Saturday Morning: Basketball

I've always asked Alexis if she would like to participate in activities. Now that she is in Kindergarten it opens up a variety of activities to participate in. When we got the slip for Dance, I had asked her (numerous times) if she would like to do that and she responded with a "No." I asked a few more times and every answer was "No."  I finally stopped and respected her answer.

Then, we got information on basketball. Without hesitation, she responded with "YES!" Now, every Saturday through February, Alexis is learning the fundamentals of basketball and she is lovin' every minute of it.

I am reminded of myself when I watch her and how proud Grandpa Ed would be of her. I hope she is able to find what she enjoys throughout her school years. Maybe she will stick with basketball maybe she will not. Either way, I will always be there cheering her on!

A changing world

As I entered the living room this morning, I didn't see my little girls playing with dolls, Barbies, or even all the Hotwheel cars that we have strewn around the house. Instead, this is what I saw. A picture of modern America as we now know it. Although all of these devices like the iPad/iPod are nice, I can assure you that I still enjoy the good old fashion way to read a book, play a board game, and teach abcs and 123s.

Zander Award Ceremony

With award shows like the Emmys and Oscars fast approaching, I'd like to take some time to highlight our own Zander family winners this year.

And the winners are....

Best background for a photo goes to... Red Lodge random garage

The loudest cheerleaders at races goes to... Alexis and Brynn

The best cook...me, of course!

Award for the best cuddler...papa Zander

The most adventurous...Alexis

The horse whisperer...Alexis (Brynn lost big)

Most beautiful Molly picture!

Craziest motorcycle winner

The cheesiest smile, but making the most out of Brynn's crying goes to...CHAD!!

The cleanest eater goes to none other than Brynn!

Mr. Zander wins the laziest...(it's actually me, but he doesn't have a picture of it to prove it!)

Most memorable car and pizza goes to Moose Jaw Pizza in Wisconsin Dells!

Messiest smore eater...Alexis!

The award for the most mischievious goes to...Brynn!

The award for the greatest accomplishment by far is...Alexis

The award for the best pig racing face goes to none other than Brynn!

And the winner for the most scared at parades...Brynn

 Award for the most special and teary eyed photo of the year...how could this one not win an award?!

Award for the proudest girl...Alexis on her first day of school

 And the winner for the shove food into mouth at the best time goes to...Brynn! Look Close!!

The best summer memory goes to...Zorbaz Pizza!

The award for the why are the kids so quiet?

 Goes to this memorable moment... 

 The award for the worst self portrait goes to this quick snap...

I announce with pride the last award for the night...

The most dramatic performance goes to this cute little bug!

Until next year...

My mom, my hero!

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."  Eleanor Roosevelt

Many of you may already know that my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She's had a successful surgery to remove the tumor already, but now she is looking chemo in the face. She will soon undergo a long series of chemo and radiation appointments. The battle continues for a while longer unfortunately.

I am still going through a roller coaster of emotions. One day I am feeling sad that my mom has to be going through all of this after all that she has had to deal with in her life already.

Another day I am frustrated that nobody has yet figured out how to cure cancer and another minute, I am simply mad at cancer itself (cancer took my dad away from me when I was 17).

I also find myself scared...I cannot deny this.  I'm scared for all of her treatments and the unknown of how her body will react. I'm scared that she may get too sick and miss out on important memories.

I find myself relatively okay through all of this though because I know what a fighter my mom is and always has been. She has a long road ahead of her, but I know that she will get through this. She has three wonderful and caring daughters, not to mention a huge extended family that are in this fight with her...Go Team Sharon!!

My mom with my daughter, Alexis

I thank Connie for taking the lead with all of my mom's medical appointments!

My mom and her three girls

My mom with Brynn shortly after she was born

My mom walked me down the aisle...what a blessing!

A whole lot of inspiration going on!!

Here we come Fargo marathon!! My mom is really inspired to walk the 5K this year at the Fargo marathon. We hope that she has enough strength and energy in May to do this. If not, many of us will be walking it in honor of her breast cancer fight...you can guarantee a fun crew wearing pink will be showing up to walk it for her!

My husband has decided that he will be running his next marathon for charity! His next marathon happens to be the Fargo marathon. All of his proceeds will be going to the American Cancer Society!! What an awesome son-in-law huh?! More information on how you can sponsor his race will be coming soon...PLEASE think about helping Chad raise money for a great cause!

And me; well, I'm planning on running a half marathon for my mom! I have a race in mind in early fall (summer is my best training time). Every step and mile will be for her! I have started my running/training already and when my mind thinks about stopping, I get inspired to keep going because of her!

Here's to the next chapter of kicking cancer in the butt!!

A List Of Goals

After more careful thought and consideration for the upcoming year, I have made a list of goals that I believe will make me a better person, wife, and mother.

Here they are:

1. Laugh More: I thoroughly enjoy a good laugh, but I can get caught up in the rut of being a serious person at times. If I laughed a bit more at myself and with my family, imagine what kind of home atmosphere that would bring!

2. Pray Often: Instead of the let's pray for this or that because I need or want God's love and attention at the moment, I need to pray for my everyday blessings he has already blessed me with!

3. Love Like Crazy: I do love my family a great deal. I may not always show it to them like I want to though. I would like to have more random hugs and kisses and I Love Yous rather than just before bed each night. I consider myself a very loving and caring person so it's time to get on-board with this goal!

4. Think Positively: I have already chosen to be a more positive person...I just want to continue this one! I enjoy finding the good and positive blessings out of each ugly day.

5. Be Brave When You Are Scared: This is a good one when I feel like a coward. I know that I am going to get thrown into many challenging situations in 2012 and I want to conquer them with strength and courage!

Happy New Year!!

Live a life inspired...

As the new year approaches, I always get sucked into these things called--resolutions. It usually is the "I'm going to lose weight" or "I'm going to organize my house" kind of resolutions that I can commit to for a month or two. This year I want something that I know that I can commit to for longer...

I was in a store yesterday when something caught my eye. It was a bracelet that I bought that says..."live a life inspired." I {LOVE} this saying, especially after hearing the news of my mom's breast cancer.

I am inspired to do a lot of things this upcoming year including, running a half marathon for my mom! I have a race in mind in early fall (summer is my best training time), but I plan to do many 5K and 10K races throughout the spring and summer. Every step, every mile is for her and all she has had to go through in her life...I am inspired!

I just know that it is going to be a {GREAT} year!
What are you inspired to do this year?!

self-timer snapshots

I've been using my self-timer lately and I've been having lots of fun with it! I find that photos turn out best if you try to capture a moment rather than forcing the picture. This morning I took a few different snapshots of Brynn and I while we made memories together. These are some of my favorites because they aren't perfectly posed but more a peek into our morning.