Happy Hollidays!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here with the regular crew- which includes "Granny Parkinson" and "Poppy" Reese. We reflected on all of the things we are thankful for. My favorite part of dinner this year was the decorations the kids made. They painted "leaves" on brown paper and we all wrote things we were thankful for on the leaves. It was fun seeing things through the eyes of the kids. The adults were thankful for the usual things- "My sweet husband," "My son," "health." The kids had things like,"presents," "wind," ""presents," and "pumpkins." Keilani also colored a personalized turkey and cut it out for each person at the table. I thank God for their sweet spirits and the reminders of simple truths he speaks through them!

Halloween

This fall we made two trips to the pumpkin farm and had a fun-filled halloween trick-or-treating with friends. Best of all, Aunt Janna was visiting from Portland!

Apple Hill

We are trying to do some more field trips this year with our fellow homeschoolers. We kicked off the year by heading up to Apple Hill. I found a terrific program at Denver Dan's where the kids get to tour the orchard, pick their own apples, and then come back and turn their apples into pie with their "Cooking Kids" program. The kids had so much fun making their pies- they were nice enough to share with us. I think it was the best pie I've ever had! YUM-O!

Soccer!!!
A few weeks ago soccer season came to an end. Jacob toughed out his first year of "real" soccer and Keilani played bunch-ball on an under-6 team (no goalies). Both kids made quite a few goals!! Keilani started off the first half with lots of chatting and giggling, but by the end of the season she was a little tiger! She was focused and driven! (That's my girl!) Soccer season with two kids was exhausting- we had practice/games 4 out of 7 days every week. But, now that it's over I miss how much it wore out the kids! They have been so stir crazy!!! Bring on the basketball!

My blogging has gotten behind (again). Here are some pictures of some fun we had this summer. We made a couple of trips to Tahoe, a trip with Granny to Folsom Lake, The State Fair, a few museums, a trip to Paradise to celebrate my Dad's birthday, and 2 camping trips!

2-Wheelin!!

So, I left Jeff with Jacob a couple of weeks ago and said "It's learn to ride your bike day!" I knew Jakey would do better without Mommy nearby- he tends to be a bit tougher with Dad. When I came home, Jacob wanted to show me his new skills. I couldn't believe it!! I guess I expected to hear horror stories and see skinned knees, but he did great. He sure picked it up quickly. Jeff had some great little tips he taught Jacob too. He's only been able to practice a couple of times since then because our street isn't great for riding. But his progress is amazing- he's so confident and proud! It brings tears to my eyes- it's one more sign that he's growing up.

11 Years an counting!!!

Happy Anniversary to us! We try to get away at least for a night every year on our day. This year we got 2 nights in Tiberon- across the bay from SF- it was super fun and relaxing. Every couple needs a weekend away at least once a year. Maybe a few times a year if you have 3 small children.

Happy 4th of July America!

Our 4th was pretty busy this year. We went to one parade as a family the week before the 4th (since Jeff always works all day on the 4th, this was extra nice!) On the actual day, Jeff worked his tail off while the kids and I went to the Carmichael parade at the end of our street. We had some friends over to swim after and then we decided to go over to Jeff's event in Rancho Cordova with Granny. It was a bit crazy out there for me with the 3 kids, but super fun for them. It's quite the celebration- tons of vendors, a carnival, and fireworks to finish it off. The kids all did well with the fireworks this year, Jacob even uncovered his ears for the second half! Meigan wasn't a huge fan, but there were no tears.