Little bit of basketball

The last few months were pretty much consumed by some sort of basketball (either Chris' team or one of the kids). One of the high school girls got these first 2 pictures of Cole, looking an awful lot like his dad! Cole has become like a little coach, telling Chris what the guys need to do, what they should work on, what play they should run, etc. I had to grab Cole from one huddle during a big game because Cole was trying to tell one of the players what he needed to do out on the court!

District Champs - after a very close game. I don't like those games that come down to the final few seconds, but we came out on top. Unfortunately, we didn't beat that same team again when we faced them in a regional game...

Prayer after the game. The other team didn't want to join our guys (this particular team never does either, win or lose).

Cole's little TFA basketball team - Chris was the coach. Cole had fun and did well, but he had a hard time passing the basketball. He shot ALOT of shots. For the last game, I told him I would pay him 50 cents for each pass he made.

Ansley's basketball team. We had the opposite problem with her - she didn't want to ever shoot the ball! She did make 3 baskets in the last game though! She decided at the last minute that she wanted to play, so I was hoping she would have fun - she did! It helped one of her best friends, Katey, played also.

Who needs tires?

Luke seems to have this obsession with taking the tires off of every vehicle. There were a few cars that I truly did not think the tires could come off, but alas, I was wrong and Luke found a way to get them off. All of his cars and trucks, and even Cole's Lego vehicles - off go the tires! I find them all over the place and have started a little collection, thinking that eventually I will match the tires with their rightful owners. Here are a few of the assorted tires...


And a few vehicles that have lost their tires. Even the plane is now tire-less!

The joys of having a big sister

Yes, this is our son. His sister dressed him in a beautiful pink Barbie dress, complete with heels and a purse. Luke was so proud of how cute he looked. Daddy said "That's a picture that will show up his senior year of high school or something!"

Royal Student

If you know our sweet Cole, you know he has some challenges with behavior, impulsiveness, paying attention, etc. Well... we finally decided to try an ADD type medication for him. I say "finally" as if it has been 10 years of dealing with this, and while it hasn't, it has been a very long several years of trying to help him have self-control, focus, obedience, etc.... After a couple of years of trying diet, supplements, and neurofeedback therapy, we decided to give medication a go. And it has been amazing some of the changes he has seen. We try not to make a big deal about taking the medicine, but even Cole told the doctor "It helps me be good". It has not made him perfect, and we still have a ways to go in learning how to have healthy relationships and to be more positive, but it has made a HUGE difference. At home he is often the peace maker, instead of the initiator of arguments (not always, but a big improvement here!). And at school, he can sit still in his chair without squirming and making noises and does much better overall with self-control and (lack of) impulsivity. So...a few weeks after being on the medication, he received the Royal Student award at school. I think it was his sweet teacher's way of recognizing his improvement and encouraging him for how hard he was trying with his behavior. He received the award in chapel, and his teacher gave us a heads up so we could be there and get a picture (and video!)