Grandma's Visit '14

Grandma Darden came to visit this month and we all had a great time. With Steven in Texas for the majority of December it was really nice to have her here keeping us company. We stayed busy with our normal routine during the weekdays, but once the weekend hit we would head out for adventures of every kind. Along with Sky Zone and Paint A Piece, Grandma showed the kiddos that you're never to old to roller skate. She also had the opportunity to watch Kadyn perform in her awesome chorus concert and the Ballard children learned that if Grandma's in town and the ice cream truck comes by on a warm December afternoon, there's a great chance of ice cream in your future. We played lots of games, made gingerbread houses, and ran outside as much as possible. It was a fantastic visit! We're so grateful she came to play with us and help the weeks without Dad go by so quickly. 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving '14

Thanksgiving has once again come and gone, and it was wonderful! Much of the break offered us some amazing whether so we took every opportunity possible to play outside. We even held our second annual Ballard family Turkey Trot in which everyone succeeded in their amount of laps needed. Azure and Haley even ran an extra lap each. It was awesome! Another relaxing, restful, amazing weekend to be thankful for all we have and to enjoy our sweet little family.

      

A Teenager?

Steven and I keep asking ourselves how in the world enough time passed for us to have a teenager? I guess it doesn't really matter because regardless of her age, Ryley is an awesome young lady. For this birthday Ryley wanted to see Big Hero 6, eat her favorite chicken sandwich at Red Robin, then return home for cake, presents, and ice cream. We had a fantastic afternoon out celebrating the life of our sweet new teenager. Ryley loves to write, draw, and play the piano. She is a fantastic big sister and a wonderful daughter. We are so very lucky to have her in our family. Happy 13th Ryley!

Halloween '14

As always, Halloween this year was full of wonderful sweets and treats. Ryley had a fun opportunity to plan and run the Trunk or Treat with other youth from our church. Every one of the Ballard's had a fantastic time enjoying that activity. Steven and I even rose to the occasion and dressed up as "Chicken Fingers" (look closely at his hands) and "a pig in a blanket". See, we're still hip and cool! On Halloween evening, Kadyn went downtown with a friend and her family and scored some major candy there. We might just have to follow that method next year. The kids once again had a great evening in our awesome neighborhood that goes all out for this particular holiday. Their favorite part of Halloween this year would be a toss up between handing out candy and the intense "exchange" that takes place later that night. It was another successful Halloween experience.

Disney Fantasy '14

You know it was an awesome vacation when it takes a full week to get back into the swing of reality. The Ballard family was present and accounted for in its entirety this year, as there was no baby to leave behind with Grandma, and yet, we got the bonus of Grandma joining us too! We so enjoyed these seven days in the beautiful waters of the Eastern Caribbean. We had a fantastic tour guide for St. Maarten who showed us all around his beautiful home. St. Maarten is an island that is peacefully split between France and the Netherlands. The two territories occupy the island and hold the distinction of being the smallest to exist separately on one island. That's just a small tidbit of the amazing history we learned. In addition to fantastic ports, we truly enjoyed the pools, activities, food, characters, clubs, and relaxation of this wonderful family vacation.