The Growing Gant Family...

 Always, always, always a great time with family.   We are so blessed to have each other. Thankful doesn't even come close enough. We did a hike around San Diego to cross as many bridges as our legs could handle.   The kids did great! Cutest Thanksgiving turkey around! I'll never get tired of that Ru smile These boys have a special bond with Brenden because of how much time he spent at our house over a few summers while he was in high school We're crazy, but we still like to go to the beach when it's cold (o;   The things we do for our kids.

 If it weren't for the faith of this woman, where would our family be?  She'll be the first to say she made mistakes and regrets things.  But, I'm always quick to remind her that her faithfulness to God despite all of life's challenges, is blessing our family today.  She has left a legacy to her sons that will continue to give through generations.  We love you Grandma Marsha!

It never fails...I'm always in awe at how quickly time passes by.  Ten years ago my Calvin was born and before we know it, he'll be a teenager...May I pause in each moment we're given and reflect on how thankful I am for who God's given us in Calvin.   He decided he wanted to grow his hair out long to "try it out".  It's gotten pretty lengthy!  I'm honestly surprised that he hasn't wanted to cut it with the annoyance of it getting in his eyes, but we'll see how long he lets it go.   We got a visit from Grandpa and Grandma as well as the Sasaoka's from CA since it wasn't only Cal's 10th bday but my 40th.  It sure was fun getting to see them all at once.  Extra spoiled this year (o;   Cal wanted to take the whole family bowling for this birthday Avi on the 6th, Cal on the 8th and Me on the 9th. Happy Birthday to us! They both share my love for popcorn (o;

We always love it when the Thy's come to visit!  Mel always likes coming in the Fall because of how beautiful it is with the changing leave colors...something they don't get much of in CA.  We filled our time with soccer games, pumpkin patches, hikes and even a visit to Lake Pend Orielle.  The time always passes so quickly and the moments the boys get to spend with their cousins is something I'm so grateful for.  Thanks for the sacrifice to come see us Uncle Thom and Auntie Mel! Love them so much! This girl is growing up so fast (o; One of their favorite things...both to do and to eat!

BOTH boys enjoyed soccer this Fall with Real Life Sports! This was William's 2nd time playing and he made the decision all on his own.  He even asked at his last practice this season if Real Life let 9th graders play...He was already thinking about playing into 9th grade!  After his traumatizing experience in kindergarten, we've never pushed the idea of playing again.  Now he says he's really enjoying the sport.  I'm just thankful he's found something he likes to do that keeps him moving.  I want both boys to learn to love being active-however they want to do it. Although William's team didn't win a single game this year, he still managed to play hard, learn some new skills and finish the season.  Proud of him. Calvin's team made it to the top two teams in the league and ended up winning the Cereal Cup Championship.  This is his 2nd time winning the championship and obviously he was pretty excited.   What I love about real life sports is the empha...

 The Cross Country Elementary team at GPA is a short season of only about four weeks.  Calvin decided to try it this year.  Normally we would've said no to two sports at a time, but practices were actually between when Calvin got done with school and when William was released so it filled that gap nicely so we could pick them both up at the same time.  His 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Shroeder was the coach and he loved her last year so that made it fun.   Turns out, Cal's quite the runner!  There were two meets and out of over 40 other 4th grade kids from various schools, he came in 4th both times (1st from his school)!  I was able to be there for the 2nd meet and when he crossed the finish line he told me he was never running in cross country again (as he was out of breath and his face was beat red).  I told him to wait a few days...Sure enough, a few days later he was already talking about how he wanted to maybe try again next year.  It was fun ...