Happy Birthday, Cade!

My sweet baby boy turned 12 this weekend!

It just so happened that his basketball team
was also in their league's championship tournament.

The boys got to play their final game in the Convention Center,
right before the Austin Toros played!

It was everything a 12-year-old birthday boy could have wished for!

My camera isn't so great at events like this, but the game was awesome.

Cade, (who wasn't so pleased with the game he had when his
Michigan family was here), stepped up to the plate and had a great night.

He was later given the "offensive award" for his team.

The Hillcrest Hoops "Spurs" won
and were crowned the champions (for the second year in a row!)

Cade is way too cool for the after-game photos!

Later, we took Cade's teammates down the street to the Ironworks for Barbecue.
Isn't this just lovely?
Twelve-year-old boys won't smile for the camera anymore.
It's always something gross!

After dinner, we headed back to the Convention Center to watch

the Toros annihilate the Anaheim Arsenal.

These guys are huge!

We had courtside seats for Cade's birthday

so we were "up close and personal!"

No, they didn't all wear yellow shirts.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation gave those to everyone sitting courtside.
Cade's team just got lucky!
It was nice, though; it made it easy for us to keep up with all the boys!
Happy Birthday, Cade Jackson!!

Junior Cotillion

Cade just finished Junior Cotillion, a class in manners and dancing skills. Though he'd never admit that he enjoyed it, I think he did. A big group of his buddies (probably 20 or so) also participated,
and of course, there were tons of girls!

These are pictures from the formal dinner
and ball that concluded the class.

This photo made the newspaper!

Winter Break

Our school district has a winter break
every year in the first week of February.

Lots of families go skiing, but we are always
looking for a way to enjoy the sun!
This year we took the kids to South Padre . . . .

. . . where we all got to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches

in Texas (even in February!)

Cade and Jack had fun digging a huge hole in the sand . . .

We all climbed the dunes . . .

And searched for tons of shells!

We had a great time just hanging out together.

The hotel pool was heated so we had plenty of fun there, too.