Toy Yorkie...?

You've heard the term "toy" to describe small dogs...well now we use that term to describe Ace in many ways...he is small yes...but apparently he likes being in the basket with all the toys too!

Awesome surprise!

So with Ben coaching and spending EVERY Friday night at the games...I decided I would need a blanket. My sister, Katie, has made these awesome blankets for my mom and my dad...so I asked her if she would make me one if I got the fleece. She said sure no problem...turns out I'm never in Bellingham these days, so needless to say the fleece had not been purchased and the football season is half over! Then today my AMAZING sister shows up with this!!!!
That's right my pregnant sister took her 3-year-old shopping after her doctors appointment today and bought me fleece! THEN she went home and spent her day off!!! making me this blanket! Can you believe it???! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it Katie, Thank you! I can't wait for the game on Friday...watch out Meridian, I'm bringin' some serious purple pride!

Ace Bear

Ace LOVES to cuddle and last night he cuddled with Kristi all night while we watched 'Hitch.' He is one of the only boys we allow at our girls night in events every Sunday while Ben is at his coaches meetings! This picture was too cute not to post! Plus he was wearing his new sweater from grandma! :)

Service Project...

My parents have worked with the youth at our church (Christ Fellowship) for YEARS! They have a great group of kids and an awesome small group they meet with every Sunday night...where they play a "Minute to Win It" game, eat dinner, and oh yeah talk about the sermon from that morning! :) Anyways...apparently their Christ Group kiddos have been asking for a service project for quite some time...so this week mom and dad got lookin' and decided that Sumas Elementary could use a mini face lift! Dad got some bark donated and mom got some Fall flowers and Sunday afternoon the kids got workin'! This picture isn't the greatest...and I didn't get many pictures because I lost track of time in my classroom getting ready for the week...but here is the finished product!
Thanks so much guys...it looks awesome! Bring on Parent-Teacher conferences!

Monday treat...

Landen stopped by tonight (with his mommy) to pick up his birthday invitations! He requested a "Chocolate Birthday Party" this year...and Katie thought "Where do you find 3-year old birthday invites with a chocolate theme?" Sooo...we got busy and whipped them out in no time! Here he is holding his invites proudly...shortly after this picture he told Uncle Ben "you can come to my chocolate party...it's gonna be really fun!" :) How do you not LOVE this kid?!!
Thanks for the Monday visit buddy...it's just what I needed! -xoxoxo

Random...

Here are SOME of the pictures I had taken this summer with intentions of blogging...some of them are just too random to post...but these were okay I thought!

This is a picture of Ben and I before he left for his FIRST home game as a coach for NVHS!

And of course I MADE him let me get a picture for the blog! (I'm pretty sure he's thinking sometime like: "Really Wife?")

Here is a picture of Ben coaching the boys at their very first game at Quest Field!!! Not a great game, but a great opportunity to be a coach on an NFL field!

Uncle Ben gave Landen his first buzz...he sat so good...and now informs Ben that he "...needs a new buzz."

I'm not sure when he got so big...still just as blond as the day he was born!

"Ta Da!" Buzz complete...he gave us a nice cheesey smile to blog about!

Now I can feel better about taking new pictures for the blog and hopefully I'll be more successful with posting them!

I don't know...

...what happens! I try to keep up on blogging, but then an entire month goes by and I didn't blog AT ALL! Here's the thing, I take pictures, I really do! I have all sorts of pictures that I completely intended on posting for all of you! Even Ben has started taking blog pictures, they just never seem to make their way onto the blog! I am going to try to do better (I realize I say this about every other month) but I am going to this time!

This summer Uncle Ben gave Landen his first "kitchen cut" except he got it outside where the hair could FLY! Now he will inform Ben that he "needs a new buzz."

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my LACK of blogging in the Spring, but Ben is coaching for the Nooksack High school football team. It started with Spring practice and now that Fall is here...football has picked up with force! I think a fellow coaches wife said it best tonight at the "family dinner" before practice when she said "I've gotten used to being a coaches widow." Ha! It is a HUGE time commitment but man does Ben LOVE it! I can see it all over his face every time he comes home from practice, games, and coaches meetings. (yes there are coaches meetings!) So needless to say Friday nights you will find us at the games! I am so happy that Ben has found his passion and pray that God continues to open doors in this area!

I have started the school year and found myself wondering "where the heck did summer go?" SERIOUSLY??? I am happy to be back into the routine, especially with Ben having so many commitments to football. I am teaming with Amy Moss this year and it is going AWESOME! One of my second graders said it best today when she told me that "you and Ms. Moss are very organized." (I took it as a compliment!) I am teaching another year split up...mornings are special education k-5 and afternoons are with my multi-age kiddos (1st and 2nd graders together!) I am looking forward to another great year and feel SO blessed to have a full-time job. I am officially accepted into my masters program...I am transferring credits from this past year and am looking forward to Spring of 2012 when my masters will be completed, Lord willing, my national boards certification earned, and my ELL endorsement finished! I'm not sure what I'll do with my time after that!!

AND the best of news of all....I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE AGAIN!! I am so excited for Kate and Darren...and Landen! He is finally going to be a big brother, and just ask him about it and he'll tell you about his "sister-brother." For now that is all the major news I have...Ben and football, Abbie and school and work, and Landen being a brother! Have a great weekend everyone!!