Christmas slide show

We had a very Merry Christmas!

Report on Ashylynn's first four games

Ashlynn’s 2007 Basketball Season Game Summary Information From Her Father’s Perspective

Team: Comets

Game 1 vs. the Lakers (Boys Team) December 2, 2006
Win 22-12
Ashlynn scored 6 points. She played every minute of the game for the 1st time ever. She had a lot of fun but was very tired at the end. She played great defense, hustled to both ends of the court well, and did a great job dribbling on her two break away opportunities.

Game 2 vs. the Bulls (Boys Team) December 9, 2006
Loss 6-22
Ashlynn scored 4 points. She started slow in the 1st period but through the 2nd to 4th she played great defense and offense. This group of boys were fast and aggressive. It took our team a little while to adjust but we competed well.

Game 3 vs. the Sparks (Girls Team) December 16, 2006
Win 26-8
Ashlynn scored 9 points. She had thrown up 5 times on Thursday and was still feeling sick Friday but came out and did a great job today. Ashlynn and the Comets did a great job this game. They played very aggressively. Ashlynn had two great offensive plays this game. One she was guarding her girl but she was watching the girl with the ball. She saw that the girl with the ball was looking at her girl so she kind of loosened up on her girl baiting her to throw the pass. When she did Ashlynn took off running, intercepted the pass, and dribbled down for the basket. The other great play happened when Haley had a fast break and when the other team covered her Ashlynn was running the lane and she passed it to Ashlynn for the easy basket. The Comets had a great game. I was proud of Ashlynn. She hustled well, played great defense, and shot the ball well.

Game 4 vs. Liberty (Girls Team) December 16, 2006
Loss 7-10
What a game! Ashlynn scored one point but played unbelievable defense against a very aggressive and good ball player. Both teams were great on defense. I think it was in their favor a little that we played one game at 12:30 and this one at 1:30. I think we would have beaten them in a one game day. Liberty only had 5 girls on their team, and that helped them. When our two best were on the floor (Ashlynn and Haley) we negated their two best #15 (that Ashlynn guarded) and #20. Our 3rd best was better than theirs but when we had to sub they got the best of us. Ashlynn had a personal battle with #15. They sure were bumping into each hard and giving each the evil eye on the court the whole time. They looked like two boxers before a fight standing toe to toe trying to intimidate the other into blinking. I have never seen this side of Ashlynn’s competitiveness. She has always hated to lose but also never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings, but that has gone out the window this season. After the 3rd period was over AJ came over mad and threw her band down. I made her pick it up and taught her to not throw things because she is frustrated, and that she needed to keep playing hard and to keep being aggressive with that girl. It was frustrating her that she was having to be so aggressive I think but it was good for her and I think it really helped her to be a better player today. Ahslynn had a fast break going but her and Haley ran into each other and Ashlynn fell down. She cried but I think it was more drama then a little hurt. The coach on the other team is a guy that me and Monica cannot stand. Monica was doing some yelling from the stands today. She gets onto me for getting fired up but she does the same thing. At the end of the game when the horn blew AJ looked up at the scoreboard and started to cry so hard. Her Coach gave her a hug. Then she came to me still crying and I hugged her and told her to go line up with her team to tell the other team good game. It almost brought tears to my eyes because it made me proud. She was not crying because she lost per se but because she had played with all of her heart and soul. I talked to her after the game. It was a great opportunity to talk about that it hurts to lose when you give great effort in practice and games but you keep a good attitude and continue to work hard to get better and to give your team a chance to win the next one. She is a hard working little girl in everything she does and especially in things she enjoys like basketball and school. Let me take that back. Do not count keeping her room clean or picking up after herself.

The Camo boys

I keep forgetting to post this picture. This is from Thanksgiving after a hunting trip. I just love that Rylan wanted to dress like his uncles. He thought that he was pretty cool.

 

Found some old photos

I found this old photo of Ashlynn (when she was 4) helping me bake a cake and then here is a recent photo of Rylan. I have posted this one of Rylan before, but I love them. They are so similar that it makes me laugh. God Bless!

Visit to Santa

 

Ashlynn starts basketball

Here is our little Comet!

The comets won their first game against boys. Ashlynn played the whole game and scored 6 of their 22 points. 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Here is our "arctic blast". The kids just had to get out if only for a few minutes. We only had enough snow to make a few snow balls. Ashlynn made the biggest, but lucky for us she has horrible aim. The camera caught a few snow flakes falling.












Rylan enjoyed making his "paw prints." I'm not sure why he thinks that he is a bear, but he had fun anyway.

The Tree is up!

We had our traditional Christmas decorating night. The kids had so much fun putting on the ornaments. We read the Polar Express and drove to get a soft drink and looked at the lights in our neighborhood. Rocky put our lights on the house and they look great. We had a fun night! God Bless!


















The kids always wear these antlers that Grandmomma and Dad gave them when we decorate.


















Ashlynn took our picture, too! 

Keith and Rylan's leaf fight!

On your mark, get set,.....












GO!

The Smart Family

Shelly came over this morning and took some family photos of us. I was thrilled with them.
Thanks Shelly.
God Bless! 

Ashlynn's Pansies

Ashlynn and I picked out our pansies and came home to plant them. We had so much fun. That was a great investment for Mom and Daughter time. She, of course, named them all. I hope that she has a green thumb, because usually eveything that I touch dies. God Bless!

Rylan's Fall Program

Here are the little pilgrims and indians about to sing!
Rylan was a very animated little indian. 

Before the Fall Program

Rylan actually took our picture!

Little Indian

Rylan did so good tonight at his fall program. He was a very animated little indian. God Bless! 

Such an artist!

About a month ago, the kids received their donation jars for Harvest Sunday. This is a Sunday that we give an extra donation to help the missions for our church. The kids are encouraged to participate by saving their change in these jars. When the kids got theirs a few weeks ago, Ashlynn was starring at Rylan's and telling me that was her drawing. I continued telling her that all of the jars had the same drawing (thinking that she expected them to get different ones). Well, this Sunday I understood what she meant. She won the contest that chose one kid's art to put on the jars. It REALLY was her drawing. She won a $25.00 gift card to Wal-Mart (which she spent the same day) and her art framed. The art is a photo of Jesus assending to Heaven and the 12 apostles watching. What a little artist....she certainly doesn't take after her mom. God Bless! 

Time to make the Christmas list...

I just love that Rylan has memorized this toys r us Christmas book. He knows exactly what he wants for Christmas. I just had to snap some photos to remember how magical this is for kids. God Bless! 

Fall Fest 2006

The kids with their carved pumpkin.













At Fall Fest, the kids got to play several games. There was also a petting zoo, bounce houses, face and hair painting, and a ton of candy. They had a blast.

Rylan's Halloween Party

Here is what we took for the cake walk. It is marshmellows covered in icing. This did not turn out perfectly, but at least they sort of look like ghosts. We brought home a yucky cake from Wal-Mart, but that is what Rylan chose when he got to pick.

Here is Rylan with his friend Chloe. This was her party. They made pumpkin puppets, had a cake walk, made spider cookies, and ate lots of halloween themed treats. They were, of course, all dressed up and very cute.
This is Rylan's other good friend Darby. As you can see, Rylan likes the girls.

God Bless!