to watch.  He has still been given the opportunity to play lots of positions so it will be neat to see which ones he ends up focusing on later in life.  So far it appears his favorite sports are gymnastics, soccer, and baseball.  

 He enjoys flag football, but does not act like he loves it....my mom heart would not be too sad if he chooses to get rid of football.  It is very physical--although he can get hurt in any sport he plays!

 State Fair fun with friends!  We allowed each of them to bring along a friend, which ended up being awesome because then they had someone to enjoy the night with.  

 In lieu of the first Husker game I opted for a healthy snack!

 These two fill my heart up!  I sure do love being their mom:)

 Picture day hair.  She had quite the request and I tried...not the best, but her pictures turned out just fine!  

How cute is she?  I know I am biased:)

Look at that little kindergartener on the left!  Oh man these school years are flying along.

 Went to a Husker party at a friends and all the boys, ages 11-1 were playing together:)

Coach Ray, one of our assistants, did a basketball skills camp.  We had a great turnout and Reeve joined in on the fun.  She does not seem crazy about basketball yet, but of course I hope she plays.  She is a pretty darn good dribbler for 6 so I of course think she has some skills:)

 Again, I am biased, but these two have one of the most patient and loving dads.  He has spent so much time progressing through going to the woods to create a love for it.  Love too that they have an activity they do with Mike and I that are each different!  Hopefully they get to carry some of the same experiences over to their own children.  

 So this is where my title comes in to play.  The last four out of six weeks we have got to spend with Mike's family.  It really has been making me exhausted during the week-ha ha-but it has been so worth it.  Our nephew Grant is a senior and luckily has had games close to Grand Island so we can go watch!  This one was in Hastings and they won.  As you can tell Joden enjoyed trying on his helmet:)

 Snuck this picture in and sent to dinner group friends.  We had already gone to dinner group and ate, but left early to hang out with Mike's family some more.  Therefore, Mike thought two dinners were necessary.  Ugh-wish I could eat two dinners and not gain weight!

 Hard to see, but I love decorating the front for fall with my pumpkins.  Especially the ones I put in my planters!  

 Took these two Junk Jaunting with me for a short bit.  It was hot and the only item we purchased was this gun in Joden's hand that cost $1 :)  

About a year ago I told Mike that I would love to get a 'forever' table that our grandchildren can sit around one day!  After seeking out several different options we found one that was doable financially.  Looking forward to the many memories to come around this table!  

Finally, Miss Reeve participated in a two day after school deal at Gates where she got to basically be creative.  This picture was on Facebook and I thought it was a good one:)