Spring has Sprung!

Yet again, it has been some time since I blogged last. I feel like I want to wait until something really big happens or many little things happen, so that way the post is interesting. So here it is--lots of little and big things to report from the Venable Household! 

Keegan has been staying quite busy the past few weeks with Soccer and Boy Scouts. We have been on a hiatus for 3 weeks from soccer games due to scheduling conflicts and rainouts but have stayed busy with practice. Last week he visited a bank with his Boy Scout troop which was fun. We have also taken up golf the past month or so and Keegan will be starting lessons here pretty soon. He's excited about that! But the most fun of all for Keegan has to be that he lost his first tooth! That tooth has been wiggling since November and it finally came out with some help from Daddy. The adult tooth has been in place for quite some time also but his dentist seemed to think it was fine. I'm not going to argue with a professional about it. He doesn't tell me how to deliver babies and I don't tell him how to take care of teeth! Here is a pic from the occasion (sorry about the blood). 

Kolton has been quite rowdy lately and of course is always chasing after Bubba (Keegan). He is growing up so fast and his vocabulary the past month has increased a great deal. He can count to 10 in Spanish now (thanks to Daycare and Diego) and we are still working on the alphabet. He started swim lessons 3 weeks ago @ Miller Swim School and loves to be in the water. But his biggest accomplishment by far is that, he has started to potty train himself. He only goes on occasion but has had great success so far. Only 1 major accident to speak of! Here is a pic of him catching a cat nap while on the way to Langston to watch Daddy's track team:

Shawn has remained quite busy with track this season. He is once again the only coach for the team, which keeps him @ work usually pretty late. He does a great job making sure each group of athletes gets some time with him during practice, even if it means he's there until 10 pm. This year the athletes have shown a great deal of dedication and hard work to the program and their goals: conference champions and All-Americans @ Nationals. The team has already received All-American Honors Indoor in the 4X400 Meter Relay, High Jump and Long Jump. This weekend they competed in the Red River Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships and completely smashed the competition. The team overall earned 222 points, smashing the previous overall team points record of 183. The second place team had 106 points, nowhere close to Bacone! The Men's Team was crowned the champions of the meet and Shawn was also named the RRAC Head Coach of the Year in Men's Outdoor Track and Field. I cannot express how proud I am of Shawn and these guys this year. Many of the athletes have been here 4 years and become part of our family. I will for sure be attending their graduation in May to help celebrate their accomplishments on and off the track. Here are a few pictures from yesterday's meet: 

The team with their plaque:

Shawn accepting his Coach of the Year Award:

As for me, I have recently started working out again. Haven't had much success in weight loss but I do feel much healthier. I am in the middle of a Couch to 5K program (C25K) and I enjoy it. The pace seems slow for me but it's a good way to get back into running. I also joined a book club in January with a few girlfriends, which has been great. I love that I am getting to read more now. As a family we have stuck to many of our New Years Resolutions: reading more, more outdoor activities, exercising but we are still working on eating healthier and cooking more at home. One Step at a time. Right now I do know that we are cherishing each moment we have as a family and are learning to appreciate each other through this busy season in our lives. My boys and I are truly blessed to have Shawn in our lives. He shows my boys through his dedication and hard work that you can succeed if set your mind on a goal and work hard for it. He is a great example that greatness does not come overnight but must be achieved through hard work. But he is also great at reminding the boys to have fun! He has a great balance to his life and I hope someday to adopt his philosophy of letting the work go sometimes to have fun! The chores can always wait if it means family time! Happy Spring!! 

Long Time....Many Updates

I just realized today how long it had been since I blogged last. Many things have happened since February! 


Spring Time, I believe is my favorite season of all. It shows the promise of new life and new adventures to come & it is by far, the busiest season in the Venable household. Track season, soccer games, Boy Scout Activities & play dates seem to fill up our schedule. I love the outdoor part to Spring--little boys crave time outdoors and Mommy needs it too. This year we are trying to spend more time outdoors and the weather has been very cooperative. So here's to a beautiful next few months, full of outdoor fun :)


Shawn just returned from a week long trip to Ohio for the NAIA Indoor Nationals. His team competed the best any of his teams have indoor at this meet. The team came home with 6 All-Americans! The 4x4 Relay Team and 2 jumpers. It was a great win for Shawn and the boys, many of who, have been at Bacone for 4 years. When Shawn sent me the results, it was like someone had told me Keegan or Kolton had just All-Americaned! These boys are like our boys. So proud of Shawn and all of them :) 

Lately, I have been reminded on a number of occasions, of the fragility and importance of life. Each day we have here is a blessing and we should count it as such--there is no guarantee of tomorrow. So, please, hug those you love and spend time with those that matter most. This is one reminder I need on a daily basis, but the house chores can wait, spend your time where it matters most--with family and those who are like your family. Peace, love and Happy Spring Time!

New Year 2012 so far...

I haven't written a blog in some time....so here's an update. We have started the busy season again with Track Season and Soccer Season in full swing. Everything is indoor at this time, so the weather isn't affecting us yet. Shawn's team has continued to do well at their meets. There is 1 final meet before Nationals in Ohio, the last week of February. We are going to try to go support the team at Nationals....a family trip to Ohio! Keegan resumed soccer last weekend. His team has been doing well--they are 2-1. He will start practice for his Outdoor season here in the next few weeks. 


We helped celebrate a few birthdays this past week: Renee Williams, Tasha Polumbus and Dave Hodges. Happy Birthday to our good friends and thank you for inviting me to help you celebrate! We also welcomed a new family member this week. Shawn's new sister was born on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ 0603 weighing in at 6 lbs and 12 oz (I'm pretty sure those are the correct stats). Madeline Michelle is super sweet and beautiful. Tons of dark hair :) Congrats to the new parents, Tony and Theri. 


On the New Years Resolutions side of our life: We have been doing pretty well. The boys and I have continued to read more together. Kolton seems to enjoy his big brother to him and it is great practice for Keegan. I have also been trying to read more and to help do so, I joined a book club with some friends. It's a great way for me to read more this year and have girl time with some adult beverages! We are currently reading "The Help" and it is a good read. I am enjoying it! We have also been spending more time having some adventures. Below are some pics from 2 of those adventures!


Another New Years Resolution for myself was to cook more meals at home. We have been doing pretty well with eating at home for breakfast and lunch. Dinner seems to be hard for us since Shawn and myself both work very late. Pinterest has proved helpful for new ideas. We have successfully made 4 recipes off there but are only 2 for 4 with actually enjoying the food. We tried the Blueberry Breakfast Cake (they boys didn't like it but we will try again soon), the Zesty Italian Chicken (a huge hit with everyone), the Sleepover Treats (they were ok) and then this morning we tried the Sticky Buns (they were amazing!). I hope we can continue to try new ideas! I love spending meals with my boys :)  






                                           Zoo trip with the Hodges, Blockers and Smith: 

Blue Bell Factory Tour with Keegan's Class: 

Our Breakfast this morning: 

                                                      Miss Madeline Michelle Venable: 

I hope everyone is having a great New Year--ours has been wonderful and I feel like this year will bring big things for us....so stay tuned!! 

Busy Weekend!

*This past weekend was full of fun things at the Venable Household. Shawn kicked off the 2012 Indoor Track & Field Season for Bacone @ MSSU in Joplin. He had 2 athletes qualify for Nationals in February at this meet (Juanita Hollands and Jamal Murphy). One of the relay teams had previously qualified at a meet in December. So, the team is off to a great start. Shawn will stay pretty busy over the next few months coaching and working on his Masters. So, we will enjoy every minute we have with him and will be traveling to as many meets as we can this year.

*Keegan had his Pinewood Derby Race this weekend with his Cub Scout Troop. He placed 19th overall and 5th in his Pack. He had a blast and so did Kolton. Keegan's care was "Legendary" (reference from How I Met Your Mother, one of Mommy & Daddy's favorite shows).

*And of course, the big event for the weekend was Kolton's party. Kolton turned 2 on Sunday and we celebrated by having a pool party @ Leapin Louie's Lagoon, located in the Wyndham Hotel in Tulsa. All the kids had a great time and I would definitely recommend it for a kid's party. The service was great. His party theme was Cars 2, one of his current favorites. The cake was created by one of my mom's friends and it was amazing! It not only looked amazing but it also tasted great too.

*Here are some pictures from our big & adventurous weekend (check out FB for Kolt's party pics)! Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Kolton this weekend :)

Family Weekend

So this is our last Saturday before Track season starts. The first meet is next weekend at MSSU in Joplin. That means Shawn will be gone every almost Saturday until the end of May :( So, this weekend will be full of family time for sure. We are currently waiting for our first Pintrest creation to be done (Blueberry Breakfast Cake). So, well see how it goes....doesn't really look like the pictures but oh well!

We are also going to work on Keegan's Pinewood Derby Car later this morning. His Cub Scout Troop will be racing next Saturday at Kirk of the Hills! His car's name: The Legendary (please reference How I Met Your Mother in pretty much any episode). Pictures to come for sure of this LEGENDARY car.

And the biggest news yet.....we have a loose tooth finally! Who knows when it will come out but at least it is loose. Keegan has been sad that most everyone in his class has lost a tooth already. We'll see when it finally comes out :)

Happy Weekend everyone :)

Finally Official :)

Things have been a little crazy the past few days. After the court date on Tuesday, I've been at work. So, sorry this post is a few days late: 


The hearing went wonderfully. Judge Shepherd was very accommodating and made the hearing special for our family. He allowed us have the hearing in the court room so all our family who came to support us could be present with us during the hearing. We had family from both sides present and it was great! Even more people joined for our celebration lunch at Olive Garden. 


We had worked so long on getting this process completed, that it seemed like the day flew by so fast. Kolton was a trooper and behaved pretty well and Keegan was a polite gentleman most of the day. 


I am so glad it is finally official to all the world what has been official to our family for years. Keegan Daniel Tyler Venable from here on out! 


Enjoy the following pics from the big day :)

New Year 2012

So,

Welcome to the Venable Family Blog. I decided after much thought that we needed to do this. So, if you would like to follow, please do, if not it won't bother me!
We started the New Year off right! We have been awake since 7:50 and the TV has yet to be on!! We (the boys & I) have decided to do more reading this year and more time playing instead of TV. Here we go :) 
We begin the new year with a lot of excitement! Tomorrow morning will be the finalizing of Keegan's adoption. The legal process began in October 2010 but began for us emotionally when we met Shawn. I am so glad he came into mine and Keegan's life. He has been an amazing Dad to Keegan and Kolton and I could not ask for a better man to help me raise the boys. 
He truly is Keegan's Dad.....this bond and responsibility goes so much deeper than blood. He has helped Keegan become who is he today. He has been there when he is healthy, when he is sick, when he is happy, and when he cries. He taught him to throw a ball, to run, to jump, to play soccer, to play football and to ride a bike. He cares for him physically, emotionally and spiritually. He loves him and Kolton with the same love--a Daddy's love. Shawn hates cliches and if he reads this, he won't like it but this is the best way for me to describe it: 


"Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad."


Shawn is and always will be my favorite person. I love you!!!


Here are some good songs about daddies:
"That's my Job"--Conway Twitty
"A Father's Love"--George Strait
"A Song For Dad"--Keith Urban
"He didn't have to be"--Brad Paisley
"Anything Like Me"--Brad Paisley (this is my song for Shawn & the boys)


Enjoy! Happy New Year From the Venables