HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2011

Hope everyone has a happy and safe new year! We love you all! Oh and BTW our oldest turns 17 in 6 months, the same age Kat was when she meet Art! Hannah our angel will be 11 and we will have our offical second teenager with Jarod (ok granted that will be in November but still he is growing so fast! Don't believe me, he is 12 and about 5ft 6 inches!), boy time sure does fly when you are having fun!

P.S. Thanks SarahBeth for the new header, we love it!

Yes, this is our dog!

Winter Festival with FALA and some of Sarahbeth's Friends!

Bailey on the piano, Eric(the ham) on guitar and Thomas (with foot on the chair) on the guitar

Happy Thanksgiving...

Now let the decorating begin!

First snow of the 2010-2011 snow season...

I know this isn't a lot. This is when it first started. We did not get a lot more but it was enough that 2 days later we still have snow on the ground. As for more snow, I looks like we will get more today or tonight!

1st update!

Our SarahBeth is going to be in Romeo and Juliet in February 2011. She was somewhat upset with her part at first. You see they needed 16 boys and 6 girls, they got 6 boys and 16 girls. So a few girls will be doing boy parts. Not a problem for SarahBeth. Her problem with her part was lack of stage time until I got her a copy of the play and now she is worried because her part actually has a lot of stage time with long monologues. So who is she? Why the greatest part of all...Friar Laurence! I say this because during call backs she read for 3 female parts and 2 male parts and I enjoyed the male roles more. She made me laugh during the nurse role but her dramatic side was showcased more when she did they male roles. Can't wait to see her in this role!

WE LOVE OUR SPOTLIGHTJUNKIE!

Sunday SarahBeth auditioned for our local youth acting group "Romeo and Juliet" which by the way will be set in the 1920's in Chicago! Anyway, SarahBeth while you were out volunteering they called to say "YOU HAVE A CALL BACK TOMORROW!" Break a leg, PRINCESS! We love you and are so proud of you! Love, Mom and Dad.

A little late by...

Happy Birthday Jarod! WOW 12 years old and we still love you!LOL!
SarahBeth can we please have the birthday boy's wonderful video, PLEASE?

Hannah and her mom for Halloween!

As you can see Hannah is Peter Pan, her favorite from Disneyland this year. The young man who played Peter at the park was great with her and I think she feel in love with him.


I am a mad scientist who is in need of a new assistant. You see I purposely accidentially killed my last.

P.S. Do you like my new Glamour Shot for my business cards?

Halloween preview...

Jarod is not going trick or treating...he is being a good big brother and taking "Timmy" his baby brother trick or treating, how cute!

Jarod's pumpkin eating a pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern!

Hannah's fun creation.

SarahBeth dressed as Elphie from WICKED!

Hannah hasn't been in her costume yet. SarahBeth and Jarod wore theirs to school on Friday. SarahBeth is not going as a witch for Halloween, that was just for school and a party last night. She and I are playing make doctors to scare the kids. We will have blood, bones(real lamb bones) and little kids toes. We should hear several screams tonight. SarahBeth finally understands why her uncle Tiger loves this holiday. Jarod can't wait until next year to join the fun as this is his last year going trick or treat! In our family we stop trick or treating at 12 and in 2 weeks our baby boy will be 12.

We are alive!

I justed wanted to let everyone know we are here. I don't get to the computer that much because everyone is into WOW! Yep, Art, Sarah, Jarod and Hannah all have WOW people and they fight over it, I mean play it. On top of that Sarah is our new camera queen. She has 3 cameras all the time. Mine, hers and her daddy's film camera (which is like 30 years old, but the best thing in the world!) She has a photo class this year so she is busy catching us. Jarod and I now spend 4 hours together 5 days a week. Then I spend 4 hours alone, I have no afernoon kids and I am bored! One more week, then they will find something for me to do. Hannah is growing like a weed in all things from learning to height, yep, she is finally getting some height.

Finally today we got BOO'ed! It is Halloween fun and we have missed it the last few years. Our boo friends moved across the country. If you have little ones, you should BOO a neighbor.

Happy Halloween everyone. Pictures of costumes to come soon, I hope!

SarahBeth if I take you to Wicked will you

take me to see Spamalot?

I GOT IT!!!!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know I have a new job! I am now the Learning Coach Teacher for AZVAs new Hybrid School. I will be able to take JT with me and do his schooling. It is Monday to Friday so we will be a family again on weekends. I will miss all my "guys" on the weekends but the pay is much better, it also comes with benefits, YEAH for me!

A photo project SarahBeth did for class...

The stress is to much....

I have 10 minutes before I do a telephone interview. I am trying to get a jib with AZVA doing the hybrid school that Jarod can go with me too. It is at our new YMCA location. It would be 40 hours a week and Monday to Friday. I can have my weekends back. Oh the stress...have to go can make the call...will let you know what happens:)

Small World...

tonight at SarahBeth's Open House I ran into 2 of my high school teachers. Very small world indeed.

Hannah is learning about...

APPLES! So, we made my first and her first homemade apple pie. Boy was it good!

This is what her sophomore...

yearbook picture will look like...

FINALLY!!!!!!

School has finally started for the Sophomore Girl! FALA built a new school and the rain delayed it opening by 2 weeks. Funny thing is we haven't had rain in days until today. Yep, it is raining as she gets ready for school.

On a different note, does anyone want to buy my house?

Love this girl!

Look at the expression of the blond, she is one who told SarahBeth "It was funny but stole the scene!" Way to go SarahBeth!

Closing Night, ummmm day!

If you had seen the show several times like I had this was the best show. I don't have all the photos of the fun but they did some great things.

First SarahBeth started by taking one of the policemans hat and giving him a kiss.

Then that same police officer ripped open his shirt at the end of a song for his strong man pose (picture to come soon) and finally The Segerent sang and danced with the pirates during their encore (picture later). P.S. Dad I figured out how to get them to turn out better. I need to be in the back and use the big lens, enjoy!

Until SarahBeth comes home from the cast party please enjoy these fun photos from tonight.

Thank You Grandpa!

Just a quick Thank You to Grandpa Larry for coming up here to see my show. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your the Best.

Love, SarahBeth

And then the COPS.....

Ummm, what do we do now, Sergeant?

Please don't hurt me!

HELP!

The cops to the rescue.

A kiss on the hand from a cop, is this my future son-in-law? (Truth be told she likes the Sergeant)

The General to the rescue!

The General and his girls!

A cell phone?!

UMMM General I do believe the pirates are making fun of you!

Samuel are you digging for gold?

Pirate King, Samuel and the General (SarahBeth's Choir teacher last year!)

When Pirates go wild!

Watch out girls!

A pirate is a coming!

I told you!

Fight girls fight!


SarahBeth with her first pirate Bruce!

The Pirates have arrived!

SarahBeth and Andrea her "sister".

Oh Mabel here we go again!

Mabel (the showoff sister) and Fredrick.

Catherine, SarahBeth, Rachel and Andrea

SarahBeth singing a song!

All grown up!

SarahBeth and I "played" with her new make-up today. She wants a soft natural look for the Opera or I would have gone with Pancake base. I don't think I did to bad considering this is the first time I did someone elses make-up and I haven't had make-up on myslef in years. She is our beautiful daughter (she reminds me so much of her daddy!)

Fun with Hannah part 2

If you take construction paper and lay leaves on them and leave them in the sun, the sun will fade the paper and leave you a "print" of the leave.

You can also take white paper, crayons and found objects and do crayon rubbings. Coins are a great first one to try. This is fun to do and then talk about why some items don't work.

If your learnign your ABC's this one is great to do. Take paper and write 1 letter on each page. I recommend the top right corner. Make it large but not to big, you need room on the page for this. Now get some magazines (you can find free ones at stores, usually the are about homes or local stuff, and even some libraries, ask!) Then cut out pictures that start with the letter one the page. Then write or have a parent write the word for the picture under it. Before long you will have a book you can "read" to siblings, parents and those wonderfully fun gradndparents.

Did you also know that you can cut freezer paper, iron it on to a t-shirt, use fabric paint and make you own t-shirts? If not yes you can! You can find a tutorial on Youtube. You can also see a few shirts made this way on this blog. Just find my sisters WICKEDLY 16 BIRTHDAY, we all have shirts on made this way.

Most importantly, have fun!

P.S. A quick tip from my mom. Call your local newpaper(s) and ask about there paper ends. Some will give them to you for free (tell them you are homeschooling you kids) and some sell them for $5.00 (anything more than 5 is too much) This is great paper to spread out on a table and just color away on. Practicing writing on and usually is the right size to lay on, trace, color, cut out and hang on the wall, images of your favorite little ones.

Mommy needs, ok wants a new sewing machine fund...

SO, if you are interested in helping out send funds to SarahBeth, Jarod or Hannah. BTW, this machine is in the range of $10,000 to $12,000 US dollars. That is just for the machine another $5,000 at least will be needed for extras, like software, sewing feet and the quilting frame table. Can you believe these are flying out of the factory?