Hayley the Singer

Hayley is a member of a singing club at school.  Here is Hayley and her friend Savannah singing lead at a school Christmas concert.  Her friend Savannah is a member of the church too.  We foresee many beautiful musical numbers being sung by Hayley and Savannah in church.

Hayley the Musician

Here's a video of Hayley playing the flute at her first middle school band concert.  She's just to the right of her teacher (who is conducting).  Hayley's been taking lessons for a few years, but most of the rest of the kids in the band just started playing their instruments at the beginning of the school year.  Most amazing, this concert was the first time the 6th grade band played all together.

Go Chargers!

While we were in San Diego, we went to a Monday Night Football game vs. the Denver Broncos. Zack and Jeremy were in heaven! We were in the nosebleeds but the view was great. Grandpa Paul and Uncle Shawn came too.

Over the river and through the woods…

We had a great time in San Diego for Thanksgiving. Zack LOVED the airplane ride.

This is all we saw of Zack for the whole flight….

When we got to San Diego, we had a nice visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Z. We were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures.

But when we finally met up with our cousins, they had a surprise for Clara, a big fat frog! Clara kept it for a night and then she and Cole released it back into the yard.

We had a great time goofing off with our cousins and just hanging out with them!

Random Happenings

So Jeremy’s work had a talent show recently to raise money for the United Way. Jeremy was a judge. One of the entries was a break dancer. When it was Jeremy’s time to comment, he asked the kid if he could teach him some moves. Then one of the VP’s at Jeremy’s company yelled out that he’d donate money to see that. Here is the ensuing picture. What a good sport!

Zack’s art show. Recently Zack was interested in things that glow, after he got some glow bracelets at the store. We looked at different fish on-line that glow, and also fire flies. Then Zack (with my help) made this art installation in the downstairs bathroom. He was very proud! For family night, we all crowded into the bathroom for Zack to show us his art. We asked him what animals glow and he said, “rhinos!”

Hayley is pretty great. She LOVES the “Friend” magazine! (It’s a magazine for kids put out by our church.) Whenever it comes she stops everything and reads it cover to cover. She discovered this month’s issue as soon as she got home from school, and began reading even before having a snack. What’s cute is that the dog and her cat wait for her to come home so they are hanging out by her as she reads.

Cowboy songs

Recently Zack made himself a "matar." (That is what he calls a guitar.) He drug out one of his sister's music stands and "practiced" his guitar. You might need to turn up to volume to hear what he is saying, but it is worth it because it's pretty funny.

Other words that he pronounces cute are: "Buzz Lightyear" (used to be "Fuzz Lightler" )but now he says "Buzz Lightler" and he calls his friend Fernando, "Ferlando."

Fun stuff

The girls recently had a Halloween party for their dolls with the neighbor girl and her doll. They decorated one of their doll’s rooms for the party and were so proud that they took some pictures. The doll in front is an artist. They made the costumes themselves.

The witch is the neighbor girl’s doll. They had treats that they had made and I heard lots of giggling and fun from downstairs.

Zack just finished peewee soccer. They just mostly do drills. Here he is about to score on some toddler.

Zack and his coach, with the college campus in the background.

This was the scene I came upon recently in the t.v. room- two tired boys.

So my life is more complete now that we have a new SUPER WALMART! We went to the dedication this month. It was before school so we got up early.

The kids were the first ones to go to the toy aisle.

There they met our town’s mayor. Then it was time for school.

Falloween

 

This is a pic Jeremy took of our tree out front. It is called “October Glory” Maple. It’s not that big but I think that it’s name suits it.

Life is never dull with Clara. I asked her to make pizzas recently with some dough that I made. I came back and they were little masterpieces!

Clara caught the bouquet at a friend’s wedding recently.

Zack is the “Lone Ranger.” It’s hard to get a pic of him without him shooting me. This is not his Halloween costume. This is everyday wear for Zack.

Clara is Sacagawea for Halloween. We make her costume out of a man’s suede jacket that we found at the thrift store. Most all of the details were her idea and she made most of it- including headbands for both her and her doll.

I just found out that I can carve pumpkins 3D. I saw a competition on Food Network about it, and it inspired me. I mostly did it with my potato peeler. It didn’t take as long as you would think. My neighbor grows big pumpkins for fun. These were each around 80lbs and their walls were 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. Next year I am going to buy better tools.

Fall day between conference

Yesterday we went to the park in between conference. I was still playing with my camera.

The girls made Halloween costumes for their dolls. Hayley’s doll is a surfer girl.

Clara’s is a bat. Hayley designed the outfits, Clara sewed and made them, and Laurel was the photographer. We took the dolls with us to the park and the girls set up a photo shoot. Isn’t that cute?

Today

 

The light here in the fall in the northwest is amazing. It is bright white but also very warm on your skin. Today I played around, taking some pictures with this amazing light that was outside and streaming in through the windows. It’s like the earth is giving us one last break before winter takes over. It’s during that time that Jeremy and I like to look back at all the colors of the previous seasons and marvel at their vibrancy. These are all pictures I took today save one. Jeremy came home for lunch today and happened upon Zack and his dog on the couch. He took that one. Zack and Phoebe really are two peas in a pod.

Coming in for a snack…

Enjoying the warmth out on the trampoline while it lasts. (photo of Zack and 2 neighbors- I caught him out jumping in his underwear, and this was taken post pants.)

The County Fair

So our county fair is late, we have it in September. Clara, Hayley, and Laurel entered some things. I forgot my camera to take pictures while at the fair, but had it when we went to pick things up.

 

Clara won a big ribbon for her peacock made from plant material. (zucchini body)

 

This was a boy in our ward who bought one of our chicks and then showed it in the fair.

 

Clara won two grand champion ribbons for her eggs! Thanks Aunt Annie for the original eggs we hatched and Grandma and Grandpa Z. for the incubator. (There were lots of eggs in the show but they had already been taken home.)

This was my table display. I thought that it was hilarious that this was a class, so I did a 1st anniversary place setting and did it all out of paper. Get it? The vase is toilet paper. I got a special award. We also entered a poem of Hayley's and Clara had two clay sculptures and all of those got blues.

Labor Day

So we ended our camping season with a bang. We drove down to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It was amazing!

I finally figured out that all the cool campers have lights on their trailer awning. We saw someone else have tiki torches and discovered that it’s so fun to have them out at night. 

    

Yes, this is a real picture we took of Multnomah falls. Isn’t that amazing?

    

We spent a day at the beach on the river. Next to the beach were wild blackberries.

  

Zack took at bath in the trailer for the first time. It’s like the size of a sink but just right for him.

 

Monday we went across the river to Washington and explored an ice cave.

    

This is a picture of the kiters on the river. They strap on a snow board thing and then hold onto a parasail. It’s really big there. We had a blast. We look forward to going back!