{twenty thirteen}

December 17, 2013

What a year we have had!
This is the year that Aubree FINALLY turns 6. She has been waiting and dreaming of being six for as long as I can remember. This year was filled with so many new friends for her~ and our social butterfly has enjoyed every minute of it. She is learning to read and I am pleasantly surprised at how well she is doing. She is doing mostly first grade work.

Brant has been making such large strides in spite of his dyslexia. I am so proud of his progress. It has not been easy at all. We have both cried our fair share of tears, hung on for dear life at the end of our ropes, and climbed our way back up. This year, our little man played Quarter Back for his football team. He did such a good job and it was pure joy to watch him week after week.

Drake is turning into a teenager before our very eyes. This year, I have seen him struggle with saying good-bye to the child and try to find himself as he grows and matures. He could not be more excited as the first signs of facial hair begin to shadow his lip. If you know Drake at all, you know how THRILLING this is for him. He has wanted "man hair" forever! He aged out of rec ball this year and joined a Home School football league {AHSA}. It was precious to see the transition. He still has a lot of growing to do over the next few years, but I am eager to have a front row seat to see how it all unfolds! He struggled so much at his first practice and it was simply amazing to see my kid doing such a good job by the end of the season.

Karli has had such a wonderful year. She has not ceased to amaze me. With the help and support of so many of you, our family and cherished friends, she was able to attend Model & Talent EXPO this past summer. The experiences she had there both rocked her to the core and strengthened her spirit. She tried out and made the competition team at her dance studio. Every single week it is evident that all of her constant hard work is paying off because she is consistently improving so much as a dancer. It's been so special to see her finding herself and settling in to who she really is~ and it's even more beautiful to see her drawing close to God and building a personal relationship with Him.

Freddie & I celebrated 21 years of marriage this year. I am proud to stand next to this man as his wife. I love him more each and every day, and I pray he feels the same way about me. This year we were able to go on a family vacation- our first one in four years. It was an amazing time and we completely enjoyed every moment. As a family, we were able to sponsor a little boy from Honduras. He is a precious six year old and we pray God's favor on his life. The kids are so excited to love on him in letters and share God's love with him. I spent a lot of this year giving of myself and my time. I have gotten back so much more than I could ever give. It has been so important for me to be a good example to my children this way. This year I also reached a personal goal of reading the Bible through. It was a lovely experience and I hope to go deeper into Scripture next year. Freddie has been working as hard as ever, and our hope is for him to be able to take a little more time off and work like "normal" people are supposed to. We are continuing to be committed to becoming debt free and look forward to what God has in store for our family as we faithfully serve and worship Him.
This year has had it's share of challenges and disappointments, but it has given us BLESSINGS running over! We are honored to have made so many new friends and share another wonderful year with old friends and family. We enter the new year in prayer for you and yours for health & favor for the New Year. Thank you for sharing 2013 with us. You are forever a very important part of Our Story!
Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year!
Love~ the CALVERETTE's

Merry CHRISTmas from the CALVERETTE Crew!

{our year in pictures in no particular order}

New Year's 2013

my goofy girls

Ariel

someone turned FORTY this year!

Karli's awards from the Model & Talent EXPO 1st Runner Up: DANCE; 1st Place: SWIMSUIT; 1st Place: RUNWAY

Brant's faux-hawk

reading a book for FUN!

CYT: Karli was in a scene from The Sound of Music

Brant's birthday trip to the movies

photo shoot for MT EXPO

Car Wash fundraiser

Karli & Drake's birthday party

my April babies

Easter bunny is brave to show up at the hunting club

my little Picasso

Painting with a Twist with friends

appendicitis scare

dinner to celebrate Daddy's birthday

our meteorologists

this is how we play

duck lips

I'm gonna miss this

bow hunters

Aub's birthday party

Drake and his pet iguana, Elvis

vacation: New Orleans

oh, you know, this is just what dancer's do when they are waiting in the car

vacation: Destin

and we've got asthma

new friends

first day of football practice. High School football is serious

what she loves

dancer

joy

one proud football mom

my love's still got it

rescue

me and my love!

31 Days {day 29}

October 29, 2013

Okay. So I don't get the "Blogger of the Year" award.
My weekend was spent in New Orleans with Karli at a dance convention.
I was able to watch my baby girl study under some of the world's top professional dancers.
That is more important than blogging any ole day.
So, I'm skipping over a few days and "catching myself up" today.

{day 29}

what's your favorite quality in your spouse?

Freddie is a very hard worker.

There is not a lazy bone in his body.

He pushes himself every single day to provide well for us.

We made the decision years ago for me to quit my job

and stay home to raise our children.

He has picked up the slack and worked a full time job and then

the equivalent of another job and sometimes more.

I also love that he is in love with me.

Girls need to feel special and beautiful,

and no matter how much weight I gain,

how crazy my hair looks,

or how I look without make-up,

Freddie always makes me feel like he thinks I am 

the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24

"But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1Timothy 5:8

31 Days {day 22}

October 22, 2013

where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

In five years I will be 45 years old & Freddie will be 46.

Karli will be 19 years old & hopefully in college or something.

Drake will be 17 years old and a senior in high {home}school.

Brant will be 15 years old and a freshman.

Aubree will be almost 11 years old and in the 6th grade probably.

{Now I am officially depressed.}

My life will certainly look different than it does today~

although my kids and their interests will still be front & center.

I see football and dancing still being a big part of my life.

I would imagine that there might be a few romantic interests as well.

I will have two more licensed drivers in our home. God help me.

Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, we will be debt free and 

living in a newly built house with enough space for lots of friends & family.

And a pool. I really want an in-ground pool.

In ten years I will be 50 years old & Freddie will be 51.

Karli will be 24 and working or maybe even married.

Drake will be 22 and a college graduate with a good job.

Brant will be 20 years old and in technical/trade school.

Aubree will be almost 16 and a junior in high {home} school.

Could there be a grand-baby in the picture? It's possible.

I imagine that Aubree {and maybe Brant} will be living at home still.

Are there wedding bells in the air? Could be.

I'm probably going to be totally gray because 

Aubree will be officially a licensed driver. YIKES!

In fifteen years I will be 55 years old & Freddie will be 56.

Karli will be 29 years old & she better be married and have at least one kid!

Drake will be 27 years old & he'll probably be married too. Kids would be nice.

Brant will be 25 years old & he'll be working now and probably married, too.

Aubree will be almost 21 years old and God only knows what she'll be doing.

Freddie & I will hopefully be able to do a lot of traveling.

The extra rooms in our house will be now used for our grand-kids 

and perhaps even space for our new hobbies.

We're still several years away from retirement, 

but hopefully Freddie doesn't have to work nearly as hard as he once did.

I may have a part time job, but in the least I will dedicate a portion of my time

volunteering my time and talents somewhere.

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor, it is attained in the way of righteousness." Proverbs 16:31