Quarter 1 2018 (yes when you are bankers you measure the year in quarters)

First quarter had some sweet moments that I want to always remember!  

yes! and I would not trade for anything! 

I traveled more than any of us would have liked for work due to some strategic recommendations I am involved in seeking approval for.  Mom and Dad sent me some sweet flowers to encourage me!   We all made it through and in the mix of it all shared some fun times.   

I will never get tired of watching my girls sleep!  

 We have missed Katelyn and the kids more than we can ever really communicate.  We adore them all.  But we have had seen Gabe more and enjoyed him stopping by.

This was sent to e from my brother during church!  Maggie thought he was serious! 

Uncle Gabe snuggles to get Monkey back!  

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The girls had a sleepover and we enjoyed a day in Knoxville shopping, Cheesecake Factory, and then home to make slime!   

Yummy!

Yes.... Mom of the year!  I agreed to the creation of a gallon of smile!!

 The girls have thrived in school and both worked very hard.   Maggie has excelled in Math and Reading which is a huge accomplishment given we started the year off very challenged.  Gracie has embraced Middle School and had the best year yet!   I always chuckle when I get text from her at 3:20 when school gets out.  Usually they are "what is for dinner?" or "Do I have to swim, my knee is really hurting?", etc.   This one I had to laugh at.

So in our house I don't allow them to have different things from what is planned for dinner and we are always encouraging the girls to try new things.   However, this night I did understand it and we did have chicken planned.  So Gracie fixed herself something else!  

Maggie did a presentation about herself.  I love that one of the three things about herself was that she was "small because she is not tall".   She is small for her age yet has confidence beyond her age.   On her bedroom wall is this quote "Small in size but destined for big things".  When we hung it on her wall when she was just a baby we had no idea how true that would be.

We took Maggie out for a smoothie to celebrate her A on a math test.  She worked so hard.  We have gone from D's on math tests to Cs, Bs and now As!  That is not without a lot of hard work! (Both Maggie and Mama and Daddy!)

Maggie participated in an indoor soccer team that was with her friends from school.   Coach Jeremy was so good with them. He was hard and cared so much about their growth.

This is coaching!  He was hard on her when he needed to be and always encouraging her to do her best!   

These games were hard to watch for this mama.   Maggie stayed focused and although she had goals scored on her she defended and protected just as many! 

Sometimes you loose!   The girls always played hard and while most of them were 8 years old, were playing against teams that had girls that were 10 years old.   We were so proud of how they played on the field and their attitude off the field. 

Jimmy has continued to hike and enjoy the group.  We love Sarah and Mark that are leading this small group and they have become good friends to us!

 With Grammy and Papa close by we have enjoyed them stopping by and being able to celebrate birthday's and other events.

Just a normal night and Maggie crawled up in Papa's lap and fell asleep.  

 Jimmy worked hard with Maggie and she has started to balance on her bike and ride without training wheels.  We are working on gaining confidence.

 Snuggles!   We have all enjoyed snuggles with Bella and these girls that God has entrusted us with!

So Bella likes to snag a pillow like a human!

Best Daddy ever! 

o yeah!   Bella snuggles!  She is everything to the girls (and us most days). 

I will always cherish the family values piece we now have hung in the great room.   We are not perfect and we sure do have rough days where we all need to apply this more than we do.  But I love the daily reminder and the tone it sets for us! 

It is hard sometimes still after 16 plus years not living close to the family and friends that are very important to me and to our family.   When we know they are going to be close, we are always eager to host them and catch up.  Sophia and Michael were going to be in Atlanta for a conference so they rented a car and drove up for the afternoon/ evening to visit.   These are moments that my heart clings to!   I love to watch my girls grow in their relationship with them too.   It has been a great honor to watch Sophia grow into the beautiful young lady and  wife she is!   We enjoyed laughing and getting to know Michael better!   We are looking forward to seeing you all again soon, probably this time in Ohio!

Valenties Day was a fun day.   The girls always look forward to breakfast and balloons.  We started this a few years back and they love the special way to kick off the day.

This year each day of February (well most days) we did notes on the girls door affirming their character and the things we see in them!   They had fun reading them each morning with big smiles.

Gracie's Door 

Maggie's Door 

we rarely do anything for valentines specifically for each other, and defiantly not flowers.  Expect this year!  It was such a sweet surprise to have these show up at my office.    (note this is before I changed the pictures that are on my desk which were about 4 years old..).

The Net Church hosts a "Dream Team" formal event annually.   We enjoyed hanging out with those we serve with each week.  It was a different year as we did not have any commitments since we have stepped down from each leading a team this year to provide more time for our family.

This woman!   I adore her!  

I cherish any date night I get with this guy!  

Friends!   

The girls are still swimming and enjoying the competition.

The cousins all love each other, but these two have a special bond together!  

Her favorite shirt!

The girls enjoyed all kinds of activities together and with friends. Climbing wall with friends, roller skating, Mardi Gras party, and Ellie and Silas visit into town for a long weekend! 

and a family game of Monopoly is not complete without Bella!  LOL!