Fragrance Lake Hike

What do you do with a lovely Saturday in March? You pack up a bunch of energetic kids and take them on a hike!! S, Courtney, Lauren, Tanner, Partker and I headed up to Fragrance Lake It is a good 1.9 mile steady climb. We were hungry and ready to eat when we arrived at our destination along the banks of the lake. Many hikers out yesterday made our journey more interesting. It is amazing how many people bring their dogs along. The way back down took half the time as we ran, raced, sprinted, slid, and carreened our way down the windy path. The only mishap was a little interaction with stinging nettles by P.K. (aka Parker). But we discovered that 'baby moss' helps take the sting out. (?) If you think it will, it will! :) Every good hiker knows the first thing you do is find yourself a good walking stick...right?

Announcing the addition of OTIS, the cat, to our household...

So, apparently it is not enough that we have a resident guinea pig, named Rosette. We must have pets, more pets...hence, the search for a cat was begun by Miss Courtney. We made bi-weeky trips to the Humane Society to check out the felines and scope out the options. We also took home an application to fill out, checked out books from the library and read up on cats, we priced all the cat necessities at Wal-mart and PetSmart. We did our research and our homework. Courtney even checked on line at the local newspaper website. Then, one fateful day, she googled cats here locally and, what do you know, there was a beautiful male cat right here in Conway!! His owner had rescued him from an abandoned farmhouse she used to own. She had taken him to be 'fixed' and receive his shots. She was asking about 1/4 what the Humane Society wanted for their cats. He is beautiful, soft, affectionate, does not shed, and litter-box trained!! What more could we hope for? He is adjusting to us and we to him. He has been with us since last Tuesday and, so far, so good. Welcome, OTIS. May the hunt for a pet be satisfied in you.

Cheryl and Doug = cutest couple

We had such a great time with Cheryl and Doug when they came to town for a few days. Sorry this picture did not turn out better, but they are such a darling couple. Thanks for spending time with us!!

Just hangin' out at the beach...

We took Courtney and Rylee out to the beach to take pictures. It was a warm and sunny day. Low tide made for all kinds of interesting exploring.

Bayview State Park

Just playing around with the camera...we took lots of picture and played in the muck of low tide, exploring tide pools and finding tiny crabs that fascinated Rylee.

Beach day

We had an amazingly warm day in February and took a trip to Bayview State Park for a little photo shoot...our little girl turns 13 the end of March and I can see she is growing up all too quickly.

Pat turns 62

Grandma and Grandpa Johannesen, Kelsey, Courtney, Rylee and I all helped him celebrate another birthday. 62 and still young at heart!

Claire came to play...

The dress-up clothes have really come in handy over the years!! These two put together their own stunning outfits!

Rylee, Jordan, and Claire

These three beauties are a lot of fun and always up for a party! Thanks to Aunt Melissa for hosting a game night for all of us to hang out and spend time together.

Rylee on the scooter

Round and round the garage she went!

Cookies...which ones did Pat make???

So, on Tuesday nights 'the ladies' , as Courtney calls them,(my Relief Society Counselors and Secretary) come over for a presidency meeting at our home. That is the night that Courtney and Pat fend for themselves for a couple of hours (sometimes longer). They usually find a movie to watch at home, hang out, and sometimes bake cookies. Courtney really likes her dad's idea of a cookie! :) Courtney likes it when the ladies come, she says it sounds like we are having a party. (We do laugh a lot.) And she love haning out with her dad.

The Dollhouse

The dollhouse is an interesting story. We acquired it from a woman who had recently moved into our ward. She was moving to a smaller house and did not want this dollhouse her father had made her anymore. "Are you sure you want to give it away?" I asked. ( Courtney and I had wanted to try to build one. ) But this was too good to be true! Bear in mind, it was in need of repair and painting. (I wish I had taken a 'before' picture - imagine a cream house with rose trim). Courtney had no idea we had it, hidden away at the office in a vacant room where I could go in and work on it the weeks before Christmas. Pat carefully cut and nailed replacement roof shingles out of cedar shims. We painted it the same color as the exterior of our home. We hauled it home and quietly brought it into the living room after Courtney had fallen asleep on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day found her occupied in decorating and arranging the pieces of furniture and knick knacks that came to us from this generous lady.

Christmas 2009...

We had an amazing and memorable Christmas this past year. Spencer and Brittany really added to our holiday cheer and the festivities! From the Christmas Eve Seafood dinner and the fragrant hot wassail to the DEE-licious Peruvian Turkey Spencer prepared, it was a special and wonderul holiday!

Krum Kake....A Family Tradition Continues

So, the art of making a Krum Kake...I must say that with the modern convenience of the electric double iron, it takes a lot of the 'work' out of it! And the result is these golden, delicate cones of sweet goodness!

February 6, 2010..Adjudications in Bellingham

Courtney and three of her fellow band students worked very hard to prepare for and be selected to go to adjudications in Bellingham. Part of their band grade is a requirement to prepare either a solo or ensemble number to present to a music teacher at their school here locally. From that group of students who performed, there were a few chosen to go on to adjudications in Bellingham at a middle school where there were masters of music who teach at the college level doing the adjudicating. What that means is the group is given a ten minute time slot. During that time they perform and the adjudicator listens, makes notes, and then works with them for a few minutes. She or he gives lots of praise since this is often difficult and stressful for the students to do. They want to promote continuing the students' involvement in music. The adjudicator also gives helpful advice and useful technique changes that will improve the students' performance. We, as parents, got to go and watch. It was a great experience. (Courtney also has piano adjudications every spring.) These girls played a 3-part flute piece. They chose to dress in black and white. They were magnificent, poised, and polished. (And they had to prepare all by themselves, the band teacher gives them time, but no assistance with this project. This is a time to see what they have learned and what they can do on their own.)

Courtney made a blanket

We had some polar fleece and some cute frog-print fabric...Courtney decided she wanted to make herself a blanket. so she cute and sewed squares of frog onto the four corners of the blanket and I helped her with the letter "C" for the center of it. She fringed and tied knots along the edges. She loves her blanket and tackled a bit of sewing, too.

Rosette, the Guinea Pig

Rosette has grown quite a bit over the past few months. She knows Courtney's voice and loves to be held and fed. She loves carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and some fruits. Rylee is not so much interested in holding her as she is feeding her and watching those little teeth crunch and munch on that carrot.

Garage/Roller Rink

"I can do it myself, Nana." And so she did! Shoes and skates. Ta-Da! What a great way to begin a day...roller skating in your pajamas!