Spring Break in Ohio

 For Spring Break this year we headed up to Ohio to visit family.  We had some special things planned, too!  A friend of the family was able to get us box seats to a Cavs game.  It was really neat being so close to all of the action, having our own waitress, and being able to stretch out while seated.  For our three it was the first time they went to a professional basketball game...extra exciting!!!  All of the Hauser grandkids except for Brayden (he wasn't even 2 yet) joined in the fun, but Austin didn't want his picture taken here.

 View from our seats

 Warm-ups...Kyrie Irving was even warming up, but sat out with an injury.  Keith watched him when he played for Duke.

 Ben, Alex, and Evan got to go on the court and even were interviewed on the big screen!

 Guess who???

 Karson!  (His mask actually looked like him!)

 Daddy with the boys

 

 We sat pretty close to the cheerleaders...of course Kassidy just loved watching them:)

 Guess who this time???   Kassidy and Olivia...too funny!

 Saturday we headed to the bowling alley for Austin's birthday party!  It was a very fun time!!!  Here's all 9 Hauser grandsons.

And all 4 Hauser granddaughters:)  Those boys sure have the girls outnumberered!

 Kaleb with his best buddy Ryan

 Kassidy bowling

 My sisters Kelly, Kristi, and Kaylin (Yes, it was cold inside!)

 My oldest niece, Olivia, looking so grown-up and pretty:)

 Brayden and the younger boys liked this ramp for bowling.

 Saturday afternoon we went to a few places to spread Dad's ashes like he wanted us to.  It was the first time since his funeral we were all together (well almost, Donnie had to stay home).  It was really nice to be able to honor Dad's wishes together!  The grandkids had a good time helping and saying bye to Papa.  The last stop was the brand new track at our high school.  It is now named after him!!!  There are 2 really nice plaques, one with Dad's picture and all of his accomplishments as coach, and the other with info on the Jim Hauser Sarcoma Foundation which was formed in honor of him.

If you knew my dad at all you'd know that he just LOVED coaching, and guys track was his favorite:) (Of course he we also was a great track athlete in high school, too!)  He always wanted a nice new track for his athletes to run on and now it finally happened.  Dad would have loved it, especially the red track!  What an honor for it to have his name attached to it.

The first home meet of the season was during our Spring Break so we were able to be there for the Dedication Ceremony along with other family, close friends, ex-athletes of Dad's, and current coaches/athletes.  It's just so amazing hearing all of the stories from ex-athletes of how Dad changed their lives, or inspired them to be better, or to never give up, the list goes on and on.  He truly was a role model and a blessing in so many young kids lives.    I'm so proud of everything my Dad did at the school, at home, and at church.  It's such an honor being his daughter!  I only wish he were still here...we all miss him so much!!!!!

Easter Sunday! 

 We had a really good sermon at Kristi's church.  It was all about the power of the resurrection.  We all walked away from that truly inspired and changed.  We headed back to Kristi's for yummy food, dessert, and of course an egg hunt.  Here's all the kids lined up, with a space for Kaleb who's not there (see bottom for details).

Olivia, Alex, Maddie, Ben, Kassidy, Evan, Kaleb, Ryan, Sara, Austin, Kyle, Karson, and Brayden

 Off with the hunt!

 SOOOOO excited about his full basket!

 Mama had a surprise for all the grandkids...

 Money!!!

 Thank you Mama:)

 We love you so much!

And last but not least we have Kaleb...poor thing was so sick!  It started Saturday during bowling and just got worse and worse til he became dehydrated.  We took him to the ER for some fluids and anti-nausea meds because he just couldn't keep anything down.  He got this cute little puppy for being a brave boy during his IV.  He had to spend several days in "quarantine" in one of my moms bedrooms so no one else would get sick.  He missed all the fun on Easter and we had to re-schedule our trip to the Kalahari but the good news is that no one else got sick!  God is good!!!  Kaleb bounced back pretty quickly after the trip to the hospital and as always never complained when he was sick.  He's such a trooper:)

On our way to my Mom's house we made a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa's for some Easter goodies!  The kids were spoiled with baskets full of candy and toys.  We got to see them again on our way back home for a quick lunch.  It's always fun spending time with them:)

We also stopped to see my best friend Kim and her family on our way back to SC.  We enjoyed making cookies and eating a yummy spaghetti dinner together and had lots of "play" time with her little girl Molly.  I was surprised how much Molly had grown since last time we saw her.  Since she's 2 now she was really able to play a lot with our kids which was so much fun!!!  We spent the night then headed out early the next morning for our long drive home.

It was a really good week of relaxation and fun:)  It's always so nice catching up with everyone again and seeing how "grown-up" all of the kids are getting!  We miss our family in Ohio SO much and hope to see them all REAL soon!!!  Love you all!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I hope all you moms out there had a very Happy Mother's Day:)  I know us moms work hard each and every day, and sometimes we may be so busy with everyone else we forget about ourselves.  Well I hope you took some time "off" and were able to enjoy the day relaxing!

We started off the day with yummy donuts and some gifts.  The kids made me some really precious things at school that are so special to me:)  (I remember making similar things for my mom when I was little and I always just loved seeing her open/read them.)  Kassidy even painted me a neat cup for the bathroom with polka dots and MOM on it.  

We had just enough time for a quick pic before church.  Captain America even stopped by!  

We taught our Kindergarten class at church and had fun making special cards for their mothers.  It was especially sweet seeing the boys write I love you or You're the best Mom:)  After church we headed to lunch (just like everyone else).  The wait actually wasn't very long at Macaroni Grill and they even had a nice set-up in the bar area with coloring books/crayons, puzzles, and books.  

My wonderful hubby Keith:)  He surprised me with the cutest Coach purse/bag.  It's big enough to carry a book or magazine and a snack, but small enough to carry on my shoulder.  LOVE IT!!!  And spring colors of course!

It was a super fun and relaxing day!  It was so great to get a break from doing wash, cooking, cleaning, etc etc etc.  They all did a great job taking over:)

Again, I hope everyone had a GREAT day!!!!!  MISSING my mom and mother-in-law especially today:(  I love you both so much and it sure wasn't the same without you here!!!  Hope to see you soon:)

2 more birthdays:)

My lil' man turned 4 March 10th.  He was very excited about his birthday this year!  We gave him a choice for breakfast and he chose the new Krispy Kreme...wouldn't you?!  Since it also happened to be the day we spring our clocks forward we received a free donut in line:)  And yes...the kids wore their PJ's.

 Before church we opened up presents from the family.

 New Veggie Tales DVD

 Spider Man that actually climbs the wall

 Spider Man stuffed animal

 New shoes

 Spider Man shirt

 Decorate your own piggy bank

 Bat Man shirt

 Monster Truck that talks

 Iron Man mask...can you guess what he's really into right now?  Yup...superheroes!!!

 He did a great job decorating his new piggy bank!

 BIG breath to blow out the candles!

 My sweet boy:)

The next weekend Karson had his party at Play Nation...a very cool indoor playground equipment dealer.  They have several different wooden playgrounds and other things for you to play on.

 Me, Lindsey, Sarah, and Kelly ("The girls" as we often refer to them have been friends of our families since our kids were born.  We are very lucky to have them in our lives and the kids just LOVE them!)

 Karson had his party with his friend, Mason, who turned 5.  (Sarah from above pic is his step mom)

 Big sis helping out:)

 Karson and his friend Lucas from school and baseball

 Yea! More superhero toys!

 Jake and the Never Land Pirates sword

 Legos

At his 4 year well check Karson weighed in at 33 lbs (24th percentile) and was 39.5 inches (32nd percentile).  The Dr. said he'd probably end up around 5'8 or 5'9.  I'm not sure how she knows that, but we'll see!  Karson is a pretty good eater, but has picked up some of Kaleb's pickiness.  If Kaleb says he doesn't like it then Karson automatically says he doesn't like it.  But, when we get him to try it he finds out that he does like it most of the time.  Lately he wants me to make toad in holes (?) every day...egg in the middle of toast.  It's his favorite along with PB&J every day for lunch at home.

Karson has been going to preschool all day on the days I work.  He has tons of friends and just as many stories to share every day about what he did and what his friends did:)  He knows all of his colors, shapes, letters, most of the letter sounds, can write his name, cut with scissors, and count to 39 (he gets the 1-2-3, but doesn't know 40, 50, 60).  He is a TV junky and asks to watch it all the time!  His favorites are Mickey Mouse, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and Doc McStuffins.  He really likes to dress-up in his superhero costumes and "fight" with Daddy and Kaleb with their light sabers.  That's always the highlight of his day!

Karson has started to get more chores around the house like feeding the dogs, emptying the dishwasher (non-breakables only), cleaning his room and the playroom, and helping me wash and put away his clothes.  He's a pretty good helper when he's not too busy playing with big brother:)  He and Kaleb get along REALLY well now and can play together for hours.  I love listening to their imaginations at work!  He and Kaleb also love sleeping in the bunk beds together on weekends.  It's a special treat for them.

Karson loves to go to school to have lunch with Kassidy and Kaleb and even helps me in Kaleb's room.  We do whatever the teacher needs help with and he's always such a good, quiet boy:)  When everyone leaves home in the morning on days I don't work he always says to me, "Just you and me today, Mom!"  I love the extra time to spend with just him.  It's truly precious to me and I'll miss it when he goes to big school.  Luckily I still have awhile before that happens!

Karson is my sweet little guy who's not so little anymore.  He is so grown-up in many ways, especially compared to Kassidy and Kaleb at that age.  I guess that's what happens when you're the youngest.  He loves to hug and give kisses and say I love you...even to the dogs:)  And he's quite funny, too!  Not all of his jokes make sense but the way he says it and with his silly looking face it makes you laugh!  He is such a delight to have and we are so thankful to have him.

The very next day after Karson's birthday is my birthday:)  I love that our special days are so close together!!!  My special Oreo ice cream sundae...my favorite!

We all enjoyed a yummy dinner out at Macaroni Grill the night of Karson's birthday to celebrate both our days.  They server surprised us both with our own ice cream sundaes!  They were so good!!!

Thank you to everyone who helped make our birthdays so special!!!  We are very blessed to have such loving friends and family!!!