Soccer Star

Larson had his last game of the season this past Saturday, and as the season came to a close, Larson finally got the hang of it! He was running after the ball, and keeping up with the rest of his team, he even got an assist......well, kind-of an assist......really, he was standing closest to the ball before it rolled past another player and into the goal. Let's call it an assist.
The cheering squad


Halftime with Grandpa

Team picture

His first medal!

Psssttt.....

We thought you all should know that the next Files is on the way!

The newest member is due to arrive in mid April! We have had a bit of a shaky start, and I have been fairly emotional about it all, but we are trusting the Lord & are looking forward to what He has in store for us, and our growing family.

The TSG

I know you are all dying to see the greatness that is the TSG 2000....so without further ado: Vella, Lauren, Ana, Karin, Martha, & Julie.
Also known as:
Mother Hen, Dr. Fatneck, Churchgirl, 2nd Nicest, Marty, and Jules.
We even let Carson & Hilary into the circle for a little while on Sunday.

Great Friends. Great times.

Thank You For Being a Friend......

I went to Houston this past weekend for my annual "TSG Reunion", and can I just say that I love hanging out with these girls!? We all worked together on the leadership team at Camp the summer of 2000 - and have remained such good friends. We are a diverse group - I think that is what makes it so good. I don't have a-n-y pictures from the weekend, but as soon as the elected photographer sends them out, I will be sure to post.

When I got home, the kids were clean, the house was standing & everything was still pretty much in order. Ryan had even made caramel covered apples with the kids.

We enjoyed them tonight.


The apple was too heavy for Secily to actually hold upright, but she licked the caramel which, let's be honest, is all she really wanted anyway.

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

We decided to get with the spirit of the season, and headed out to the Pumpkin Patch today. I hadn't been since Larson was really little, and I am really glad that we went. The kids loved it!!
They loved feeding the animals.

The hayride. Playing on the tractor. And getting their very own pumpkin to take home. Secily really loved that part. She spent at least 20 minutes out there rearranging pumpkins, then finally decided on one that she could barely carry!

Gone Bananas!

Secily loves bananas. She really does. She proved it again today as she ate two bananas in one sitting!


Impressive Secily!

Larson was out jumping on the trampoline today, the nets were a little loose, & he hit his head against one of the bars. He was upset, so I went to check things out. Sure enough, blood. Like any good mother, I tried to get him inside and cleaned up before he saw it. Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it. He put his hand to his head, saw the blood and really started to cry. I got him calmed down, & we started to clean him up a bit. It was then that he looked at me with these big teary eyes, and asked in a quivering voice "Mommy, is there a hole?"

Here he is, all cleaned up- no hole, just a minor cut!

The Great Debate

It's 9:45 p.m. We are just sitting down to watch the debate. Ryan grilled a steak in honor of the event.

What's For Dinner?

Not too much has been going on in the Files house lately. Lots of the same old, same old.

Larson is still really into superhero's. Spiderman tops the list, followed closely by Batman, and "The Incredible Honk". He does a lot of web spinning and a lot of jumping. He has gotten into Lego lately which has been great....it's the one activity that he will sit and play for an extended period of time.
He also has been playing soccer. I use the word "playing" very loosely here.....these are some pictures of his most recent game - both taken while the ball was in play....

Secily talks. And talks. And talks. And for some reason, whenever she gets excited or upset, the pitch that she chooses to speak in is that which should be reserved for dog whistles. Sometimes she will even say something, then decide that it wasn't quite high enough to pack the punch that she wanted it to have, and so will repeat it about 4 octaves higher. Here she is with her version of basketball.
It was my Dad's birthday yesterday - and lucky for us, he has now moved here & so we could celebrate together! Happy Birthday Dad!



I have made a recent discovery that has made my life SO much easier. It is a little website called http://www.e-mealz.com/ I love it. For a measly fee, I log on each Friday and print out the shopping list and 7 meals that it has prepared for me. Did I mention that I love it? Because I do. No more wondering what to make for dinner, no more wanting to make something for dinner and not having all of the ingredients, no more having the same 10 meals over and over, and over again..... The meals are good too - that's the bonus. For example, on the menu this week is

Chicken Spaghetti

Twice Stuffed Chicken Potatoes

Oven Baked White BBQ Chicken

Crispy Baked Fish

Southwestern Quiche

Baked Beef Ziti

Sausage & Spanish Rice.

Done, and done. How great is that!? If you are like me, and hate deciding what to have for dinner night, after night, after night, you should definitely check it out.