January - We kicked off 2025, celebrating 14 years of wedded bliss!! Happy Anniversary, Handsome! After about 4 months of playing city soccer, Scarlett was invited to play on the club team and decided that she wanted to give that a try. She is loving it and icing on the cake is getting to play with her sweet friend, Alexia! This month, Grace got to play in a beach volleyball tournament with one of her sweet friends, Serena. I always enjoy watching these two girls play and the chemistry that they have. Shelby had her first dentist appointment this month! She did great!
February - February started with a beautiful wedding and adding a sister to the family. Congratulations to the newlyweds, Colton & Sidney! Love you guys! This month, the big girls and dad attended another Daddy Daughter Dance, marking the 8th year in a row. Grace joined her first beach club team with Lakeside and they came out on top for the season!
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| Grace is bottom right |
March - One of my favorite events of the year, the Duke Energy Florida Lineman Rodeo was this month and I had a great time with my girls and dad again. We visited the Silver Spurs Rodeo with friends to watch some Monster Bulls. This month, I also decided to take a leap of faith and initiate a teen girls Bible study. This has been on my heart for some time and I am so excited to see where it leads. Thank you to the girls and the mamas of those girls that have joined this journey with me!! And a big thank you to those that continue to pray over this study and these girls!
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| Sharing their personalized cards from the sweetest Ironman, Victoria |
April - Grace is 13! I cannot believe that we officially have a teenager. As tradition would have it, she was dunked in the horse trough commemorating the big day! Thank you Miss Melissa for making her day special. Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! April is also the time for one of our other favorite events, the Southeastern Youth Championships in Unadilla, GA. Clearly, it's one of Shelby's favorite events too.
May - This month Grace was so excited to hear her name announced for the Principal's Award. This is such a great honor and one that she's desired over the years. This award was voted on amongst the all the Legacy 7th grade staff and one student was selected. We could not be more proud of and excited for Grace Lynn. I rounded out the month volunteering at Scarlett's school field day, which is always a ton of fun and it's all the more special because she still wants me there and looks forward to seeing me at school.
June - This was a busy month featuring our favorite camp, Lake Aurora Christian Camp. Grace applied for and was selected to attend their Big MAC (Maturing As Christians) camp, which is a leadership development camp. She was beyond thrilled for the opportunity and made some great friends through the week. Scarlett attended her first Wilderness Camp, Voice in the Wild, where she got to canoe and tent camp for a week. Additionally, Scarlett attended the traditional Lakeside camp and had two of her sweet friends join this year. Grace also was invited to attend the Forward Conference with her sweet friend Lily this year, where she was surrounded by thousands of teens worshipping and praising God. She's already eagerly asking about attending next year. Keep us posted, Rob and Rachel!
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| Grace's view at the Forward Conference |
July - This month we were gifted with tickets to Universal Studios and I got to show the girls the site of one of my very first professional job sites, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Thank you Ms. Barbara and Eddy! As always we wrapped up the month with the NBHA Youth and Teen World Championships. The girls both rode incredibly well this year and did not have a single barrel down the entire week! That's such a wonderful accomplishment. Grace also ran her fastest pole run on Freya and was BEAMING with joy coming out of that alleyway. Now, we cannot close out the month without sharing Scarlett turned 11!! I love this sweet girl and love her genuine joy for life. Happy Birthday, Little Bit!
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| The M&M sisters (aka blonde cartel) celebrating Scarlett Lily |
August - Since wrapping up World, we took to seriously finding Grace a step-up horse... and we found the perfect partner ever! Welcome to the family, Sven!! Sven is a 10 year old quarter horse and is a gentle giant. Grace is already in love and I cannot wait to watch these two bond and grow together. Here's to an incredible future! Middle school volleyball is officially underway and the team is looking great! Coach Myers and the Myers ladies are off to a wonderful start!
September - We started this month with another enjoyable Sheppard Family reunion. It was so nice to have Aunt Boo and the boys join as well! Scarlett is in her first full season of club soccer and has grown so much over the last 9 months. In her tournament this month, she was on fire! And, drumroll.... Happy 40th Birthday, Garrett!!
October - This is maybe my favorite month. We attended the annual Mother Daughter Retreat, our 8th one to date and it was as fun as ever! We also always have a great time planning and coming up with school character costumes and Halloween costumes. This year's were absolutely adorable! My sister (and family) moved to Colorado this month for a new job. This was the hardest part of the month and I think this is going to hit Shelby the hardest. She absolutely adores Meow Meow (Maverick) and Kai Kai. We ended the month with a beach volleyball tournament and Grace was so excited to play with her sweet friend, Emma for the first time!
November - This was the month of surprises! For Christmas this year, my mom treated us girls to a New York City trip. She knew how much I have wanted to go again and the girls are the perfect age to really enjoy it. We had such an amazing time and the girls were so surprised to be going on this wonderful adventure. Additionally, with Garrett and I's 15th wedding anniversary on the horizon, we had planned a cruise for the two of us. With incentives and discounts, it was no added cost to add the big girls.... so we did! We decided to not tell them until morning of and I don't think it clicked for Scarlett until we were more than halfway there. We had a blast cruising the Caribbean with our big girls. November is also the month for giving thanks and this year we got to enjoy time with the girls' great grandfather and sweet cousins. Last, but certainly not least, Happy Birthday, Peanut!! We have a 4-year old!!
December - Another year has come and gone and with each year I feel like it is faster than the last. My family and I want to wish you the most joyous Christmas and a very happy new year. May you savor every minute with your loved ones and celebrate the little things. This year, one of the things I am savoring is the childlike innocence that our girls still have, but is slowly maturing. Christmas lights are Shelby's absolute favorite! Scarlett still believes in the spirit of Santa, but wants nothing more than for people to understand why we celebrate Christmas; Jesus' birth. Grace still kisses me goodnight every evening and reads to Shelby in her crib.
From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
