Family day out on the quads

We planned a day out on our quads with my siblings. My sister Jessica and her husband Nic and daughter Taya, brother Ben, sister Kati and fiance' Boston, and us. We had four quads out there and had so much fun. We had lunch and got a little dirty (we found some mud puddles and I happened to find the only cow pie). We have to get together and do this again. It was such a beautiful day out and we just relaxed enjoyed each others company and enjoyed the jetted sound from the tail pipes. Vroom, Vroooom.

Ben testing out the 300

Jessica thought she would pose for us

Tucker taking a turn

Jared out for a ride

Tatum waiting for a ride

While we were out on the quads Tre' had his first accident. He was going up a steep hill and did not quite make it and started to roll backwards and ended up flipping the quad one and a half times. He was pretty shaken up and quite bruised but it was a good thing we make him wear a helmet. Here are some pictures of what happened to his pants.

What is left of Tre' 's pants after his tumble

Tre' 's pants after his little accident

A few of our many extra-curricular activities.

I have been wanting to post these for awhile now. These are part of our many extra-curricular activities, Tre' and Tucker playing basketball and Tatum at state cheer competition.

Waiting to compete at state cheer competition

The awards at state cheer competition

Loves her trophy

Tatum and her state cheer trophy

My turn to shoot

Makin' a shot

Umm, where do you think you are going?

Tucker making sure that a girl does not get by him

Practicing shots before the game

Tre' lining up to get a rebound after the free throw shot

Tre' waiting for a rebound

Tre' fighting for a rebound

New Year

Wow another year has come and gone. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. We had a good Christmas and a nice quiet evening for the new year at the Baker household. The kids go back to school on the 7th of January. They are not looking forward to it. I am so I can get a few things done. It has been quite hectic trying to get our business set up for the new year. I did not realize how much work there was into being your own boss. It does have its perks though. Jared and I are excited to see what the new year will bring. Jared starts baseball with Queen Creek high in February and the boys will start little league around the same time. Our house never stands still. Tatum thinks she will be joining the T-ball team this year. Sometimes there are not enough of me. I will have to hit the books now that the kids will be back in school so that I can get my insurance license to help out while Jared will be coaching. It has been nice being at home but back to the grind stone. I will keep you posted on how the licensing situation is going.

My First Blog

Well, here I am writing my first blog. I'm glad Lori sat down and set up the site with the help and direction of Cara. Maybe this will get me to write a little more. I've wondered about blogging for a long time and I will use this site to explore if I have any desire to write.
Since opening the Allstate office in August I have had a lot more time to breathe. Working doing property management for Brewer Caldwell was a blessing and a curse. I'll be eternally grateful for the opportunity that they afforded me to learn real estate and to get to the place that I am in my life now. I couldn't have done it without that opportunity. On the other hand, I dumped way too much of myself into a business that was not mine. I was really dedicated to the business and no matter how much I put into it, I wasn't going anywhere. It took me a while to figure it out, but this opportunity to put energy into my own business selling insurance is another great chapter in my life. It is definitely a different pace and it doesn't hurt that my office is less than a mile away. I was just telling Lori how "awful" my commute was today. I did learn pretty quickly that I enjoyed property management a lot more than I thought and so a friend, Emet Soqui, and I are doing a little property management on the side.
I also have the opportunity to coach the JV Baseball team for Queen Creek High School. This upcoming season will be my second season coaching. We were 19-3 last season and had a great group of kids (including the one that got kicked off for failing a drug test and the one I lost because he got suspended for fighting). They really were all great kids and they were successful in spite of the coaching. Believe it or not they are actually paying me for coaching which makes it all the more unbelievable. It is a large commitment in terms of time, but I am grateful that I am in a position to be able to do it. It is a dream come true.
Lori and I, Lori especially, are also busy raising the kids. It is amazing how fast they grow. I love them with everything I have and I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to have wonderful children and a loving wife. They are all great students and strive hard to do well in everything they do. I have seen first hand how they try to set good examples for their friends and they are a huge help to me to keep me doing the things that I should. The boys are currently playing basketball. Tomorrow is their second game. Last week they both did very well. Bubba scored at least eight baskets. It was incredible how well he played. Tre' also played well in his game, but running full court caught up with him pretty fast. I'm sure he would have rather been playing baseball. He is quite the baseball player. Tatum is doing cheer and loves it. We really don't know how to react to it, but we think she will grow out of it. Once she can play volleyball and softball the pom poms will be thrown away. We'll keep our fingers crossed anyway. She is such a girly-girl. I really thought she would be a tomboy, but she is not at all.

Jared and I were married on Feb. 9, 1996. How time flies. We have 3 children - Tre (10), Tucker (8), and last but not least Tatum (5). She keeps us all on our toes. We live and work in the Johnson Ranch area. We own an Allstate insurance office and do Real Estate. I am also a sucker for network marketing. I enjoy having lots of projects going on. I am currently selling Scentsy wickless candles. I am also a certified Travel Agent. If anyone wants to travel let me know. We like our little home a lot. The kids enjoy being here. Tatum started school this year and what a journey that has been. She loves it. The boys are busy with school, sports, and scouts. Tatum took up a cheer dance class this year. She just performed in a cheer competition and received a trophy and ribbon which she carried around all day. It is such a joy to watch them grow and learn. Drop us a line some time.