FALL FUN

Yes, that's right fall has officially arrived here in town. I am so excited. I LOVE this season. I love seeing the leaves change, the slight cold breeze, the smells, the holidays, the activities, the events, and especially the memories.

This season meant school started, which to me meant I could play volleyball. It was great. I still feel this way, but it's not as exciting as it once was, because now I don't play competitively anymore. I do get excited to coach my volleyball girls and start a crazy season once again.

Now, this season reminds me of meeting the best man that has ever happened to me. Ryan. We met during fall (football and volleyball seasons :)). All of our good times and "special" occasions happened during fall. Our first date, first kiss, first walk, holding hands, dancing, singing, laughing, drinking hot chocolate, swinging at the park, getting kicked out of the park (story for another time) and so much more. This is a season of memories that I'll always cherish, will always be with me, and I'll always think of during this time of the year.

Here is a picture Ryan took of all the leaves that have fallen off and are changing color. Isn't it just beautiful?!

 

 

So on this here fall day, what do the kids and I do. Well, we first started off dancing to music, then cleaning, then going outside to play in the leaves, kick a ball around, and race. Zoie loves racing with me along our pathway to the house. We run that back and forth probably like 1000 times before she is tired and ready to come inside. It was a lot of fun.

 

While we were out there Zoie loves to just sit and watch the sky and see if she can see any "tweets" flying around (in case you didn't get it, that is how she identifies birds). We saw a few today, but the miraculous discovery Zoie had was seeing a butterfly. She has seen them before, but they have never come close to her before. She loved it. It flew by her head, "tickle ear mommy", sher said, (tickled Zoie's ear) and sat on a rock for a few seconds. Long enough for Zoie to get a good look at it. She was so excited.

 

When we were done playing outside we came in had some lunch, then played with some play-dough. Zoie wanted to stamp our names with the letters so I rolled out some dough, gave her the letters, and she stamped them down. It was so cute. She had a lot fun and kept repeating the letter over and over again.  Here is how they turned out.

 

 

We had so much fun today. I love spending time with my girls and creating fun, exciting, interesting memories with them. Charlotte loved being outside and was just smiling up a storm while we running and kicking balls with Zoie. My Bug and Little Miss are awesome girls and I am glad they are in my life. They are my other greatest blessing!!

 

 

 



 

 



 



Our Morning

 

This is how the girls and I spend most of our mornings.

 

 

 

 

Zoie and I play and do something creative and fun. Today we made a space suit out of a cardboard box and played with play dough. Charlotte napped. Charlotte did play with us a bit before her nap, well she just sat there as Zoie and I cut the holes in the box.

 

I have so much fun playing with girls and helping them create things or learn something new. I'm excited for next week and I start doing a  pre-pre-school with school oh and it's her 2nd birthday. Well, everyone enjoy your Monday. More updates on the girls another time. 

* remember this *

"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other."

-- Carol Saline

 

 



Staying STRONG in the STORMS of Life

Life is hard! My life is hard! Why is Satan always trying to bring me down? Make me feel miserable? Why me? Why now?

It is always hard to find peace in any trial or challenge that you are going through. I, sometimes, don't want to find that peace because I am just so mad and not ready to let it go. I'm human, that's how I function. I was driving home from work last Thursday morning and I am listening to one of our Church Cd's and this song comes on, "Where Can I Turn for Peace?". There couldn't of been a more perfect timing for me to hear this song. I needed to hear it specifically at that time. I knew the Lord loved me and was ready to help me.

Where Can I Turn for Peace?

 

Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace

When other sources cease to make me whole?

When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,

I draw myself apart, Searching my soul?

 

Where, when my aching grows, Where, when I languish,

Where, in my need to know, where can I run?

Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?

Who, who can understand? He, only One.

 

He answers privately, Reaches my reaching

In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.

Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.

Constant he is and kind, Love without end.

 

There really is only one way to have a peace of mind and feel at peace with any trial you face. That way is through our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ. He knew we would go through difficult trials and that is why He bleed from every pore for me and you. That is why He suffered a great deal.

 

I know through Him, I am able to overcome my difficult trial and create an even stronger bond with Him, that will make it that much harder for Satan to get through and break. Because of the Saviors Atonement, I am able to continue working hard on staying STRONG in my STORMS of life.

 



* remember this *

"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other."

-- Carol Saline

 

 

In the ball cart at volleyball practice

Life of a Coach's Child

If you didn't already know, I am the Head Volleyball Coach for the High School in our town. This is my second year and I am loving it. I love volleyball and have played competitively for a long time. I'm not ready to give up that part of my life yet. So my next option was to coach. It's been a great, challenging, frustrating, annoying experience. I've learned a lot about myself, the sport, and about kids and their parents.

Zoie and Charlotte are such good kids. They have to come to practice with me every other day and live without me in the evenings all the other days. They do really well. Zoie will watch a show on the computer at the school, write on the dry erase board, run with the girls when they run, helps pick up the volleyballs, and takes care of Charlotte while I coach during practice. Charlotte either sleeps, needs to eat, sits in the ball cart (and hands mommy volleyballs :) lol) or hangs out with the JV coach.

 I don't have to worry too much about them. Although every now and then I need to run and grab Zoie of the court while they are playing (although lately I've been leaving her on and if she gets hit, oh well...hopefully she'll understand and learn her lesson).

Zoie loves coming to practice and gets excited when she wakes up from her nap, cause she knows she gets to go "play" volleyball. Today I had her on the court playing with us and she loved it. She would come stand next to me in ready position to pass the ball, then she'd come up to the net and she'd have her hands up and legs bent ready to jump. The girls even taught her how to hold her hands to pass the ball. (I'll be sure to get pictures of her in all her positions). I love her and hope she continues to love this sport. She is so cute.

Here are couple pictures that I took at practice the other day with my phone. This is how they spend most of their time during practice. Sorry for the picture of Zoie and Charlotte being blurry, Zoie didn't want to stand still and was in a hurry to pick them all up.

My best ball shagger!! (starting them young... dad)

 

Falling asleep in the ball cart

 

Their own Blankets

Blankets are very important in our home. The girls have to have their own and can't share.
Phil and Donna Blackwell were serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints a few years ago, here at Southern Virgina University. They are the couple that hooked me and Ryan up and ever since then they have been apart of our lives. Sister Blackwell crocheted a blanket for Zoie and made another one for Charlotte.

Zoie loves, loves her blanket. She loves it so much that that is the only thing of hers she won't share with Charlotte. We use Charlotte's blanket for her to lay on when she is playing (it's too hot to use it now). She enjoys it as well.

A couple days ago, I laid Charlotte down on hers and Zoie wanted to sit next to her but on hers. I laid Zoie's down and they started to watch the Little Mermaid. It's too cute. Sometimes Zoie will share her blanket, but only when they are both laying on Charlotte's and are using hers to cover them up.

Zoie was saying "WOW" when I took this photo, when they showed

the city of Atlantis.