M's

Today Matthew, Andrew, and cousin Tyler went to the M's game. Andrew brought Tyler over to spend the night. I think he had fun! :)

4th of July Parade

Today, a whole gaggle of us went out to the Bothell 4th of July Parade to see Romy in it. The kids in her daycare had their own "float"...much to everyone's surprise, on a very atypically hot day, she was one of the last floats...you can see how thrilled she was :) It was still fun. Luckily, we headed back to Mom and Dad's for some cool pool water and a bbq afterwards!

Move In Day!

We were lucky enough to have the Longs (and a few friends) help us pack up and move out of our apartment. Much to my surprise, my family was at our new home in MV when we arrived - even Jos and Romy!! It was a great day even with all the hard work. So worth it!! And great to share with all of our family!

Celebration Time!

Danny and Jess (fellow Maple Valley-ers) brought ice cream sundaes tonight to celebrate with us :) Matt and I actually spent the night here without anything but a couple of sleeping bags and a change of clothes. I wasn't about to spend a night NOT in OUR home!! We're so excited! Tomorrow is move-in day...

We've got the keys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although we thought this day would never come, it has!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're homeowners. It's the day after school let out so it's been a busy, emotional few weeks but now it's all perfect!

Escrow

This is Matthew and me at escrow signing "our lives away" :) It really was a TON of paperwork. This is his "are you really taking my picture right now signing papers?" face :) love you babe!

Happy Father's Day

We love you!

We're REALLY buying a house!

Today Dan and Jess came to help us pack and get ready to MOVE (soon!!) Here's Danny helping...reading one of Matt's magazines about the best burgers.........and Jess scrubbing our tub. THANK YOU JESS! :)

Miss Megan

I've been lucky enough this year to have "Miss Megan" as a high school intern in my classroom a few days a week all year. She's been so helpful and the kids LOVE her. Tonight was her graduation from her high school "Teaching Academy."

Kindergarten "Field Trip"

Today we went to a local park with our reading buddies for a picnic lunch. Aren't we cute? :)

The Cutie :)

Happy Birthday Gma!

Andrew's Graduation

Andrew is graduating from high school - crazy! We're pretty excited to have him coming to our side :) next year for college though. Here are a few pictures from his graduation weekend! Congrats Andrew!

We can hardly stand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're officially less than a month away from closing on what could be our first home!!!

We came today to show it off to family and managed to snag a few pictures too. Hopefully it WILL be ours soon!!!!!!

Visiting the Girls

Today Matt and I went up to visit Mom, Romy, and Lily. They sure are cute! Romy LOVED being pushed around in the wheelbarrow but Lily just wanted to walk alongside :)

Happy Bday Dano and JB

Today we celebrated Jossie and Danny's birthdays. Happy birthday guys!!!

Welcome Baby Streleski

We finally got to meet her today :) And the cousins reunited too! Fun day!

Happy Mother's Day

to all the Moms...but we love ours best :)

Graduation Day

I've managed to earn my Master's in Teaching degree. I had a lot of family at my graduation this morning and a great party at Mom and Dad's afterwards. Thanks to everyone for all the congratulations!

I love Teacher Appreciation Week!

Husky Spring Game!

Awards Day

Today I got an award at school (Northwest) for top honors...4.0 throughout Master's program. Thanks for all the congrats :)

Visitors!

Cindy and Rachel were over today so we met up with them for a little lunch at Boom Noodle (way better than I thought it would be, actually!) :)

Time to Baby-Sit

Fun weekend with Miss Romes :) We colored, watched Elmo, played inside and out, busted out the Cookie Monster bubbles, tried to type on Auntie Lisa's computer, and bathed (her favorite). We love her!

Easter

Today we went out for brunch with my family to celebrate Easter. Funny how the only good picture I have to post is of...you guessed it, punk :)

Disneyland!

Well, it felt like a long time to get to this vacation (no February break, picketing in September...) but worth it! We started our trip in Huntington Beach and enjoyed playing in the sand, walking on the pier, and shopping of course. From there we spent the majority of our time at Disneyland and California Adventure...can't get enough of those places! We even got stopped at the top of my favorite - California Screamin' and met up with a student who was also vacationing there. It was a wonderful trip that we enjoyed, just the two of us! :)

Congrats Jenny!

My longtime high school friend Jenny came back home to the states for a short time and we were able to have a little shower for her before her quick wedding :) Congrats Jenny!

My Favorite Romy pic to date :)

Enatai Auction 2009

This year's auction was a blast as usual. We had good food, lost to Bellevue parents on everything we bid on, and danced the night away...a little anyway :) All in all, it raised over some 150K for Enatai! Yay!

Mr. EV Pageant

Well...Andrew didn't win but it was still a great night. They performed, talked, and shared the stage with their heroes...Andrew picked Matthew! :)

Yes you see the date correctly...SNOW

in MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Akemi!

Today, Akemi (former student) came over so we could bake cookies together for her birthday. I painted her a recipe box as a gift. What a fun afternoon :)

Yakima Weekend

We made the trek over the pass this weekend to spend time with Matt's family and while there, got to see his cousin Tyler play in his basketball game. So cute. It was snowy!! (luckily not at the game!) :)

Congrats Homeowners

Congratulations are in order for my brother and sister-in-law. They just purchased their first home! We love you! And your house! Hopefully we're next...

Baby-sitting Romy

She is adorable!!!!!!!!!

Valentine's Day

Tonight for Valentine's Day we went out to dinner at a favorite of ours downtown, The Pink Door and then went to see The Lion King at the Paramount. The food was great and the play was AMAZING!!!!!!! We both really loved it...fitting since we love each other :) Call me cheesey...it's Valentine's Day! :)

Mr. East Valley Fundraising

Tonight we attended a Yakima East Valley basketball game. Andrew is doing the Mr. EV pageant (a pageant for boys to raise money for Children's Miracle Network) and during the game today they did a fundraising thing - "Dash for Cash" so we went to support him :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today we celebrated Mom's birthday. Happy birthday Mom! We love you!

Romy and Dad "Papa" - too cute!

Congratulations Tina!

Today we had a baby shower for Tina who is due in the near future. It was fun to get everybody together to congratulate her and shower her with gifts!

Fondue Party

Tonight we had a fondue party and games night with Dan and Jess and our friends Bryn and John. It was a lot of fun - dipping in cheese and chocolate and playing bingo....with prizes of course!!

Husky Basketball Game

Dad had some AWESOME husky basketball tickets that we got to take advantage of tonight. We were just a few rows up from the court and thoroughly enjoyed the game (even me!) We took Dan and Jess and all had a great time. Thanks Dad!

Greg & Sunday in town!

My cousin Greg (Uncle Steve & Aunt Litzu's son) was in town along with his fiancee Sunday. It was nice to meet her and always fun to have the family together! :)

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with Danny and Jess and Jessica's family. We played games and rang in the new year with lots of noise and noisemakers.

Pretty Snow Pictures

Christmas Day +

Rachel and I got matching jackets for Christmas :)

We built Rachel a ballet bar for Rachel's birthday (on Christmas). She's a ballerina and was very excited!
Me "sledding" :)

Once the Christmas Eve festivities with my family were over, it was time to head over the mountains (a fairly uneventful drive this year!) to Yakima to spend Christmas Day plus a few more with his family. Stockings, presents, food, family, games, and sledding were among the highlights.

Christmas Eve!

Another wonderful Christmas Eve celebration tonight. We missed Trink and RonD while they were traveling the world but had a wonderful time celebrating even a little with them via Skype!

Another Beautiful Snow Day!

Scansen / Long / Craig Christmas

Tonight was our (now) annual Scansen / Long / Craig Christmas where we all exchange presents amongst the immediate family (although it is growing!) Fun was had by all - mostly chasing Romy around and opening presents. Merry ALMOST Christmas...again!

More Snow!!!!!!

Let it Snow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Romy Pics :)

"Progressive" Dinner

Today was the "progressive" dinner. It's not really progressive anymore but it's always fun to get together with the family before Christmas. Here are a few pictures from the evening. It was nice to have so many of us there! Merry *almost* Christmas!

Christmas Tree Shopping

Today we got our Christmas tree! Here we are decorating it :)

Thanksgiving, etc.

We spent Thanksgiving weekend with Matt's family in Yakima. We started with a family birthday celebration (another one!) to celebrate Matt's birthday which was shortly followed by Thanksgiving, the post-Thanksgiving walk, a concert, a basketball game, and a few other activities that filled our weekend.

Helping Dano & Jess Pack

Danny and Jess are waiting to see if they will get a house they put an offer on. In the interim, they're moving in with her parents for a short while. I went out to their place today to help them pack up their stuff. Here's Danny standing amongst some of the boxes.

Matthew's Birthday Round 2

I have a question, guys!
Yep, I'm ticklish!

A gift from Jos

Romy lookin' over the menu (I think she ended up with pizza) :)

Mr. Birthday boy and me :)

And tonight we went out to dinner at The Rock in Mill Creek to celebrate Matt's birthday with my family! We missed Rob and Jess but had a nice time otherwise. That's a fun restaurant. Romy had a few first tastes too...lemon (loved) and Dr. Pepper (hated) :)

Happy Birthday Matthew...round 1

Tonight we went out to dinner for Matt's birthday with our friends Bryn & John (seen below) It was a fun time at Matt's favorite in Kirkland - Cactus.

Last Home Husky Game

Today was the last home husky football game of the season. As usual...Matt, his brother Andrew, sister Rachel, and Dad, John all headed down and I got a few shots of them on their way. Too bad they lost...no big surprise though! :)

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Today I went up to Mill Creek to celebrate with my friends Donnianne and Drew as they celebrated their daughter, Ellie's first birthday. She is a cutie. One of their friends MADE the below and adorable duck cake - which was the theme of the party too. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Happy Halloween

pre-bed, post-costume :)

so cute!

gotta get a picture of him too! :)

Tonight we went up to Mom and Dad's to see Romy aka angel in costume for Halloween, had dinner, and helped pass out candy to all the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

I Love Kindergarten

I have a set of twin girls in my class and according to their mom, they love Kindergarten sooo much that she had shirts made for them. Too cute huh! :)

Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

I think this is the 6th annual pumpkin carving party at our house. I think it was our best attended yet! It was a lot of fun with a mixed group of friends, family, and coworkers. Danny's pumpkin took forever but turned out well - The Grinch. I didn't even carve a pumpkin...I was too busy entertaining offering orange drinks (pumpkin theme!) and taking pictures. Always a fun time... :)

Happy Birthday Gpa & Bri

Tonight we all celebrated Grandpa and Brianna's birthdays at The Spaghetti Factory. It's amazing how much our family is growing. We sat at one VERY long table but it was nice to be able to celebrate both birthdays!

Yakima Fair

The Harsh Cows playing
Matt with his sister and brother

We went to Yakima this weekend to go to the fair and also to see Andrew's band, The Harsh Cows play a concert. The fair was fun - I like going to the fair! The concert was fun too. It was a nice weekend!

Baby-sitting Romes

The pictures say it all...she's fun and cute. That's really all there is to it! :)

My Family Birthday Celebration

Tonight we had a fun time (I did!) celebrating my birthday. I can't believe I'm 28. Boy am I getting old! Thanks for all the fun presents!

We've Reached a Contract!!

Yahoo!!!!!!!!!! Strike is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I never have to endure another strike in my teaching career. That was awful on so many levels!

M's Game

Matt's sister, Rachel * Matt's aunt, Linda * Matt's cousin, Tyler

Ichiro

Today we went to the Mariner game with Matt's family and some of his extended too. They didn't win (no surprise there) but it was fun nonetheless!

Picketing: not an enjoyable event

While I'd rather be teaching my new bundle of Kindergartners, I'm out picketing. We're walking about 10 miles a day holding our signs, "making a statement." I (luckily) don't have pictures of me picketing but here are some other Bellevue teachers...

Teacher Strike

Much to my dismay, we are going on strike. After a unanimous 94% in favor of striking vote, we will hit the picket lines tomorrow.

Romy's 1st Birthday Party

With lots of family and friends, food, and presents galore, I'd say our niece, Romy's first birthday party was a success. She was a little crabby and overwhelmed by all the people and passing but enjoyed the gifts and especially her first taste of cake. It was pretty adorable :)

Angie's Wedding

Today Matt's cousin, Angie got married. Here are some picture from their wedding in the Tri-cities.

The Beach

wanted to note the pretty sunset with this one...

I was making fun of Rachel...

siblings :)

ok now there's a pretty sunset

me and my semi-bro

As always, we took a trip with Matt's family down to the Oregon coast, stayed in a beautiful home on the beach in Lincoln City and had a great time. Our time was spent boogie boarding (although not me...I watch), walking the beach, shopping the great outlets, playing games, and relaxing. Speed scrabble was the favorite game this year. If you've never played, you should learn. It's really fun!

Happy Birthday Jess!

Today we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday. Happy birthday Jess!

Family Day

our version of the online game, Text Twist

she loves baby dolls...this was her first time with one (Jossie & Rob's game involved changing diapers on the doll :)

Boat making for another game...

The annual family day day has come around again and today was yet another fun year of crazy family-created games, the traditional donuts/sandwiches/dessertS menu and lots of visiting and catching up. Another first for Romy too!

Romy Overnight

Not the best picture but I loved the ribbon I put in her hair!

Reading at an early age :)

We had Romy overnight tonight to give Rob and Jos a break from parenthood. As always, she's a cutie, lighting up our lives and the camera!

Summer Experience Week 2

Much like the first I had a group of former students but this time it was all girls and centered on a princess theme with a lot of Fancy Nancy books. If you aren't familiar with Fancy Nancy, you should be. They are the cutest books. At any rate, another very fun week. :)

Bethany and Cody's Wedding

I love this picture :)

Me and my sis-in-law, Jess

On the way to the wedding...

Congrats!

Tonight we attended Bethany & Cody's wedding in Sammamish. Bethany grew up with us and lived in Canyon Firs so it was fun to be able to go to her wedding and to see some neighborhood friends there too! Mom, Dad, Jos, Danny, Jess, Matt and I all went. Congrats Bethany & Cody!

Creation

The Long family plus a friend in the middle, Caitie :)

singing something silly I'm sure back at camp between concerts

Well we just returned from Creation and had another great year. Favorite bands included TobyMac and Switchfoot...always. The weather was much nicer than usual in the mid 90s which was a welcomed surprise. (It's usually well above 100...and we camp...for 4 nights!)

Black Butte

Romy crawling around in her bathing suit

Me ready for s'mores...see Emily in the background? Too funny :)

Danny & Matthew sharing the tube...it was pretty hilarious

How cute is this pic? I love it!

Beautiful Romy blue.

Goofy Dad and Goofy Uncle Ron with their GnTs

This week is "kid week" at Black Butte where us siblings, cousins, and nieces :) join the "grown ups" for a week of fun. Highlights included: being together of course, having Romy's first time at Black Butte, taking a boat out on Lake Billy Chinook, and many hours reading books and laying by the pool...and the late night games. Uncle Ron's favorite new "flower power" CD was NOT enjoyed.

Summer Experience Week 1

This is my second year now doing my own summer camp with former students. This is the first of 2 weeks I'm doing this summer. All 3 of these kids were students of mine this past year. I charge the parents a rate for the week, the kids come to my place Monday through Thursday (I'm watching Romy on Fridays!) for a half day and we read, write, do math, crafts

, art, science, all centered around a theme. This week's theme is frogs. The kids love it and, I've got to admit...I do too! I can't believe they pay me to "play school" :) in the summer with their kids.

4th of July

We spent the 4th of July weekend in Yakima with Matt's family. There was a little festival at the fairgrounds during the day and then we did LOTS of fireworks in their backyard that night. Way more than the sparklers I'm used to!

What a beautiful day!

Matt & I took advantage of today's beautiful weather and spent much of the day at the Kirkland waterfront. Hopefully there are many more days like this in the future!

Romy Day

Here's to another great year

I'll miss you all!

Yakima Weekend

We went to Yakima this weekend. We went because the Long's cousins from Kentucky were in town and we wanted to see them. We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying each others' company!

Another Auction Project

Another "item" I auctioned at my school's auction a date with me to get manicures and pedicures. My student, Ali's parents won this so here we are getting our nails done :) It was pretty cute.

Lilly's 1st Birthday

My mom baby-sits my niece and another little girl, Lilly. I've baby-sat her too. She had her first birthday party today and along with my family, I went too.

How stinkin' cute is this picture!?

Happy Birthday Again Danny!

Following the surprise party at Jessica's parents' place, we had our own family birthday dinner at Danny's favorite place, "The Rainforest Cafe." Happy birthday Danny. We're officially done celebrating your birthday now!

Ms

Tonight we went to the Mariner game and it was fun. Here's a picture of me "pitching" in front of pitcher Felix Hernandez :)

Birthday Month!

Today we celebrated Danny's birthday with a surprise party at Jessica's parents' place in Maple Valley. Happy birthday Dano!

Matt's gone

...so today I went to Mom & Dad's for a barbecue with Grandma & Grandpa. It was nice!

Happy Birthday JB!

Today we celebrated Jossie's birthday with dinner at Olive Garden followed by cake and gifts at Mom & Dad's!

Snail Races

One of the science units we use in Kindergarten is called "Animals 2 by 2" and one set of animals is water snails and land snails. One of the activities is snail races and the kids LOVE this. Every year it's a highlight :)

Happy Mother's Day

We spent today with my family celebrating Mother's Day. It was very nice! Happy Mother's Day Moms! It was special too because it was Jossie's first Mother's Day :)

Go M's!

Mariner games are always fun....even if they are terrible!

Baby-sitting Romy Blue

She's so stinkin' cute. She's smiling SO much and sitting up so well. Here are a few pictures of our day with her.

Wedding Weekend!

This weekend my friend Bryn got married. I was lucky enough to be her Matron of Honor. We started with a Bachelorette dinner, lingerie party, nails, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, hair, wedding...and they lived happily ever after :)
Congratulations Bryn & John!

Josie & Alil's soccer game

Tonight Matt and I went to see 2 of my students play in their soccer game. Their team is called "The Goldfish." :)

Prom

This weekend was prom for Andrew so we headed over to see "the kids" all dressed up :)

Cute Romy Picture

Wearing the House of Blues shirt we got her in California...

Dinner @ Ali's

One of my students, Ali invited me to her house for dinner. She even made an invitation to invite me with and there was a menu when I arrived :) Here we are taking a few silly pictures in her room.

Pottery Painting with Mrs. Long

At our school's auction this year I auctioned off "Pottery Painting with Mrs. Long" and one of my students, Courtney "won" the auction (well technically her parents did). She chose her sister to join us and we painted pottery today. The girls were so cute, excited, and very enthusiastic about their work!

Lujans

Today I took advantage of the first day of Spring Break and went up to visit the Lujans. I can't believe how much those boys have grown up! I remember baby-sitting them when they were both in diapers, and neither could walk or talk. Now they live in Anacortes in their BEAUTIFUL, newly built home. The boys' dad, Matt did most of the work and it's GORGEOUS!

Lilly

My mom baby-sits my niece, Romy, and another little girl, Lilly during the week. Lilly's parents needed an evening baby-sitter one night so I drove to their place and watched Lilly. She is a cutie!

April Fools!

Today for April Fools Day, a 4th grade teacher and I switched spots. I had prepared my kids a little..."you never know when your teacher might play a trick on you"...but the 4th graders had NO idea. 4th grade is a whole different thing from Kindergarten but I really liked it (for the day). I was amazed at how much longer the attention span of a 4th grader was compared to that of a Kindergartner. All in all, it was a fun experience and I think all the kids enjoyed it. (The teacher who took my place said she'd never do it again. Ha!) :)

Go Ms!

Today was Opening Day of Mariners baseball. I had surprised Matt with tickets (and got him out of work early) to the sold out game and we had a nice time. It was FREEZING but still fun...and they won their first game!

It is spring...

...and it's snowing! Go figure. It is pretty!

Bryn's Shower

Tonight was the Bridal Shower I threw for my friend Bryn. She's getting married in May. It was a lot of fun and there was a great turnout....not to mention she go great presents! :)

Snow in March

The kids were QUITE excited about this today...so to quench the excitement a little, I took pictures of all of them in pairs in the snow outside our classroom :)

Fun with Auntie Lisa

Another fun day with Romy...today we tried out the new stroller I got for days like this, made a trip to Target, had a good nap, and ate peaches too. Auntie Lisa had the day off school so she got to baby-sit.

Happy Birthday Akemi!

Today I took a former student out for ice cream to celebrate her birthday. We started at Baskin 'n Robbins followed by a quick trip to Albertson's the use the restroom. We ended up gathering a special balloon for her new pet, a balloon for her brother, and flowers and a pop for her Mom. The greatest though was the dash for the frozen aisle to collect the "free items." (Coupons) :) I had a great time and I know she did too! Happy Birthday Miss Akem

A bucketful of cuteness

Isn't she?

Romy Blue

We just returned from California yesterday but today we get to baby-sit Romy...a commitment I was very excited to come home to :)

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland over my mid-winter break in February with Matt's family. It was a blast. The weather wasn't as good as we had hoped - it was much like home instead...overcast and a little rainy but that didn't keep us away from the fun! The trip started with a stop at Huntington Beach which was beautiful and fun. We had breakfast at a great little place called, No ha ki with the best pancakes I've ever had - they were cinnamon! Then we made our way to Anaheim exploring Downtown Disney, California Adventure, and Disneyland. The highlights included favorite rides: Thunder Mountain Railroad, California Screamin' (at California Adventure), and for Matthew and Andrew...the Buzz Lightyear Ride, "Astro Blasters." The "Gospel Brunch" at the House of Blues was one of my favorite parts too.

Go Huskies!

Tonight we went to the Husky basketball game. We took my brother, Danny and his sister-in-law, Katie (Jess had to work). Matt's family was supposed to come over for the game but the pass was closed. The 4 of us had a great time!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom's birthday is in a couple of days so all of us kids went to their house to make her dinner...and hang out with her. That's what she really likes - seeing us! :) It was very fun. We all like to see our sibs too so it was perfect for all of us! Jess made AMAZING chocolate cheesecake too.

I still have many in between posts...

...to include but in the meantime, we just have too many cute stinkin' pictures of our niece, Romy. Yep, we like her quite a bit :) These pictures are from when she stayed with us overnight. She was with us all of Saturday, over night (slept great!) and then went with us to Danny's church where he was baptized. We went to Target, she ate rice cereal, had a bath, played, and slept like a champ!

Is it possible to love someone so much?

Yes, I do love Matthew more than I ever thought I could...but this time I'm talking about my niece! I love being an auntie SO much. In the words of my brother, "I know I'm the uncle so I'm a little biased but she is seriously the cutest little girl ever"! Well put, Dano. Here are a few pics of the latest favorite kiddo :)

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to Lisa! :)

Enatai

Today was the first day of school. I have a great group of adorable (no surprise!), sweet kids. It’s going to be a great year. The staff at my new school, Enatai Elementary have been really welcoming and my principal is fabulous!

.

Welcome Romy!

If you want to know how today really went, you should check Jossie's blog :) But for ME, it was a relatively normal day...except waiting for many hours to be an auntie for the first time, and Matthew...an uncle! JB called my cell phone about 7:00 this morning and I knew as soon as I saw it was her what was going on! Her water had broken so we got up and I headed straight for the hospital (preamturely :)...met Mom and Dad there and Matt came a few hours later. We waited...and waited...and waited. We saw Jos a few times (once was NOT so pleasant...yikes labor requires lots of PAIN!)...I even shopped a little at the mall nearby...and we all went out to dinner :)...all while Jos was in labor! Hehe. It seemed a little mean but what were we supposed to do!! Needless to say, we left dinner to get back to the hospital and she was getting VERY close then just after 8 PM that evening, Romy Eileen Craig was born. She is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Newborns are amazing. The first thing I did when I saw her was cry! Wow. This is the start of something absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Jossie & Rob aka MOMMY and DADDY!

Technology 101 taught by ME

Today I taught a technology class at my district's "Summer Institute." I was a little nervous only because I had to teach teachers...people my age (mostly older actually). I can do Kinders but adults are a whole different story. It went well though...I think they even learned a thing or 2! :)

The Beach

As always, we went to the beach this summer with Matthew’s family. We stayed in a rental house with very interesting decorations. Let’s just say Martha Stewart didn’t do the place. We still had fun of course. The weather was quite nice, allowing us girls to sit on the beach and watch while the boys plus Erica and Rachel boogie boarded out in the COLD ocean. We also did a little shopping at the outlets, ate out many times having great food, and spent many hours playing games (my favorite part).

...and on the way home we stopped to see PCC & Emily at "The Farm" :)

Kindergarten Picnic

My school change was a surprise to me and all the families in the Eastgate community. I wasn't ready to leave and I felt like I needed some closure...if not maybe for some of the kids too. So, after speaking with my principal, I had a "popsicles and play date" picnic on the playground. It was nice to see the kids and to say goodbye to many wonderful families...I was flattered at the turn out too. It was nice to see so many of them. See you later Eastgate!

Summer Experience

This week began week 1 of 2 of my first "Summer Experience." I was approached by a few parents of students last year asking me if I'd do a sort of private Kindergarten as a half day "program" in their homes. I was absolutely delighted. The parents and their kids were wonderul. I basically wrote my own "curriculum" for a couple of weeks, loosely centered around a theme and we ran with it. I had so much fun and I think the kids did too...and they were keeping up with their learning! Did I mention this was a paid position? :) Love it.

Creation

July is always a fun month for us because it seems to always have Black Butte and Creation in it. Creation was enjoyable this year as it always is. We loaded up the cars in Yakima on Wednesday morning and once we had all the kids and their stuff, caravanned out to The Gorge. I had a few girls in my car…and one guy so their conversations were quite hilarious. I love high schoolers. Once there, we always have to wait for hours just to get in and set up our camp site so...as usual...we waited. And waited. And waited. In the hot, hot, 100 degree heat. Eventually we got in, got set up and...the rest is history. The heat and lack of sleep always wear on us and I think in any other circumstance...we wouldn't actually enjoy ourselves. Creation is different :) The highlights included Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, and David Crowder Band.

...there is a place...

Black Butte Ranch – yet another fantastic year. We actually left Issaquah on Saturday and drove to Yakima and left Sunday morning to head the rest of the way down to Black Butte. As always, we screamed as we entered and saw the “Black Butte Ranch” sign (the screaming at the sign is a favorite past time…when we used to be crammed into a couple of vans as excited cousins!) The weather was HOT and we loved it. We spent a lot of time playing games (our new favorite is Five Crowns – thanks for introducing that one to us, Auntie Ann, laying by the pool and playing in the pool, as well as shopping! For at least two days we were ALL there which was the best part. One day we rented a speed boat and a party boat to take out on Lake Billy Chinook. It’s always a fun time. Unfortunately, Matt got sick…food poisoning maybe? We’re not really sure. Within minutes on the boat he was loosing his breakfast so we got him settled out of the water and in the shade. He slept for a few hours and was feeling better fast, luckily! He wanted me to go back out on the boat (it is my favorite day) so I did and enjoyed watching everyone inner tube, wakeboard, and water ski. Even Uncle Ron tried wakeboarding. What a hoot. The last night we went out to dessert with Phillip, Emily, Danny, and Jessica which was a nice treat. “There is a place…Black Butte Ranch.” We’ll be back next year, don’t you worry!

Last day of school...

Today was the last day of school. It's always bittersweet day. I'm relieved that the summer has arrived but I'll miss my kids too! It was a great year. The kids were very sweet and I had several wonderful families in my classroom. I didn't cry this year though - that's an improvement from last year :) I got lots of great cards from kids and their parents and even a few gifts. It was a fabulous year...and I can't wait for next year.

Happy Birthday Gma!

Happy birthday! We love you! We had fun tonight at Uncle Ron and Auntie Ann's house to celebrate Grandma's birthday with a good ol' bbq!

THE WEDDING

Today the happy couple married. It was a very fun day. We started by getting ready and having pictures at Olson Mansion where the reception was to be held, then we headed to the church in a limo (that was a surprise) for a few pictures and then to start the ceremony! There were no major kinks, they married off just fine and enjoyed their reception. It was hot but filled with lots of dancing and desserts!
…and they lived happily ever after…

Happy Mother's Day!

I love family functions. Doesn’t matter if it’s my family or Matt’s if it’s near or far, I just like being with family. Today was one of those days. “The fam” all went to Anthony’s in Kirkland for Mother’s Day brunch – very good blueberry coffee cake! Our group is getting to be rather large so you usually just chat with whomever is near you but it’s all fun. We love you moms!

Nickel Creek

Tonight Matthew, our friends Emily & Bryn, and I all went to see the band Nickel Creek at McCaw Hall in Seattle for a great concert. They play bluegrass music. They’re really good bluegrass though – they can REALLY play. Chris Thile plays the mandolin like nobody’s business. If you want to hear him, let me know and I’ll give you a listen! It was fun…just went late which I wasn’t crazy about, being that it’s a school night.

Danny's Graduation

My little brother is now a college graduate. Crazy. Today he graduated from Northwest University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication. Go Dan!

Jessica's Shower

Today Mom & I had a wedding shower for Jessica. She’s so cute J There were a lot of people, she got lots of great gifts, and it was fun. She really appreciated all the work we put into it and everything turned out really well. We can tell she’s excited to get married and we’re excited to have her “officially” in the family!

It's a girl!

Today Joss went to the doctor and the big news is she’s having a GIRL! Yippee! Congrats JB!

You're in Heaven Now

Matthew got a call tonight from his Mom telling him that his Grandma (John’s Mom, Inez) had died in a car accident. Apparently she was driving home from her daughter’s house and ran through a stop sign and was hit on the passenger side of her car by a truck. She died shortly after the impact. She will be missed but we know she’s in a better place. Obituary here

Downtown at The W

Kelye, whom I teach with, had a gift certificate for a one night’s stay at The W hotel in Seattle. She wasn’t able to use it before it expired so she graciously gave it to Matt and I. Boy were we excited! It is a very modern, trendy, NICE hotel. We checked in and then walked around downtown most of the evening. By the time we were to eat, I was starving, cranky…I needed food and I needed it fast. J Anyway, we ended up at Palomino in the City Center. It was Italian (my favorite) and it was food (much needed by that point) so we were both happy. It was really quite good too. We stayed in our fancy room but stayed away from the mini bar. Would you believe $9 M&Ms? Seriously! And no, they weren’t king sized! J We got up the next morning and had breakfast at a lovely little pastry shop:: Belle Epicurean. If you’re ever in Seattle, near the W – GO THERE. SO yummy. Thanks Kelye for a fun weekend!

AZ

Grandma and Grandpa got a visit from Mom and me for Christmas. So, in February we flew to Arizona and spent a few days with them there at their condo. It was fun! We mostly sat around and talked a lot. Grandma and I made a chocolate cake…in the microwave! (Here’s a recipe if you want to try it yourself!) She had wanted to try it so we tried it together. It wasn’t very good but Grandpa still isn’t sure what all the griping was about. He obviously enjoyed it the way it was but the rest of us weren’t as impressed. We ate out at Cracker Barrel (I like that place) and even had a visit from Mom’s cousin Laura and her husband Kip. It was fun to hear their stories about being a host family for many different students studying abroad in America. The trip was over pretty quickly and we flew home after our few-days visit.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! Today we spent the evening with the fam having dinner at the Spaghetti Factory (of course.) Then we headed back to Mom and Dad's for a surprise marzipan cake. Oh boy! As usual, fun to see them and I think Mom enjoyed it too :) Here's her pretty cake and also my brother and his cute fiance!

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Power Outages

WOW. What a crazy few days it has been!! Let's see...we lost power late on Thursday evening and just got it back...it's Tuesday now. It's been wild. The winds were obviously high and we had record breaking power outages on the western side of the state. Trees were (and still are) down EVERYWHERE, roads blocked, branches everywhere, and hundreds of homes ruined. I'm just glad we stayed safe and warm. School was cancelled for 3 days straight - the last 3 days before winter break at that. Gas is nearly impossible to come by and groceries are difficult to find too with all stores being powerless as well. We've lucked out having gas in our apartment so we've had a warm fire, hot water, and even a working (when lit!) stovetop in our place. It got a little old as time wore on as we became bored but not uncomfortable, luckily!

PA Christmas Party

Tonight we went to the Peds Christmas Party. It was fun! We ate a great dinner, gambled with tokens, visited with friends, and danced a little. It's always fun to get dressed up too. We were hoping to win one of the big prizes but...no luck. Oh well :) It was fun anyway!

Scansen Christmas Tree Shopping

Today was funny. We went with Mom, Dad, Jb, Dan, and Jess to get a Christmas tree at this great lot Mom and Dad had heard about. When we got there, it was their last day of business and there were 2, count 'em 2 trees to choose from!!! We all got a good laugh out of it. It was still fun and Mom and Dad ended up with a relatively beautiful tree after all.

Long Christmas Tree Shopping

Very few times in my life can I recall being as scared as I was yesterday. Matthew and I hopped in the Longs pick up with his mom, dad, and brother, Andrew to drive up Chinook pass to cut down the perfect Christmas tree. BAD BAD BAD idea. We were driving in feet of fresh snow, not to mention a number of inches of compact snow pounded into the ground. The road up there seemed merely inches wide with nothing but a cliff and a large fall to our right, all the way up the pass. I was absolutely trembling as we slipped and slid all over the very small road, glancing a few times only to see the side of the road imagining our quick fall OFF the pass into the trees below. Needless to say, we stayed safe, I'm never going again, and we found a nice tree...even while enjoying some fun in the snow! Eek!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! It's snowing like crazy and school was cancelled today and is closed tomorrow too. I can't believe we have inches and inches of snow here in the Northwest and it's sticking! Even to the roads!!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Visit with the Lujans

We trekked out to Oak Harbor again today - today to celebrate Ian's first birthday. He was SO cute, loving the attention and the wrapping paper more than the gifts. There were lots of kids which was fun.

Our Pumpkin Carving Party

Today we hosted a pumpkin carving party. It was a real hit with lots of friends and pumpkin carving :) See the fun in the photos!

Pumpkin Carving with Friends

Today we carved pumpkins with the Lujans and a few other friends. Actually, I carved a pumpkin. Matt was at the Husky game! I managed to forget a picture of me and my pumpkin but got a cute one of Mr. Ian Lujan :)

Pumpkin Carving @ School

arvinTonight I stopped by the gym as families were invited to carve pumpkins at school :)

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Today was our first field trip and my first trip to the pumpkin patch...with 20 Kindies. It was so much fun. I think their highlight was the bus ride. (Many still don't ride the bus because their parents are scared to put their kids on the bus!) They enjoyed our trip to Jubilee Farms in Carnation, WA for some animal meet and greet, picnic lunch, hay maze, and of course, pumpkin picking. The director instructed the kids to find a pumpkin they liked, raise their hand, and wait for an adult to come and harvest it. Too funny.

David's Bridal

Today I went with Mom down to David's Bridal in Southcenter to try on bridesmaid's dresses with Jessica and her sisters. Well, we found nothing although the color at that time was determined to be pool although that could be changing soon. She got her gown though. I'd add a link but I'm afraid Danny has access to this and we wouldn't want that now would we! It was a fun trip but we had no luck with the bridesmaid dresses. I'm sure we'll be trying again soon. If you know of any out there in Tiffany Blue, let me know! That's the bride's dream.

Oak Harbor

Our dear friends, The Lujans including their 2 boys Matthew "Tay Tay" and Ian whom we've both baby-sat for years now moved to Oak Harbor. They are building a home there and we're happy for them even though they are very far away. We enjoyed a visit with them today at their rental home while they build. We were able to see the frame they have of their new home and anticipate how beautiful it will be upon completion. In the meantime, here are the boys! Matthew was very exciting to show us his Buzz Lightyear costume he is going to wear for Halloween.

Bob Dylan

Matt is currently with his brother and friends enjoying probably the second best concert of his life. He's seeing Bob Dylan tonight. I'm guessing this concert will be a runner up to the U2 concert we saw...last year. Let's just say, I'm not sad that I'm missing it but very happy he gets to be there too. Bob's not my favorite :)

The Engagement

Oh the engagement! Danny proposed to Jessica early this morning. I will forever save a text message I received from her, "You're going to be my sister!" :) They are very cute, very happy, and I imagine will live....happy ever after. He proposed to her early this morning on Whidby Island where they had their first date. He did it at sunrise, "It's like a new day, just like our new life together, Lis" says whimsical Danny :) We attended a lovely engagement party for them at Jessica's family's home in Maple Valley, WA today. More details to come...

Walk-a-Thon

Today was our all school walk-a-thon. It was a fundraiser and the kids enjoyed walking the laps around the school. Of course there were prizes involved. The fundraiser was sponsored by Talking Rain and each kiddo received a free Eastgate labeled bottle of water for the walking. The Mariner Moose accompanied us on our trek too which was exciting for some, but scary for many of my kindies. "He's a lot smaller on my TV" was one of the comments! :) Did I mention we all had tee shirts too? So fun.

1st Day of School

First Day of school. Wow. If these kids are half as wonderful every other day as they were today, I'm in for a GREAT year!!! I have 20 little darlings this year all between the ages of 5 and 6. For the second year of my teaching career, I am again at Eastgate Elementary.

Oregon Coast

Another fun summer vacation - the Oregon Coast with Matt's family is where we just came from. It was several days filled with some sun, some fog, some rain, some warm weather, some cool weather, a lot of games, lots of boogie boarding - lots of watching for me, and some very enjoyable outlet shopping. We enjoyed dining at some of our favorites, Pier 101 and Mo's. One of the highlights was definitely hours upon hours and games upon games of Monopoly. It's a refound favorite!