A Year in Reflection…

...with some thoughts on '09 and our family. Where does one start? So much to share, so much has happened, so much has changed, again where to start! First and foremost we are all thankful for the new and old friends we have met and kept this past year and all the blessings that they have brought us. Although 2009 has proven to be one of our most challenging years for household financially, it has also been the best spiritual year for me personally. I have been blessed to see so many miracles this past year and even some that I have not been able to stop and recognize them and give praise where praise is due. I shared with my small group (a miracle in its own right), that I have often fallen to my knees to pray to God when things have gotten tough, but this past year I found myself falling to my knees to PRAISE HIM!

We have been blessed in '09 as our NEEDS were met; we were also blessed with good health & wonderful relationships. God has been great to our family of 5, and when things get rocky we are constantly reminded about Philippians 4:19 (MSG); "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus". We can't deny that He has "taken care of everything we NEED"!

The kids are getting bigger every year, I know that is what they are suppose to do, but I think this year has been more emotional for me, especially as I see my lil Raymond grow into the young man that we always knew he could be. But before I go there I suppose the best thing to do is start from the bottom and work my way up.

Emma: Our fun loving, free spirited, well loved little girl turned 5. She continues to amaze us with her humor and keeps us laughing day in and day out, God knew exactly what He was doing when He blessed us with her! She continues to make new friends, as she is not a bit shy and will talk to anyone who will give her a listing ear. She loves her brudders and thinks they hung the moon. Although she has battled her skin and digestive issues this past year, we think we finally found a solution, so we hope that things in this area will look better in 2010!

Robert: Our football stud finished his freshman year at BHS and started his sophomore year and turned 16 before the year was out. He continues to be single guy, as all the lovely ladies think of him as a big teddy bear/ big brother figure, which is just fine with us. He continues to have friends over week in and week out and we have enjoyed getting to know them on a different level. His comedian ways keep us in check as he finds his way to deal with everyday peer pressure and all that come with being a high school boy in this world today. He played a support role, as the football team played a 15 game season and won a state title for the 3^rd consecutive year and hopes to get two more by the time he graduates.

Lil Raymond: I only refer to him as "lil" Raymond when I write about him, which is why I think I get sentimental when I think about him as he is not so "lil" anymore. Our college, serious Chick-fil-A worker young man is finding his wings and is soaring. He has been dating Heather for over a year now and all Emma can talk about is how they are gonna get married, cause you know that's what you do after you date…according to her J I'm not sure about that, but they have a healthy relationship and keep each other in check and if marriage is in their FAR away future we would be happy with that. In the mean time, this past year was the first year we had a lot of 1^st with him, as he got his 1^st job, we went on our 1^st family vacation without him, and we have spent countless of holidays for the 1^st time without him, as we share him with Heather and her family….my baby is grown up~

Flora: Well let's see, she is holding on to 29 as long as everyone will let her, she started her 11^th year at her job and love what she does, thus it doesn't feel like work! She continues to help coach the JV and Varsity Women's soccer squads for BHS. She also helped start up B12, a youth group bible study for Robert and his friends, as well as played a lead role this past year with the Moms Huddle group which supports Robs football team and coaches. It's been a privilege and blessing to be Ray's, Rob's, & Em's mom this past year and she seeks to grow her relationship with Christ, as this has made her a better spouse, mother, friend and co-worker!

Raymond: As the business struggles this past year, he took those opportunities to grow his relationship and involvement with the kids. Since the boys have gotten bigger and he no longer coaches them in sports, he is creative in finding ways to coach them in life whether he realizes it or not. He was able to spend more one on one time with Emma and had fun every minute along the way, I do believe this is where her "free spirited" ways come from J if this was a full time paying job, he would have stopped looking for other job opportunities. His support, love and passion for our family is what makes us who we are, it's what makes us feel what we feel, it's what gives us a sense of self worth and belonging, it is why our kids will succeed in life.

During this holiday season, we trust that you and your families have a lot to be thankful for and pray that you each have a wonderful and prosperous 2010.

Christmas ‘09

...for the Contreras Clan, it all started on December 23^rd…yeah I know 2 days before Christmas. We have been playing board games while off this holiday break and Big Raymond was ready to play a different game so he said, "Let's let Emma open up a gift!" Of course he knew which gift it would be, but that didn't matter to Robert, who by this time is a bit frustrated about our family traditions during this season being changed up a bit. Let's see it all started with the tree:

1. This is the first Christmas in 21 years that we didn't have a "real" tree, we always go out every year as a family and pick one out, I guess with lil Raymond working so much, Big Raymond not working as much that time and finances were not on our side, so I didn't think it was a big deal when my mom gave us her pre-light tree that she would not be using this year…didn't think anyone else cared until Robert brought it up at our last B12 gathering J
   
   
2. We didn't decorate the tree as a family, which usually consist of me doing the decorating, big Raymond sitting on the couch giving direction and the kids adding the their homemade decorations from over the years. This year lil Raymond was working, Robert brought down the decorations, however claims he didn't realize that we were decorating it. What really happened was that as he was searching for the Christmas boxes he found a box of football equipment (old helmets, shoulder pads and such), so as Emma and I decorated the tree he spent the evening playing/cleaning all his old treasures. Again, didn't think too much about it until Robert felt the need to share it with the B12 crew.
   
   
3. So back to December 23^rd, the gift opening…we always allow the kids to open up at least ONE gift on Christmas Eve, but when Ray suggested that Emma open one up the eve of Christmas eve, Robert just couldn't handle it, now it would have probably been fair for him to open one too, however since his gifts were limited in numbers, if he would have started on this day, he may have not had any to open on Christmas. Truth is we thought our 16 year old son would understand why we would allow his 5 year old sibling to open up a gift, which by the way was the game "Connect Four", and would give us another board game to play…needless to say he didn't. For Robert it wasn't a matter of age; it was a matter of principle/fairness. Let's just say, life isn't fair and who better to teach kids of this than their own parents! I'm sure he will thank us for it one day, or at least I hope so~

There are no pics of December 23rd…hopefully this memory will be forgotten and we won’t have to hear it from this year forward from anyone in particular…let’s just say, opening up Connect Four, just made this night a whole lot of fun, at least for me, I was on fire and no one could beat me…the more we played games during this break I have been reminded that I am a bit competitive…who knew?

December 24^th came around; all was well in the world once again, since the kids all got to open up their ONE gift. The Cheatham's came over and spent Christmas Eve with us as usual and we all had a great time sitting around the table playing "apples to apples". Lil Raymond was remind that he is getting older so his gifts are more of those that you get as you get older, you know, not as much fun with toys, but rather things that will come in handy throughout the year, or at least we thought so. Before the night was over Stacy, my mom and I hopped in the car and went to midnight mass @ Prince of Peace Catholic Church, it was a treat for my mom and a reminder to me of what church was like as a child.
Here a some pics from Christmas Eve:
How could he ever tell her no?Every girl loves a dollRobert loving on his grandmaYeah, he is still a kid at heart...Like I said he is growing up...funny thing is his uncle gave him one tooSuiting up to shoot someoneYep, he is still holding a grudge from the night before
Christmas Day, December 25^th the kids were up early, and no matter how old they get, they are still curious to see what Santa brought. After the gift opening we spent the day hanging out, I made a big pot of "Posole", The Cheatham's came over and not only spent the day with us, but also brought over their Christmas meal, which included, turkey, ham and all the fixings…I think everyone would agree we all had our fill and then someJ Overall it was a peaceful, fun filled day that reminded me that God is all around and no matter how hard things seem to get at times, He is always there and surrounds us with His love, we just need to be able to recognize it and not take it for granted.
Here a some pics of this awesome day:

Our trio waiting on us to get out of bed…mom, dad, it’s Christmas!Em and Rob figuring out whose gift is whoseRob sporting his new Championship t-shirt and a picture collage I made him to remind him of his sophomore football seasonRay likes his new shirt from the CheathamsEm is thinking “YES!” another board game, thanks Mrs. StacyDidn’t I just get one of these last night? Oh well you can’t have too much shaving cream when you’re a guy. Thanks Uncle Andy & Grandma.Rob is thinking, didn’t Raymond just get two of these..what are ya’ll trying to say? Thanks Uncle Andy & Grandma.So as soon as this t-shirt comes out of the box, in a blink of an eye (I didn’t even see it happen, is was sooo fast), the other one he just got and he put on so quick, came off twice as quick and this one took its place...thanks Raymond, I knew you were a cool brother.I love my cousins from Texas...thanks Katherine, Carl & Scott…you guys rock!this one is cool too…how does she know what I like, she lives so far away…love you aunt Patsy.This is an awesome bake set…thanks to the Farrell’s, Mr. Mike, Mrs. Lori & Miss Carson…you rock, I’m all set to make some mac-n-chesses and bake a cake…the apron with my name added a much loved personal gift!Yes…colors, markers and more, a special thanks to the Moody’s who did all they could to play Santa and make my Christmas a special one, all the gifts you gave to our Emma were much appreciated and loved!Putting her new apron to use as Emma and Mrs. Stacy put the finishing touches on a cake.Wow, it has my name! That’s what Em thought of the gift that Heather and her father baked for her, wasn’t that the sweetest thing ever… it came along with a handful of kisses.Game time…Celia, Sarah & Brandon join in the fun of what “apples to apples” has to offerMario & CeliaRaymond & HeatherBrandon, Robert…being Robert, & Andy talking about tigers in the bathroom or in this case the kitchen, all we heard this past week was a song that goes something like: “what do tigers dream of, when they take a little tiger snooze”, yeah we all saw it, not sure what to think about it, but it did bring some laughs this holiday break.

From our family to yours, we hope you each had a most Blessed Christmas,

Christmas Celebration…

…B12 Style! As the year comes to an end, we had a Christmas party for our B12'vers. It was very low key and uneventful compared to some of our bible study topics this past year, from what I could tell everyone had a great time.

I want to take some time to thank the Farrell's, Zamora's, Saunders', Bratton's, Cheatham's, Trudi Cheek, & Tanya Hicks for their support, love and belief in this service that began at the beginning of this past summer.

I want to thank the kids for giving of their precious time and those who kept coming week in and week out to hang out, fellowship, share, open up and let us into their ever changing teenage lives.

I want to thank everyone for their trust; confidentiality and making this a place where everyone was not only welcomed but also made to feel this way. Lives have been changed including my own, and I can't wait to see what 2010 has in stored for B12.

It was nice to listen to everyone and their family traditions during a round group discussion of everyone's Christmas traditions and favorite/best gifts they ever received. This time was followed up by playing "dirty Santa" also know as a "white elephant" gift exchange game. In the end Louie wrapped it up with wise words as always to remind us all of this awesome holiday and the best gift that was given for all.

Here are a few pics from yet another awesome B12 gathering:

eating some yummy food
Stacy showing off her new gifts from Lori & Randy
Justin and Randy showing Lori and Mike how to put together their new picnic basket.
Watkins with the perfect cap...it's a Buford camo hat, can't tell us it doesn't have her name all over it.
Brandon will be warm tonight with his new blanket
Katrina, Diana & Austin enjoying the gift opening surprises
Chad wants to know if it's his turn yet
Justin is trying to figure out how the Old Spice will help him with his "swag"... I think he stole it from Durden, who stole it from Libby, it went around a few times...
Carson is searching for the perfect gift to choose
Catherine got the brush set
Durden is happy for a bit as he stole the Old Spice from Libby
Libby can't get a break, 1st the Old Spice and now this men's shaving kit...she was such a great sport!
Rob telling JZ which gift to open as Libby looks on and is still thinking, "how did I end up with a shaving kit, oh well at least I can use the razor". They hit the jackpot with these "Transformer" walkie talkies...as Louie would say, "they are boys in men's bodies"
good time with friends, what else could a person want...Catherine, Carson & Elsie...three great, simply beautiful girls
Thanks again to each of you; you have given me a gift that I cannot put into words. B12 has given Robert and I time to spend together, it has helped our mother-son relationship grow and get closer than we ever would have without B12 & you. With much love and many blessing to each of you and your families,

State Champs…

…any questions? Other folks had plenty from day one, but the main one was:

Can they do it one more time? They shouldn't even be here!

With a young, yet talented team, unless you were a player or a parent of one, most didn't believe it could be done, I believe the coaches even questioned if it could be done. However, once the player's convinced themselves, the coaches, and everyone else who didn't believe, everyone jumped on board (at least the football fans around town).

What an exciting season, what an exciting ride. Some may say, of course it's easy for you to say this now, I believe very few folks see this team from my view point. As a mom of a 3 time county championship player of this sophomore class I know this class is special and not only those who were part of Roberts team in the GFL days, but sophomores as a whole around our county.

Ever since Robert was 6 and played against a lot of these kids, we knew then what we know now…they are an awesome, talented, competitive bunch of kids. Our family has had the pleasure of seeing most of them grow up through the years and follow them, we knew these boys were gonna be speical & awesome when they grew up and now that most of the ones we played against are now on our side, adding them to our already talented 3-time county champs they have all surpassed our personal expectations, this season alone. This group has a lot more left in them and we can't wait to see what they will do over the next two years.

Although this was a proving yourself, growing season, these boys sat back and learned what they could from the current senior class and all they had to offer. Our class did all they could to support them & help their dream become a reality. Our hats are off to the seniors, all that they stood for and the example they sat for our younger classman this past season.

Here are some pics from a day that we will not soon forget:

Pre-game warm-ups
Line drills
67 is our guy
gettin fired up for the game
Our cheerleaders make the best banners!
Proud mommas with the banner Randy had made
Game Time
What a scene...post game handshakes
Mia & Em going to meet their championship brothers!

Andy enjoyed the playoff run and made all the games he could, he wasn't gonna miss this one!
We are a proud family :)
(lil Raymond and Heather had already left before the boys came up)
Rob & his Proud Papa
1st class coaching staff
Sophomore SWAG

To read articles on the game itself, feel free to visit the Wolves website for links to local on-line news papers.