Paw Print Festival 2017...

Saturday was the College Hills Elementary annual Paw Print Festival and the first set of spring storms finished just in time to make a gorgeous day!! We always plan the event to coincide with The Big Event at Texas A&M so that we ensure we have PLENTY of volunteers to help run all the games. I happen to think that we get the BEST volunteers since half of them are from MSC FISH. 

These Aggies do everything from setting up games, hauling tables, hanging signs, taking tickets, scooping ice cream and helping where ever needs arise - we realized we needed a photographer so Manny made sure to document the day. And since they love my kids, I lucked out and got a glimpse into all the fun they were having while I was busy running around!

Radley adores Drew - his whole face lit up when he saw him. I kind of think the feeling is a bit mutual. I'm not sure who gives each other more sass.... 

I mean, Dad Drew is the best.

Tia and Uncle Josh made their way up there in time for the official start with all the girls in tow. (Ryan was at our house with our own set of Big Event volunteers helping to redo the front landscaping in our yard!) I was very clearly giving them an important message. 

So thankful for this six pack!

My kids had so much fun all day long!

Kelsey, Drew, and Becca walked around with them, held their drinks, kept track of their prizes, filled them up with plenty of sugar and spoiled them rotten. At some point they had all 6 and didn't blink an eye. (Well, I think Drew had all 6 for 5 minutes and may have been freaking out a bit.)

Emmy's feet may have never touched the ground. 

While my "old execs" were making sure my kids were taken care of - this crew (and Manny behind the lens) was making sure I was taken care of. They checked in, ran errands and just offered the best support to this event. 

A THOUSAND BIG THANKS to you MSC FISH! You enrich my life and my kids' lives so so so much!

Sacraments, soccer, service and cinema...

Saturday was just **slightly** jam-packed but it was all-the-way awesome! 

We started our morning at dress rehearsal for Radley's first communion. He was thrilled to get dressed up two days in a row. ;) I was excited to get to snap a few day of pics early! :)

I also tried to play around with the lighting in the church so I'd be prepped for the big day of picture snapping and happened to catch these sweet girls twirling in their dresses. I LOVE this part of communion. I love that their wedding day won't be the first time they step into a gown that made them feel beautiful. I love that during baptism and communion they are ready to make a commitment to the church and as they grow up, that love will flourish in Him. 

From sacramental prep to the soccer field! We made a quick switch as I headed up to work and Ryan, the kids and my parents headed to watch Rad's last soccer game. They ended the Spring season on top and Rad scored a goal in his final year with CS Soccer Club. 

Next year he's going to start training with a local club organization and he's pretty darn excited about it - I'm a little nervous but if this makes him happy and challenges his skill then I'm all for it!

After lunch, naps and a quick change of clothes, they were on campus with me for my students' biggest event of the year - Kyle Field Day! We were extra excited because after two years away, the event returned to our flagship facility and everyone got to enjoy KYLE FIELD! Miss Reveille was just about to leave as the kiddos arrived - the girls even love this dog. 

#thatsamiracle 

I love this day. I love that it takes a year of planning and hard work to bring these tiny pieces together. I love that it promotes a commitment to serve beyond the event. I love that freshmen students at Texas A&M facilitate an event that brings in over 2000 people! And I clearly love that kiddos and their friends get to enjoy every single bit of it. 

If that wasn't enough fun, MSC FISH partnered with A&M's student athletes to make their annual Film on the Field event part of KFD. So as we were cleaning up a day of service, people were getting comfortable on the field for a screening of one of my favorite football movies - Remember the Titans. SO MUCH AWESOME.

The kids were clearly into the movie. 

I can't get over the fact that my job lets my kids hang with some of the most amazing young adults around. I hope they are osmosising (what? It's totally a word.) their awesomeness into their tiny bodies because that would make my job parenting older kids a breeze. 

They {heart} Kyle Field Day. 

And I {heart} them. 

I also loved that night's sleep, but the weekend wasn't over yet... 

Bringing home to work...

 One of my least favorite parts about adulting is bringing work home. BUT...one of my FAVORITE parts about working is bringing HOME with me. I love that my job has plenty of opportunities to bring me #wee3kings along and hang out with a crowd of college kids. 

I just hope that they soak up some of their goodness and turn out to be awesome college kids, too. And no, they aren't a distraction at all - I mean they fit plenty of girl time in during all the work. 

And then maybe sometimes they become a distraction.

Or Shera - I can't decide. 

Something tells me they love it when I bring home to work, too.

Kyle Field Day - take 5.

There's an unofficial saying in Aggieland that if something happens twice, it becomes a tradition. Well, this was the 5th annual Kyle Field Day and by the power vested in me as owner/writer/contributor/keeper of this blog - I declare this program a tradition. 

This tiny random idea on a DP run to McDonald's has become a vessel that brings light to service opportunities to young and old. From raising awareness about animal abuse, therapy dogs, and rescue services... 

to decorating shoes for orphans in Africa...

(lots of shoes)

(over 200 pair of shoes)

and getting information on human trafficking, boundary free camps, and so much more. This one event, brings an entire community together to lend a hand and make a mark on something. 

(and it also offers free food!)

I love this day - I love that I get to share it with my entire family (thanks for taking all these pics, Ryan) and my friends, and their kids and this community of Aggies. 

I am so honored to be part of this program and be able to watch my students create such an everlasting imprint on the lives of others through the act of selfless service. 

Can't wait to see what this tradition holds for years to come!

FISHteen Years...

Fifteen years ago, I was a college senior. I was thinking about going to graduate school to get a degree in higher education, and I was so excited about what that may mean. I was not at all prepared for that what that actually was. 

What the next 15 years brought me was the ability to witness a passion to serve, 

a commitment to lead, 

the will to grow and change, 

and not just in my students. 

I could have never imagined the change I would see in myself by being surrounded by these great students turned lifelong friends. 

I have been able to celebrate success, share in disappointment, witness failure, encourage learning, applaud greatness and serve right along side them.

No one loves their job 100% of the time - it's impossible. The bureaucracy, the politics, the fact that you have to wake up and go to work... something always to do or say or report. But, I without a doubt, have loved what I do every single day. 

Because of a million tiny things. 

But mostly because of the people that I get to do it with.