Our Aweful Beautiful Life

I can't believe it's that time of year, where we're saying goodbye and hello to a new year/new start. 2016 was good to us.  Our babies are growing, learning and changing before our eyes. We are blessed that you are all fairly healthy....minus a trip to the ER for stitches! Kids - your dad and I are so proud of you. We LOVE to watch you grow. Sure, life gets the best of us some days, and I know there are times that all you think we do is yell at you/punish you. BUT....like I feel like I'm ALWAYS telling you....it's our job to raise you up to be good husbands & wives some day, and when you get your own kids....you can make the rules and be the boss. Until then, it's our job, like it or not. We are proud of you for being willing to meet new people, try new things and continue to stretch yourselves when new opportunities arise. Tball, baseball, all stars, football and basketball...we are becoming quite the sports family! And Keaton -- you were an amazing c...

Christmas is a favorite in our house. It's always been so magical for me -- so many wonderful memories from this time of year. Christmas Eve mass & programs. Hall gatherings. Grandma Hancock's buckeyes and smashing into her tiny living room, even as we far outgrew the space. Rensselaer (the game, not the city....). Singing our school Christmas program to all our aunts/uncles, then hiding in the basement for Santa to come to Grandma & Grandpa Hall's house. Then we grew, and your dad and I met, and what was essentially three Christmas gatherings in 24 hours for each of us, became six! I'll never forget that first year we were together -- we went to the Hall's for a little bit early in the day, then down to the Robinson's, then back to Hall's for church/gifts. EARLY Christmas morning we went to Brad & Jacki's ( Uncle Jacob was still only 8 then...), then to the Hall side, then the Hancocks, then the Stockment's at Grandma Pats. It was CHAOS....

So we kicked off December with Stefanie's Bridal Shower & the Stockment Christmas Outing. What a great way to kick off a fun month!! I also go to volunteer at the kids Christmas Shoppe at school -- what a fun way to volunteer my time to the PTO. Watching little kids eyes light up as the buy such "treasures" for their loved ones was really a job. Definitely got me into the Christmas spirit! One the second weekend of December, we headed to Colton's ball game, then home to basically dump the kids off to Madi & Ryne Sailors, and me head out the door for Stef's Bachelorette Party. Jason had already taken off for Michigan City with Trent & the guys (despite Trent having a touch of the flu...boo to that on your bachelorette day! Us girls weren't sick though -- we had a GREAT time. We boarded a bus at Brent & Natasha's house and headed to Saddle Up Saloon in Indianapolis. Yes, I rode the mechanical bull. No, it wasn't pretty. Yes, I kept Gr...

November/December always go by in the blink of an eye. Between Fall Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the lead up to Christmas -- our weekends are packed and our weeks are just as full. Add in Colton playing basketball and Pammy going on vacation, impending events leading up to Trent & Stef's wedding........it was complete chaos for a couple of months. I didn't blog. I'll admit it. I fell behind. That doesn't mean we didn't have any fun, because, boy oh boy, we did. A few highlights -- Keaton's first Purdue basketball game -- he did fantastic! And the boilers won! Such a great evening!! Colton got announced and got to play in the Red & Black Classic with his 3rd grade basketball team. Such a fun night and great introduction to hopefully many more years on this court... November was a big month for Colton, because he also shot his first deer, and got to spend some extra time with Grandpa walking Candy & Rizzo, because the weather...

My famous line, the one that needs to be printed in my eulogy some day,  is - "um, they didn't tell me this at the baby shower". They didn't. They never do. All the things that make you wonder how you never knew this...but yet, parents before you SURELY did....why do they not pass that on? You know the cutesy game where you give the new mom advice? Ya, where was all this stuff then? NO ONE told me I'd have a THREE SPORT ATHLETE (or that that was even a possibility) at age 8 and in the THIRD GRADE!! This is such a foreign concept to me -- but thankfully for you, Colton, your Momma loves sports, and loves seeing you happy -- so we do what we do. We finished summer rec baseball in mid-July, started Football in early August, and basketball in late October. Please no one tell me there's another sport that falls between December & March....please...I'd like a breather. So now it's basketball season -- and this is a sport Momma know. Momma loves. Mo...

So October was a bit crazy. Wedding. Field Trips. Football. Farming. Jenna's 30th Birthday. Fall Break and Parent Teacher Conferences. Kind of nutso, right? One would like to try to get some extra sleep in that kind of schedule, right? We did the exact opposite. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant the same outcome. For years, and years -- as long as I can remember - we've been Cubs fan.s Forever. My whole family. Well, minus Uncle T for a short phase of trying to be his own person and thinking the Braves were cool -- but he came around. So when the Cubs just kept winning, we just kept watching. And watching. And holding our breath. And sighing when we thought the curse was back. And liking "hype" videos. And praying. And hoping. And watching. And then, after two straight weeks of 9pm first pitches, on November 2nd -- we watched all our dreams come true. And the kids were ALL IN. We made signs. We painted our faces. We prayed. We cheered. We sa...

We had a fun Halloween this year!! We actually got to participate in the school's Trunk or Treat, as well as the Halloween party at our house with the Stockment Fam, and actual trick or treat on Halloween. Yes, that's three times of dressing up. No one tells you  that you'll do this when you're at the baby shower. No warnings that you will paint your children's face three times to match their outfits or that they will complain to no end (after initially loving it) that their outfit you made is itchy and they don't want to wear it. Halloween costumes are cool for a mere 15 minutes....get the camera out while it lasts Momma!! At least they had a great time with their friends at Trunk or Treat!!