Jake's First Flag Football Game of the Year

 My little defensive mind only missed 1 flag the whole game!

 I wish I would've switched my camera over to video on this, but I had no idea Jake was going to get the ball. He scored a touchdown on this play. :)

 Touchdown! He smoked the other guys.

Anderson loving on Mr. Fred!

This is Jake throwing the ball to our neighbor, Colt.  I stopped filming it, but it was a touchdown!

Jake had his first flag football game of the season this past weekend, and without keeping score, his team won 3-2. :)  Jake scored one of those touchdowns with a long run where he had to tip toe to avoid going out of bounds.  It was such a great run- I can't believe I didn't catch it on video.  Jake also played quarterback for a play or two and had a great pass to his friend, Colt, which resulted in a touchdown.  He was so, so proud. 

It's going to be an exciting few months with Walker playing basketball and Jake playing football. Thank goodness for good friends who can help me get everyone everywhere they need to go.  It takes a village. :)

Walker's 1st Basketball Game

With his besties, Ethan and Dalton

Walker had his first basketball game ever today, and he did awesome!!  Now, let me back up and say that Walker has never had an interest in playing basketball; he only agreed to play this year because his friends did.  Well, Walker Summers was a stud out there on that court!  He got the first basket of the game and continued to score several more times after that.  It got to a point where he was scoring so much that they asked him to pass the ball to the other players (something they haven't worked on in practice).  I am one proud mama!  This is going to be so much fun!

Magic Kingdom One More Time!

I need to do a post about my mom, but I really need to sit down and gather my thoughts for that one. So instead, I'll jump ahead to this past weekend, where we went to Magic Kingdom for possibly one of the last times as Floridians. :(  In fact, Tyson said this was "the last trip EVER to Disney."  Hahaha.  (We actually have 2 days left on our passes, so we will definitely be back.  According to the boys, though, the next time we go "we're going to leave Daddy at home.")

I'm not going to lie, this trip to the Magic Kingdom was a nightmare!!!!  The older two boys were super whiny and having temper tantrums left and right.  We rode the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Aladdin ride, and Thunder Mountain and it all went downhill after that.  Tyson was over it and trying to prove a point to our kids, so he made us leave.  Mama was not very happy with Daddy's decision, but I helped drag 2 little boys out kicking and screaming.

Why is it that the "happiest place on Earth" bring out the worst in people? Hahaha!

Jake's 7th Birthday Party

 Jake picked out a football cake, and put the "7" in all by himself- can you tell?

My friends, Angie and Jeanne.  

 The Game Truck

 Jordan, Nate, Carter, and Ben

 Mary (the lone girl), Ryan, Pierce, Grant, and Parker

 Sean, Walker, Cole, DJ, Jake, and Jackson

 Mason joins in on the fun

 Most of the mamas- Jessica, Holly, Shelly, Jeanne, me, and Erin. :)

 Pizza time!

 The boys on Facetime with Tyson; he was showing them the snow in Colorado- we were showing him our sweat since it was 85 degrees in Orlando!!!

 Singing happy birthday. :)

 Making a wish...

Jake had his 7th birthday party today- a Game Truck party.  The Game Truck is big trailor with 4 huge TV screens mounted on 1 wall and a bench along the other wall; it has every kind of gaming system and video game possible.  The kids got to play on the game truck for an hour and a half and then we had pizza, cake, and a little back yard play time.  Other than having to have the rest of the party (i.e. the pizza and cake) at my house, it is a great party idea.  The kids were in heaven and had the best time!

Tyson is in Colorado, of course, but he was able to Facetime us for a good bit of the party.  It broke my heart that he had to miss the party, but Jake was very understanding, so i think it made it a little easier for all of us.  My friends knew how bad I've been struggling this week, and they all really stepped up.  I had originally told all of the parents to just drop their kids off, but as you can see from the pictures above, no one would leave.  And I'm so glad they didn't- this party couldn't have happened without my friends' help.  It takes a village.

Jake had a great birthday party; I've never seen the kid any happier.  Happy 7th birthday, sweet boy!

My Parents Came to Town!!

 Hollywood Studios with my mom...and a child that didn't want to take a picture.  Hahaha!

 My boys teaching my dad how to play Madden on the Play Station. Hahaha!

We have been traveling so much lately that my parents decided to come see us for Christmas; their timing couldn't have been any better- they arrived just a few hours after Tyson left for Colorado- right about the time I was in full meltdown mode. :(

The weather was pretty nasty all week, so we spent way too much time inside for my kiddos' sakes, We did get out and go to Hollywood Studios one day, though.  I've been wanting to see the Osborne family lights since we moved here, and since this will be our last Christmas in Orlando, we had to go.  Here is a funny story- our babysitter is Ariel at the Magic Kingdom, but she often fills in for other characters (i.e. Pluto, the green army men, etc).  Well, we knew she had to work New Year's Eve, so the boys were on look out for "Miss Cassidy" every time we saw a character.  Low and behold, Jake went to take a picture with Ferb, and Ferb ran over to Jake as soon as soon as he saw him and almost tackled Jake with excitement. Jake was carrying a Perry the Platypus stuffed animal, so I think that is what it was, but Jake exclaimed as he was walking away, "I think that was Miss Cassidy!"  Hahaha!  (For the record, Miss Cassidy told me that she was not dressed as Ferb that day).  Hehehe.

Anyways, we had a good time with my parents.  Their stay could not have come at a better time- life sure is lonely with Tyson gone. :(  I don't know how we're going to make it til June. :(

Our New Adventure

This past Monday, Tyson boarded a plane headed for Denver, Colorado for our latest adventure (click here).  Yep, Tyson is going to be the defensive coordinator at Colorado State for our good friend, Coach Mike Bobo.

What a whirlwind it was- we got home from the bowl game on Saturday afternoon, the talks began, and by Sunday, Tyson was packing his bags.  Now mind you, other than a few hours here and there, Tyson hasn't really been around much these past 5 months, and we were really looking forward to some much-needed family time this week.  I was really sad to see him go so soon, but that is the world that we live in.  The boys and I will stay in Orlando until school is out in June; Tyson really wants us there sooner, but I'm being "mama bear" (as Tyson calls it) and not moving the boys mid-year.  I did that when we moved to Orlando in 2012, and I swore I'd never do it again...it was so hard.  Plus, I really want to stick around so that I can be closer to my mom during her surgery and recovery.

When we first told the boys, Walker was fine and so innocently asked, "Is Dalton going too?"  Jake, on the other hand, started crying before Tyson could even finish his sentence.  He said he didn't want to leave his school and his friends. :(  Tyson ended up having to to take Jake for a walk to talk to him and calm him down.  By the time they got back, Jake was fine, though, and excited about the snow and living near the Denver Broncos.  Hahaha.

These are definitely going to be a hard 5 months, so we would appreciate any prayers you could send this way.  Thanks so much and Go Rams!