Just Downloaded

We have been busy with school assignments and activities and it seems like forever since I lasted posted. I recently downloaded the pictures off my camera and realized I am late in posting two of our latest activities.
The middle school band and chorus does a combined fundraiser called The Taste of Oconee. Tickets got you in to sample food from various restaurants from the area and there were a bunch of items that were raffled off. Throughout the evening the band and chorus groups entertained the crowd.

The elementary school had their Curriculum Night, where each grade sets up different activities for the students and families.

We got to make cotton ball sheep and blow them down the path to the pasture.

The boys loved looking at the rocks and minerals.

In Logan's class we made foil boats and tested to see how many plastic bears we could get on our boat. We put on 26 bears before it started to sink, we should have used the small bears - we would have gotten a lot more on!

Magnets are always a favorite and we have to try them out each year, especially separating out the iron from iron fortified baby cereal.

We had a great time trying out all the activities and experiments.

I'm a Mormon

I finished my "I'm a Mormon" profile and put a link at the side of my blog.
Although I don't claim it to be eloquent, it's from my heart.

Kindergarten Concert

The January PTO meeting featured the kindergarten classes.
They sang some songs about gardens. It was, of course, really cute.(the picture is a little off - inside, dark, and not close enough)
The boys sang "We're Weeds."
Logan and the boys on his side weren't too much of dancers (the other side was rocking a bit more), but it is cute all the same.

Logan is the second boy in from the right - on the back row.
You can see he really well on the weed song, but the girls block him through most of the garden song below.

Alyssa's Hair!

Hey it's Natalie! I curled my sister's (Alyssa) hair. Hope you like it!

Hope You liked it!
Natalie

Vacation

We love visiting family and playing with cousins and having a ton of fun.

By 9am Christmas morning we were on the road for our long, but totally worth it drive, up to Connecticut to visit Robert's sister, Heather and her family.
We spent a week playing games, playing dodge ball, playing basketball, playing on the scooter (they were helping Parker with that one), playing laser tag, playing with legos, playing on the Wii, playing night games with cousins, visiting friends, eating good food, drinking hot chocolate, getting bagels! (a must in my book and I'm glad the amazing Scarsdale bagels I grew up with is a reasonably close distance from Heather's place), doing some shopping, and playing some more.
We stayed up late and slept in in the morning.
There were some days we hardly saw the boys - they were in the basement playing all day.
The weather was perfectly mild.
Alyssa, who has been wanting to cut her hair - chopped it off!
(Look at the Christmas post below to see how long it was before!)The next morning was spent with Heather curling hair for church.The kids were a bit disappointed that there was no snow, but that became a passing thought.
We had a fun New Year's Eve day at Cabela's - the shooting gallery, museums and fudge are a must. Robert's brother and his family, who moved there recently, met us at Cabela's and we spent the day visiting with them. They came back to Heather's with us to ring in the New Year.
We had a wonderful trip and didn't want to leave. Logan, on the way home, said that next time he'll just stay there.
It was hard to get back into the school routine. I'm glad we had a day to readjust to getting up in the morning before early morning seminary and school started up again.
We can't wait to go back and visit again!

Christmas Morning!

Christmas Eve was an especially exciting evening. Not only were the kids excited to wake up and open gifts the next morning, but we would be leaving for CT right after to visit family.
That also meant that Christmas Eve was a night of packing and cleaning so we could go as soon as our Christmas morning was finished.
That is not to say we rushed Christmas, we enjoyed every moment!
Since we wouldn't be here for our traditional (since moving to Georgia) Christmas dinner of brats over the fire, we had brats and s'mores for our Christmas Eve dinner.
The kids set out cookies and milk and spiced apple cider for Santa and went up stair for a movie and a sleep over.

Christmas morning the kids were up early (what child isn't), Natalie being to first up - she is usually the last one out of bed on any other morning, and checking out their stocking.The deal Robert and I have made with Santa (because all parents make their own deals with Santa) is that he fills the stockings and brings one gift for under the tree.
This year Santa brought the kids NEW stockings! Gone are the dollar store stockings I got years ago.

Here is Jake checking out what was in his stocking.

Once everyone was up we had breakfast and then went back to opening gifts.
The kids had a great time opening up their presents.Logan had asked Santa for a little Clifford (I did have to convince him that Clifford wasn't a real dog, only one from a story) and was so happy to find it under the tree! Logan was so excited about Christmas this year and asked for a few dollars to take to the school's "Santa Shop" to get gifts for the family. When I told him it was for the others in the family and not for him, Jake asked for a couple dollars to get Logan a gift. Natalie made and gathered gifts for everyone. It was sweet to see them wanting to give to each other.
I even surprised Robert with a gift. I spilled the beans that I had gotten him something, but at least he didn't figure out what it was (he usually does).
Robert and I got the boys Glow Crazy stuff.

Alyssa had been walking around the house wrapped up in a piece of fleece (we keep the house a bit too cold for her liking) - getting a UGA snuggie from Santa was perfect.

Some gifts came with us, but most stayed to be enjoyed when we got back.
After cleaning up a bit and final preparations for our trip, Christmas morning was over and we were off!
It was a great Christmas morning.

Christmas Lights

There is a neighborhood in town that goes all out with Christmas lights and displays.We first went last year and the kids loved walking around the yards and looking at all the cool lights and decorations.This year it was getting pretty close to Christmas and we still hadn't gone yet. While Robert and Alyssa were gone the Friday evening before Christmas, I took the other kids to see the lights.Real Santa or just a decoration - Jake still has a hard time going near either one - Jake leaned toward the wooden Santa in the sleigh, but just Natalie and Logan took a picture by this display.

Natalie still considered herself small enough to go into the little houses and check out the things inside.Logan working in the toy shop,and driving the deer drawn wagon.

We had a lot of fun looking at lights, listening to the Christmas music playing, and even enjoyed some hot chocolate one of the owners was handing out.