Florida Vacation 2013

This past December, we went to Florida over the kids' Christmas Break.  As always, it was an amazing, relaxing vacation.  I took way too many pictures to put on here, so I chose several of my favorites.

The kids really enjoyed the ocean (or Gulf, I guess I should say) this year.  They spent most of their time in the water while we were at the beach.  They had so much fun with their boogie boards.  Way too cold for me! 

Nicole and Robert were down there with their boys as well, and our kids loved having someone else to play with.  They found several starfish, and here is Karter with one of them:-)

Getting ready to dig a hole

Kelsey and Lance made a 'sandman' on Christmas day since we didn't have any snow:-)

Mini Golf!

Lance and the kids did a lot of fishing while we were there.  Harv even took them out on the boat to fish, which they loved.  Landon caught a stingray!

Kelsey and Papa

This is a small beach area at Harv and Ellen's place

Having fun watching the ducks

Always a little gymnastics!

You can't see it, but the boys caught a lizard

The kids loved for Lance to throw them in the pool.  Here is Maddox:-)

Landon's turn!

Can't forget Kelsey!

This little guy was hanging out in our garage...

More fishing!

Picnic at the park

Christmas morning, each with their favorite gift....Kelsey - Rainbow Loom, Landon - Bey Blades, Maddox - Flashlight Friend

Kelsey always loves spending as much time with Nanny as possible!

Papa too!

All the kids hanging out at Nanny's

The boys had Christmas money to spend, and they bought some things from Bass Pro Shops.

We had a lot of fun boating

Snack time!


A big thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us come stay again this year.  We had a wonderful time!!

Circle of Stars

The most recent meet Kelsey has competed in is Circle of Stars in Indianapolis.  Wow, was this big!!  There were about 18 girls in Kelsey's age group.  There were actually a lot more, but they were on different days because there were just too many to compete all at once.  There were big gyms from all over the country.....Michigan and Missouri to name a couple.  Some of these girls practice 20+ hours a week!  For those of you who don't know, Kelsey practices 6 hours a week.  That's a big difference!  So, considering how big this meet was, Kelsey did great.  It was a good experience for her.  I didn't get a lot of great pictures, but here are a couple of fun ones:-)

Back tuck during her floor routine

Vault

She got 2nd on floor.  Great job, Kelsey!

The Great Race

In January, Kelsey competed in The Great Race meet at Zionsville. This meet was a little bigger than the others she has competed in....she was competing against quite a few more girls (I don't remember how many, but it was around 15).  Besides Excel Gold, there were also girls from Excel Silver, which was very exciting because her 2 best buddies were there with her!

The 3 Amigos....MaKenzie, Kelsey, and Braci

Introducing Bella Rose

Not sure if you can see it or not, but she has the hugest smile on her face because she had just landed her back walkover!

Love this picture

Relaxing after the meet, waiting for awards to start

3rd on bars

1st on floor

Quest for the Diamond

In November, Kelsey had another meet, and this time it was in South Bend.  It was called Quest for the Diamond.  There were girls from Excel Gold and Excel Platinum. Again, it was a very small meet.  I didn't get very many good pictures, but here are a few:-)

Ready to vault

Time for beam

She got third on something, but I can't remember what it was!  I'm thinking it was either floor or bars.  I'll have to go look that up.....

Graveyard Smash 10-19-13

Kelsey is still in gymnastics, and competitions started in October for the 2013/2014 season.  Kelsey is competing in Excel Gold this year. Her first meet was in Lafayette around Halloween time and was called the Graveyard Smash.  It was a very small meet! I hope to post more pictures of other meets later on:-)

Here she is ready for her first meet of the season

Stretching.  There were also girls from Excel Platinum and Levels 7 and 8 competing at the same time.  It was fun for them to all be there together!

Introducing Bella Rose

Kelsey and Cassidy

All the girls after the meet

She got first on bars!

I had to throw these last pictures in there....while gymnastics is a lot of work, there is time to play too:-)  Kelsey has made some amazing friendships through the gym.  She had a sleepover with a few of the girls this past summer.

Fall Break Fun

We never make a big deal over fall break, mainly because we never know if Lance will still be harvesting.  This past year, Lance got done right before fall break, so that was really nice!  I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese one afternoon, and then we all went to a hotel for a night later in the weekend.  Like I said, not much, but still fun!

Landon's 8th Birthday

This past October, Landon turned 8 years old.  Wow.  We are so proud of the young man he is becoming.  He is very kind and tenderhearted (most of the time!), and is such a joy.  I thank God every day for this blessing and choosing me to be his mom.

Landon currently loves to play football and basketball with his friends.  Once summer is here, baseball will be what keeps him busy, and he is really looking forward to it.  He loves to play outside or be at the shop helping dad.  I look forward to seeing what God has in store for this little boy.

  Happy 8th Birthday, Landon!

This is the first year Landon was allowed to have a sleepover party with more than one friend.  Let me just say....boys are sure different than girls! They had a lot of fun, though.

Seriously.  So different than girls.

Presents from grandma and grandpa

More presents :-)

His basketball birthday cake.