Elizabeth and Basketball

It is no secret that I love basketball. It is then no disappointment that yet another child has taken a liking to the sport of hoops. Elizabeth got to participate on a competitive league for the first time this year. This afforded her tremendous opportunity for growth. She had a great coach and learned a lot!

Ode to Basketball....... (Hannah is my cool photographer in most of these shots)


Warming up with some free throws.


Don't you love how contorted the body can look when a still shot is taken while in motion.


Elizabeth did a great job, working hard on defense all the time.


Her team of girls and the patient man who investing in crafting their skills.


This shot is from the recreation league I coached her in. This is also one of her best buddies.


My last season of coaching here at CCA schools. It has been a lot of fun!

Bennetts Get Together

Ok, this is feeling really ridiculous now that it was nearly 60 today. I have to get caught up!

We were having some issues with lighting so these are not crisp and clear but at least it documents us all in 2009.


Here are my parents, Grandma Bennett, and all the kids. My how they've grown!


This is the family photo we gave Mom and Dad for Christmas.


Hannah with my brother Kelly.


The only girls on this side of the family means they find their way in front of the camera more than any one else. Why not when they have such great smiles!


The kids all got to play outside at my sister's house. They had a great great time! Here is Jared, "say what?"


Those crazy girls have so much fun together. Love seeing that.

Holiday--Sterner Side

This is where the Sterner Christmas took place this year. We all convened at Mahoney State park near Omaha NE. There was a blanket of fresh snow which made a beautiful backdrop for our days there. The weather did not cooperate and kept Carl and Gwen away the first night. All was good as they arrived late the next morning.

Our camera was not working well so the pictures are not clear but fun to document none-the-less. My how the children are growing!

Aaron 7, Isaac 8, Elizabeth 10, Erika 12, Zach 12, Korrie 12, Hannah 14, Kollin 15.

One of the most exciting things for the kids was the opportunity to ice skate. Everyone had a good time in spite of a multitude of tumbles. Only youth can fall that much and not break something. I was living proof at the time as I was sidelined with a fractured foot.

Kollin, we will just say he provided the most entertainment on the ice.

Zach looking handsome.

We saw a lot of such flailing. This one happens to be Isaac. Going, going.......

........gone!

The older kids were very good with helping the younger boys. I should say, most of the time. Occasionally it only proved to cause more trouble. Was super entertaining to those of us watching.

Elizabeth, Hannah and Erika.

This was the face of a boy who had had enough.

The great thing about his place is that when you were an official ice sicle you could retreat to this fabulous play place. As you can see Aaron found great delight here.

Before our time together was done everyone visited the Space and Aeronautics Museum. Fun things to see and simulator rides to enjoy. A great time together!

Someone Turned 7

I embarrassed that I am just getting to this post. None-the-less, I wanted to commemorate Aaron's 7th birthday.

7 Wonderful things about #5:

There are the cutest spattering of tiny freckles on your face.

You wear your clava all the time, regardless of season

People still tell me how "cute" you are (and I wholeheartedly agree)

You beg me to kiss you ear and pretend to suck out ear wax...and giggle every time (boys!)

You adore your big brothers

The outdoors brings you adventures and delight

You are a perfectionist but not obsessively so.

Your teacher tells us what a kind and polite person you are

Your slight speech impediment is one of few reminders to me that young children are still in my house

You still bounce in your bed in your light sleep---have since about 8 months of age

You delight at standing at the end of the hallway and running, jumping into my open arms

I find myself not wanting to stop, as you can see. Childhood is a fleeting thing. This causes me to pause, savor, and count my blessings........

November 2002.....the sweetest bonus of our lives!

Aaron in the past couple months. Love this smile!

Birthday morning.

The proverbial opening of presents birthday morning.

Yes, the Malones were here for Aaron's birthday. Fun to get to include them in our celebrations. Aaron very pleased with the Stars Wars guns, after all, they make noise!

You don't get to see the excitement when he saw the money (I missed that shot) but he is sitting here counting the dough and making plans for a shopping venture. My kids all love shopping with their own money. I especially like the "their own money" part. Great opportunities for them to see how far a dollar doesn't go.

Well, look here, 4 Sterner kids celebrating Aaron's birthday. Hmmm, it has been so long I can no longer recall where Zach was but I do remember the mama guilt I had over the fact that I gave him permission to be gone when we had plans to honor Aaron. I just may be one step closer to losing it. Good thing was, Aaron didn't seem to be aware. Ah, gotta love boys and their ability to compartmentalize their thoughts.

I had to add this photo because it was taken the day of Aaron's birthday. Look how nice and green the grass still was at the very tail end of November............oh how I LONG for days with green grass.

The "Temporary" New Addition

No we did not start a new side business. Years ago we met a man named Derk Sterner in our church and learned that he did taxidermy. Who knew that we would be in need of his services. Las year during dear hunting season Scott bagged his first dear and it was a notably sized one, so much so that the experienced hunter he was with said this one earned a place on a wall.

Here is the fresh catch.

I should have a picture of it hung (already taken down because the relator said that was the first thing that had to go in order to sell the house) but didn't get it done. This will have to suffice. Right behind Zach is Scott's prized kill. I must admit it is pretty impressive. I am proud of him and hope to find just the right spot for it to be displayed in WI.

Here is Zach with Derk Sterner (no relative that we know of).

A Visit From Overseas

I am nearing the end of the November review. I am so type "A" that there is no way that I can do current things until I get caught up in order (being type "A" can be such a prison).

So here are Josh and Emily, all the way from Scotland. We were blessed to get to host them for about 5 days. This is the bonus aspect of peopling moving far away, you get to host them 24/7. That is a lot of hours and a lot of fun.

Don't these guys look great! Scotland seems to "temporarily" suit them well. ;)


I must say that it wasn't all fun for poor Emily and Rebekah as they both came down with a short-lived stomach virus Sunday morning when Josh was slated to speak. We did our best to nurse them back to health and by God's grace they were able to attend all their commitments.

Miss Rebekah has grown so much in so many ways. She warmed up to us quickly and dove right in to our chaos. She is tall, beautiful, articulate, and highly entertaining. You guys are doing a tremendous job with her. We must do more skyping to keep her Iowa memories fresh in her mind.


Hannah loved using her as subject for ongoing photography efforts. What a sweet face!


Luke too didn't hesitate to get into the mix of things. How fun to see genetics play out in this little man. Luke is all boy and a delight to have around. It has been a while since a blonde haired blue-eyed one was toddling through my house. Must admit I love it and loved him!


This little one that left as a babe is now a walking boy. What a joy to get to love on him in person.

It was so much fun getting to host our dear friends. Malones, come see us in WI next time. It is nothing like Scotland but beautiful and full of fun things to do. So glad we got to spend this time together. Love you all and miss you!

My daughters and Emma

Still catching up. Here are the girls in their homemade Black Friday T-shirts. Unlike me, these girls were driven to conquer the sales on the day after Thanksgiving. The good mom that I am, I encourage them, complimented their creativity and.......dropped them off. I tried it once, stood in line for over 45 minutes to check out at Kohls, all to save 10-15 dollars. There is only once conclusion for me...
NOT worth it.

So I took my very excited girls, dropped them off armed with a mini lecture about safety, staying together, not setting your purse down (and how you should carry it) and armed with several cell phones.

Now before the girls embarked upon their bargain-shopping adventure one of them commented about how fun it would be if they "got noticed." Got noticed is exactly what they did. A local newspaper not only took notice through photography but even interviewed the girls. They LOVED IT! Not only this, but it was front page material. Granted it was their back side that made it, this did not disappoint them whatsoever.

They went, the made their mark, and actually came home with a few small bargains. All the while I got to stay at home. This is how I prefer. I have learned, I will just give them my list and send them off to push and shove and buy. You go girls!

Still Catching Up

Thanksgiving has come and gone but I could not go without chronicling the yearly Thanksgiving dinner and cup building contest. Once again the Boatman's blessed us with their presence. We also added our Wisconsin friends, the Fashun's, and initiated them to our traditions.

We'll start with a picture Hannah took when the table was being set. She loves to play around with photography.



After dinner the games commences. Scott always tries to "one-up" the cup competition. This year he went shopping the night before and got together some supplies for each team, each with a "theme." You take your zip lock bag full of stuff and get creative.


TEAM JESSICA/HANNAH
Someone whose name shall be left not mentioned, kept knocking things down.


The finished product!


Ta-da! I think we'll just call this theme miscellaneous.


TEAM DAD/LITTLE BOYS


Toy theme was the theme for these guys. I believe they had old happy meal toys, army dudes, etc.


Ta-da!


TEAM ZACH/DR. BOATMAN/ and (soon to be) DR. FASHUN. There was a lot of brains and talent in this group as you will see in their production.


When you put these minds together you get a miniature version of a suspension bridge fully equipped with cars, guys, and someone trying to "jump."


Their finished product.


TEAM JEAN/ELIZABETH/CARRIE
As you can see there is a "beauty salon" type theme. Clearly a very intense conversation going on here.


Ta-da!