Christmas Eve Celebration

We gathered at Eden and Dan's for dinner and presents, and Danish pudding...

                                         Bells loves horses...got a mini...

                                         Brooklyn's namesake...The Great Bridge...

                                         Mia Fashionista...

                                         Go Orange...Go Big Blue...BSU ...new era!

                                           Choo Chain...

                                    Eden designed and crafted a special ornament for each of us...

                                         SHOW US THE ALMOND!!  Her first win!!!

Busy December

                                 McKena's piano recital...(Christa is her teacher)

                                         Brooklyn's middle school choir concert...

                                          She and Tyler danced the Toboggan Tango!

                                    5 Granddaughters all glammed up and ready for...

                                          "The Nutcracker" ballet...

                                            At the Morrison Center...

A.J. for Governor!!

We've known for a while that our friend, A.J. Balukoff, was looking at running for Governor of the State of Idaho.  The announcement day arrived...

                                           A.J. is our current school board president...

                                          Susie with some of their kids and grands...

                                           Boise Mayor Dave Bieter made the intro...

                                          "Grandpa for Governor!!"  Yay!

A Nancy Drew Birthday

Brooklyn wanted a Nancy Drew birthday party for her 12th.  Her talented mom wrote a mystery for the girls to solve (The Mystery of the Baroque Brooch) and made the party so special.

                           Each girl was issued an "official" detective's badge...

                     The scene was set, notes were taken, strategies devised...

                                        Treats were waiting...

                                        Happy smiles, lots of giggles...

                              The next day, the family gathered to continue the celebration!

Octoberfest!

After my long-term sub was over, we took a little jaunt to  Leavenworth, Washington...it is a faux Bavarian town...famous for its revamped architecture, ambience, FOOD, and fun! 

                                          The view from our condo balcony...

                                          On 8th Street!

                                          The river walk was a great way to start our day...and the Nutcracker Museum was a "must-see"...thousands and thousands of nutcrackers...all sizes and shapes!

"American Girl" Tea and Fashion Show

 Brooklyn has loved American Girl dolls for years...she is a history buff and enjoys the historical significance of each doll...her favorites are Kit, Kaya, Caroline, and Marie Grace.  Missy had told Eden about a casting call for models for the fashion show...Bellamie fit the size requirements, and was chosen to walk the runway! So, Brooklyn, Eden and I were in the audience watching, while Bellamie was doing her star turn on the catwalk.  When she got to the end of the runway, she paused, and paused and paused...finally made the turn to walk back.  When she got back to the front, she had to stand and wait for the other girls in her group...she noticed that her doll had lost her slipper...so she kicked up the doll's leg, mouthed, "She lost her slipper," kept waving the doll's leg and got everyone laughing, including the narrator!  She is in dark purple behind the girl in lavender...this was the parade of models at the end...we weren't allowed to take photos during the show. 

 Well, when the show was over, there was a raffle drawing for the grand prize...the winner was...Eden!

 She won the Caroline doll, the canopy bed with mattress and coverlet, a doll nightgown, and the book...fabulous!

Here are the happy girls with the prize...hmmm, how to divvy up the loot?...Eden said they fought all the way home...I guess she needed to win 2 grand prizes!  OH, "Why did you stay so long at the end of the runway Bells?" Eden asked.  Bellamie replied, "I counted to 20."  OK then.

The Long-term Sub is OVER

I started the schoolyear with the best bunch of fifth graders ever!!  My last day was Friday...I will miss them!

Birthdays in September

 My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were here visiting from Seattle and took us out for dinner to celebrate my birthday!  They wanted to try Barbacoa, and we had never been there, so we had a wonderful time eating Argentinian deliciousness and a cotton candy lantern (it was candlelit inside!).

 Reed, Christa and I all have September birthdays, so we combined them into one big party at Eden's new house.  They had only been in the house for a week, but wanted to host and let everyone take the grand tour. All the grands, minus Cache, posing for the camera...Durham appears to be raiding my purse!

Go Orange! Go Big Blue!

 Flags flying, my men are on their way to the first home game...this season has been just a bit disappointing, but we love our Broncos!

43 For All

We are all celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary this year...4 couples were married in the same week! All in the Salt Lake Temple, though we didn't know each other then.  A remarkable group...sorry to be missing one couple due to a hospital stay.

We Reached the Ocean At Last!

 From our balcony at The Breakers...that's the ocean out there...let's go!

 There are lots of little trails through the sea grass...at Long Beach, Washington

                                         Aaaahhh!

             We visited a lavender farm nearby...I love tree houses, so up I went!

 The view from the top...

 McKena in the sand at Gleneden Beach...

 How can the mighty ocean leave such a dainty display??  This is what we found while searching for agates...perfectly lined up and in order of size!!

                               The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a wonder!

                                          JAWS!

My favorite of all...a napping sea otter...eyes closed, floating on his back...SO CUTE!!!!!