Dance Recital 2015

The girls had a great year at Miss Shelly's! This was Hayden's first year to dance . . . oh my goodness, I just love a 4-yr-old tap/ballet class. And Emerson did tap/jazz with Miss Megan. Loved her.

It would've been too easy for them to be in the same recital! Hayden danced at 1:30, we went to Daddy's office to eat and get Em ready before hers, and she danced at 5:00. What a long day downtown!

Sauce was just a wee bit excited for hair and makeup in our bathroom.

Playing with her friend A before their dance.

Em and Miss S, a friend from Jax's kindergarten class. As Emerson put it, "Mom, I'm pretty famous with the kindergarten girls."

Here they are in all their dancin' glory.

Piano Recital

Our eldest played piano this year. Her fantastic teacher Mrs. Chung was such a delight . . . so patient and kind and precious. Mommy at home, helping Emerson practice? Not so patient and kind and precious. Ha!

She progressed beautifully despite us not having much time to squeak practices in, given our hectic schedule. I always hoped at least one of my kiddos would play, and she's creating a 3rd generation of pianists.

I was so proud of this girl at her recital last weekend!



One of her besties, Natalie, also takes from Mrs. Chung. How cute are these lil' ladies?! Love 'em.

Spring Sports - Part 2

Our second (and by far busiest) sport of spring is baseball! This is Jax's first experience playing. We had so many friends tell us to skip tee ball, and I think it was the right decision for him. Coach pitch has been so much fun to watch! Our friend Dave is head coach, and Jason and Pa-Pa are assisting.

My friend Allie and I are dugout moms. We try not to let our blood pressure get out of control while watching our boys play.

They are the Jenks Bombers. And I just love 'em. The growth and improvement they have shown is nothing short of amazing.

That's my little switch hitter. So proud of him. He can flat-out hit the ball.

Jax and Cade. Buddies and crazies.

My #2. Cute lil' baseball buns.

Post-game lovin' at the car.

Three generations of baseball players. The Van Clan.

Sisters have a blast playing with other baseball sisters.

Kid sister with the bunny ears.

You'll notice I've hardly taken any action shots. It's hard to remember to get my camera out when I'm in the dugout! They have one more game... here's to hoping I can capture some good stuff.

Spring Sports - Part 1

Hayden loooooves soccer. Like really loves it. And she's fun to watch! Daddy and Rabu are coaching her team, so that's an instant bonus, too.

My friend Becca took these great shots a few weeks back.

They are the four-year-old Purple Panthers, and they are fierce. :) 

Our last "first" soccer season. *sigh* My babies are gettin' so big.

Yucatan Getaway

Two weeks ago, Jason and I were blessed with an all-expenses-paid trip to Cancun with four of our top agents and their spouses. To say it was wonderful is an understatement. Our prior three weeks had been ridiculously stressful, so we were so ready to have time away from the kids to relax and reconnect.

Just landing in Cancun. It was 85 every single day.

We stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera . . . holy cow, this place was gorgeous. The highlights: fish tacos (I ate them every single day for lunch. They were that good.), yummy restaurants, couples massage, oceanview room. I literally didn't leave the resort.





Jack Schroeder & Associates is the company who sent us. We've so enjoyed getting to know this family-owned and operated company over the years. Such a fantastic group of people.

Pa-Pa, Jason, Russ, Shannon, and Al. Love these people. Good eggs, all of 'em.

Mini golf with the in-laws.

Pa-Pa and Grandma on their way to one of the events. Thankfully there were only a few events that were mandatory. The rest of the time was R&R on the beach & at the pool.

Alan & Gina Schroeder. Newlyweds and great friends! Some of our fave out-of-town guests ever.

Russ & Erica Scott. He runs our insurance agency, they go to church with us now, and he and Jason have literally morphed into the same human being, given the amount of time they spend together. Erica blogs HERE.

I am so proud of our agents and the success they are enjoying. Being self-employed of course has its ups and downs, but being able to get away like this is definitely one of the perks. Thank you, JSA, for treating us like royalty.

And thank you Grammy & Grandpa and Alida for watching our babies while we were gone!

Heard Around Here Lately...

All from Hayden:

"He's so funny! He makes me crank up."

I asked her if we could hold hands, and she replied, "Mommy, sorry . . . my hand is really busy right now."

Finishing her snack last week, she said she was still hungry. I asked if she wanted an apple. She said, "Yeah, Mommy, I still have an appetite." Then the wheels started turning like crazy and she said, "I have an apple-tite!" Haha! Good one, Sauce.