Valentine's Day

Normally we don't do a lot for Valentine's Day, but this year I wanted to do something special for the kids. So it was all hearts ~ heart pancakes, heart candy and heart cookies. As you can clearly see the kids enjoyed their surprise. I also wrote them each a card so they would know just how much I love them and how uniquely each one impacts my life. Don't worry I didn't leave Jeremy out either he just gets up too early for me to capture the moment:)

Vaughan Family Olympics

Guest Blogger: Jeremy
Since the weather was so nice on Saturday we decided to got to Bear Creek Park and hold the Vaughan Family Olympics. The events included, the 100yd dash, the lacrosse shootout, the basketball shootout, the soccer shootout, the frisbee toss, the long jump and the 1 mile run. We tried to even out the playing field a bit by handicapping the more advanced athletes (that's me).

The results were as follows:
100 Yard Dash: Riley-Gold Jeremy-Silver Jill-Bronze
Lacrosse Shootout: Jill-Gold Riley-Silver Jeremy-Bronze
Basketball Shootout: Jeremy-Gold Riley-Silver Bailey-Bronze
Soccer Shootout: Nadirah-Gold Bailey-Silver Jill-Bronze
Frisbee Toss: Jeremy-Gold Jill-Silver Nadirah-Bronze
Long Jump: Jeremy-Gold Riley-Silver Nadirah-Bronze
1 Mile Run: Riley-Gold Nadirah-Silver Jill-Bronze

My apologies for not having a photographer on hand to capture these memories.

Jeremy

Sorry ladies he's taken!

Yesterday was my birthday and as usual I was not disappointed. I will never be one to complain about the terrible gifts or forgetful memory of my spouse. Because it was a school and work day my party didn't start until after school. Jeremy took off early to meet the kids and prepare for the evening. He sent me to pick up Nadirah and Riley while he and Bailey added the last finishing touches. So when we walked in the garage door I was immediately quarantined to the bedroom, where I decided to straighten our already clean room and almost found one of my surprises. I'm so bad about unintentionally ruining surprises, but luckily he found me quickly enough to redirect me. Within minutes they were all ready so they walked me to the kitchen table where the kids left my cards and gifts. Bailey designed a large Happy Birthday banner. Riley made me a really sweet card, bought me two Reese's big cups (my favorite) and had money for coffee enclosed. The girls gave me coupons to redeem 1 free dinner and 1 free carwash which I can't wait to cash in!! Finally it was Jeremy's turn which started with a clue that ultimately led to 13 others. Each clue led me to different parts of the house , included a little geography knowledge (which I'm sad to say I had to cheat thanks to Google), challenged me to remember important dates and scripture verses, he actually even included our new dog, and some riddles. I ended up with a new standing KitchenAid mixer, a brand new professional hairdryer, and chocolate covered strawberries. Every time I say I like or want something Jeremy stores it away and is able to recall all those details when he needs to and yet every year I'm still surprised at how much attention he gives me:) To top all that off I received a gift basket from my mother consisting mostly of chocolate! The evening finished with Jeremy making me dinner, playing games with the kids, and lastly a back rub ~ I'm so spoiled and I love every minute of it almost more than Jeremy.

Super Bowl

Jeremy's cousin Sally and her three kids have moved to Keller from the country. We're so excited they're here! Jori is in 8th grade at KMS with Nadirah and Riley and Kade and Kloe are both at KHES with Bailey. We decided to have everyone over to watch the game. Of course that means lots of junk food and sweets ~ my favorite part of the night. Sally's niece, Chelsea, got to come too and it was really great to see her. She plans on moving to the city for college soon. All the sudden half our family lives in Keller and it's so great. I'm working on convincing my brother and his wife to move closer too:)

Drill Team Prep

Can she really do that? Nadirah wants to try out for the Keller High School drill team next year, so we thought it was a good idea to put her in a prep class at a local dance studio. There really isn't anyway for me to take a picture while she's in class so I had her do a few kicks for me at home. I am really impressed with her flexibility ~ she definitely gets that from her mom and it always made me so jealous! Her first class turned out really great and it is definitely going to be beneficial for her to learn the kicks and turns before April tryouts.