Maestro Please

Alex started 6th grade band this year and really enjoys it. Austin and Alex took piano a couple of years ago and decided to play the trumpet because they use the same notes. Austin started in 6th grade too. He has been playing for 3 years and will often make practice a priority when he hears his sister playing something difficult. The casual competition has been good for both of them. He also just started Jazz Band and does well in that. It is fun to go to their concerts and hear their progress. Austin likes to sit at the piano and figure out the notes to songs he likes. At his last band concert they played an assortment of arrangements and ended with one of my favorite 80's songs, "The Final Countdown." The trumpet section came up to the front and belted out the beginning and the rest of the band followed suit. It was fun.

Troy took piano lessons when he was young and enjoys sitting down and playing a song or two. I love to hear his renditions of "Heart and Soul." We always get up and dance! When I was pregnant with Luke, I took piano lessons (for about a year). However, what I have always wanted to learn to play is the drums. I almost took lessons in college but took voice instead (should have taken the drum lessons). Even though I realized that singing was not one of my natural talents I did gain a great appreciation for music and for people who stick with it. I hope my children decide to continue with it. There is nothing wrong with living vicariously through your children right?

Sunday Night at the Movies

Every Sunday night, Masterpiece Theatre, on PBS has been playing a Jane Austen Movie.
Pride and Prejudice just finished last night. This has been a time for me to have to my own since the kids are in bed and my husband is not into "Chick Flicks." Like all men, he is an action, thriller, blood and guts connoisseur. He will watch an occassional drama or romantic comedy with me but hours and hours of courting and intellectual banter does not turn him on. We did however, have a conversation about what it would be like to live in that era. First of all, no braces, not good, not good at all! Secondly, no hair dryers, hair spray, etc. Frizzy hair, not so cute! Thirdly, no epidurals. Those have been priceless to me. On the other hand, gardening, going to
balls, reading, and having servants, doesn't sound too shabby. What about first impressions? How I loathed Mr. Darcy's arrogance right along with Lizzie and would have struggled being cordial with him as well. There have been times when I have been wrong about people, too. Sometimes I am very slow to figure people out, if I do at all. That could be good or bad, I suppose. My husband and I had no interest in each other when we first met. He looked a little too serious and boring to me and he thought I was just another one of his friends groupies - WRONG! In the first few minutes of a movie, Troy will have the characters and plot sized up, whereas, I need it to unfold before my eyes.

Yesterday...

after talking to an old friend, I got a little homesick. Don't get me wrong, I really am enjoying where we are at now and am grateful for our new friends, community, ward, etc. I feel very blessed. However, every once in awhile, I miss old friends, the mountains, evergreens, and rainbows.


This is Nestle Farms as in Nestle Chocolate morsels. This is where the company used to have a dairy and operate. Now they just hold conferences and training here. We got to take a tour of the grounds and it is just beautiful! It is located on a two-way road and one of only a couple routes out of Carnation.


More of Nestle's. This was my favorite route to Redmond. During our last days in Carnation, I drove up here and took these pictures. I love the trees!


Here is Alexis at a bus stop right off of I-90 (Fall City exit). Her second grade class painted self-portraits and they transferred them here. She was very excited to see it whenever we passed by. Carnation Elementary is very into Art.


Here are the girls at our house on Easter Day, our last in Carnation. Troy and the kids had planted several tulips and bulbs in the fall, for mothers day! I love flowers. This is where my love of gardening took root!

Thanks for the memories Carnation!

Ahhhhh!

You've gotta love a smile that is so BIG it looks like a scream! I ran across these pictures today and they made me laugh. I heard a talk on Sunday by a very smart, young woman that said something like: everytime you smile your body releases endorphins that make you happy. (I think I worded that right?) Anyway, I thought that was cool.

Gotcha!

This morning, Troy and Austin left for a conference which goes until noon. Well, an hour later I started to cook breakfast for the rest of us. I was in the kitchen, all by myself, when suddenly I felt a very soft touch on my shoulder. Out of my peripheral vision I could see the figure of a man, a dark man, and I jumped and screamed as loud as I could. It was Troy! (Thank goodness it was him.) He got the biggest kick out of it! He is too funny. You see, he's always trying to get away with this. (The knuckles on his toes always give hime away though.) When Troy comes home from work I almost never know exactly when he has arrived. He tries to see how long it will take me to figure out where he is. I have to say that I do catch him most of the time and it is hilarious to see him try to become part of the wall or blend into the furniture. It cracks me up to see how he will contort his body to be camouflaged. Shapeshifters have nothing on him! You can imagine what he's like after watching Mission Impossible, Bond or any of the Bourne movies. If he were to be granted his dream job I'm sure it would be something like Arnold Schwartzenager in "True Lies," secret agent man by day, husband and father by night!

Mmm, Mmm Good!

My husband and I exchanged cards and I got this oh so special button to wear all day! Aren't I lucky? I even got to show it off when we went out that night for dinner. Everyone looked pretty envious! Ha! Ha!


Monday night we had a Valentine's FHE on "Love," courtesy of LDS Living. Our activity was to write a good deed that somebody had done for us on a cut-out heart and tape it up. After reminding our children that it could be something simple, we went to writing. Through the week we have added to them.
Yesterday, when I was in my bathroom, getting ready, Kate was busy in my room. I tried to open the door and she quickly told me to stay out because she was doing something important! When she was finished, she showed me that she had made my bed. It was done very well, too! It was exciting to see her so thrilled about it.


Ellie helped me make sugar cookies for Luke's class. By the time we got finished with the batter we were too full to eat the cookies. But, of course we had some of those too!







Yum! Yum!











Dad surprised the kids with a valentine pizza!

Guess Who I Am?

My sister and I were invited to a dress-up (like an adult) party. I am wearing a dress that my mom used to wear and Stacy is wearing our older sister's dress. Yes, it was the 70's!

Here is Monique and Alexis on "Dress like a Princess Day" at the middle school. I was impressed that they decided to do it. Don't they look like princesses?

We have a plethura of dress-up's at our house, in fact, probably too many. The kids love changing costumes and being different super heroes, princesses, etc. A couple of days ago the girls were playing with some friends and came out of the playroom with these costumes on. They were having so much fun. I had to laugh when Ellie stuck the pioneer bonnet on backwards! I thought about trying to change it around but she was too delighted with how it was!