Erica's Farewell

Yesterday was Erica's Farewell. She has been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She will be going to the Korea Taejon Mission. Erica is leaving on April 8 and we are really going to miss her. Her talk yesterday was WONDERFUL. I wish I could arrange my thoughts as beautifully as she does. After church services we headed over to Grandma's house to visit. We ended up staying 6 hours. Of course I didn't think of taking pictures until the end, and even at that they aren't the best pictures. Lydia, Adelle and Erica playing Cranium.

Devin and his fiancee Lexi. Can I tell you how excited I am that there is going to be another in-law in the family. I have been the only one for close to seven years.

After a while the grownups all gathered around the table to play Cranium. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed laughing at each others antics.

Adelle on the other hand preferred to play Rock Band with her uncles.

Erica has been planning all sorts of adventures with the girls before she leaves. Today the girls had dinner and went to a movie with Erica and Kyle. Erica is also planning an Easter Egg Hunt for the girls this Saturday. A few weeks ago she had a birthday party for them. She really is the most wonderful aunt for my girls. What are we going to do when she is gone?

Closing Night of Cinderella

Cinderella closed last Thursday Night to a small, but appreciative audience. Technically the cast will be doing one more show. It will be a Matinee this Thursday for the Jr. High and some elementary school students. Lydia is really looking forward to it. Here are a few pictures of closing night. Eeek! An infestation of mice!! Call the exterminators? Not on these cuties!

Lydia loved getting flowers from Wes, Adelle and I. Grandpa Bob was there to share in the fun. Lydia's Dad, step mom, sister, cousins and Grandparents were there from her Dad's side as well.

When did she grow a tail? Lydia really did a wonderful job! She was so expressive and really shined onstage. I am so proud of her!

New Computer!

Well, our family did our part to stimulate the economy this past weekend. We made a very large purchase, especially by our standards. We finally bought a new computer. I was actually running out of space on my old one to upload digital files. I just couldn't have that seeing as I am the unofficial family historian. I also bought a mini computer desk for the living room to see if I can squeeze the computer into our most used living space. I absolutely can't stand being stuck in the cold basement to work on projects. I feel so isolated from the family. Hopefully the new computer will stay upstairs because it makes all the difference in the world to me. We'll see. Wes says it is on probation. Funny thing though, I did come home from church yesterday to see him hanging out on the couch using the computer. The little desk is on wheels and can move to various locations.

By the way, can I say the new computer is FAST!!! Also I must say I am in awe with the amount of space that is available on the wondrous new machine. I uploaded over 5000 digital photos (yes, I said over 5000), and hours and hours of video without any problems! Thank you Erica for the use of your external hard drive. It made the process SO MUCH EASIER! The only hiccup that we have had thus far is Vista. Curse you Vista! We have a wonderful video editing software and it didn't appear to be compatible with Vista. Now you have to understand that one of the main reasons we got the computer was to make movies. Anyway, after several tries, downloads from the manufacturer's website, and a patch or two the software appears to be working. It was a close one. At one point we thought it had wiped out a few drivers and killed our new wireless card (which the computer didn't come with of course).

After all the headaches I think everything is working and I can't wait to get some projects going. The first one of the list I think will be the backstage video from "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at the Empress Theatre. Wes, Adelle and I had a blast watching all the video clips from that night. There is about 30 minutes of footage and I can't wait to get it burned onto a DVD. It is too bad I didn't get the project done months ago. I am sure the cast would have loved to watch it! There is so much footage of everyone doing our backstage things and answering fun questions. Perhaps I'll have to post a few clips on facebook. I don't know though, do you think the girls would like the dressing room, singing scenes posted publicly? Probably not!

Opening Night of Cinderella

Last Night Lydia performed in Cinderella at a local Jr. High! Here she is as a cute, little mouse! She did a great job! The whole cast really did well and has worked hard. Adelle was especially captivated by the show and loved every moment of it. Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah came as well as Grandma Ellen and Aunt Erica. Lydia got flowers and even cheese for being such a special mouse! Thank you everyone for coming.

Lydia has two more performances and possibly an upcoming matinee during school. We are excited to see her again tonight. She really is doing a great job!! When asked if she enjoys doing a play with our without the rest of the family she remarked that she prefers it when we are all in a show together. Cute girl! I thought for sure she would have liked doing the show completely on her own without any family around.

She is funny though. Whenever I take her to the school she quickly shews me away before I can give her a hug or linger too long. I guess it is just too embarrassing to have your mom around anymore :)

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

We decided to try out the new kites today. The girls were so excited! Here are some pictures from our adventure. Adelle with her daddy and her fairy kite.

The kites are HUGE! They are really well made too, which makes me happy.

Lydia did a pretty good job managing her kite. At times when it crash landed we would have to throw her macaw back into the strong wind!

Adelle flying her kite with dad's help.

Mom and Adelle.

At one point she actually was holding the kite on her own. I was a little worried she would fly away, but she didn't.

Lydia with her beautiful, blue eyes! Wes and I were remarking how grown up she is getting.

The kites soaring above the park. They can fly pretty high. It was fun to get ourselves out of the house and to have some good, old fashioned fun!

The Leprechauns' Party

Every year the Leprechauns' come to our house and have a wonderful party. The night before St. Patrick's Day the girls set out doll furniture on the kitchen table. They even write a letter. The Leprechaun's throw around couch cushions and pillows, fill up cups and plates, and usually leave something special behind. They even wrote back to the girls to thank them for the party. They also informed the girls that they are very small and can be invisible. The girls like to try the odd treats. This year the table was covered with candies that tasted like red hots and the cups were filled with a substance that was similar to green sprinkles.

The special surprise this year was miniature colts for the girls to take care and look after! They were quite pleased. Adelle especially has had fun taking care of her little bunch and loves it when I play horses with her. They are especially small so they are going to need extra care!

It is always good when the Leprechauns decide to pay our house a visit. It just makes everything seem magical!

St. Patrick's Day Feast

Once in a while we like to experiment for dinner. Last Sunday we decided to be adventurous. With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner we decided to try Corned Beef and Cabbage. The girls decorated the table with place cards, green plates, and menus. Lydia even made green punch. I cooked the corned beef in the crock pot for most of the day and put the cabbage in for the last 4 hours. The results? We all loved the corned beef and potatos. Wes and I liked the cabbage, but the girls sure didn't. I think it was slightly overcooked so the texture was a bit too soft. The girls ended up sitting at the table for a while until they decided it wasn't worth dessert to finish their dinner. Adelle at one point said she thought she was going the throw up. I think we will have to try it again sometime, but I will just cook the cabbage less. Besides, everyone loved the corned beef so much that there wasn't any left!

Dress Up

What would girlhood be without dress up days? Last week the girls decided to be fairies. They danced around the house for hours to Enya. Lydia wore an Arwen costume that Wes had made for Lydia about 2 or 3 years ago. It didn't quite fit the same. She couldn't lift her arms all the way. Adelle wore her ballerina outfit that she got for her birthday last year. I can't believe she is actually going to be 5 next month! It was cute to see the girls jumping and twirling around. Adelle really wanted to make up a story with drama. Lydia was more content to pretend she was flying through the air with beautiful wings! You have to love girls!

Adelle's New Hair Style

We've decided to grow Adelle's bangs out and well...let's just say it is difficult to manage her hair. Inspired by some great hair style blogs I decided to try something new. It has been great to be able to see her eyes again!

Lydia - Lord of Division

Well, Lydia would preferred to be called Lady of Division. At the end of February Lydia was Knighted in Division. It is the highest honor you can receive in Math. She was quite excited. She even got a long licorice rope. It ended up being pretty hard though so it ended up going in the garbage. Poor Lydia.

Dusting Off The Bikes

A few weeks back, when the weather was starting to warm up the girls got out their bikes. It was such a lovely day we couldn't resist. Lydia does pretty well on her bike and can zip around the park without any problems. Adelle's little bike has training wheels and she is slowly getting better. Hopefully she will get a lot of practice this summer. It is great to see the weather progressively changing. We love outdoor activities!

Planning our Vacation

Our family has been planning what we would like to do for the summer. I have really felt like we should get away. This past year has been very stressful and we could use some relaxation and quality family time. We looked at several different options from Disneyland to the Grand Canyon, but we have decided to go to the Oregon Coast.

About 3 years ago we ventured with Wes' family to the Oregon Coast and absolutely loved it. It is beautiful and there is just something magical about standing in front of the ocean. You feel like you are on the edge of the world. I started researching options to see where to stay. Wes remarked the other day how much time I put into "researching" a vacation. It is HOURS and HOURS, but you have to understand that I get so few vacations I want it to be as perfect as possible.

I finally decided on a rental in Oceanside, Oregon right near the beach. We will be staying in the guest quarters of this beach house.

We will have our own little unit complete with kitchen and everything else we may need!
Ahh, I can almost smell the sea air and feel the wind on my face. Don't you just love this porch swing with the ocean view!

This is the ocean view!
Our whole family is SUPER EXCITED! I even took the girls to Costco this past weekend to buy giant, nylon kites to fly on the beach. I can't wait. We will be staying for a whole week at the end of June. Netart's Bay is very close to Oceanside. You can go crab fishing in Netart's Bay by just renting a little boat. We took the girls 3 years ago and we had the time of our lives. We actually caught 13 crabs and they were delicious! We are planning on going crabbing again. It was a riot!

Now the test will be waiting 3 1/2 months until we go. Oh, guess what I found on the fabulous Internet as well. A live surf cam of the beach that we will be staying on. Check it out!

http://www.oceanview-realty.com/surf_cam.asp

I think I'll have to open it up while I'm working and watch the waves roll in. I can't wait!!!

Yes, I'm still here :)

I have to apologize to all of my readers. I can't believe it has been two weeks since I have last updated the blog. I got sick a few days after my last post and didn't start feeling better until Monday. Silly colds! They wipe me out forever. Wes only had it for a day or two and then he was 100% again.

Speaking of Wes he has been super busy trying to deal with a crazy client which is involving a lot of preparation and court time. Everything seems to be going well thus far and I pray that it will continue to go well. With how lovely everything has been in the legal field Wes is possibly thinking of looking into teaching. Wouldn't that be fun? I think he would make a great teacher. We will have to see how that goes.

The girls are doing great. Lydia was recently knighted for division. I will need to post pictures soon. She also got an award last week (to our surprise) for being the highest reader in the school for the week. She read over 400 minutes in one week. She has really been taken with the Lemony Snickett books and they have kept her busy. She has also been busy with rehearsals for Cinderella. It sounds like she is going to get a lot of time on the stage and she is just having the best time!

Adelle is growing all the time. In fact we are registering her for Kindergarten today. I can't believe my little girl is growing up.

I will have to post pictures of the girls once I get them uploaded to the computer. I just wanted to let you know that I am still here!