Snow and Basketball

That's what we have been doing lately! Playing in our first Kansas snow and starting basketball practice. This picture below is Isaac trying to ride his bike in the snow. Aaron and I told him it probably wasn't the best idea but he wanted to try it anyway. He did good as long as he didn't turn. Needless to say, it didn't last very long.

The boys had one day off of school because of the snow. They literally spent all day long out playing in it. They built this cute little snowman and we went sledding. I love the snow but I'm not enjoying it too much in these temperatures and winds. This moring it was -3 with a windchill of -18. I don't mind walking to the car in it, but have no desire to be outside for any length of time.

Isaac got a basketball goal for Christmas this year and both boys are playing on a Y team. This is a big basketball town. Our High School team in town hasn't lost a game and most games are blowouts! So both boys have jumped on the basketball train. We got new shoes, because you know you can't wear just any tennis shoes to play basketball in even at age 6. They also got jerseys. Cade got a Lebron James and Isaac a Kobe Bryant. That is from their friends influences! So for now, we are loving some basketball.

Aaron is having some stomach issues and has lost some weight so he is seeing a gastro doc to make sure everything is ok. His dad died of cancer and it started in his colon so we are little nervous. Please pray that we find answers and that it isn't anything serious. He is taking a group of middle schoolers skiing this weekend so you might want to add that in your prayers too. Isaac is only 3 years away from middle school and being around middle schoolers these days is making me a little nervous. You have never seen so much loud energy in your life than you have with 60 middle schoolers in one room!

I started a new bible study this week and have seen just the first video and I am already loving it. I am also going to have one at my house at night during the week for some single working girls. So excited to have young women who are asking for bible study!

Christmas Programs and Cookie Exchanges

My sweet boys after their Christmas Program at church.

Cade was a cutie! He was a donkey and super proud he got to be in the program. He told me several times how excited he was and that this was his first Christmas program or any program to ever be in.

THis is my little Shepherd. He had lines to say and everything. He told me before the first practice that he didn't want to be in the program and he especially didn't want a speaking part. He said it makes him too nervous. He comes home that day excited he's a Shepherd and loving the fact he has a speaking part. He is getting to be so big and did so good!

I had a cookie exchange at my house. It was so much fun! I got the idea from my friend, Christina. Lots of good cookies and wassail. Lela the recipe was a big hit!

We are heading out a week from tomorrow for Louisville. We are all so excited to see all our friends and family. Pray for us as we travel, that the roads will stay clear!

Thanksgiving Pictures

We spent Thanksgiving with some friends this year. It was different than being with family but we really did have a great time and of course great food!


Cade is really into dressing as close as he can to Aaron. On Sunday mornings he has to wear button up shirts just like his daddy!

Yes that's Cade with all the girls. He was given the option of what table to sit at and this is what he chose.

All the boys. Isaac trying to see how silly of a face he can make!

Curt and Sarah

John and Teffany

Happy Thanksgiving but ready for Christmas!

I am having a hard time with being away from all my family this year for Thanksgiving. I enjoy Thanksgiving and have a lot to be thankful for but I am especially looking forward to Christmas.

I don't normally decorate early for Christmas but being extra excited for it to get here and having a Cookie Exchange and Youth Leaders party at my house has got me decorating early.
This is in over my table. I don't have a typical light fixture in there so I was trying to be creative about how to decorate it. It's not exactly what I was going for but I had fun searching for the ribbon and hanging the ornaments.



We also have lights up on the outside of the house. Color lights at that. That isn't something we do but this year our neighbors gave us the lights and the boys were so excited. I will have to take another picture of the outside of the house when they are all turned on. It has been fun decorating in our new house. It's kinda like have new decorations since I get to figure out all over again where everything is going to go.

Next on my list is to work on getting a good picture of the boys for our Christmas card.

I've been slacking!

So I haven't blogged since February! Wow! I have been slacking latetly! We got busy with Aaron finishing up his last semester and graduating and looking for a job. We are now living in McPherson, Kansas and Aaron is the Student Pastor at New Hope Evangelical Church. We are loving the town here and all the sweet people! The boys have adjusted well and made lots of friends. Aaron loves his job and the students he gets to work with. We are very blessed and see God's hand in the journey we have been on since Aaron started school in August of 2007.

These are a few pics of the boys and our house!

This is my little football player. Isaac played his first year of football this Fall and it was tackle with full pads. I know! What was I thinking letting my baby play tackle football? I thought that often through the season but Isaac had a great time and loved being out there playing. He never did enjoy being tackled though!

My little Kindergardener! He absolutely loves school! This is his first school picture. He has the best teacher and has made some great friends. He is doing very well in school and loves to learn. I hope and pray he keeps that desire to learn all through school!

Isaac got baptized on his 9th birthday this year! We are so proud of him! It was so neat to have his daddy be apart of this! My parents were in town for the boys birthdays and got to be there to see this. What a great way to celebrate his birthday!

We bought our first house in almost 9 years. We had our own home after we had been married a year but sold it to move into a parsonage. Since then we have lived in an apartment or parsonage while Aaron finished up school. We are so excited to own our own home again. We love our little house and the neighborhood we live in. OH and yes those are Christmas lights on the house with the Thanksgiving decor still out. We were told to hang our Christmas lights while we could. It gets cold here and is always windy which makes it hard to hang lights. We listened to their advice since it's only November and it feels like the middle of winter in Mississippi.

One of my favorite things about being in Kansas is the sunrise and sunsets we get to see. We have lived here 5 months and I still stand in awe of the awesome colors we get to see.

Catching Up!

This is what we have been doing a lot of lately! With Aaron and Isaac both getting out of school for all this snow, we have been playing a lot. It has been fun but know I am kinda ready to see some Spring!


This is the snowman that Aaron and the boys made. Cade named him Frosty. I thought it was really an original name!

Other than snow we have been sick. How backwards is it that Aaron and I get the stomach bug and my boys don't. I got it last week and Aaron had it Monday of this week. We are praying the boys stay well!


My mom is coming in town today to watch the boys this weekend. Aaron and I are going to Indianapolis for the weekend. We are taking this as our anniversary and Valentines Day gifts to each other. I am so looking forward to getting away!

Other exciting news is......We finally got a new mattress! We have been married 9 years and have had hand me down mattresses. I am very thankful for what we have had but it sure is nice to be able to go pick out the one you want. We were in desperate need of a new one. So far it has been some good sleeping!

Also, Aaron has been talking to a church here in Louisville about a youth ministry position. It is down to him and one other guy. We are just praying for God's clear direction is this. It is a part time position and Aaron really would love to be full time in the ministry and just have one job. He also has a church in Danville, KY that is going to interview him. It is a full time position but we aren't real sure when they will start interviewing. More than anything we just are doing our best to seek God's direction and stay in His will for this next step in our lives.

Slumber Parties and Sledding!

That is what we have been up to these days. First my bible study girls decided to have a slumber party. Actually one of my friends, Christina really planned it all. We are coming to the end of our second bible study and wanted to have a girls night. Christina's husband travels with his job and her and her kids get to go with him. So we had a slumber party before she left town at a Bed and Breakfast. It was so much fun!!! If I knew how to upload videos from my phone, I would show the kind of things that went on. Instead you will just have to check out the pj's we were in for the night.













We haven't gotten much snow this year but there has been enough for the boys to have some snowball fights and go sledding!


This is them checking out the snow first thing this morning. Isaac thought about throwing a snowball at his daddy.


This is all three boys resting after a couple hours of sledding. I didn't go but I had hot chocolate waiting on them when they got home. (Notice Cade's mouth)


This is Cade with his friend Zach. He kinda looks scared but he is really not scared of anything. He came home telling me about how they slid all the way to the woods. I am glad I didn't go to see that.

My big 8 year old!

Aaron and I met with Isaac's teacher the other day. She had some concerns about Isaac and his attention to his work. I kinda expected her to bring up having him tested for ADD but I guess I didn't think it would bother me as much as it has. I know this is not really a major thing to deal with but it still bothers me. I am very thankful and blessed that this is all that Isaac has to struggle with. Most babies born as early as Isaac can't walk or talk and here I am upset about some Attention problems. I guess I just really wanted him to not have to struggle in school or really just life in general. He has gone through so much in his short little life (eventhough he doesn't remember it, I do) and I just wanted school to be easy for him.

So we will be getting Isaac tested and hopefully, we can do some things besides medicine to help him. I just hope and pray finding this while he is young and getting some direction on how to help him will make some major improvements in his school work.

Wow how time flies!

I have obviously been neglecting my blog lately. Isaac and Aaron started back school and things just got really hectic around here. I am going to try to start back and at least have a blog a week.

Aaron has one semester left of school then he will be done with his Bachelors in Youth Ministry. Yahoooooo! He starts back school on Monday and is taking 7 classes this semester so he can get done. Oh and did I mention he is training for a marathon too. He obviously likes to stay busy! It has been a long road but we have made some great friends and have just grown so close as a family and our relationship with Christ has grown. Aaron has been sending his resume out and is in the process of filling out questionares and talking with 4 churches right now. We are just really praying for God's direction and a clear path on where He is leading us next. We are excited and nervous. We know that this next move will be a long term move and home for a while. O

Isaac is halfway through 2nd grade. He is doing well this year. He still struggles with his handwriting (what little boy doesn't) and is reading really well. At the beginning of 1st grade I was so concerned with his reading but he has just really caught on. My mom calls him several nights a week and reads to him over the phone. They are reading the Black Stallion right now. She gave him that book and movie for Christmas. He absolutely loves this time of night and can't wait until bedtime so he can call her.

Cade is in his last year of Mothers Morning Out. :( My little boy will be starting Kindergarten in August. He is so excited to be going to big school with his brother. Me on the other hand won't know what to do without a little boy to hang out with everyday. It has been 81/2 years of me being at home with my boys. I am going to miss this stage but I am very excited to see what God has next for me!

Cade has been doing well lately with his headaches. He hasn't had one in a while. We have been praying that God would completely heal Cade and when we go back for his next MRI it will be completely normal. I am not sure when his next MRI will be. It will either be in March of this year (which is nine months from the last MRI) or June of this year ( which is nine months since we saw the neurosurgeon). They are just suppose to let me know when his next appointment will be.

I am just trying to enjoy where we are at in life right now. It is hard not knowing where God is leading us next (especially where our next home will be). I am doing the bible stude One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer. It is about being in a wilderness and God showing up in astonishing ways to lead us. I know this is my wilderness right now ( Aaron finishing school, Cade's MRIs and not knowing where we will live in the next 5 months) but through this bible study, God is showing me that when we are at this place in our lives is when He is positioning us to work in a a unique and unusual way.

Decisions

Aaron and I have a lot of decisions to make soon. Aaron resigned from our church here in Louisville as the youth pastor. It is a very tough situation and we know that God has a bigger plan that we just can't see right now. We love the students at that church and have made some great friends. We are living right now in a house that the church owns and let us live in while Aaron was on staff there. One of the decisions we have to make is where we will be living. Aaron doesn't have much time left in school and we don't know where God will call us when he is finished. We are praying right now for an answer on where we should go as far as our home. I told the boys yesterday that we were going to be moving and Isaac was really upset. He just doesn't understand why. I reassured him he will get to stay in school with his friends and that seemed to make things a little better. As hard as this has been, we definetly already see some things we can be thankful for. One big thing is that we still have medical insurance. I was reminded last night how important that was when Cade had one of his bad headaches. He has his neurosurgeon appointment coming up on September 2nd and we are so thankful that we won't have to worry about insurance with all the other things on our plate right now.

As our friends, we just really need your prayers. Like I said we have lots of decisions to make especially, what to do about our home. Also, Aaron has a class load this semester and is also worrying about our financial situation. He is a little overwhelmed right now. I was able to work an extra day at my job and he has several painting opportunities coming up. Don't forget our massive dog we have too! I am not real sure what we will do with Bella but I do know it would kill the boys if we have to get rid of her.

We know that we serve a God who is upset and hurting with us right now and also is going to take care of us. I was reminded this morning of a few verses in James. James 1:2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

We have such awesome friends! Several of our friends have volunteered their homes for us to stay with them, offered Aaron painting work and offered to help with the packing. We have been blessed in so many ways already through this and can't wait to see what God has in store through this situation that doesn't seem to0 fun right now.

Summer Vacation

The Family at the Mets game!

Everytime a pitch was thrown, Cade was swinging from the stands with his bat. It was too cute!

My boys enjoying a Nathan's Hot Dog.

This is as close as we got to the Statue of Liberty. The line was so long to ride the ferry out there. The boys were so excited to just get this close!

Where the twin towers were and the rebuilding going on.

Aaron on the double decker tour bus!

We got to go to New York this summer for our family vacation. We have some friends who live there and they let us stay with them. Thanks Sean and Christina!

We went on a tour of the city one day. We took a train from the little town we were staying in to Grand central Station. Cade loved that train. He says the train and bus were some of his favorites! When we got in the city we took a double decker bus tour where they have a guide who tells you where and what everything is. There was 25 stops and you could get out at any of them and then just catch the next bus to the next stop. We got out at the site of the World Trade Center and Statue of Liberty. We tried to explain to the boys what happend on 9/11 but they just couldn't understand why someone would want to run a plane into buildings. Cade said those people must not of liked how tall the buildings were. Isaac was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty. He was telling some random girl next to him that he was looking at it. It was too cute! We also stopped and ate at a TGI Fridays. Everyone says that the food is expensive but until you see a menu with a $7.95 kids macaroni do you really understand how expensive!

We also went to Coney Island, ate at Nathan's Hot Dogs and the New York Aquarium. We weren't very impressed with the Aquarium or Coney's Island but we got a good hot dog and the kids seemed to enjoy the day.

The night before we left we got to go to the Mets vs. Rockies baseball game. It was so much fun! In the past, the boys haven't lasted very long but at this game they really enjoyed it and Cade was wanting to get out there and play with them.

July was such a busy month. I think I was only home for a total of one week the whole month. We enjoyed our traveling but I am glad to be back home. We are getting ready for the next school year to start. Aaron starts Monday and Isaac on the 20th. Aaron is going to be a Senior and only has two semesters left of his undergraduate. Isaac is starting 2nd grade at Portland Christian School where he went last year. He really enjoyed 1st grade and said yesterday that he was ready to go back to school. Definetly what a mom wants to hear!

I am still working at a Mothers Day Out as the Assistant Director, so Cade goes there with me and is learning his letters and numbers and is getting pretty good at writing his name. He will be 5 in October but his late birthday has him starting Kindergarten next year. I am not complaining. It will be sad when my baby goes off to school too.

I haven't blogged in a month and I was going to post some pictures with this but I have lost my cord that connects my camera to my computer. So I am blogging but you won't get to see any of the fun pictures to go along with it.

We have had such a busy summer. I never thought we were going to be this busy. At the end of May, Cade went to stay with my parents and had to come back home early so we could have all of his tests run. My mom came back with me to Louisville and when she went home she took Isaac with her. The plan was for both boys to stay with my parents while I went to Mfuge with Aaron and the youth. My grandfather was living with my mom and wasn't doing well, so I decided I wouldn't go to camp and me and Cade would just go Mississippi to see my family in Mississippi. My grandfather passed away a week after I got there. He had cancer and had just gotten really weak and wasn't eating. He was 87 years old and was tired. Aaron left camp on Saturday and headed to Mississippi. He did my grandpas funeral service so we just stayed another week in Mississippi. So Isaac was in Mississippi for a whole month and we were all gone half of the month of June. It wasn't our orginal plan for the summer but I am glad I got to be with my family.

We had some friends come visit us last week and stayed all week. They helped me take up the carpet in our living room and dining room. We sanded and stained the hardwood floors and I really like it. We also went to Indiana and went shopping at the outlet mall. It was a fun week. (had some good pics of the fun we had and the cookout but of course I can't get from my camera to my computer)

Aaron has been out of town since Thursday and will come home tomorrow night real late. Then we will be leaving Friday morning for our family vacation. We are going to New York this year and will be staying with some of our friends. Cade doesn't really know where we are going but Isaac has a little idea. He is really excited about seeing the Statue of Liberty. I have heard it is booked up until September, so we won't get to go inside but he will get to see it up close. None of us has ever been to New York so we are real excited about going.

Cade is doing well and our appointment with the Neurosurgeon is getting closer. It is on September 2nd and we are anxious to hear what he has to say and where we will go from here.

Hopefully I can get another cord to the camera and will be able to at least post some pics from our trip to New York.

The Spiderman

Cade was given a blow up spiderman. He got it tonight and thinks it is the greatest thing ever. Aaron told him to be careful with it and make sure Bella doesn't get a hold of it because she would pop it. So Cade put it on the bed so Bella couldn't get it while he got his pajamas on and brushed his teeth. I was in my room and Cade was in the bathroom when Bella started barking. I went to see what she was barking at (it is usually a bird but it was dark and no birds were out) and found her in Cade's room barking at the blow up spiderman. This wasn't just a little bark she was real upset about this spiderman. So my massive 75 lb. dog was terrified of Cade's blow up spiderman. Aaron tried to get her to come smell it so she wouldn't be so scared but she ran outside away from the spiderman.




It is kinda hard to tell how big she is but that is the edge of our bed. Her head is a lot higher than our bed.

Cade and his spiderman. I think he is a little attached!

We finally have a Neurosurgeon appointment but.....

It isn't until September 2ND. I heard from the Pediatrician last night and talked to the nurse today. The Pediatrician was just calling me to make sure I didn't have any questions that she could try to help answer. She also wants to try Cade on some medicine for his headaches to see if maybe some of them are migraines and he can get some relief. The nurse called today to let us know that when we would be able to get in to see the Neurosurgeon. We will be getting some information on Chiari Malformation and also instructions on keeping a journal. I am not real sure what the journal is about but I do know I will be keeping it until we go see the doctor in September. The nurse also said that Cade's condition isn't severe enough right now to require surgery. The Syrinx is the bubble on his spinal cord and it isn't big enough right now to do any damage. So we will be taking him for MRI's every 6 months to a year to keep an eye on things.

I am so thankful for every ones prayers and concerns. I am also thankful that this isn't as severe as it could of been and that Cade doesn't have something life threatening. We are really able to stand back and see God's hand in all of this and taking care of Cade. My dad said to me today that even though it won't be fun having MRI's so often, the longer we can keep from having surgery or any kind of treatment the better technology will be when they do have to do something.

Cade has done really well with all of his tests and doctors appointments. He did ask me today if he was going to have to go back to the doctor. I told him we had to go back to talk to the doctor next time. He was so happy we only had to talk and they weren't putting that sticky tape and needle in his arm again.

Update

We heard from the doctor's office today. They said that the MRI on Monday just confirmed that Cade has the Arnold Chiari Malformation. We should hear something tomorrow about when we will be able to get in to see the Neurosurgeon. So we pretty much just have to wait and see when we can get into to see him. I was telling my friend today that this is really the worst part. Knowing your child has something and not being able to talk to the doctor who will be treating him.

Thanks everyone again for the prayers and encouragement. We will keep you updated on whatever we here!

Cade

Cade right before they took him back for his MRI. He didn't really know what was going on.

You can tell he was a little nervous but he did so good.

Most of you know Cade has been having some tests run. He fell three weeks ago (Mothers Day Weekend) and we ended up in the ER with a concussion. We had a CT scan done and the ER doctor said there was no bleed and he just had a mild concussion. This past week I had gone to Birmingham, AL to stay with Aaron's mom in the hospital while she was monitored for her seizures. I stayed with her 4 nights and then went to Mobile, AL to spend some time with my friend from elementary school. Cade had ridden with me to Birmingham and my mom met me there and took him to her house. The plan was for Cade to stay with my parents for 2 weeks. So I was in Mobile enjoying some time alone with my friend. It was Tuesday and we were at the outlet mall in Foley, AL. Aaron called me and said we had gotten a certified letter in the mail from the Pediatricians office saying they had been trying to get in touch with us regarding Cade's CT scan and our telephone numbers were not correct. (they had the right numbers but were using the Mississippi area code). They said it was very important we contacted them. So Aaron told me this after he had called and left a message for the doctor to call him regarding the results. I was a nervous but didn't think too much about it, thinking that it just had to be officially discussed with us by the Pediatrician. Aaron called me back within 10 minutes. The doctor said that Cade's CT scan showed a vascular space and could be a cyst and they needed to do a MRI to determine what it was. I sat at the outlet mall on the phone with Aaron crying and making plans for me getting from Mobile to Mississippi to Kentucky. I called my mom and we decided we would leave that day and she would meet me in Birmingham and ride to Kentucky with me. I left Mobile at 4:30 in the afternoon and my mom, Cade and I got to my house at 3:30 the next morning. I didn't know when we would be able to get in to do the MRI and didn't want to be out of town when we got the call. The doctors office called the next day and had us scheduled for his MRI on Thursday at 2:30. They had to sedate Cade so he couldn't eat for 8 hours before and couldn't drink 2 hours before the scan. For a 4 year old who likes to eat, I was concerned about him not getting to eat for so long. He really did very well and didn't complain much at all about being hungry. I was also concerned about the iv they would be putting in his arm. I think God really calmed him and he didn't cry or get upset the whole time we were there except when they took the tape off his arm from the iv.

We left the hospital with one sleepy little boy who was sleepily talking about going to Chuck-E-Cheese. I had told Cade he could eat anywhere he wanted after the test since he couldn't eat all morning. I didn't realize he would be so sleepy and groggy from the medicine but he sure didn't forget I said he could go. So we headed to Chuck-E-Cheese. On the way the Doctor called with Cade's test results. She explained that Cade's brain was low on his neck and he also had a bubble in his spinal cord. I pretty much got off the phone having no idea what she was talking about except we were being referred to a neurosurgeon and he needed another MRI of his whole spine. My friend Christina told me her friends dad was a neurosurgeon and if I had any questions to let her know. She called her friend and the neurosurgeon called me to help explain what the Radiologist told me earlier. Cade has something called Arnold-Chiari Malformaion which is the brain being low on his neck and also has a syringohydromyelia which is the bubble on the spinal cord. It really helped having a doctor explain things and let me ask all the questions I had.

So we are going tomorrow at 12 for Cade to be sedated again and have the MRI on his full spine. This MRI will take 45 minutes. I am not sure how long it will take to get the results. I do know the MRI results will be sent to the neurosurgeon. Depending on how severe things are will determine how quick we get in with the neurosurgeon.

We are so thankful for all the prayers and words of encouragement from all of our friends. We also feel like Cade having the concussion 3 weeks ago was a blessing. Most of the time this is not usually found until people are in their 20's and the side effects are numbness in arms and legs. Right now Cade does has the headaches which cause him to get sick but they aren't everyday headaches. Lots of things we are thankful for!

Scary Night

We spent last night in the er at Kosair Children's Hospital. Cade and Isaac went with their friends to Puzzles Fun Dome. Aaron and I didn't go and were getting to enjoy a night out eating sushi, just the two of us. When we got done eating, my friend who had taken the boys called me and said Cade had fallen. He was going to get in one of the blow up bouncy things and when he jumped on the edge someone else bounced him back out. He only fell about 2 or 3 feet but the extra bounce and landing on a hard concrete floor didn't help. He didn't get down and play anymore and wouldn't eat and all he wanted to do was sleep. By the time Aaron and I had gotten to him, he had thrown up twice and was half asleep. I think this is the scarest I have been for one of my children since I had Isaac early at 23 weeks. Aaron and I went to the hospital where he threw up 3 more times and kept trying to fall asleep. After his CT scan, he was allowed to finally fall asleep. The doctor came in and said he had a mild concussion but was concerned about him getting dehydrated. They gave him some medicine to calm his stomach and then gave him something to drink to see if he could keep it down. So at about 12:30 after Cade had kept some fluids down, they let us go home.

Cade slept right in between Aaron and I and I woke up every couple of hours to check on him and make sure he was still breathing. He woke up this morning saying he was very thirsty. He has been laying around and fell back asleep but overall seems to be doing a lot better. He still says he has a headache but nothing a little tylenol hasn't seem to help. As a matter of fact, he was a little upset he couldn't go to church this morning!

We are so thankful that our little boy is ok. We will go back either today or tomorrow and have his Peditrician check him out just to make sure he is responding normally. Thanks to all of our friends and family who prayed for us!

Battle of the Bounce Champions!!!!

Our friend Josh asked Aaron to do a relay with him and 2 other guys called Battle of the Bounce. It is to raise money for Christian Care Community. It is also part of the Kentucky Derby Celebrations. There were 4 different legs. Aaron did the rock climbing wall, Joe was in the inflatable ball, Josh did the blow up obstacle course and Lawrence road on the blow up pony. Our boys won the relay! They came in first place out of 30 teams and set a course record. They also beat the fire and police department who are the usual winners!

We have lived in Louisville for almost 2 years now. (August will be 2) So this is our second year to be here for the Derby Celebrations but our first year to actually participate in the fun festivities. All of us wives and the kiddos got to go down and watch our boys! They also will get to be in the Pegasus Parade tomorrow representing the Champions of the Battle of the Bounce.

Aaron and Cade posing with the inflatable trophy!

The guys being announced as the winners and going out to accept their trophy!

Cade loves saying cheese and taking pictures

Aaron getting ready for his event, The Rock Climbing Wall.

The Team. Aaron, Joe, Josh and Lawrence

Aaron's First Mini Marathon

Aaron decided about 6 six weeks ago or so that he wanted to start running. So he started running with some of our friends from church. Then he decided he was going to run a 10K they had signed up for. That is a 6 mile run. He ran that and did awesome! He found out he really enjoys running. After that run he signed up for the Papa Johns 10 miler and also the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon. If you read the post before this one you know that Aaron hurt his knee and it was painful for him to walk much less run. He ran the 10 miler in pain for the whole run. He went to the doctor and was told to ice his knee and be sure to stretch it. So he was very anxious about the 13.1 miles he was going to run in the marathon. Today he ran the marathon and finished! He had to walk a little bit when his knee would start to bother him. Overall he said the pain wasn't too bad. One of our friends had given him some scripture to read for each mile he ran. He said that really helped get him through and was the biggest encouragement. Thanks Lela for being so thoughtful and encouraging to all the runners!

The running crew! Susan, Joe, Aaron and Jodi

Aaron with his iced knee after the race.

Aaron and Joe in their bright orange so we could find them in the 12,000 people running the marathon.

Aaron is the orange dot sprinting to the finish line!

This is me and Caisey. We were the cheerleaders at all the races. It was so much fun being able to be a part of this and cheer them on.

Aaron is also almost finished with this semester of school. He has next week of exams and then he will be done. He has been meeting with the Youth Advisors about what classes he has left to take and when he will be able to graduate. We thougth he would be done in December but because of the way the classes fall he won't be able to finish until May of 2010. He will still be taking a summer class this summer so that his semester loads won't be to much.

Isaac and Cade have been enjoying the long days. We are all ready for summer and things to slow down. The boys have been able to wear shorts the past couple of days and they have loved it.