Christmas

So all of the presents were opened and I was lounging around on the couch when I realized "I didn't take any pictures!" In order to preserve some memory of Christmas 2010 I took 1 picture of each kid, except as you can see Zack refused to pose. John did pose for me though, he got a treadmill. As we have no room in our house for a treadmill, its home is our front room. Nice, huh?

Painting

After
Before
I decided that I wanted to do something productive over Christmas break (this does not happen very often). After about 10 years living in this house some of the painting needs to be redone. Recently I had my stairwell painted to erase all dirty finger and hand prints, scratches from toys being driven, flown, or thrown down the stairs and just regular wear and tear. In January I am going to have my family room/kitchen repainted. It is nice to have a fresh coat of paint on things. Anyway, I took on painting my little half-bath because that seemed like a manageable project. I picked a dark plum/brown. It is hard to get a decent picture in such a small area but I tried--the pic looks a lot lighter than it does in real life.

TaVaci Concert

McKena participated in her first TaVaci Concert, she did a great job!

Christmastime

I love December! I love Christmas! I love Christmas parties! I love Christmas decorations! I love Christmas shopping! I love getting Christmas cards! I love Christmas treats! I love Christmas bonuses! There is just a lot to love about the month of December. I hope anyone reading this is enjoying their month as much as I am.

November???

Oh good grief, it has been a month since I've posted! I was talking to a friend last night and I realized how fast November went. When I tried to recollect what had gone on all I could think of was this: Colin got strep throat, McKena got strep throat, Colin got his tonsils removed, then we celebrated Thanksgiving. I suppose I could go into a little more detail like my parents were able to come down (even with the crazy weather) for Thanksgiving and we had a good visit with them. I decorated for Christmas. We got quite a bit of snow for November. Colin turned 11. I may or may not have pictures of some of these events but I will have to post them later. Until then, at least I got a post up. Happy busy December to all!

Fall Happenings

...not a whole lot, but I wanted to post a few pictures of Kade playing in the leaves. There are a lot more out there now just waiting to be raked. The weather has been so nice, but snow is in the forecast tomorrow so we'll see who I can convince to go out and do that job. It seems we are always having to rake in the freezing cold. I also wanted to post a picture of my new hair color--it's darker than I've ever gone before, absolutely no blond.

Yesterday we traveled to Tooele to see a niece be baptized. The food was good and the kids had a great time playing. We then did a little shopping and then headed back to Logan. We went to the USU volleyball game because they were playing Idaho and I have a cousin on Idaho's team. It was really fun to watch her and she did awesome.

Today at church someone told me that Christmas is in 48 days! Whoa, I haven't even hardly thought about it. I guess it's time to start getting serious. It's a good thing I am proficient at internet shopping!

Halloween 2010

Just a few pictures to document that we did "celebrate" Halloween.

A little project...

that took a long time. But, finally, today, I decided to ignore all chores and children to get it finished so that I could use it this season. Someone else could probably whip this out in a day but it seems to take me a month. Though not perfect, I am happy with the finished product.

We have had a busy month. I have 22 piano students, 2 boys playing soccer, 2 kids taking piano lessons (from someone else), a preschooler etc., etc.--you all know the craziness.

Zack started his first job and is a working man now. He works everyday after school for about 2 hours. Then, he usually has soccer, YM's, or FHE. It seems we are usually trying to get the homework done at 10 o'clock at night. He has been a good worker though, and not complained, so we are proud of him. He is feeding calves at a dairy here in town.

Colin is also busy with soccer, homework, and he has also had to take on some of Zack's chores here at home. Each day after school he tells me all about it--no, not school, but his athletic feats during recess.

McKena is the social one of the family, asking every single day to have a friend over. She decided not to take dance this year but instead started piano lessons and a singing/performing group in Smithfield.

Kade goes to preschool 3 times a week. He loves it and seems to be learning a lot. McKena makes sure to drill him here at home. I got home from the gym the other morning and she had him sitting at a desk writing out all of his letters. I didn't even know he could write them. It's a good thing that her game of choice these days is "playing school".

All in all things are going along pretty smoothly. The weather is lovely. I can't believe it is fall already. I do love the upcoming holiday season. Enjoy!

Multi-Tasking

If the only so-called benefit of video games is some type of coordination, Kade has taken it to a whole new level. I can't even use those controllers right side up. I know I could probably get a "Mom of the Year" nomination for letting a 4 year old play these things. Talk to his Dad (I am very much against them!).
Kade killing 2 birds with 1 stone: snack and playstation time. I had nothing to do with this, I was just taking a break between piano lessons.

First Day of School 2010

And we're off....to school, that is. Zack entering 7th grade, Colin is in 5th, and McKena in 3rd. Kade will be starting preschool next Monday. In other news, here is Kade trying to make himself a piece of toast. Good thing he has a helmet on in case he falls of the counter, he was having trouble navigating around the can opener. I should probably consider making the toast for him.

Lava Hot Springs

With school coming quick we ( along with the Karrens) decided one last little outing would be a good thing. We tried Lava Hot Springs (never been there before). It was awesome for these reasons:
1. They had started school up there and we happened to go on a Tuesday when there was absolutely no crowd.
2. The weather was perfect--not too hot, and the water temperature was 89 degrees.
3. There were lots of slides and diving boards to keep different ages of kids happy.
We will definitely be going back sometime in the winter to try out the actual "hot" pools.

Grandma's House

We just got back from spending 2 weeks up with my family in Washington. We spent the first week at the lake for a family reunion. My cousin, Randa, and her family were able to stay with us for a night. McKena is in heaven when this happens, as they have 3 girls her age! We played a rousing game of Pit before sending all the kids to bed and visiting.

John was able to help my Mom with some projects around her house because she has just remodeled. He hung up towel bars, light fixtures, took down wall paper, painted, and moved furniture. We spent a day in Seattle shopping and going to the Pacific Science Center. We saw movies, swam, and played hard with cousins. Zack and Colin were able to get some work in for my Dad. They enjoyed the freedom of a 4-wheeler and a big farm to ride around on. Uncle Nick took them fishing--Colin caught 21 fish and Zack caught 19. We picked a lot of raspberries and made a lot of raspberry jam. We always enjoy our summer vacation up there--thanks Mom and Dad!

Priest Lake, ID

Every year since I was little (since my Mom was little in fact) we have a family reunion at Priest Lake, ID. It is one of my favorite places ever. John does not share this opinion however, so I think some of it must be its sentimental value to me. If you are not familiar with Priest Lake, it is in the top of the Idaho panhandle. It is surrounded by beautiful forest. The lake is clean, and shallow for a long way out. We go to the beach from 9-5 each day. We sit, visit, swim, eat, nap, jet ski, tube, and just relax. I played there with my cousins growing up, and now we watch our kids play together. There are about 150 of us now, bigger every year. After a day at the beach, we go up to camp and have a delicious dinner together, prepared by the aunts and uncles. The kids play behind the camp, with parents warning that there was a bear around camp that morning. We do this for 3 days, then pack up, already making plans to come back the next year. I love it.