Happy 9th Birthday, Jackson!

Not sure how this happened, but as of yesterday at 8:25 am, this kid officially turned 9 years old!  Nine!  Only one away from 10.  Holy cow.

Everyone was awake bright and early.  Happy Birthday, Bubba!

Cami and I ran around town before making it to J's classroom by 11:30.  We bought him some much-needed new tennis shoes, picked up his custom donuts, and then picked up lunch at Country Burger.  We were so proud of ourselves by making it to school with five minutes to spare.

The birthday boy loved his special donuts and immediately put dibs on the blue #9.

Every kid in his class got a letter donut--so much more fun than a cookie or cupcake, I think.

After saying hi to all of his friends, we walked down to the cafeteria for lunch.  Burgers and fries were just right for these two.

I love it that he still really likes having me join him for lunch.  It's the first time I've done it this year, but hopefully it won't be the last.  When we were chatting at lunch, I asked him what he'd like to do after school.  His answer--play ball with some friends.  Easy enough!  I invited four kids over and they all were able to make it.

 

It was a gorgeous, 73 degree afternoon.  Perfect for some basketball!

These boys played so much!  They started out with basketball, moved on to football and then ended with soccer.  They never came inside, but they did stop for a few water breaks.

Jackson was so thankful that his buds Ethan, Tucker, Ben and CJ could hang out on his big day.  The last boy left at 6:10 and we had to scramble to get cleaned up and out the door by 6:30.  We had more plans for the night.  Next up--Gloria's!

 

All four grandparents, Madison, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Maria met us for some yummy Mexican food.  Jackson opened presents throughout the night and was smiling an awful lot.  And with good reason--he got tickets to the Dallas Sidekicks, a new big barrel bat, two pairs of shoes, baseball socks, and new Texas Rangers shirts.  We saved the big surprise for last, though, and it started with a package of sharpie's.  He looked confused, but said thank you.  Then he opened an envelope that read, "SURPRISE!  You get two tickets to Spring Training for the Texas Rangers in Surprise, AZ!" He smiled SO big, said, "sweet--that's awesome!" 

We ended the night by singing Happy Birthday to Jackson and then watching him blow out all 9 of his candles.

Then we all dove into the Texas Sheet Cake I made him earlier that day.  It was a sweet end to a very sweet day.  His birthday is very sentimental to me because it's the day I became a mommy.  God blessed us with an amazing little boy and we can't wait to see where his dreams will take him.  I believe the sky is the limit--Jackson Hays is going to change the world one day!

 

Be My Valentine?

Sunday morning with my three littlest valentines.  My true valentine bought me those gorgeous white and pink tulips and they are still beautifying our house today!

The kids loved their valentine cards from us, their grandparents, cousin and each other. 
They are surrounded by so much love!

 

This little girl simply adores her Bubba.  And he's pretty fond of her, too:)

 

 

Sweet Lila worked really hard making a special card for her brother.  It said, "I love you Jack.  You are the best.  You are cool!  I rely, rely, rely do love you." 
Priceless.

I was signed up to work in the nursery at church, so we had to hustle to get there by 9:15.  We made it and I got to love on 6 precious one-year-olds.  Jared went to Kids Town with the big kids because it is parent month, and he got to see what their church experience is all about!  After lunch, we split up and Jared took J to pick out a new bike. 

Great success!  He officially has a BIG BOY BIKE!

 

He is so stoked about this birthday gift and we hope he enjoys it for years to come.

We spent the whole day as a family and I really didn't want it any other way. 
Valentine's Day 2016 - perfection!

Spectacular Saturday

9am - The Bumblebees started off bright and early.  It was a beautiful morning and the Bees got off to a great start.

 

They played tough against a 1st graders team...

 

and came away with the win!   What a fun way to start off our outdoor season.

A fun bonus--heart-shaped donuts from Malee's mom!

Coach Dad is taking his job very seriously and doing his best to teach the girls how to properly play the game.  They have improved, for sure, and we can't wait to watch them get even better.

Next stop, Breckinridge park for Maddie's game.  Go Blue Thunder!

Madison played so well, getting a goal in the second half, and ensuring the win for her team. 
They won 2-1--Go girls!

And the fun didn't stop there, either.  After lunch, the girls headed to Frisco to cheer on the U.S. Women's National Soccer team.  Boom Pa and Jared were their dates and all said it was a very fun afternoon.

They had excellent seats in the middle of the field, and the USA won 1-0!

Meanwhile, we were not resting at home.  It was finally time for us moms to take our boys to the Monster Truck Rally at AT&T Stadium!  First stop, dinner at Pappadeaux.

I really, really enjoyed my night out with this kid.  He made his mama proud:)

After driving around forever in massive traffic, we finally found a great lot to park in that was next to the stadium.  We ran in, put in our earplugs, and were good to go. 

Go Gravedigger!  My goodness, it was LOUD!

 

There were so many characters around us and on the big screen.  Check out this maniac. 

 

Everyone was thoroughly entertained!

 

 

Those trucks got some serious air! 
It was a night to remember, for sure.

Friendship Day!

It was Friendship Week at school and the last day they got to have their Friendship party.  The school is really pushing the importance of being a good friend by complimenting and encouraging others.  All good things!  This year, the kids and I went above our standard paper valentines and baked 8 dozen cookies for all of their classmates!  I found these really cute tags, too.  This is probably my only etsy project for the year, and it was really pretty easy.

Jackson's valentines were all sports themed, with four different sports.  The football ones said, "You're a great catch!" The soccer ones said, "I get a kick out of you! and the baseball ones said, "Valentine, you're a hit!"  Perfect for this kid.



Lila's were more traditional, but still cute--they read "Happy Valentine's Day, from your friend, Lila."

Both kids were so excited to pass out their treats at school that morning.

But first, they went to school early for Donuts with Dad! 

A few hours later, I was in J's room first.  His teacher was all smiles, as always. 
She's such a sweet lady and really likes him.

J and his posse--CJ and Ben.

Within a few minutes, his box was full of treats.  We resurrected it from the closet and just added a few more stickers this year--one less project for me!  I left before they made their ice cream sundaes, but I heard they were a big hit.

 Meanwhile, in Lila's class, she and her girlfriends were getting ready for the
Valentine Teacher Parade.

All five teachers looked amazing!

Woo hoo!  Mrs. Pool!

Get it, Mrs. Kern!  The kids had a ball watching this spectacle.

It's such a fun party for everyone.

The kids made crafts and decorated sugar cookies...

then got divided up into two teams for the Hershey Kiss relay game.  Lila was at the end of her team and came through in the clutch for them.

She got the team back into a spot to win, and then big brother came from behind to clinch the victory for Team Hearts!

Way to go, Team Hearts!

Here's proof--they really do like each other:)

The love continued on into the night when we met Nash and his family for dinner before Jackson and Tucker's basketball game.  Cami sat across the table from her sweetheart and then just couldn't take it any longer.

'I go see Nash."  She is so cute with him.

A fun friendship day indeed!