Ward Christmas Party

We attended our Ward Christmas Party last night where they had set up an area in the foyer to take family pictures. This is the result of our efforts! We are in full holiday swing around here and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spencer and Brittany on the 22nd!

Murder Mystery Dinner...Rylee and Kelsey visit

In November Courtney's band director hosted a fund raiser in the form of a Murder Mystery Dinner. Since it coincided with Kelsey's visit, we got her to go in on the fun. She played the part of Nadia Seymore, the swimsuit model. Pat was Les Baggs, the tourist, I was Holly Day, the wife of a very wealthy businessman, and Dad and Mum were Chief some hawiian name I can't pronounce or spell and Birdie Putts. It was a very fun evening. We also enjoyed a pre-Thanksgiving Dinner at the Knoblich's home everyone.

Mount Baker Middle School

Courtney is in the band playing the flute again this year. And also auditioned for the Concert Choir. The choir meets after school two days a week. She has a lovely soprano voice. She was really nervous to try out, but bravely did it. Our fear can so often hold us back. She is very musical and thinks it would be fun to be an elementary school music teacher. One of many career paths she is considering.

Halloween fun

We have Lauren over to spend the night and hang out to play every few weeks. This time it was the pumpkin carving weekend. They did a great job on their pumpkins.

Girl's Camp 2009!

Here is our favorite Beehive all packed up and ready for a fun week at Girl's Camp! The weather hit 100 degrees and higher during the week they were there! Luckily there was a river on the property to cool off in. Pat and I did not know what to do with all our peace and quiet!

Courtney goes to work...

Well, it had to happen eventually. Courtney turned 12 this past March, which made her old enough to volunteer out at Lang's Horse and Pony Farm this summer. She has spent a lot of time there over the past several years attending pony camp and then horse camp and taking riding lessons. Now, she can spend the day helping other little campers with their ponies! She had a great time. She loves animals and children, so this was a perfect fit.

August Brought More Sunshine, Kelsey and Rylee, & a Trip to Leavenworth!

We played in the sun, did some illegal fishing (we did not know it was against the law to fish the creek in August) Luckily a neighbor set us straight. We ate at the 59er Diner, swam at the city pool, played on the shores of Lake Wenatchee, stayed up too late and ate too much junk!

Our new furry friend....meet Rosette, the guinea pig

She joined our family a couple of months ago after Courtney did her 'homework' and researched the proper care and feeding of guinea pigs. She is named Rosette because she is a 'Rosette' guinea pig, meaning those little cowlicks are called rosettes. She talks to us, 'popcorns' (jumps) when she is happy and is a low-maintenance, and user-friendly pet. She has a crate she lives in and Courtney keeps her in her bedroom. I think of all the pets we have had (I will not bore you with the list!), the is my favorite. Courtney even paid for her with her own money...which is always the ultimate test of desire to own. If she is willing to part with her own cash, she is sincere. So far, we are enjoying this little furry lady and since her life span is 6-7 years, this should be the last pet we have to accomodate!

Josh having some fun!

Here is the sweetest little guy! He had such a fun time in the pool and with Grandpa Lewis. He was all grins and giggles. We had a lot of fun for the short time they were here. We were sorry to see them go so soon...but it turned out to be a very wise decision for Sarah and Josh to leave earlier than they had planned. Thank you for making the effort, Sarah! We appreciated getting a chance to hang with Josh-man if only for a day.

Brotherly Bonding, Sisters Smiling and Cousins Counting Down...

The guys played 'Oh, Heck' as introduced by Mark. The cousins had chairs set up and ready to watch the fireworks long before the sun set! So nice to share our fun and games with Lori, Marv, Taylor, Kristen, Mark, Cooper, and Porter this year! We blew through a lot of fireworks, the show lasted well over an hour! Thanks, guys!

Lauren, Courtney and Claire on the 4th

Courtney chose the matching shirts for she and Lauren. Note the green grass and landscaping at the Knoblichs! They have been working hard on their yard this year!

Doin' the 'Mall Shuffle'

Cousins at the mall...these tweenagers are all about shopping now! We spent easily an hour in Areopostle picking out a shirt! I just let them take all the time they wanted. In the end they chose cute T-shirts and one for Lauren, too. Fourth of July festivities followed at the Knoblichs.

A day at Lake Samish

Fun and games for all...thank you to the Knoblichs for the generous use of their boat and fun floatie! Jordan is sporting her bug bite under her eye! Grandpa was tuckered out. A little siesta in the shade was just the ticket for him.

Aren't they a good lookin' bunch!?

Thanks to Jamie and Billy for hosting a fun evening of food and games at their home. Here are 6 of us girls together at one time! A rare and delightful occasion!

End-of-the-Year Piano Recital

This year's finale recital was held at Lairmont Manor in south Bellingham. It is a lovely mansion used primarily as a reception and small concert hall. Renee Crandall, Courtney's piano teacher, did another amazing job of orgainizing a lovely recital. Courtney earned her Repertoire Award by memorizing a piece of music from each of four different eras of music. This earned her a movie pass! Renee really knows how to motivate and reward her students. Here is Courtney with Renee and on her own next to the grand piano she performed on. Recital was June 16th.

End of an ERA...

Sixth Grade Graduation! This officially brings to a close my days as the parent of an elementary student! It has taken a while to get here...longer than most! Mr. Ballew was an amazing teacher. This was his first year teaching. (It is a shock when you realize that you have 5 children OLDER than your child's teacher!) He did a fabulous job with a difficult class. Courtney earned straight A's (she is her mother's daughter at least in academics, if little else!) She also completed her second year of band on the flute. She is ready and excited to be heading on to Mount Baker Middle School in the fall! Am I ready??

Night of Weddings...

The Young Women of our ward provided an activity for the girls and women...Night of Weddings. They gathered wedding dresses from sisters in the ward who let the girls model them and share the story behind the dress. It was a sweet night! Courtney had an up-do! She wore two gowns...one was Aunt Karen's and the other a sister in our ward. She had a little 'help' in the form of a pair of socks to 'enhance' her bustline to better fit the dresses. The girls had decorated the gym as if it were an actual wedding reception, and one of the leaders had made a wedding cake for the dessert. There was a red 'carpet' (red plastic) lined with christmas lights taped to the floor that the girls walked down, modeling their dress as a leader read about the couple behind the dress. The lights were dimmed and a spotlight followed the girls as they each modeled their gowns. This is the culminating event of a recent focus on Temple Marriage in our Young Women's Program. Thank you to great leaders!!