A Special Grandparents Weekend and a Birthday Party!

We were lucky enough to have Grandpa Steve and Grandma Cindy come up a couple of weeks ago for the long weekend.  And boy did we keep them busy!!!  I am not sure we could have crammed anything more into our time together even if we had tried.  We loved that they were able to bring cousins Kayla and Leah up too.  We all had a great time together.

Saturday was full of basketball games, and the kids loved having family there to watch them!
First off, we headed to Regan's game.

And then we headed to Jordan's game:

 The kids were troopers, but their faces say it all!

There was a little bit of snow and a little bit of time to play in it!

Then it was Cole's turn for basketball.

That evening, Ashton had her honors orchestra concert.  Tod stayed home with the six kids so Steve, Cindy and I could go and enjoy.  It was absolutely wonderful to see these talented musicians.  And Ashton was on cloud 9 having her grandparents by her side to support her.

 I love this picture.  My kids are so blessed to have grandparents in their lives.

We all slept well that night!
Sunday was a nice day to relax and attend church together.  Look at this group of kiddos.  They have such a good time together.  Love it when the cousins can hang out.

This guy be-bopped around all weekend enjoying all the attention!  You can't really see but in this picture he is wearing his cousin's high heels!

Monday was Martin Luther King Day so we took advantage of the day off school to have Jordan's birthday party.  It will come as no surprise that she wanted a sports-themed party at the church gym.  And it was perfect for her friends since they are all little athletes.  It was such a fun party- I think one of my favorites, but I always say that!  It was really simple but really fun.

We started off with some kickball, then relays, basketball, and dodgeball.  These girls play hard!

We were so happy that cousins and grandparents could join us!  A very rare treat!  We did not want to let them go back to Missouri.  We were so glad they came.

Of course, we had to have pizza.  The budget called for Little Caesar's but Grandpa Steve spoiled Jordan with one pizza from Casey's!

And you gotta have a doughnut cake!

It would not be a party without Jackie and Tanner...her favorite adult friends!  The girls loved having these 2 at that party.  They are so much fun.

All in all it was the perfect way to cap off a week of birthday celebrations!  Happy Birthday Jordan!

Happy 11th Birthday!

Jordan always looks forward so much to her birthday...and this was a whole week full or celebrations for our 11 year old!  It started on Monday (the day before her actual birthday) with lunch at Burger King!  She almost finished her whole Whopper but let Luke help her with the last few bites.

That night was the college football championship, so we had a half time break to sing happy birthday and enjoy some treats on birthday eve.

These two couples are so special to Jordan, and we love having friends help celebrate.

The next day was the BIG day!  I actually had to sub, so we were up very early to take a few pictures and get the day off to a hoppin' start!

This year she was all about the UnderArmour...thanks to some awesome friends with some connections, we are able to hook her up with some gear.

For birthday dinner, we headed to Texas Roadhouse...just Tod and I and our Jordan...what a treat!!

We sure love this girl, and she is just the best company...so much fun to be with...and she really enjoyed the rolls at Roadhouse.

Finally, when we got home, it was time for presents...and the annual scavenger hunt.

 Could not resist this perfect wrapping paper....

 A special surprise gift from Dad...

There was one main thing she really wanted, and she got it...an ipod of her own.

I love this note that Ashton left for her sister.  It gives me hope because oh man, can they ever fight!

Anyway, we love our January birthday girl.  She is really something.  Eleven things to love about Jordan:

1.  She has always been and is still very helpful.  I do not know how I could survive without her!  She is my right hand man in the morning and is just always willing to help out.

2.  Jordan is really organized and efficient.  She keeps track of her things and keeps stuff really nice.  She can clean and organize any room or area so well.

3.  Jordan is a very good student.  She works really hard and excels in all her subjects.  I know her teachers really enjoy having her in class.

4. She is super sporty and loves to be on the go.  If it involves a ball, she will love it.  She plays basketball, soccer, and softball, and is always up for trying something new.  Go #8!

5.  She loves her friends.  She has been blessed with a really strong, great group of girls to hang out with.  They call her "Snarr".

6.  Jordan is really fun to talk with.  She has interesting insights and original ideas.  She is someone that I really enjoy spending time with.

7.  Jordan is very determined and a very hard worker.  She has been taking pitching lessons this past year and has been working so hard to improve.  She practices almost every day and even puts up with her Dad's "helpful" criticism!

8.  She loves Casey's pizza!

9.  Jordan is mentally strong.  She is wise beyond her years and has real spiritual strength.  She knows what is right, and she does it.

10.  She has a really fun sense of humor.  She thinks lots of things are funny and is always quick to see the positive side of things.  When I picture her, I picture her laughing.

11.  I could go on and on about this girl.  Tod and I just so proud of her.  There are many times when she sacrifices her own desires for the good of the family.  And she is always trying to keep Luke happy.  I tell her that she is going to make a great mama.

Happy Birthday Beans!  We love you so much.  Looking forward to a fantastic year.