We had a great visit from Dave's parents (from San Diego), his brother Mike and his 2 kids, Celina and Anthony (from Florida). Here's recap of the first part of the trip. It started off with me running my 3rd Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. I earned one of these... We made the obligatory trip to Seattle. I should really count up how many pictures I have taken of this over the years... I'm always impressed with the flower stands. Another icon that I must have hundreds of shots of... We celebrated a birthday... ...by going black-light mini-golfing. (can't you tell?) We went here: (Tumwater Falls) And took pictures of the cousins. Don't let the sweatshirts fool you - this picture was taken on June 27!
Abby had her dance recital at the Capital Theater in Olympia. We were lucky enough to have quite a lot of family in attendance: Grandma & Grandpa Hoeveler, Uncle Mike, cousins Celina & Anthony, Aunt Lael, and Grandma May. And of course mom, dad and Caleb! While we couldn't take video of her dances, she did a fantastic job on both of them. We are sure proud of our little dancer!
Today I bought 40 pounds of chicken. That's right. 40. Yes, it is a lot. We eat more chicken in our house than any other type of meat. And this was a great deal at $1.64 per pound. Now, I did have to trim some fat, and separate them into my freezer bags, but here's what the 40 pounds looked like when I got it... And here it is 2 hours later. Just in time for some BBQ! So, now you know what 40 pounds of chicken looks like!
Abby has been attending a preschool taught by two of my friends, Donna and Marie, for the past two years. She has really loved all the fun times she had.They always incorporated yummy treats into their lessons, letting the kids help. Let them get messy... And took some great pictures... She learned so much and is definitely ready for Kindergarten in the fall. Thanks Donna and Marie for helping Abby in her learning and being a part of her life!
This year we had our shortest visit to the Fun Fair ever. It was too cold, started to sprinkle, and since Dave's back wasn't doing well, we left after Abby's dance performance. But not before the yearly ride on the ponys. It will be a sad day for Caleb and Abby when they are too big to ride the ponys.
Abby's dance class performed at the Fun Fair. She was thrilled beyond belief to be able to wear her costume.
Here is a video of her performance. It is to a Sandra Boynton song - Personal Penguin. She is the little cutie second from the left.
The most hilarious part of the event was watching Abby watch the other dancers. That girl has rhythm in her blood. She was trying to mimic the moves of the other dances as she was watching them. I wish I was tech-y enough to have a split screen - where you could see the performance on one side and Abby's interpretation on the other. For your enjoyment: (It gets really good around :34)
Caleb has been busy the past week. It started last Thursday. He took the reading part of the MSP - standardized state-wide testing. He was so nervous he didn't get to sleep until almost 11pm. So much for a good night's rest! After the test in school, he got to take his next belt test for Taekwondo. This time he tested for, and received, his green belt. Maybe next belt test I'll remember to take a video of his form. They are starting to get very complicated, and the moves are almost dance-like. I really enjoy watching them. Next, on Tuesday Caleb received his Bear badge in Cub Scouts. Here he is taking his badge off of Akela's collar. And here he is pining me with the Bear pin. That night, as I was tucking him into bed, he told me that he was really proud of himself for getting his Bear. Both Dave and I are grateful that he really loves scouts.
Finally, yesterday he took the math portion of the MSP. He fell asleep much easier Wednesday night. I think it helped that we were able to help Caleb see that he had prepared his best for both the belt test and the MSP tests, and that since he did his best, he could be proud of his effort and the outcome. - April
We made the obligatory trip to Seattle. I should really count up how many pictures I have taken of this over the years...
We celebrated a birthday...
...by going black-light mini-golfing. (can't you tell?)
We went here: (Tumwater Falls)
And took pictures of the cousins. Don't let the sweatshirts fool you - this picture was taken on June 27!
Let them get messy...
And took some great pictures...
She learned so much and is definitely ready for Kindergarten in the fall.
Thanks Donna and Marie for helping Abby in her learning and being a part of her life!
"Why is it called a dog thingy?"
Maybe next belt test I'll remember to take a video of his form. They are starting to get very complicated, and the moves are almost dance-like. I really enjoy watching them.
And here he is pining me with the Bear pin. That night, as I was tucking him into bed, he told me that he was really proud of himself for getting his Bear. Both Dave and I are grateful that he really loves scouts.
Finally, yesterday he took the math portion of the MSP. He fell asleep much easier Wednesday night. I think it helped that we were able to help Caleb see that he had prepared his best for both the belt test and the MSP tests, and that since he did his best, he could be proud of his effort and the outcome. - April