Ryan Bell is TEN!!

 

Aunt Allie arrived with balloons to kick off the celebration of Ryan's TENth Birthday!!

The table was loaded with salty and sweet snacks for the boys to enjoy after the games were played!

The gang's all here!!  It's time for some football!!

We drew color strips to determine teams.... Evan, Corbin, Ryan, and Cooper all drew brown strips to be on the same team, and they anxiously awaited the next pick!

 

The first snap of the afternoon... let the game begin!

Lots of running, tackling...

...smiling, and laughing!

Some plays were made on our feet...

...some plays ended on the ground! 

 

Lots of strategy sharing!!

 

LOTS of FUN!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victory was sweet... and defeat wasn't bad either! There is not too much to worry about when you are in the company of GREAT friends!!

 

It seemed like the fun had just begun, but after a few rounds of football it was time to head inside to sing Happy Birthday to Ryan as he made his birthday wishes!!

 

 

 

 

 Pizza and snacks while watching the Harlem Globetrotters.... no complaints here!

 

 

After friends headed home, we were excited for Ryan to open his gifts!!

 

 

 

 

On his birthday, Ryan was surrounded by amazing friends, his fantastic family, and showered with wonderful gifts!!  It was such a special day for such a special boy. 

 

 

I couldn't help but try to steal the show from the birthday boy! 

 

Ryan's final gift was a Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins Quarterback, jersey.  Tannehill was the Texas Aggie Quarterback for the 2011 season, and was a successful receiver for the Aggies for the three seasons prior.  He was all smiles!

 

It is hard to believe...  two handfuls, double digits, teriffic ten... you are all of these things, but more importantly...  you are an amazing "oldest brother"!! You have filled our days with joy, laughter, and love.  You are such a wonderful role model, leader, and friend.  You have shown us to work hard, always do our best, and to have fun doing everything that we do!  You are a great example of kindness, caring, and good choices!!  We love you and are so proud to call you our big brother!

What Team Are You On?!

It's the time of year to begin swinging the bat, and Dylan did just that as he loosened up for Nederland Little League baseball tryouts!!

 

 
 

Dylan was warmed up and ready to go!!  When he came home, he said that he thought he had done a good job... he was hoping he did well enough to be picked up by a good coach... like DAD!!!



Another team decision to be made this weekend was Team PINK or Team BLUE!!  Aunt Allie and Uncle Jerry had a party to reveal the gender of their baby that is due to arrive in June.  We were surrounded by pink and blue!

 

Team Pink or Team Blue... Team Sawyer or Team Easton?!!

 

Team PINK WINS!!  Sawyer Anne Mitcham will join our family in June!!  We can't wait!!

 

A SUPER weekend!

Friday night was boys' night at home because the girls went to the Miss Nederland pageant with Mommy.  This year is the 40 year anniversary of the Nederland Heritage Festival and they asked Mommy to come back to help commemorate the event!  Mommy was Miss Nederland in 1995, so she and many of the other past queens attended the 40th Nederland Heritage Festival Pageant!!

 



Aunt Allie, Granna, and Nana were three of her biggest supporters 18 years ago and they are still today!!

Mommy's sweet friends were also there to cheer her on!

Camryn Slott, Bailey Chandler, Mrs. Ashley, Mrs. Aimee, and Mrs. Robin

I had fun playing around with Mommy's crown and flowers when she got home!!

 

Mommy said that I looked beautiful, but I quickly told her that I am a baseball player...

...NOT a beauty queen!!

I woke up on Saturday morning to enjoy cartoons and cuddling on the couch with my Bubba Wilson!  Before we knew it, the rest of the gang was awake and it was time to get ready for the day's basketball games.

The games were great, the boys played well, but we were all WORN OUT when we got home!  We spent the afternoon napping.  Wilson and Ryan zonked out in their beds...

 

...while Dylan and I drifted off to dream on chairs at Nana's house!!  WHEW! What a day!!

Sunday, February 3 was Nana's 60th Birthday and we started celebrating her special day together at church!

Instead of going out to eat for Nana's birthday lunch, we dined in!! We cracked open delicious steamed snow crab and then topped the meal off with Nana's favorite chocolate and peanut butter ice cream pie! We loved every yummy bite, but not as much as we love our Nana!! Nana is an extraordinary lady who knows just how to make each one of us feel special... she is proud of our accomplishments, no matter how small; she knows our strengths and weakensses; and she loves us from head to toe, just the way we are!!  Nana gives great hugs, knows just what to say to turn a frown upside down, is always ready for an adventure, and finds the funny in everything!!  We hope that we give her as much joy and love as she gives us each day!!

 

The celebration continued when our friends came over to watch the Super Bowl later that afternoon.  Their first stop was Nana's house... with a surprise birthday serenade, beautiful flowers, and a sweet birthday card!! 

 

I think she loved it!!

We settled in to watch Super Bowl XLVII:  The Baltimore Ravens versus the San Francisco 49ers.  For the first time in Super Bowl history, two brothers were facing each other as head coaches.  The game has been referred to as the Harbaugh Bowl, with John Harbaugh and his Ravens facing Jim Harbaugh and his 49ers.

 

Our Moms were tuned in for the commercials and the big halftime show! 

We played outside during the first half as QB Joe Flacco and the Ravens raced ahead of QB Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers, but we came in after halftime to enjoy a 49ers comback and a riveting 34-31 finish!  The Ravens and John Harbaugh were the Super Bowl Champions, and Joe Flacco was named MVP of the matchup, but the game truly could have gone either way.  It proved to be a great game to the finish!!

 

Silly Dylan sneaking in on a picture with Ryan and his buddies!

The Fab Four!!