Top 10 of 2016

This is the 10th edition of our Top 10 list.  I didn't realize I had been blogging for so long.  Since I joined Instagram (and for a lack of time at a computer instead of a phone), I blog far less.  I still write the blog for us and posterity sake.  This is by far one of my highlights of wrapping up a year to look back and see all that we have done.  Have a blessed 2017.

10. Ben became a RSBA coach.  Rock Steady has grown exponentially this past year and Ben traveled to Indy to become a coach.
9.  I became a personal trainer - I'm not really interested in personal training, but wanted to have a better understanding of exercise science.  It took me almost four months to study and take the exam.
8. We had a fun reunion with Ben's family.  This was the first time our kids met many of Ben's family.  We had a great time at Mo Ranch in Hunt for the weekend.
7. We started our 7th year of homeschool.  LE is in 6th grade, Boo is in 5th, R2 is in kinder and HR does pre-k/kinder.
6. The girls and I headed to church camp.  This is the girls' 2nd year to pre-teen camp, my first and probably last.  I have discovered being with other people's children is a thing of my past.  I'll stick to my 4.
5. Landry has taken up karate.  She has already taken her first belt test and worked up to an orange belt.  She goes twice a week and has to pay half of her tuition.
4. Boo was in the production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly.  Boo really missed theater from co-op so this past school year she participated in the One Day Academy Theater classes.  We think she has gotten bitten by the acting bug.
3. We participated in Round the Rock Instagram challenge.  We had a task of 50 things to do in RR this summer and we accomplished 40+.  The last 8 were too expensive or didn't qualify for our ages.  We had an absolute blast and discovered some of our newest favorite things to do in the area.
2. We traveled to Port A.  We took an extended weekend getaway to Port Aransas earlier this fall.  I'm not usually a beach person, scratch that Texas beach person.  But it was a great time to connect with the kids.
1. We had a great family vacation to Branson.  We were gifted a week stay at a time share in Branson and our fighters blessed us with cash for travel expenses.  It was a great week to go off the grid and connect as a family.

"Vader"

My Christmas Wish list:

1) new floors 

2) kitchen redo

3) Maid

4) camper

5) New SUV to pull #4

6) personal assistant

7) Maid or personal assistant

8) gift cards for date night

9) gym equipment

10) maid or personal assistant

I guess my wish list was a little unrealistic because I got a new mini van.  It's the coolest minivan one can get, even black this time.  Isn't it weird when you become an adult how your gifts become more of necessity.  It's a 2016 Honda Odyssey and it has been affectionately named Vader.   

Christmas traditions

Monty Mouse has made his home under our tree again this year.  Every morning he leaves tasks for the boys to complete that day.
So far, we have had a slumber party under the Christmas tree, Christmas movie marathon, made gingerbread houses, Pancakes in Pajamas for dinner, made an advent chain, Christmas music dance party and my favorite so far was when they made Ben and I breakfast in bed for our anniversary.
I am so grateful for these moments and I am so especially proud of my girls for taking on so much responsibility in this crazy time of our lives.

18 years

18 years of marriage and 2 years of dating before we walked down the aisle; we have been together for twenty years.  I honestly had no idea what 20 years could look like, let alone feel like.  I never thought life could or would get better, but each year it does.  We have been through some rough patches, and this year had some real doozies and we have come out unscathed.  I honestly cannot imagine riding this crazy roller coaster with anyone else but you.  You complete me and make me a better person.  I love you, Maximus.  Here's to twenty more.

two peas in a pod

LE has been looking forward to this day for months, literally months so when a cold front moved in that was going to prevent her from participating in her first throw in months she was devastated.  The night before the competition PawPaw called to tell her the throw was moved indoors and they would be able to compete.
LE and PawPaw could brave the cold in a barn, but the rest of stayed warm at home.  We did make the drive to Ghost Town in Manor for their final round and neither disappointed.  LE got multiple sticks as did PawPaw.  LE won first in the youth division (out of two throwers) and PawPaw won first in the professional men's division for his tomahawk.
This girls' determination and passion for any thing she puts her mind to is a inspiring.

a very last minute birthday

When I say last minute, I mean last minute.  On Thursday night, it dawned on me when R2 was talking about his birthday the next day, he meant party not the actual day.  He said he wanted to stay in a hotel and have breakfast and dinner at a hotel for his birthday, so we were on board for that.  Until he asked what time would his friend's be there for his birthday.
I texted some good friends and when I say good I mean good.  These friends came and even brought presents.  We had our neighbor friends, and some friends from church over (with only 24 hour notice) for pizza, a cookie pizza and cupcakes his awesome sisters made.  This kiddo is so loved.

a six year old

Oh, sweet boy. I had no idea I could love someone so much.  You melt my heart with this smile.  You are truly a special gift from God.
You are into Paw Patrol, Star Wars, dinosaurs and animals.  When you grow up you want to be a zookeeper.  Somedays you want a dog, but others you want a cat.  I think you just love to take care of others.
Favorite food- "any kind of food" except popcorn and eggs (yeah right) - "I like all of the stuff that I love, but none of the stuff I don't love."  i.e. he likes chicken nuggets, toast, peanut butter/jelly sandwiches, pizza, candy, chips, bananas (all fruit, really), vitamins, pancakes
Favorite movie- Force Awakens
Favorite book- Charlie Brown Look and Find
Favorite cuddle love - "pillow"
Favorite Toy- Paw Patrol

Thanksgiving weekend

 No Thanksgiving is complete without lots of cousins' time.  This year we also helped PawPaw work on the farmhouse.  Daddy and PopPop blew up all of the leftover Halloween pumpkins to kick off the holiday season.  We went to the annual Christmas night parade in Comfort. We celebrated Mimi and R2's birthdays at Mamacitas complete with sopapillas and sombreros.  The best part of the weekend was PawPaw tossing me the keys to his hot rod, Road Runner and telling me I can finally take it for a drive.  Too bad I was too chicken to really "drive" it.

The Little Mermaid play

Boo was given a special gift from one of my fighters in tickets to the Palace Theater in Georgetown to see the live production of Little Mermaid.  He is a volunteer and wanted Boo to see a production because of her excitement in theater.
The Little Mermaid opened the weekend after her birthday.  It was a phenomenal production.  It reignited her desire to pursue theater again.  (Her teacher is taking some time off to raise her kids).  We are looking for a new production company for Bella to be a part of, but we will probably have to wait till summer or next school year to enroll.

10 year old birthday- a sleepover

Bella chose a smaller party this year so she could have a slumber party.  We had pizzas, movies, and cupcakes and played trivia.
She was blessed to be able to reunite with her friend from drama and of course other home school friends.
Happy Birthday Double Digits Kid.

double digits birthday

It is a home school holiday on birthdays, so Daddy and Mama took the day off to celebrate.  We were able to get in a matinee showing of Trolls.  Kids loved it, it had its funny moments, but I think it was a one-timer for the adult folk.

Happy Birthday Boo

Oh, you my spunky girl.
This year, you have seemed to discover yourself.  You really enjoyed being in the drama classes and seem to blossomed in that role.  You have become more interested in art and your creative side consistently amazes us.  God has blessed you with a gift through your creative spirit.
You love to cook, but I am little scared of your ability to mix flavors.
You love animals, especially dogs.
I wish you knew how incredibly loved and special you are.  I think you sometimes question that.
God has amazing plans for you and I cannot wait to see the lady God has called you to be.

Favorite subject- cooking/baking
Favorite food- Italian meatballs
Favorite book- Magic Tree House series and the Who Was...series
Favorite movie- Nightmare Before Christmas
Best friend- Angela (friend from down the street)

library pumpkin context

The girls entered the RR public library's pumpkin contest.  The theme was a literary character or book, pumpkins had to be decorated and could not be carved.
LE used two pumpkins to make Garfield sleeping in his bed.  Boo decorated hers as Jack and Annie from the books Magic Tree House.
We were so excited when we got the call that LE won the contest and received a bundle of books.
We are so proud of both of our girls and the gifts God has given them.

Happy Halloween!

Bethany Hamilton aka LE
Britt Nicole aka Boo
a vet aka r2
Chase from Paw Patrol aka HR

We had a fun night of trick or treating in our neighborhood with our friends in the cul-de-sac.  Too much sugar was consumed and too much is still in my pantry.

return to Indy

This coming week, Rock Steady Boxing Austin celebrates our one year anniversary.  When I first traveled to Indy last fall I thought I had some background knowledge on Parkinson's and a little experience with boxing through some kickboxing classes I had taken.  But, after over the past year I realized that my first three days in Indy were just barely scratching the surface.  So many questions have come up and not to mention I just needed a fresh jolt of adrenaline from my coaches.
I was so fortunate to travel when I did, because I was able to attend RSB's biggest fundraiser and even meet the founder of Rock Steady, Scott Newman.  He is like Ali in my eyes.  It doesn't get much bigger in the Parkinson's Boxing World than Scott Newman.
But, hands down the highlight of my trip was meeting Harry.  I was first introduced to RSB through a video of Harry and Billy. Harry was in a level three class I observed.  I heard his voice and instantly knew it was him.  I got the honor to meet him and even share that because of his spunk, 90+ fighters have joined in to fight back against Parkinson's in the Austin area.  We both were in tears.  I am so truly grateful, God has trusted me on this journey.  I get to be a part of something amazing day I step into our gym.

"coach"

It's official, Ben is a Rock Steady Boxing certified Coach.  And according to our fighters, he is a really good one.  Ben has been in Indy for the past four days.  On Friday morning, he texted me and told me he got it.  I asked what he got.  He said, this, RSB, what we are doing.  I am so glad he encouraged me to take this journey, but to have him on it with me, makes it so much better.

unscheduled appendectomy

It has been a rough week, Ben had to teach for me on Tuesday b/c I had a UTI.  I thought I was going to take a couple of days off to recoup, but after coaching for me, Ben came home feeling crummy.  On Wednesday, he woke up feeling worse complaining of a pain in his side.  The kids and I went to the library so he could get some rest and that afternoon I drove to the gym to let another coach in to lead class for me. On my way, Ben called and said he could not stop throwing up.  I came back home and took him to the ER.  As we suspected, he had appendicitis and would need an appendectomy that evening.
I am so grateful for our neighbors and friends who were able to take the kids, and another friend for bringing us dinner.  He was discharged that evening, and it has been slow and go for a few days, but he is getting stronger and feeling better.

Port A Weekend Getaway

Instead of celebrating a spring break, we took a fall break to celebrate Mama and Daddy's birthday.  We took a four day weekend and spent it at Port A.  We stayed in the cutest condo on the beach and our days were filled with sandcastles, seafood, wave jumping, a few sunburns and sunrise walks on the beach.  I love these kind of days to disconnect and be with my favorite people.

a third gym

Today, we opened our third location of Rock Steady Boxing Austin.  After, lots of thoughts and prayers we decided the next logical step in this journey was to take the fight to Georgetown, TX.
After several major set backs, God opened and closed the right doors to allow this happen.
We found another small business owner who ran a karate studio, he was so excited to have us in his space during the off hours.  This time, we had to provide our own equipment, most of which we purchased from an auction house.
The potential is great, and we are off to a great start with 20 boxers on the roster, most who were driving to north Austin.  But, we already have enough fighters to be able to offer 5 classes a week, just need to find that perfect coach to help complete the program.

she's an orange belt

Doing karate is probably one of my better choices. Yes, I have decided to pursue the black belt. I can't say there has been blood, but definitely sweat and tears. All through my wait and all through the test I had every kind of flying creature in my stomach, not just butterflies. There were 6 others testing, 2 for orange, 4 for purple. I had done the moves so many times as soon as I heard what to do I tried to remember  which of the many moves it was, I did it.  I owe it all to my instructors, my family, and Jesus Christ.

our first slumber party

We survived our first slumber party.  It was not nearly as bad as I imagined.  On Friday afternoon, LE got to pick four friends (plus a special bonus friend b/c she couldn't stay the night) to come over.  We spent the evening having mani's and pedi's, pizza, cupcakes and watching the new Jungle Book movie.
Mimi came into town and took the boys out for a night on the town.  For breakfast, I had juice, milk tons of fruit and a TX size RR doughnut.  Imagine my surprise that all of the fruit was left, but none of the gigantic doughnut.
She was blessed with cash, new beanie boos, a Star Wars tshirt and craft supplies.  I am so glad we gave in because it was a super low key party and lots of fun memories were made.

a tweenager

I seriously thought you'd be a tweenager once you hit twelve; I wasn't expecting you'd turn into a young lady over night.
This one is a tough one for me because now you are in sixth grade, junior high youth groups, and becoming more independent by the day.
I love that you still want to cuddle, and kiss Daddy and I goodnight and good bye and you still sleep with Fluffles.
I should just have you type up your favorites as they seem to change every day.
I think your:
Favorite food is cheeseburgers.
Favorite book is Ramona.
Favorite subject is reading and Texas History
Favorite movie is Soul Surfer
Favorite color is hot pink

We love you and are so proud of the young lady you are becoming.

Paw Patrol Party

Gigi and PopPop's creek is still flowing and we were able to celebrate a special 4 and 5 year olds' birthdays on the water.  My brother Troy's girlfriend's daughter's birthday is the week before HR's so we celebrated their special days together.  Apparently Paw Patrol is all the rage because she wanted a PP birthday too.  Mimi made Marshall cupcakes.  Beverly and Troy made fajitas.  We picked up a pinata at the Mexican market on our weekend getaway and we spent the day down on the creek with cousins.  Happy Birthday Lynny and Hank.

first two weeks of school

little R and R

Anyone else's spouse time revolve around food?  I love food, glorious food.  I especially love food that is good for us.  We did a great job eating clean when we had the opportunity to have a weekend getaway to SA this past weekend.
We made a plan to avoid one of our favorite restaurants, to make better choices.  Imagine our surprise when we pulled into the hotel and it is across the street from temptation.  We survived without it though.  We found a new place and both enjoyed awesome salads (plus a baked brie).  For breakfast we found a quaint coffee shop and for lunch we hit a favorite for ceviche and shrimp tacos.  Ben planned dinner and we headed for the Riverwalk to try Bella on the River.  Breakfast was our other favorite, including omelet with goat cheese and spinach.  Another major victory for me as I fell for this place over their apple pancake, that would be last meal if I were ever on death row.
We also enjoyed massages, some shopping in downtown, sleeping in and of course the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  Thank you Mimi and PawPaw for spoiling our kiddos.

a four year old

I cannot believe how much you have changed this past year.  You keep us on our toes, little man.  I cannot believe at this time last year you spoke maybe 20 words and now you are using words like actually, awesome, and sentences with 10- 15 words. You knew what you were doing.
In one day, you learned to spell your name and in another you learned to write it.  Everything is 14;  in 14 minutes, 14 bites, 14 days.  You love to count and pattern.  You love to pester your brother.  If you pause for any amount of time you are asking to get on a phone or the computer.  You love to build with legos, build train tracks and play dress up.  You are a total ham and you know it.
Your favorite food is Greek yogurt and chocolate chips, you would literally eat it for every meal if we let you.
Your favorite show is Paw Patrol, your favorite shirt is Paw Patrol, your favorite underwear is Paw Patrol, if it has Paw Patrol involved you are interested.  You do change your favorite puppy often.  I think today you said your favorite was Zuma.  Yesterday it was Chase and the day before Marshall.
We love you so much and you most definitely completed our family.

pool time for P.E?

The best part about doing school in summer, motivation; that and pools for P.E.
The girls have been waking up at 6 each morning to get school started ON THEIR OWN.  Most days they are downstairs before Ben and I.  Our first week of school, we were finished school every day by noon.  On Thursday, we rewarded ourselves with lunch at a new pizza stop in town and then spent the day at a "new to us" water park.
HR was much more comfortable in the water this time and all five of us crashed that evening with no complaints.

first day of school 2016

We started school on August 1st.  It is just too hot to do anything else during the day and we plan to take some breaks when it gets cooler and when things get busy at the gym.

We decided to go ahead and begin both boys in kindergarten.  HR has a true passion for learning and is especially interested in letter and numbers.  He learned to write his first name in just one day.  We are using My Father's World for kindergarten.  If it doesn't work we will try again next year.

LE has begun sixth grade.
She is  using Math U See Epsilon, Building Thinking Skills for logic (pre-SAT studies), Wordly Wise for vocabulary, Spelling Workout, Rosetta Stone for Spanish, Apologia Astronomy for science and Texas Weekly Studies for Texas History.

Boo is in 5th grade, a year ahead of others her age.  She is using Math U See Gamma and her other curriculum is the same as LE's except for fifth grade.

We are using Sonlight's reading list and finishing up the Little House on the Prairie for their daily reading.

They read Jesus Calling for their daily Bible time.

I think the one thing I have learned over the past six years is that we homeschool so we can do what is best for our family and our kids.  We don't follow a calendar and we hope to instill a love for Jesus and a love for knowledge over a grade.

winding down our summer

We are having so much fun with our challenges this summer.  We've had lots of cold treats and even found some new fun spots.  We baked banana bread for a neighbor police officer.  We've volunteered at the nursing home playing Bingo, eaten at local restaurants and worn a little man out numerous times.
We also scored a huge tub of Legos which the boys have really flourished in their creativity.  I'm loving these kiddos and the memories we are making.

Rock 'n' River

We earned our free passes to Rockn' River through our Round the Rock challenge.  We have had so much fun this summer discovering new places around our hometown and earning free stuff is fun too.  Daddy took the day off and we spent most of the day at the park.  HR was very reluctant to try the slides, but he finally gave in.
Part of our challenge was to take a selfie under the big bucket, CHECK.  We are winding down our summer list and most things left are pretty pricey so not sure we will hit the 40 mark which was our goal.  We knew we didn't want to do all 50 because there were a few we were absolutely not going to do.  LE plans to create a fall bucket list for us.  I'm in.

weekend getaway

Our cousin, Emmie celebrated her birthday and we took that opportunity to travel home to see family.  Gigi and PopPop were out of town so we got to take over their house and the creek for the weekend.  It was a much needed R and R for Mama and Daddy and the kids had a blast on the creek for three days with cousins.
I will say working the way we do, I truly appreciate the little things in life far more.

round the rock challenge part 2

We marked off number 30 on our challenge this week.  We tried geocaching, found a trail in RR to hike, we skipped riding the train at the outlet mall and instead rode a time machine, who knew time travel was cheaper. We've done 8 of the 10 Where's Waldo challenges at Kaleidoscope Toys.  We had breakfast in our pj's at Chick-Fil-A which counted for 2 because it was a restaurant with a playground.  All four participated in Bass Pro Shop Summer Camp including earning badges for archery and gardening.  This past Saturday, we visited a farmer's market to complete our 30th of fifty activities on the list.
LE has been working on a list we can do after school starts.  It has really helped me to be get us out of the house and try new things this summer.

fourth of July

This year we braved Old Settler's Park for the fourth.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still a long day with four kiddos.  I taught a special July 4th class that morning and one of my fighters invited us over for hot dogs that afternoon. We contemplated which of the Sam Bass shoot outs to attend and decided if we went to the early one we'd leave for sure not brave the fireworks.
We arrived about 15 minutes before the show and got front row seats.  LE was chosen by Sam Bass to countdown the show.  And now they want to sign up to be in next year's production.

Boo's piano recital

Highland Lakes PreTeen Camp

This past Sunday, Ben dropped the girls and I off for Preteen camp at Highland Lakes.  Our church took 21 kids and 4 chaperones to camp.
I quickly realized I am a Mama.  The clutter, giggling and disregard for rules was almost too much for me.  Jesus and I had a moment that first evening and I realized there is a lot I have to let got of.
The girls had an awesome time.  We swam, kayaked, rode a banana boat, had outdoor fun at archery, and BB guns, BMX bikes.  The guest speaker was phenomenal.  He knew how to connect with the kids and taught on obedience through the story of Noah, loving like Jesus and the story of Elijah like I've never heard before.  I am so grateful I had these four days to connect with my girls, but I think it was a one time adventure for me, unless I can learn to relax again.

Round the Rock Challenge in June

This summer we are participating in the Round the Rock challenge.  We have a list of 50 activities to complete this summer to receive rewards from merchants in Round Rock.
In June (from top left), we watched a movie in RR, participated in the library reading program, found the wagon ruts, participated in a summer library program, played in a RR park, took a pet to the dog park, played at All Abilities Park, found Sam Bass final resting place, found the RR mural, enjoyed a cool treat, had a RR Donut, found the Round Rock, went to an Express game, and found the statues in downtown RR.
We have had so much fun and earned our first gift card to Kaleidoscope Toys.

Read Reunion

This past weekend, we traveled to Mo Ranch for a family reunion with Ben's family.  I was pregnant with Boo the last time we had been with his grandmother's sister and her family.
R2 is named after his great-grandmother's family, so he was a hit with his distant relatives.  The boys were also a hit b/c most of the cousins on this side of the family are girls.  We also learned strabismus runs strong in the Read family, with seven kids who wears glasses for the eye disorder.
It was an unanimous decision to hold the reunion every year, so we will see cousins more frequently.

Vacation Liberty School

This past week, the girls participated in Vacation Liberty School.  A homeschool friend is one of the leaders and every she invites us.  This was the first year we could make it work.  The girls loved it and cannot wait for next year.
They started off in England as peasants living under King James and had to travel to the New World.  They met George Washington and Ben Franklin.  They also made cards for soldiers in the army.  I regret not making this a priority in past years, but will make sure it doesn't happen again.

last day of school 2015-2016

I have fallen victim to Instagram and thus my blog has been neglected.  As much as I love the easiness of Instagram, I love coming to the end of the year and reviewing our year. I also love seeing LE and Boo looking back at where we've been.  Thus, even though I know most have given up on blogs I will persevere.  Great, now I've got I will survive stuck in my head.
We wrapped up our official school year on May 26th.  Which means LE finished her elementary school career.  And when we begin in the fall I will have a junior high student, 5th grader and two beginning kindergarten.  Be still my heart, I am not sure how that is humanly possible.  We will continue to read and do Math U See during the summer.  We are participating in as many reading clubs as we can join, no complaints there.  I hope they can some day fall in love with their math books.

three little initials

On Leap Day, I began a nine week course to become a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  It has been the most intense training and not something that has come natural for me.  I have read and reread the material, had a friend tutor educate me on the difference between overactive and underactive muscles which is a huge portion of becoming a personal trainer.
After a couple of delays including having to take CPR/AED training, I was able to take my test yesterday morning.
It took an hour, and then I had to wait almost fifteen minutes for the results, and finally the proctor said "Congratulations, you passed." Yes, tears began to fall, I was so relieved to finally have this chapter closed.
I'm so excited I get to add the initials NASM- C.P.T. to the end of my signature.

karate kid

LE has been asking to pursue karate for a while now.  And recently we found a karate studio very near our home.  She had the opportunity to try it for a week.  After two classes, she decided she wants to pursue the black belt.
She goes twice a week, and she has to pay half of her tuition to participate.  She is learning discipline in and out of the gym.

Greenridge Night Out

We had to miss this semester's taste of the world's feast at co-op, so I told the girls we would host one in our cul-de-sac.  There are so many different cultures represented on our street, I thought it would be a fun treat.  That same week, our HOA asked if I'd host a night out on our street. We combined the efforts, but unfortunately we had to reschedule because of the rain.  When we rescheduled most families couldn't participate.  Our family made Australian fairy bread, Italian soda and German sausage and sauerkraut and a Mexican pinata.  Our Korean neighbors brought fried shrimp.  The HOA president came to our house and then, the only other party decided to combine forces with us and brought the neighborhood cake and raffle.
Our family won a prize package which included gift cards to Spare Time Bowling, Chipotle, Zaxby's and Sizzling Indian Kitchen.