Thursday, November 25, 2010

Family Ties

I miss my sister the most on family days.  I want you to feel like you're still a part of the family events, Julia, so I've posted some pictures for you.

This is at Amanda's baby shower last month.

Last weekend Uncle Bob and Kaitlin came to visit. Doesn't K look so grown up? We played Apples to Apples like we always do. :)

Here's Papa with his entourage. ;)

Kaitlin is laughing at an old picture!

Lastly, one with James and Amanda. There were several cameras going, so not everyone is looking.

So glad we were able to Skype today! We miss you so much! Next holiday I'll have pictures of our new nephew to share. :D

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Holiday Cheer!

This made me so happy today! Enjoy!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Just a Little Longer...

I want a nap, but I'm terribly afraid that I just might not wake up until Christmas if I allow myself to stop!

That's all I have time to say.
I'm going to try and convince myself to push through.
(Or I might just sleep the day away. Is that an option? Someone say say yes.)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Halloween Happenings

I'm finally catching up on blogging!
Last Friday night my piano students participated in a Halloween Musicale. This is the second year Ms. Williams and I have collaborated to pull this together. So much fun! Here are my students (minus two who did not participate).


And here's the whole gang!

There was delicious food. We made mummy fingers (hot dogs wrapped in tortilla strips), strawberry ghosts (dipped in white chocolate), mummy apple pies (raisins for eyes:), and a host of other scrumptious spooky snacks. I think the kids' favorite ended up being the french fries - the frozen bag from Walmart. That will save me hours next year!

The kids drew numbers out of a pumpkin and then performed their pieces in that order.




All my students are soooo cute! I just love them. :D

Of course Ms. Williams and I were dressed for the occasion. She makes a great hillbilly. :) Yes, I know I'm Audrey Hepburn for every costume party, but I'm too busy to go reinventing the wheel. Cut me some slack. :) 

Last weekend was one big party. On Sunday, Ty and I went with Gabe and Soph's family to a nearby corn maze. It was a blast! The actual maze only took us 35-40 minutes, but there were tons of other things to do there, as well.

Here's Soph on the hay ride. All of a sudden her hair has gone all wavy. I commented on it, and she said it was going to be curly, "Just like yours, Miss Jessie!" :)

This is me going down a very cool slide. It was quite uncomfortable, too, though you can't tell by my reaction.

And this is the birthday boy. Seven years old!

Gabe and Ty were our fearless leaders. Did I mention they got us through in record time? I love this picture. Gabe is all contemplative. :)

Here we are with all the kids (and a friend of Hannah's on the right).

I love these people. (Actually, I don't know the two in the background.)

There were plenty of snacks to munch on, too. Here the kids are eating fresh corn. I was feeling puny earlier in the afternoon, so Mrs. Cory saved the day by purchasing watermelon slices. Pure iron and water, she said.

We headed home after the corn maze just in time to see these two again - this time in costume! 

These guys look familiar. :) Too bad Wesley didn't wear his curlers this time. They really made his "housewife" costume!

Maggie-moo. :)

 Here are Grace and Ben on either side of me - looking older than ever! Gracie helped me make all the Halloween snacks for my recital, so it was wonderful to see her. I love watching all my kids grow up and playing even a small part in their lives.

Though I do feel like I'm getting very old...

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Check It!

This is what Erin and I are about to begin learning!
We have plenty of time to prepare for the school concerto competition next fall!
Well...that's actually debatable.
But the winner(s) get to perform with the school orchestra! How cool is that?

Judge for yourself.
We're stoked.