A Look Back

(Our Christmas card for this year)

 

 

Dodson Family Highlights for 2012

 

Riley

Coached Kendle and Morgan’s soccer teams and his last season of high school soccer (for now)

Ended his work year on a high note – top salesman in his company

Survived another year as soccer city director

 Big salmon fishing trip at the Bonneville Dam

Shot tons of geese/ducks/quail

Enjoying playing some indoor soccer again

 

                                                                                   Sarah

Successfully completed her first half-marathon

Mastered the job of potty training twins

Enjoyed spending a fun and relaxing week at the beach

Loved being a soccer/basketball/softball mom

Walked 18 miles in the pouring rain at Relay for Life but still had a great time

Finally got to see the Forgotten Carols

 

Kendle (10 and in 5^th grade)

Back to back league champ for soccer and undefeated seasons

Hit a game winning triple in one of her most memorable softball games

Enjoyed the challenge of her first year playing AAU

Fishing trip with dad where she caught the most fish

Loves playing in her Mad Mallets marimba music group at school

Ran her first 5k and rocked it

Sang a beautiful solo in her church primary program

Got to meet former professional soccer player Kasey Keller

 

Morgan (5)

Passed level 2 for swim lessons

Was quite the fireball in his first soccer season

Got to be his dad’s hunting buddy

Scored lots of baskets for his basketball team and got his first trophy (which he polishes constantly)

Figured out how to do flips, handstands, and one armed cartwheels

Developing a major power throwing arm for football and baseball

Excited to be learning to read and spell

Continues to be the best weed puller and little worker we’ve ever met

 

Cooper & Kale (3)

Mastered riding their trikes like little racing machines

Fell in LOVE with trains and anything and everything to do with them

Had a blast playing at the beach this summer and going to the river

Turned into huge chatterboxes

Learning to play better together and sometimes even act like friends

Are now big enough to go to the farm with grandpa

Enjoyed following big brother and sister around to their games and being their cheerleaders

Loved going to Country Mercantile and riding the train



It has been a great year for our family. We made so many wonderful memories that outweigh the bad.  I can't believe that another year has come and gone. We met quite a few of our goals for last year and can't wait to see what's in store for 2013!

Thanskgiving 2012

This year as usual we went to my parents house in Irrigon for Thanksgiving. It was a small gathering with just Tamra, Tucker, Jim, my parents and our family. My mom's Thanksgiving dinner is something I look forward to every year. She makes the best stuffing and gravy and pies........ok I am getting hungry again. I contributed the sweet potatoes this year (which were way too sweet) and have also become the official roll maker. I sadly did not take any pictures this year of dinner or everyone that was there. I did however eat a very large amount of delicious food and enjoy being with my family and just relaxing together and laid on the couch like a loafer most of the day.

That night we drove back home and had a babysitter lined up for the kids so we could go do some late night/early morning Black Friday shopping. I've never really done Black Friday shopping or really wanted to, but we thought if we got a babysitter and Riley and I went together it might be fun and a night out none the less. So what the heck. The first store we went to was crazy, but the others were fine and we scored some great deals. I thought all in all most everyone was polite and helpful and it wasn't that bad of an experience and I might even go as far to say that we had fun.

Saturday we met up my family at the fairgrounds in Hermiston for the second year in a row to see the Christmas lights and ride in the horse drawn carriage. It is always fun and the kids love it. Here is grandma Melodee and the kids waiting for our ride:




I love this picture of them all with grandma. I am thankful for this time of year when we are reminded and can reflect on our many blessings and spend more time with those we love.

Halloween 2012

This year Halloween was a lot of fun. We kind of went overkill on the candy, but the twins really got into it and were practicing saying trick-or-treat for weeks. Halloween was actually so warm this year that all of the kids came home sweating in their costumes and complaining of being hot. That is a first! Here are my not very good pictures of my little trick-or-treaters before they headed out the door:




It never fails that either Cooper or Kale are not looking.





I had fun doing Kendle's hair for her Medusa costume




Riley and Kendle did their usual major trek around all the surrounding neighborhood's after the little guys came home. They always get quite the haul. I'm glad Riley likes to go do that stuff with the kids, because I am much happier in my cozy house handing out the candy.

For Kendle

Dear Kendle:

I realize you haven't had it so easy the last year or so. It is hard being the coach's daughter. It is hard having high expectations to live up to. It is hard when others are rooting for you to fail and when they get satisfaction out of watching you have a bad game or even a few bad minutes of a great game. It is hard when people are quick to cut you down from a hero to a nobody. It is hard when the other players depend on you and the final outcome of the game rests on your young shoulders and you have to live up to that moment. It is hard when you'd rather be scoring goals, but instead you are in the box having shot after shot taken at you - the job that few people want that takes courage and the gumption to keep making a comeback when you feel like you could just give up. It is hard when your parents don't know when to stop coaching, rehashing games, and giving tons of unsolicited advice. (They do it out of love though.)

But here is the great part. When something is so hard that few people can do it and do it well, it feels all the better to smash in a goal, make a great save, or win a ball off a great defender. Remember in that game this past season when you battled the best defender in the league for what seemed like forever? You didn't give up. I saw that determination come over you and knew something good was going to happen. That magic Kendle switch got turned on. I could see it in your face and your body language. Sure enough, at what seemed an impossible moment you drove around her with everything you had and scored one of the best goals I have ever seen. That potential that is there made it's appearance and it couldn't be denied. Your dad and I know that when you put your mind to something - great things happen. We are working on not being so hard on you, but we hold your standards high because we know what you are capable of when you give it 100%. You are unstoppable and amazing things happen.

I'm sorry that you have had to deal with negativity and people gunning for you at such a young age, but I know if you make the choice, it can make you even stronger (untouchable even) and you are one of the strongest girls I've ever met already. You are going to learn to take those types of comments and people and turn it all into fuel for your fire that is going to light up your world and the people around you. Don't let it make you bitter, but better.

As a soccer player you are amazing, but just as regular old Kendle Dodson from Pasco, WA you are even more amazing. Don't ever forget how great you are and that your future is as bright as you want it to be. We love you and think you are already a star.

Mom and Dad

Christmas Time is Here

I desperately need to write another catch up post about the rest of October, Halloween  and Thanksgiving but I felt like writing something Christmasy today. December is upon us and I couldn't be happier. I look forward to our fun family activities and also focusing more on our Savior and the spirit of Christmas. In the hustle and bustle of soccer, basketball, school functions and concerts, church parties, shopping and present wrapping, doctor appointments  and all of the other things that tend to take up our schedules this time of year I am making an effort more than ever to go with the flow and enjoy it all without letting the stressful feelings creep in.

One of the things that help our family keep the focus on our family and Christmas spirit is to make an advent calendar, but this year we opted just for a Christmas bucket list of many fun things to do throughout the month. I loved our advent calendar we did last year, but I felt the need to be more flexible this year and simplify.

 

Here is our Dodson Family Christmas

Bucket List:

 

Decorate ginger bread houses and ice cream cone trees

 

Drive around and look at Christmas lights

 

Watch Christmas movies

 

Make and decorate Christmas Cookies

 

Take treats to friends and neighbors

 

Go watch the Senske light show

 

Visit and feed the reindeer

 

Sibling Christmas shopping

 

Make snowflakes

 

Read the Christmas story from Luke

 

Clean out toys and clothes to donate

 

Sleep under the Christmas tree

 

FHE about the symbols of Christmas and a treasure hunt

 

Go sledding

 

Learn a new Christmas song

 

Read our favorite Christmas books

 

Take a family photo

 

Drink hot chocolate and watch the Polar Express



 

Do a service project/leave a secret gift for someone

 

 

 

It is going to be a great month!