Merry Christmas 2011

Wow....this year has flown by...I am having a hard time believing Christmas is in only 3 weeks!! This year our family could be characterized by the saying, "Get in, sit down, shut up and hold on!" With three active boys we are never bored, and at night we often fall into bed exhausted. But, we wouldn't change a thing, because there is nothing better than watching your kids do what they love. Also, we know in a few short years, we will look back on these days with great reminiscences and longing.

This spring started with all three boys playing on three different baseball teams and ended with three different all-star teams and a travel team. Neil and I figured out that in one week we watched 16 games and had 5 practices.....CRAZY!! I know, but so fun to cheer them on when they are at the plate or on the mound!!

In May, Neil's mens team took another national title for Fresno Pacific University. That is Neil's third national title in 6 years at Fresno Pacific. I don't mean to brag, but my man can coach! We are looking forward to another exciting year cheering on the Sunbirds and hoping they can take both titles this year...their last as an NAIA school. Next year they will be switching over to NCAA Division 2.

We are enjoying this last year of all three boys being at Nelson Elementary School together. We are cherishing the moments, realizing that they will not be together at the same school again until Nicholas is a senior in high school!! Nicholas is in 6th grade and Cody is in 5th grade which means they get to play all of the school sports together on the same team this year. It was fun watching them play football together.....in fact, for Nicholas's first touchdown of the year, Cody was blocking and made a huge block to allow Nicholas the room to score. They both did well and had fun on the field helping the Nelson football team to an area championship title!! Brett loves the fact that he gets to get out of school early on Fridays for away games to watch the games and play with his friends and he cannot wait until he can get out there and play as well!

This year also added more to my plate....going back to teaching full time in Selma. I haven't worked full time or been in the classroom since before Nicholas was born. Although this was quite an adjustment for our family, I am happy to report that I am LOVING being in the classroom again and it is not as hard as I was fearing. I work with a great staff in Selma and have an AMAZING class!

This fall all three boys again played soccer....Nicholas and Cody for a Clovis Crossfire team and Brett for the Nelson Zombie Ninjas again. Nicholas has given us fair warning that he will not be playing soccer at Kastner next year, so we enjoyed this season realizing it was probably his last. This made mommy sad because he is a very talented soccer player and has become a lot more aggressive the last couple of years. Thank goodness we still have a couple of soccer seasons left with Cody and Brett.

Lastly, this year we have also been blessed to work together with five other families to build a water well in Africa. It has been our goal this year to not be "polluted by the world" but to instead realize and appreciate all that we have been given. When you realize that children are dying daily because they do not even have clean drinking water, it quickly puts into perspective all that we have to be grateful for. It is our prayer that in this season, we would not be dismayed or distracted and that we would remember to be grateful for all we have been given.....the greatest of those gifts, a little baby born in a manger who came to give his life for you and me.

May you and your family have a truly blessed Christmas season!

The Castro's

Neil, Ann, Nicholas, Cody and Brett

Happy Birthday Brett (9) and Nicholas (12)

For the boys birthdays this year Brett took some friends to the FPU/Fresno State basketball game at the Save Mart Center (thanks to good friends), Nicholas had a few friends spend the night and we had a taco night celebration with the whole family.

Here are some of the highlights....

Nelson Football CW Area Champs 2011!!

Nicholas and Cody got to play together on the Nelson football team this year and they kept us looking forward to the Friday football games. Last year Nelson did not even score one touchdown and this year they were League Champs! It was so fun!

Nicholas was the kicker and played offensively as the running back and defensively as the corner back. Cody played special teams as the kick returner, wide receiver and safety. I don't know what any of that means, but it was fun to watch!

Here is a picture a friend of mine took when Nicholas scored his first touchdown and Cody was blocking for him:

They look so old in their pads and uniforms....hard to believe my babies are getting so big!!

Pumpkins and Costumes

The boys were not that into dressing up this year....we recycled a few old costumes and Cody got a gorilla mask. They trick or treated for about 10 minutes and then opted to go back to our neighbors house and instead try to scare the trick or treaters. I was not prepared for this change in priorities but did enjoy the fact that there was not as much candy around the house.

Although they did enjoy carving the pumpkins a bit more this year....in fact Cody carved three sides of his pumpkin and it took about 2 hours.

Water Well Celebration

WOOHOO!!!! Can you hear the excitement in my voice?? Last night we gathered all 7 families that committed for one year to raising funds to help build a water well in Africa. This project was focused on the children and one of the goals was to plant seeds and make them aware that not all kids live with the privileges that we have. I am pretty sure that was accomplished and it makes me so gitty to think of how God will nourish and feed those seeds. I pray that this will only be the beginning for all 21 of the children who participated in this project and that He will use them to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty and minister to any who have need.

We had an extra special blessing as well...Corinne, a missionary from Fresno who is permanently residing in Swaziland, Africa, was able to join us and teach the kids a bit about what it is like for the children over there. She is starting a preschool there and our water well will be built by the preschool and will provide clean water for the school and the entire village that surrounds it. It was so special to here first hand from someone who sees it every day, the extreme impact that clean water has on a village. On top of that, Corinne took a video of our kids saying hello to the kids that will be in the preschool drinking the water that we helped to provide. Powerful. I was brought to tears and I am so thankful that God allows us to join Him in his work. I will continue to pray that He will allow us to be His hands and feet and that our children will experience the pure joy that comes from following and serving Him!!

Soccer Recap 2011

This year Nick and Cody played on an Under 12 Clovis Crossfire team under coach Bill Schultz with many kids from the Clovis North area (including Dylan). They had a lot of fun competing with high caliber teams and learning many new skills and a lot more about the game of soccer.

Brett got to play with all of his Nelson friends on the Under 10 Zombie Ninjas. They had a great season and Brett got lots of exercise running back and forth playing midfield most of the season.

First Day of School 2011

I was feeling a little sad the morning this picture was taken....you see it will be the last year that both boys are pictured together at the same school until Nicholas is a senior in high school!! Oh wow....I will do my best to enjoy this year and all that it brings enjoying this time while we still have one drop off and one pick up. In this picture Nicholas is beginning 6th grade, Cody 5th grade and Brett 3rd grade.

Cayucos- 2011

Our trip to Cayucos is always the highlight of our year. We treasure the time we get to spend together and with friends relaxing, playing and eating well!I am blessed to have such dear friends!

Our annual sunset pictures during the rib cookout! This year Kent and Kristi led us on a hike in San Simeon. During the hike we found this awesome tree and the kids had a blast climbing it!

Our new beach hobby- backgammon. The boys had a blast competing against eachother all week long! And of course, Cayucos wouldn't be the same without the daily Bocce ball contests!
The boys hanging on the beach....what I wouldn't give to be a fly and to listen to the conversations that take place here!

4th of July

For the 4th of July this year we had a great day spent with family and friends. We started the day at the lake with the Papi crew and ended up BBQ'in and firework'in with great friends!

These two sat there for what seemed like hours and did not make a peep. I think they thought they were tied down and unable to move in their lifejackets. :) My Four Handsome Men!! I am the luckiest wife and mom in the world!

These two hold my heart and make me smile every time I am with them.

Just loved this pic....Lukie's smile and his laugh are extremely contagious!

My two sis's....I am so blessed to have them in my life! Couldn't imagine doing it without them!Cody and Papa riding the waves...when mommy wasn't looking Papa let Cody take over driving the jet ski all by himself!

Swimming and setting off fireworks at the Casaroli's house. So thankful for great friends and great times!

Summer Baseball...Gotta love it!!

Well.....the summer started with a bang. And I do mean a big one! All three boys were members of their baseball All-Star teams and Nicholas was also a member of his first travel team- the Clovis Outlaws. So, being on 4 baseball teams at once was quite a thrill. We had practice almost every night of the week and baseball tournaments every weekend. One weekend, we had all three boys playing in different cities- Sierra, Selma and Central!! Although it was quite busy, we had a blast watching our boys do what they love and making some great friends along the way.

Neil coached Nicholas's 11 year old all star team this year and they had a great season hanging with all of the hard hitting teams of the district. Nicholas spent a lot of time on the mound and was a great leader on the team.Cody played for Coach Don again and got to play in many different positions including catcher, pitcher, 2nd, short stop and center field.Brett played on the 8 year old team with Coach Budd and had fun with all of his buddies!
The last game was an Outlaws tournament played in Santa Maria and it was a blast for Nick and his friends to get to swim, boogie board and have lots of time to play together!

Nicholas with two of his best buds- Connor and Sawyer

Nicholas and Cody on the Track

Once again Nicholas and Cody ran track for Nelson this year. Nicholas competed in the 800, long jump and 4x100 relay. He placed 4th in the Clovis West section in the 800 and his relay team placed 2nd advancing them to the district finals. Cody competed in the 200, long jump and relay. He took 1st place in all three events at the sectionals qualifying him in all three for districts. There he places 5th in the relay and 6th in the 200 for the whole district!

Baseball 2011 Highlights

This year Brett played on the Rays with all of his buddies from Nelson and Coach Rush again. Once again they made it to the championship game and once again they took home the title!! They had a great year together and Brett played most of the year at pitcher or catcher.Cody played on the Mets once again for Coach Richardson. Although they did not make it to the championship game, they made a good run in the playoffs and Cody played catcher and pitcher most of the time this year as well....he even got his own catchers gear from Mimi and Papa this year for his birthday!

Nicholas moved up to the big boy field this year- the Majors. Playing with 11 and 12 year olds Nicholas held his own and led his team on the mound and at the plate. Although they did not win many games, Nicholas really improved his teamwork and leadership skills while on this team.