A visit from Grandpa

My father, Ken, came to visit this weekend. He arrived on Thursday and left on Monday. The visit wasn't nearly long enough, but we managed to pack as much as we could into his visit.

The main reason he came was to watch the girls dance in The Nutcracker (see previous post) on Friday and Saturday night. They were thrilled to have him in the audience. But, because fun and activity follows my dad wherever he goes, we also went candlepin bowling (A New England Classic), saw a movie, did a quick drive to our Lake House (which is 4 hours away), ate fries at "Al's Famous Fries" in Burlington, VT, and managed to stop for dessert at Ben and Jerry's as well. Yummy. We loved having him here and look forward to spending more time together soon. These visits may never be long enough but we are so grateful that they happen.

Oh, Christmas Tree...

This is the "Formal Christmas Tree"....or "Mom's Tree" as the kids refer to it. This is also the real tree we went and cut down this year (see previous posts). I have been wanting to do a "willow tree" ornament tree for a while now. I love the "natural" feel to them and I wanted to have a tree that celebrated the Savior a little more. The angels seemed to do that.

Here is a close up of several of our favorite ones. These are The Angel of Learning, The Angel of Friendship (with puppy), The Angel of Hope (lantern), and this years 2011 Angel. My Mom and Dad gave these lovelies (and more not seen in the close up) for Christmas.

Thank you! They will decorate our tree for years and years to come.

The Nutcracker 2011

This year Cassidy and Kayla danced in The St. Paul's School annual production of "The Nutcracker". They were angels. And THIS was a dream come true:

Dreams are now getting bigger though. Cassidy enjoyed herself SO much that she had elected to start taking ballet now (a very big deal as she has chosen this over horse back riding AND gymnastics). The goal: Clara. (or the sugar plumb fairy based on the costume alone.)

Cassidy was a BIG angel and danced with 3 other friends on stage until the Little angels (lead by Kayla) marched on stage and stole the hearts of many....

Both girls had a wonderful and memorable time. They were SO very cute! We are just so proud of them and the commitment they made to practice every Saturday since October.

The girls are already talking about what they will do NEXT year. If Cassidy has her way, she will dance with SPS again...and another ballet company too. We just don't know which one yet. (video will come soon...we hope. There have been some technical difficulties...)

Christmas Tree

We don't usually have a real tree for Christmas. Mostly because in all the years we've been married we have NEVER had Christmas Morning in our own home. We love visiting with family though, so we aren't complaining....just explaining that it is a first for us. This year we WILL be waking up on Christmas Morning in our own home and to honor this fact, we decided to get a real tree this year. We went to a tree lot just down the road. Most of the trees were already tagged, so pickings were slim. Even considering THAT though, we ended up with a tree the kids were proud of....

Kayla was off running through the trees and helping our friends, The Franklin's, move their tree. Last year we were able to have a real tree as well...and we were even able to go cut it down (Washington has LOTS of options in the tree department). We so enjoyed having a real tree last year that having one this year was a reminder of that experience.

We put the tree up yesterday. The kids have an artificial tree in the play room, and now we have the family tree in the living room. The kids got to cover the play room tree with all the fun ornaments and colorful lights we have accumulated over the years from school and as just random collections. The family tree is the "mom" tree. Not quite as colorful, but it did get the twinkle lights this year. It looks like little fireflies or fairies (as the girls like to think of them) are living in our tree. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I'm sure one will surface before the year is over (how crazy is it to think that 2011 is almost over? I still struggle to write it any time I fill out the date).

Children's Choir and a Santa visit

Our family was asked to help with the Ward Christmas party this year....We were SO excited.

The girls were part of a small children's choir....

Brian made the scenery (a cobbler shop) and Shannon helped provide props and play the piano.

The girls did a GREAT job! Listening to their sweet voices sing about Jesus was a very special moment. They sounded like little angels.

Of course, a visit from St. Nick was enjoyed by all. Brogan climbed right on up.

KK gave a great smile and asked for an art easel and musical instruments (Drums? Really?!?)

Cassidy struggled to explain to Santa what a "Cat Bus" was. She has had to explain this to MANY people, but fans of "Totoro" know what she is talking about. This Santa couldn't promise her the gift she described (it sounds disturbing) but did tell her she will be getting something wonderful. We are all looking forward to the surprises we will find on Christmas morning.

Stockings 2011

This post is for my mom. When she was out here visiting the week of Halloween we found material and a pattern to make stockings. But, we had so many other projects that we weren't able to get to the stockings. Which meant I was left on my own with my very questionable sewing skills. I called in the excellent help of a friend and together the two of us made these:

Hung by the fireplace with care.....

This is the "BOY" stocking

This is the "GIRL" stocking

The kids are a bit concerned because I didn't personalize them beyond BOY and GIRL. They are worried that Santa won't know who's stocking is who's. I told them that this actually simplifies things for Santa and all he will need to do is choose a stocking and fill it with gifts for each child instead of trying to sort them according to name. They don't see how this is easier. I may need to find some way to personalize them. But for now, I love their simplicity. Thanks Mom, and Jill (my special guest helper) for making these stockings happen. You're both wonderful.

Thanksgiving

We were in New York this year for Thanksgiving. We spent time at our lake house, AND enjoyed the hospitality of family at Five Pines. It was a wonderful day. We were grateful to be with Grandpa Schroyer, LaLa, Uncle Brad and Lala's mom. The turkey was delicious. The cranberry salad SOOO yummy. And, the rolls weren't too shabby either, if I do say so myself.

The kids played in the Lake room, probably their favorite space at Campus:

We were asked to bring over some of the toys we didn't play with so much anymore. Funny how old toys in a new space suddenly make the toys feel new again.
Of course, Brogan played for hours in the lego bin. He also discovered wii resorts and had an exceptional time sword fighting. He played for 2 hours at one point...jumping and swinging his arms. He was a tired and sweaty boy by the end. If he can walk away from playing a video game as sweaty as if he had been outside running around, we feel okay about that. Besides, the alternative is that he is running around the house and, in typical 4 year old fashion, causing a ruckus.

All in all Thanksgiving Day was wonderful. Thank you Glenn and Lori for hosting such a lovely gathering. Looking forward to getting together again very soon.

Happy Birthday Brogan!

Brogan turns four today! Our Boy wanted a knights-themed birthday, and he got it.

Halloween

Pirate, knight, and black cat take to the streets of the SPS campus for some trick or treating.

Early Snow

Big Nor'easter dumped a whole lot of early snow on us last month. After a year of living in the pacific northwest our kids knew exactly what to do.

The dog, on the other hand, has no idea what to do. At least we can let her out and not worry about her running off.

Brian's Art Show

The annual SPS faculty art show is timed to coincide with Parent's Weekend so mom and dad can see if jr.'s teacher really knows what he is about. This year Brian had a record 30 pieces in the show, ranging from traditional oil paintings to computer illustrations, digital prints, and a projector slideshow of portraits he completed out west last year. Special thanks to photog Tracey for helping me output all the digital stuff from White House Custom Color.

Progress Report: Libby

And in other news, the dog has gained a pound, bringing her up to 3 pounds of hulking Coton de Tulear, and she remains ridiculously adorable.

Kayla's Spooky Party!

With the girls birthdays so close together we alternate years for big parties. With our recent move we delayed Kayla's party and rolled it into a "BirthdayWeen" celebration. Seven years old!

Spooky treats included Hershey bars costumed as mummies.

Well-attended by friends at school (Strong Foundations) and faculty kids here at St. Paul's.

Achievement Unlocked

Yesterday, in the comfort of his home and surrounded by his family, Brian was promoted to the final rank of "Inheritor" in Halo: Reach.

13 months after the game launched Brian is now one of the VERY few players (0.0028% of all players world-wide) who are sporting the coveted "haunted helmet" with a skull seen through the visor.

Yes, the helmet comes with blue flames

For the non-gaming crowd think one of Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets that can only be earned via dominating hordes of people online (67,659 multiplayer kills online, not that I'm counting).

Brian is one of 924 Inheritors out of 182,380 online ranked Halo players, or one of the top 0.5% of all competitive players. The ninth graders I teach totally worship me now.

Wild Birthday!

All three of our kids attended a birthday party the other day with some pretty wild guests from the Granite State Zoo.

Kayla gets a handful of South American Chinchilla.

Brogan admires the spikes of a South African hedgehog.

African porcupine with prehensile tail. Wow.

And to top it off, the kids let a 40 pound Burmese Python slither across their laps. The most disturbing part of this picture is how Brogan and Kayla are NOT freaking out.

The cool thing about the Granite State Zoo (other than the house calls for friends) is that all their animals are rescues. They believe wild animals should be in the wild, and are looking to help out animals that SHOULD'NT be in domestic situations. Why anyone would want to live with a forty-pound python or a three-foot porcupine is beyond me.

We have a new family member...of the furry kind...

The last time...

Sigh. And so it begins. Brogan has started preschool.

Have you ever seen someone so excited about school?

When Brogan was born, we knew he would be our LAST baby. And since then I have sadly watch and listened and experienced "The first time...for the LAST time." Meaning, that I would never watch another one of my babies take their first steps, say their first words, or start their first day of preschool again. He is it for us. And so, today I dropped Brogan off for the FIRST day for preschool, knowing that it would be the LAST time I drop one of my own children off for the First day of preschool. It's sort of sad. But it is also kinda cool. We are excited about watching Brogan grow. And he is just SO different from his sisters that I feel like I am getting a lot of firsts with him that I never got with the girls. This little man is one sweet boy and, I'm told that today, while playing in the "dramatic play" section of class Brogan had a tray of muffins. One of the other boys wanted some and Brogan very diplomatically said, "Why don't we share? I'm 3, so I should get 3...how old are you?" Such a relief to know that although your kids don't always show they are learning these lessons at home, they show it in public...where it matters. Today was an excellent first day of preschool.

While the girls are away, the boy will play

The girls have started school.

Every one is happy.

THEY are especially happy.

And while they are away,

This boy gets to play....

This is our family knight.

I particularly love his "knight helmet".

What a guy.

We are off to a good start for the 2011-2012 school year.

Seven years and a day

For the past few years on Labor Day we have gone to our Lake House in Upstate New York. We meet all of our East Coast family members there (all of them on Brian's side of the family) and we celebrate "COUSINS BIRTHDAY". It is wonderful and exciting. But almost every year Kayla's ACTUAL birthday falls on a day when we are there. The internet at camp is good but it takes a long time to upload to Blogger, so I didn't get a chance to do Kayla's birthday post on her birthday. Instead, I am a day late. But, better late then never, right? Right! So, for your reading enjoyment, here is our celebration of Kayla:

This sweet face makes me smile and laugh every day. At 7, Kayla has a wide variety of interests. She is a Daddy's Girl. She LOVES to get up early in the morning to play HALO with him every morning. Like him, she loves to draw, enjoys martial arts, has a joke at hand or a goofy imitation to entertain you with. She loves to perform and would appreciate it if I could find her an acting troop to be part of. She will spend hours sitting next to Brian watching youtube videos and filling the house with her infectious giggle. She is our sporty. Loves to ride a scooter, wants a bike for her birthday (which she is getting), loves to run, throw things, etc. However, she is like her mom in some ways too. She loves to shop. She loves accessories. She loves to coordinate outfits. She loves to read (that's actually both of us). She loves to cook and bake. She loves to have her hair done and will let me try new styles out on her hair (although she HATES having her hair brushed). Her favorite foods are pasta (no sauce, just butter and parm, please), rice (haystacks), hot dogs, and bagels with cream cheese. She loves to play games (card or console, doesn't matter). She has quite the imagination and will spend hours with her little figures elaborating creating stories for them in whatever imaginary world she has designed for the days. Kayla is creative and loves to write and illustrate her own stories. She is clever...too clever, sometimes. She is sassy as can be. She has a memory for dialog and song lyrics. She loves people and people seem to be drawn to her. She has recently developed a bit of a feisty attitude that we are certain will give her new teacher (she's in 2nd grade this year) a headache or 2 (it sure does it for us). But she still loves to snuggles and cuddle and can be such a sweetie. We appreciate so many things about her and all that she brings to our family.

We sure do love you, Kayla.

Happy Birthday!

Guess who's 9?!

This cute little girl! That's who! Cassidy is NINE years old today. She is more excited about it then we are. There is something quite bitter sweet about watching your kids grow up.

At the mature (as far as SHE is concerned) age of 9 Cassidy enjoys horses, mysteries, reading, friends (and boyfriends, though she still blushes when we talk of them). She is a wonderful artist and sketches frequently. She writes her own stories, and illustrates them. She sings all the time and LOVES music. She still enjoys gymnastics and has intentions of picking up piano lessons again now that we are back home with our piano. Her favorite movie is currently "Mama Mia" (which she sings along with at top volume). She loves to eat haystacks, chinese food (fried rice), shrimp, sushi (California rolls, really), lasagna, and baked potato soup. She has finally expanded her ice cream library from vanilla to vanilla OR cookie dough. After years of trying to get her to taste and enjoy maple syrup, she spent 18 days at camp where her friends were able to accomplish the task. She tried it. She loves it. She can now officially be a fullfledged East Coast native (a love for REAL maple syrup is a requirement). Cassidy will start 4th grade this year. AUGH! Because Cassidy thinks she is all mature and stuff, she has asked if she can start wearing make-up. We have consented to glittery chapstick....only. No lip-gloss, yet. And, although we have given her permission since she was 8 years old, she has still opted NOT to get her ears pierced (although, as with the syrup, we are fairly certain her peers will talk her into it soon). A goal for this year is to learn to ride her bike without training wheels. Which is a BIG deal for this timid little one (she'll try something once but if there is an unfortunate event or unpleasant experience, she isn't gonna do it again...and, her first attempt at riding a bike WITH training wheels didn't go well. So that she is willing to give it another go shows growth.)We love this little girl. She cares about details. Loves to clean her new room. Keeps us all entertained. She loves life. She is energetic and excited to be doing things. She is creative. She thinks everyone is her friend and wants to be friends with everyone. She has a BIG heart. She is always aware of choices and wants to make the right ones. She is thoughtful and loving. We are blessed to have her in our family. Happy Birthday, Sweet Cass! We hope your next year is full of happy memories...only to be topped by the ones you make each year of your life after that.To celebrate this big day we had ice cream cake, went to TGI Friday's for family lunch, and she got to do something special with 2 of her friends (There was a sleep over with Lily and a dinner date with Mia). It was a good and quiet birthday celebration. NEXT year she gets to have a big party. (We are doing every other year for big parties now.) Happy Happy Birthday!

Our new Home Sweet Home...

Okay, here are just a couple of exterior shots of our new place. It is lovely! The kids are enjoying the fact that they have a yard all to themselves and a place to ride bikes, scooter, and do whatever they want outside.

We'll try to post some interior shots later, but since the decorating isn't done yet, please know that they will be here as soon as we're finished. But, for those curious, we have 3 bedrooms....technically. There is a "nursery" in the Master Bedroom that is serving as Brogan's room. So, you could say there are 4 rooms. We have a large kitchen, with more cabinet and storage space then I know what to do with. A dinning room. For real. It seems odd to have a place reserved for eating when we do most of our eating at the school cafeteria, so it will also double as my craft space (must to the chagrin and agitation of the 2 wonderful women who helped me unpack boxes). We have a "formal" living room and a family room (aka: the play room). There is an office space at the top of the stairs with built in shelves. And, 2.5 bathrooms. Plus, a large mostly finished basement that houses my laundry area. We are feeling pretty excited and blessed. And, we are eagerly awaiting any and ALL house guest. So, pack your bags and come visit. The door is always open.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We celebrated Brian's birthday at our lake house in New York. Grandpa Schroyer and Lori were there to celebrate. We had cake, Brian's favorite: yellow with chocolate frosting (the frosting was AMAZING...if you want the recipe, let me know)

Brian got the lego game "Creationary"...basically, it's pictionary, but you get to build objects with legos and everyone tries to guess what you made. Point for the builder and the person who guesses correctly. Fun and perfect for our family.
The kids all got him a present the represents time and things they like to do with their dad. Kayla got him new Halo Legos, Brogan got him Creationary, and Cassidy got him a itunes gift card...we think she is hoping he will score some fun new ipod games and cool "Cassidy approved" music (Taylor Swift, perhaps?).

Happy Birthday, Brian! We Love you! You are amazing! And, we sincerely believe there isn't ANYTHING you can't do.