What I would tell you if we had one more day...

Drew,
I wish we could have had a little more time....  Time to say all those things we knew in our hearts, but never were able to put into words.  Hugging you that last time and telling you I love you was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, knowing it would be the last time, wishing for just one more.

I want you to know that you were the best brother and friend I could ever ask for.  I looked up to you in so many ways.  Being your older sister, I have always wanted to be there for you and protect you, and it kills me that in the end, I couldn't protect you from your cancer battle.  I wanted so bad to take all the pain and fear and trials from you and take them upon myself to protect you.  Standing at the funeral, saying goodbye, all I could say to you was I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!  As much as it hurts, I also know that Heavenly Father has a greater plan for you.  Heavenly Father must need you more than we know, because there are hearts breaking everywhere here on earth since you left.

I want you to know that I am so grateful that you always made me feel special.  I love being around my brothers more than anything and sometimes I think they get a little overwhelmed, but you never made me feel that way.  You did everything in your power to spend every moment possible with me and to never make it a dull one.  We always had so much fun together!  I wish we could make so many more memories together.  I wish my kids could see more of what an amazing man you are.   I will tell them stories and show them pictures forever so they will hopefully someday become like their Uncle Drew.  I want them to know that when you were given trials, you faced them head on and never let cancer ruin your life!  You always had a positive attitude and never even complained to protect those around you from knowing how hard it really was.  I hope that I can live my life more like you, Drew.  I will fight to be stonger, more loving, more faithful, and always thinking of others so that some day you can be proud of me too.

Thank you for showing me how to truly love.  You and Tiffany have a love greater than anyone I know.  You two are so perfect together and only time is keeping you apart.  I will always strive for that kind of love.  Thank you for also teaching me how to be a friend.  You a seem to be everyone's best friend and I want to better my relationships to do the same.
I love you so much, Drew!  Thank you for being the most amazing brother.  You will live on in my heart and I'm so grateful that I know I can see you again someday and you will welcome me back home to heaven.  Please watch over us and know that we love you and will never forget all that you taught us.   Thanks for being my little bro! 

New activities, fun times!

So I have been trying to grow out my hair for a while now. I was hoping to have beautiful, flowing, long hair perfectly swept back in long ringlet curls. Not long ago I realized it was completely crazy and never going to happen with my hair, so I chopped it. I really love having it short and even Matt is starting to say it looks cute, so I am happy!

We have also started spring sports and it has been so fun for me to see each of my kids enjoying an activity that they really love. We finally gave in to Katelynn's plea's to take horse riding lessons. We have waited for years to see if her love for horses would ever diminish and it only gets stronger with time. So for Christmas this year we told her she could take lessons. She has been in heaven ever since and we are so happy for her. We found a small ranch not far away that has been perfect and lets her ride, feed the horses, pet them and go at her own pace. Here are a few shots of our cowgirl!

This is her learning to steer around barrels and cones..

Katelynn with her teacher, Ms Janna.

Brennon has started playing soccer at 4 and it is the cutest thing ever! We call it huddle ball as you can see in the picture below, but it is still so fun and he is loving it!

This was Brennon at the game on Saturday. Even though he is still so short and can't run as fast as most players, he kicks hard and even scored a goal on Saturday!

My little soccer player!

One year with my angel girl

Mckinley Grace Alva turned ONE! We are so grateful to have you in our family! Just one short year ago, you were sent to us from heaven and our family has been so blessed ever since.

We can't believe how big you are now with our favorite 3 tooth grin, hair long enought to put in a bow, and babble that makes our hearts melt.

You had so much fun with your first cake and almost devoured the entire thing! You didn't even wait for us to sing to you!

You loved opening your new gifts and had fun playing with them with your siblings..


You went to your favorite McDonalds playplace with Mom and some buddies.

We love that you are learning new things every day! You have already learned how to make a big mess out of anything around you! Your favorite thing is to empty anything and everything, including a whole box of wipes!

You have learned to go up and down the stairs faster than any of our kids and its your favorite thing to go up and explore all the new rooms and then slide back down on your tummy!

You are learning to push things around the house and are going to be walking sooner than we hope!

You are always smiling and love to follow everyone in the family around the house to smile and get some attention

We miss you being so little, but are grateful to have enjoyed you for the last year and can't wait for more!

Love, Mom

December and Christmas

November in a Nutshell

November was a very busy, but fun month. Not only did we do our cruise, we also experienced the holidays and family visiting.

I couldn't help but post this pic of Brennon falling asleep in the middle of dinner. I love this little guy!

We also watched our hokies win their 11th straight game and the ACC Championship. Now its on to the Orange Bowl. Go Hokies!!My parents came for Thanksgiving and we enjoyed the parade of lights in Fort Worth.
Here are my cute kiddo's on Thanksgiving day. We really enjoyed just being home, having Grandma and Grandpa, seeing Uncle Troy, playing games, and eating lots and lots!

A family tradition is "swing in the blanket". Grandma and Grandpa apparently aren't too old to give the kids a good laugh and some crazy fun!

More fun with Granma and Grandpa...

Grandma and Grandpa were here to celebrate Brennon's birthday. This is something we rarely get to do with family so far away. Brennon was on top of the world!

We also got a last minute visit from Grandma Christine and Ron. How fabulous it was to have both Grandparents visit and see the kids. Grandma even came to have lunch with Katelynn at school.

Mckinley turned 9 months and is crawling everywhere! She also pulls up on everything and chases the kids and the dog around the house. She is our little doll!

Brennon had his 4th Birthday party at a park here in Lantana. We had a cars theme and he loved being the center of attention and told everyone within hearing distance that it was "His Birthday!"

He even helped decorate the cupcakes and was so proud!

Cruise pics

Just wanted to post a few pics of our fabulous cruise! We always have a blast together and especially on vacation without the kids! Here are a few of our adventures....

We all live in a yellow submarine.... a yellow submarine.... ok, maybe not, but pictures are fun anyway! This was in Grand Cayman. On the beach in cozumel. They had 2 macaws that were somewhat friendly. This was just before he started pecking at my hair.
We had so much fun having dinner together with our friends every night. The best part was that our head waiter was from Bali and was so much fun! He made us laugh every night.

Matt loves Chess. He had to challenge me and I wish I could say I kicked his butt, but not so much. At least we got a workout while playing!

We love playing sports on the ship. Matt played volleyball with the boys while I was playing mini golf. We also enjoyed shuffleboard.

Another shot with the crazy birds...

Too bad we missed the picture with me at the very top..... ok, maybe not, but it was fun to think about anyway. They palms at the beach were gorgeous!

In front of our ship, the Conquest. It was enormous! Fun ship although we like Royal Carribean more.

Being crazy on a windy night in our dresses. We tried the Titanic pose, but we were afraid we'd get blown off with the crazy wind.

Our group on formal night. It was so fun to hang out with friends and have game nights, photo ops, late night chats, and come back with some great stores....

Our favorite day was going jet skiing on the open ocean. This was after when we were coming in, and we cound a real starfish. The jet skiing was such a blast and we got going over 50 mph on the open ocean and jumped some great waves. We each tried to throw each other off, but we knew well enough to hold on tight!

In Jamaica overlooking the ocean with our friends...

A sunset from the ship. So magical to watch it on the ocean from a cruiseship.

Playing mini golf and goofing around...
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Our favorite was laser tag. Our group had a few "incidents", but all in all it was a great rivalry!

One of the formal nights we had to get a picture, since we never get dressed up anymore.

`One of the entrances to the dinidng room.

Fun at dinner...