Tyler's Party

Had a great time last night with family for Tyler's 17th birthday. Decided to celebrate a bit early because the next week will be very busy trying to get everything around to get Trenton to school, next weekend is Labor Day weekend and I thought everyone would want to see Trenton before he leaves also. Tyler, of course, got lots of cash...just what he wanted ;)

Started the evening out with Brunos Pizza and ended with cake and ice cream! The best part for Tyler was that Abby got to come home and be at the party also.

Lastly, gotta love this card that grandpa R. got Tyler...had me cackling (front has two bees with captions saying "boo!")!

Goshen

2 solo tackles for Tyler at last night's game against Goshen. Final score...43-0
Goshen seemed to run alot on the opposite side of Tyler's defense so Tyler didn't get a whole lot of action. A couple of things I did love about last night's game...
Caught the photo (a bit blurry but plan to get a better pic) of Tyler and Travis Thomas' tradition...when they run out on the field (pregame and start of 2nd half), Travis picks Tyler up in the air before they huddle. Those two started that last year and it continues...love it! They do it every time so watch for it if you go to the games!!!! It's cool!
Also love when the team gathers over in front of the students to sing the school song!!! Love it!

Friday Night Lights

Looking forward to tonight's game against Goshen. Tyler shared with us today that he was the only defense player to have tackles for a loss at the last game. Impressive and he is looking forward to tonight's game as well.
We have been staying dry inside these past two days. Trenton has been unable to work because of the rain so he has been trying to get his schedule fixed through many phone calls. He is learning quickly that HE is in charge of his schooling and not so sure he is enjoying all the administrative work that goes into it. He got to go see the new Halloween 2 movie last night at 12:01 am with a few buddies and said it was pretty off the wall.
Sadly, we had a viewing for Trenton's best friend's (Steven) "ganny" today so it kind of put a little bit of a sad note to the day. Definitely looking forward to watching some football tonight to brighten it up a bit. Lots of activities planned for the weekend...the game, Tyler's birthday party with family, visit from Abby, who came home from IPFW and preparing for the last week with Trenton...emotions running high already.

Open House

We were impressed with Gabi's Open House and teacher this evening...Mrs. Owens. She is a VERY 8 months pregnant...Gabi will have Mrs. McDougal while Mrs. Owens is out on maternity leave in September til around Christmas time. Gabi's class was decorated with all kinds of sports stuff!!! Football, baseball, soccer, wrestling, etc etc etc She loves it! One thing I loved was her football she made hung on the wall with a question/answer sheet attached...
LOVE LOVE LOVE her answer for the best thing about me!!! I hope she always keeps that attitude! :)

A touchdown I'd like to make this year (a personal goal to achieve): Get better grades in social studies

A subject I can't wait to tackle this year: I can't wait to tackle Science

A hobby or activity I get a kick out of doing: Practicing golf with my dad

Special talent I bring to my team: I am very responsible for my team

One thing I could use more practice on: I could still use more practice on cursive

The best thing about me: I like being myself, not a person I am not

One rule that will help my class be a winning team this year: Practicing good sportsmanship

Lifehouse!

Look what I found! One of my favorite bands at North Central College!!!

Gymnastics - BT

Beginning Tumbling is the class she is in...I really think this is good for Gabi. Learning several new things...back walkovers, handsprings, etc. Gabi realized she has stuff to work on and she is excited to do so...I didn't get the best pictures so here is a video of her one handed cartwheel...

New year, new do

Gabi decided she wanted to get her hair cut shorter than usual at last night's haircut appointment. I was hesitant but kept hearing the same thing in my head from the boys when they shaved their heads for this and that..."it's my head, mom" - so Gabi is happy with her haircut. As for me liking it...she is cute, no matter how the hair is cut. I was just a little saddened because I think it makes her look older and I definitely don't want my baby girl to grow up yet...
Off to the start of a new gymnastics class tonight.

DeKalb

38-7

Final Score

Tyler had an AWESOME game last night...don't know if it's because he was excited to see his gf Abby (whom we picked up at IPFW before the game to come watch) or if he was just into the game!!! Whatever it was, he did great! 3 solo tackles - one in the red zone on 3rd down preventing the td! He also was in on a few group tackles and had a fumble recovery for a turnover!!! So glad it didn't rain on us considering it downpoured at home. Definitely looking forward to the season!!! Check out the video of Tyler getting the fumble recovery for Mishawaka ball! #22!

Jenny

Happy Birthday to my sister in law in Texas!!! Miss you, Jenny!! Wishing you the best day ever!

US News 2010

Friday, August 21, 2009
U.S. News
Best Colleges 2010
Best Colleges: Undergraduate Teaching at Masters Universities (Midwest)
Best Undergraduate Teaching
Truman State University Kirksville, MO
Alverno College Milwaukee, WI
Butler University Indianapolis, IN
John Carroll University University Heights, OH
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN
North Central College Naperville, IL*****************
St. Catherine University St. Paul, MN
University of Evansville Evansville, IN
Xavier University Cincinnati, OH

Question...

Can someone please tell me when I gave this precious girl permission to start growing up?????
School started today and I was thrilled that my baby girl still held my hand tight as we walked up to the school doors. Hoping my baby girl has an awesome first day. Tyler...well, he wasn't too thrilled about starting back but I know he is happy about the classes he is taking this year. Can't believe the school year has begun already.

Four!

This morning's message from Pastor was awesome...so glad we went. Took Tyler's girlfriend, Abby and her brother, Max, to lunch with us (TGIFridays) after church. She will be heading out to college this week and it will definitely be an adjustment on Tyler. We were thrilled with the fact that Max actually wanted to come to church this morning with Gabi, because he enjoyed it so much last week. Came home, plopped on the couch in the ac, and basically just relaxed all afternoon. Gabi had been wanting her daddy to take her to Nick's Golf Center to hit some golf balls...something new she has taken an interest in, so Ben and I took her early this evening. She did very well!!! Enjoyed some ice cream on the way home and looking forward to calling it a night early. Big week ahead...school starts on Tuesday. Can't believe the summer is over already for the kids.

Start of New Season

Yesterday was a VERY busy day. Got my new cell phone (EnV3) - so happy about that since my old one (EnV2) was not working properly.

Took Gabi and her friend, Lizzy, to my mom's for some swimming time. Also met Abby (Tyler's gf) and her little brother, Max, there as well. Got a few hours of relaxation in before the big scrimmage against Concord.

Tyler played cornerback for Varsity Defense and then rotated in as Wide Out for Varsity Offense. He was in on a couple of tackles and looked excited to be playing football. Looking very forward to watching him this year on Friday nights! I love Friday Night Football!!!!

Deal of the Week

Yes, I did it...I broke down and bought a treadmill. A NordicTrack Z7xi and I am so excited to get it. Mine decided to start slipping (the belt) about two weeks ago. Ben did as they instructed on the Problem Shooting Page of the instruction booklet and it didn't help. So, rather than spend $100 for someone to come diagnose the problem and then spend another couple hundred on parts and labor...I decided to go ahead and get rid of the 7 year old ProForm that I have. It is about due with as much running that has been done on it. It certainly has done us well. RIP ProForm. Welcome NordicTrack! My heels are definately ready for it.

Front Page of Sports

Look who made the front page of the Sports Section today!! Yep...#22 - that's Tyler

Full article here.

Baker Reunion

It has been quite a few years since our family had attended the Baker Reunion (Ben's father's dad's side). Russell (Ben's grandpa) was actually adopted at a young age by the Reinoehl family. The Baker's are actually his blood relatives. They hold it at the Centennial Park in Plymouth, Indiana every year around this same time. I actually remember going to this reunion back when I was dating Ben! Gabi was very excited to see cousins Allison and Nathan with Aunt Becky and even decided to wade in the creek with them because of the hot temps! It was a fun time - always look forward to the food especially. Note to Allison and Nathan...next year, bring your swimsuits!!!

Addy Patty

Happy 3rd Birthday to this beautiful girl!!!! Looking forward to celebrating with her in a couple of weeks!!! Love you Addy Patty!

Busy Week

This week was a busy but productive week for us. Tyler started his two a days for football so he has been gone all day long every day and has been tired. This has also kind of forced us to start going to bed a bit earlier to get up early. Not a fun adjustment.

I have been working on the claim all week. It is normally due the 10th but I had to get it all finished by Thursday because of Orientation at North Central on Friday. So, the best thing to do when I am in a time crunch is get some entertainment for Gabi :)
She has also been missing her bff, Emma, so we decided to have her over all day on Wednesday so she had someone to play with and I could get alot of work done without interruption. It was nice because I finished most of what I had to do and was able to take the girls swimming for a couple of hours at my parents' house before getting Tyler from practice. I know they enjoyed their time together. Later that evening we surprised my dad for his birthday. We joined Chad/Amber and family, grandma and grandpa Jones and my mom for some swimming, some dinner and some cake/ice cream. I think Dad was happy with his shirt (Mishawaka Cavemen Football) and watch. I think he enjoyed it even more that we were able to be together for his birthday. Yesterday was Orientation and talk about information overload. Wow. Alot to digest at once, that's for sure. Ben and I were continually reminded that Trenton made the right decision on a school throughout the day with all the info we received. We really feel good about his choice. Trenton will be taking Chemistry, Calculus and English this term (10 weeks) along with a freshman class once a week and a first year athlete class also once a week (Sundays). He will have earned 11.75 credits when the term is finished. Trenton will graduate with a BA - major in Biology and a minor in Education. It seems like a lot but I think he is ready. He has 8 am classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but will finish by 2 pm and then he starts at 2 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think he has a good mixture. Got to see his dorm room (14' x 14') and kind of tried to make sense of what will go where, etc. It was a long day 9am-5pm but we made it. Walked away with some great clearance deals at the bookstore as well. Gabi was so excited to get a bear on clearance for $4! All in all, we are still very excited about Trenton going to college. So many emotions right now...happiness, anxiousness, nervousness, sadness all at once. It's sooo hard to even describe, let alone feel. Let the countdown begin.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Wishing my dad a VERY happy birthday today!!! I am so lucky to have such a great family and I must say, my dad is the core. Willing to help out anywhere and do anything for anyone who needs it. He is ALWAYS there. He can ALWAYS be counted on. I love you dad!! Enjoy your dad off today!!!!

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Everyone staying busy this week...claim due at work for me, Ben working, Trenton working, Tyler football two a days and Gabi...well, she just is a busy little bee all the time. Looking forward to warmer temps this week but hate it for Tyler. Don't want the summer to end.

Amish Acres Festival

What a beautiful day to go to the Amish Acres Festival of Arts and Crafts. Kelly, a friend, actually was going out of town for the week and had two free tickets to attend this festival and she decided to give them to us :)

So, while the boys went fishing with Dad R. and David, Gabi and I decided to go to the festival with my parents. Picked up a couple of things, one of which is a Christmas gift. Yes, Christmas in July shopping! Had a good time but was disappointed that they ran out of sweet potato fries!!!

Lake Party

Got invited to a surprise birthday party for Pam's 28th birthday at his families' lakehouse. Jeff pulled it off, and he did it well I must say! :) Had a good time playing corn hole, ladder ball, talking, eating, swimming, and jet skiing. Good job, Jeff!