Saturday we celebrated Tyler's birthday with friends of ours, the Krier's. He turned 16 yesterday! I can hardly believe where the time has went.

Our nighbor, Donna Holmes, came over to give Tyler a card and wish him a Happy Birthday.

I sold my house. I moved to LeMars with Steve and Tyler. We have been through lots of changes. All of you have been so supportive and we thank you all for that. For the next 2 years our address will be: 1053 3rd St. SE, Lemars,IA 51031

Sunday evening, after a wonderful weekend in LeMars, I met the girls from work for supper at Famous Dave's. A coworker, Cindy, is moving to Corpus Christi, Texas and we went out for one last hurrah before the move. I've known Cindy since my Methodist Manor days and have really enjoyed her friendship. I've wanted to vacation in Texas and will now have the perfect place to stay.

Just wanted all you fellow ISU fans to know that Tyler n Royce White r tight!
Twitter talk:
Tyler: "Realistically, where do you think yo're going in the draft?"
Royce: "Undrafted."

Then Royce retweeted Tyler today. They share April birthdays.

I hope that means when he gets drafted(like Tyler and I know he will) he will remember those brotherly tweets and send us a few free tickets. I know Royce has been snubbed in the news but what a good role model for kids to show that you can turn your life around and come out on top. I already liked watching him play unselfish basketball but I really like him as a father and future NBA star now.

Thursday at school a group of Freshman and Sophomore boys asked Tyler to be on their tournament team. Of course he said, "YES!" Friday night we drove to Hull to watch their first game. They won 64-49 vs Trinity Christian. Saturday noon we drove back to watch the second and third game. They lost the second game to West Lyon 34-54. The third game was a nailbiter back n forth game with rival Hull Western Christian. They came out on top with the win, 52-51. They got medals for their second place finish. As parents,it was very refreshing to listen to a coach be encouraging for the boys and have teammates cheer you on even when your losing by 20. He fit in very well with his new Bulldog uniform. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Kneifl and Grandpa Devos for coming to the games and watching Tyler.

Friday I came to LeMars. Friday night we went to the LCHS Music Boosters Spaghetti supper then went to Sioux City afterwards to see the movie "21 Jumpstreet" at the Promenade. Saturday I joined Tyler for a workout at the YMCA, got him a haircut at Sie Bella, then went to Sioux City again to watch the Bandits play. They won 70-30. Today we went to the Y again and watched basketball. He is making some new friends at school and everyone thinks he looks like the white kid from "Black Express." LOL

Tyler and Kallie Croker
Tyler and Erin Scheulke
The group: Ryan Gutz,Blake Overmohle,Alex Hudspeth,Nic Seaman, Trey O'Brien, Pel Deng, Tyler Devos
Brynna Richter, Sarah Hixson, Kallie Croker, Megan Miller, Erin Scheulke
The Guys
Kallie's parents hosted the preparty to the winter formal Saturday night. The guys were all gathered around the tv watching the ISU vs Kentucky game. Halftime came and then the boys were ok with taking pictures. Being a mom of a son who is a "one and done" type in front of the camera I was amazed how many pictures I got to take of all the kids. The boys were real troopers. Us girls sure like to take alot of pictures!

Saturday morning Tyler was in a 3 on 3 tournament with Yach Deng, Chase Lange, and Tanner Hoops. They got third place but more importantly had fun with his SL friends.

This last week has been an emotional one to say the least. Wednesday Tyler started LeMars Community High School. He likes his classes, met some new friends, and is starting baseball practice with the team this week. He has joined the YMCA and is able to continue improving his basketball skills, lift weights, and spend time with Steve.
Thursday we buried my Grandma "C". It was a sad day to say goodbye to such a wonderful person who had a lot of impact in my life. Her wit, sense of humor, and love of her family was evident by all of us that gathered that day. It was nice to reminisce about the good 'ol days with family and friends. I'm so very blessed to have known both of my Grandmas in the capacity I did. They are very special ladies.

Tyler receiving his certificate of participation from JV Coach, Noah Wilson.

Coach, Bob Grant, handing out the awards and certificates to the Varsity squad. In addition to receiving his certificate of participation the team also received The Excellence in Academic Acheivement Award for having a team gpa of 3.0-3.24. This is always my favorite award.

Tyler made both of his free throws. He had the highest free throw percentage on the Varsity squad with 83%.
Tyler bringing the ball up the court.

The post season ended at Substate for the boys last night with a loss to undefeated MOC-FV. Tyler thought it was neat to play @ BVU for their final game.

You are looking at the 2012 Boys Basketball District 4 Champions. They beat Algona Monday night and Webster City last night. Each player received a medal. They did a great job playing as a team.

Friday night was the last game of the season. The team has shown so much improvement from the beginning to end. It has been fun to watch them play and grow as a team.

The boys had a rough go of it but they were able to show improvement from the last time they played the Bulldogs.

Catch up from Tuesdays game in Spencer JV lost by a 3 point buzzer beater 36-38. Varsity also lost. Fridays JV game was great as you can tell by the score below. Tyler played a solid game and had many assists to Yach. It's so fun to watch those two play. The above pic is of Tyler making it into the Varsity game in the first half. He played good defense and had 1 assist. He also played some in the second half.
Hollie and Chloe made the trip up to watch Tyler play. Grandma and Grandpa also stayed the night and spend the next morning with us. Grandma brought along her homebaked chocolate chip bread while Grandpa made us smoked bbq ribs and beans. Thank you all for coming to watch Tyler play and spend time with us. It means alot to me to have my family here for us.

Alex and Tyler-Our cousin, Alex, goes to college at Iowa Lakes in Emmetsburg. He spent the whole night with us watching Tyler play and visiting with the rest of us. Thank you, Alex:)

Tyler had a big game Friday night. He scored 15 points! Which is impressive but even more so since the starters racked up the score to be 20 points ahead and the bench got a lot of playing time. The Varsity game was also a great game with SL winning with a last second buzz beater to win.

Tyler getting in the Varsity game last night.

No pictures to show since I took my camera out and the battery was dead:( Tuesday night the boys traveled to Hull. Both the JV and V boys lost.

After the game we headed the other direction to Ankeny. For date night we went to Jordan Creek and ate at Charley's, a sub shop, that Tyler's friend recommended. It was good but we are still partial to JJ's. Tyler also needed some new tennis shoes...size 13!!! I couldn't believe it. I'm anticipating another growth spurt very soon. Chloe was such a good sport that she deserved a treat and picked out "Frosty." I really enjoy spending time with Tyler and Chloe. They are quite easy kids to handle at the mall. Now when the next baby Smith comes it might be a different story for date night...
Tyler with cousins Devin and Dillon LaBrune

Saturday morning Dillon had a basketball tournament in Cherokee. He is a 5th grader at Westwood school in Sloan so to be able to catch a game this close to Storm Lake was great.

Who remembers where that Christmas tree was?

Wednesday afternoon Mom and I headed to Minnesota to stay with Sherry and Merlin. Thursday morning we drove to Clarkfield to visit Gramma "C" at the nursing home. I brought along my stack of baby books. We had a wonderful morning reminiscing through old photos. She has a delay in getting her words out but her speech was much improved from the last time I had seen her. I thanked her for giving Tyler and I wonderful childhood memories. I hope I can take care of mom and dad as well as they have taken care of their parents.

Tyler and Chloe playing Candyland

We had a wonderful holiday season. It has been so great to see all our family and friends. We truly are blessed to have all of you in our lives. Thank you for a memorable Christmas season.

Tyler had 8 points. He is improving on driving to the basket and it is so fun to watch him develop as a player. With all the craziness of the holiday Grandma is continuing to keep us well fed with homemade chicken n noodles and Christmas goodies. It was also fun to have my friend, Sherry, who is a teacher at East come to the game. She brought me supper and more goodies. Thank you to you both.

Tyler saw quite a bit of action in the 2nd quarter of the varsity game Friday night. Trey had a hard fall, bruised his tail bone and wouldn't return until the 3rd quarter. Coach called on Tyler to shoot Trey's free throws and said, "I need you to make these 2 free throws." That's just what Tyler did. Coach also drew up a play for Tyler to shoot a 3. He missed it but fortunately, Pel got the rebound and scored the bucket. He also guarded the leading scorer for the E'Hawks and can proudly say that he didn't score when Tyler was on him. After the game Tyler shook Coaches hand and thanked him for putting him in the game. Tyler is a pretty easy kid to coach. Don't yell at him, allow him to trust you, and he will give you a 100% every time. So far, the relationship is blossoming beautifully and it's so exciting to see from the bleachers. We also are continuing to receive wonderful home baked goodies from Grandma. This time she made banana chocolate chip bread which he downed right when we got home. Thank you :)

Tyler was the leading scorer for the JV game. He had 14 points. 6 points were beyond the arch.
As Coach Harnden used to say, "The starters did their job so the kids on the bench could get some playing time." Tyler got in the last minute of the game. He got fouled and made his first free throw. Thank you Grandma for the soup. It was a nice warm meal after a night of basketball.

This is the posters that are hung in businesses and schools (and Grandpa's office) of the Varsity Boys basketball team.
Last night in Estherville the JV won their game! The starters did a good job executing the plays to get a lot of easy buckets in the paint. Tyler had 1 point which came from a crucial free throw at the end of the game. Also, I didn't keep track but he probably had 10 assists. He found the open man down low and Chase, Yach, or Grant scored.
Thank you grandma for the home baked cookies and the wonderful dinner out before the concert. It's such a treat for both of us. Thank you Steve for saving our seats so we are able to enjoy the concert from the front row.
Monday night Tyler had his Holiday concert. The kids did a great job! I love listening and watching the kids perform.

Friday night we traveled to Spirit Lake to watch the boys play ball. Tyler was the JV teams leading scorer with 8 points. He also saw some Varsity action and had a steal. He made sure that Mitchell, who was keeping track of stats, had it marked in the books;)

Tyler saw his first Varsity experience Tuesday night in an awesome game vs #2 ranked in class 2A vs Hull Western Christian. He came in twice for his teammate and friend, Trey. He did just what he was supposed to do and that was to play good defense. Which in turn made the opponent turnover the ball and let us score a bucket. Wednesday before practice, Coach Grant chatted with Tyler and told him he really liked the way he played on the court. Tyler was happy with the talk and will continue to work hard. Even though at the end of the night the boys were on the losing end of the game, 89-95, it brought a lot of confidence to the boys that they can play with some of the best teams.

Tyler is the starting point guard for the JV squad. He did a great job of handling the ball and going to the hoop. He had 14 points in their first game of the season. He suits up for the Varsity squad and said he learns a lot from sitting on the bench and listening to the coaches.

The reserve boys
Tyler is number 24(home jersey) and 25(away jersey) number. Steve also wore those same numbers when he played high school basketball.

Saturday night the Storm Lake Hy Noon Kiwanis held their annual Varsity Boys Basketball Jamboree. Tyler has been working really hard at practice and earned a spot on the Varsity team. He was the 9th man called from the bench. They played the Newell Fonda Mustangs. They played 2 quarters. SL won 33-26. Tyler did a great job taking out the ball and playing defense against his opponents. Which, by the way, are the same boys he used go to camps with and play on a tournament team with a few years back. I'm so proud of him for working hard and keeping a positive attitude. I look forward to the start of the season.

Chloe knows just what to do when the camera comes out. Here she is showing off her bowling shoes and her 6 pound ball that she played with. We had such a special time with Chloe. We can't wait for the next overnight.

Today was the last day of Fall League. It's been a lot of fun watching Tyler play. He is becoming more aggressive on his defense and continuing to have fun in a sport he loves. It was also nice for the kids to end with a win. I'm sure he will continue to play again in this great league.

Saturday evening we celebrated Tyler's confirmation. Our neighbor and very good friend, Donna Holmes, is Tyler's sponsor. We had everyone over for supper beforehand. Then it was off to church. 75 kids were confirmed. What a big group! Thank you everyone for making it to this special day. We truly are blessed.
After mass we got a picture with the Bishop, Walter R. Nickless.
After Confirmation we came back to the house to celebrate Grandpa's 59th Birthday. He'd been making sure I had a home baked jello cake ready for him all week. I did and it was delicious!
Sunday Grandma went to Carroll with us to see Tyler play. He scored 10 points! They only had 5 kids show up so that meant no subs. They ran the floor for the full 50 minutes! They played Carroll and only lost by 5 points, 76-81. They did a great job!

Tyler driving to the bucket.

Last Sunday and today Tyler continues to play in the Top 64 fall basketball league in Carroll. They lost vs the green team last weekend and this weekend vs Keumper. Tyler continues to get a good cardio workout while working on his defense and offensive skills.

Saturday we celebrated Rich's birthday with him at the ISU vs Texas game. Tyler brought his friend, Trey. He had never been to a D1 football game before. I bought the boys tickets so they could watch the game. Fortunately, the company and food was extra good because the game was only good if you were a Longhorns fan. Thank you so much for hosting another wonderful party.
Sunday, I took Tyler to Carroll where he has joined a Top 64 Fall basketball league. It was very good experience for Tyler to be playing with bigger, stronger, and faster kids. He kept up very well, rebounded good, scrambled for balls, and made 3 of his 5 shots. Tyler is on the red team.

This past week was Homecoming. There was a lot of fun activities as we all remember. This picture is of Tyler from Thursday. The day was class color and sophomores were yellow. So, Tyler dug out his 6th grade tournament team basketball uniform and wore it to school. I seem to remember an Uncle of Tyler's that did something similar?! Must be a guy thing:)

We had another fun weekend in Ankeny with the Smith's. Each month we see Chloe she gets so big and continues to make us laugh. We are very fortunate to have them close so we can see each other more often. Tyler definitely enjoys talking sports with Jason and it was fun for me to have Hollie to go shopping with.

Labor Day trivia question: What do Uncle Rich and Tyler now have in common?
Answer: They both got tickets with grandpa. After the car show they were driving home and got pulled over for not displaying a front license plate. Fortunately, Tyler's was just a warning.
Today Grandpa and Grandma came to Storm Lake for the Kiwanis Labor Day car show. Tyler got to be the first driver of the car since Grandpa made it street legal. We didn't win any awards but it caught the eye of the local newspaper writer and lots of spectators. The kids got to sit in the drivers seat and parents took their pictures. "379" will be in many photo scrap books.