Is It Christmas Or Zack's Birthday?

This year Zack turned 16! We had a kind of crazy day, but I think he had fun! Now we just have to wait about 245 days until Christmas...

Birthday breakfast of Baked French toast. Yum!

Zack and his pile o' presents

wait, are these Christmas lights?

After Christmas, we bought Zack TONS of Christmas lights on clearance. Zack LOVES putting up Christmas lights! It's just too bad we have to wait so long to enjoy them.

musical Christmas lights

more Christmas lights and the ultimate Christmas light show

Actually, we didn't have to wait until Christmas to have fun with the new lights...

After lunch, we went and helped Mike and Nichole move into their new place. They have a great new house right up the hill from the church.

After packing the truck a second time, the boys and I went for a quick supper of burgers and shakes at Nipps and then headed straight to set-up and worship band practice for Presentation Nite.

my Camping Out class display

Dangerous Class for Boys display

praising the Lord with the worship band

the worship band

Zack and Stewart

Andy getting his participation award from Marv

Will was an EMT in his Forensic Science class' play

Zack and his friend Elijah decided to have a joint birthday party this year on both Zack's birthday (the 27th) and Elijah's birthday (the 28th). They had a sleep-over at Elijah's house. While they didn't get much sleep, they did have a lot of fun!

Zack and Elijah

a new Wii game to play

CPC Party

Susie invited me again this year to the CPC baby bottle and diaper cake party. Thanks Susie! I had so much fun last year that I decided to go again. And again I had a great time! Not only was the company fun to visit with but we were helping out an important cause as well.

first we tied LOTS of tags on baby bottles

then we made diaper cakes for the moms

who come into the center

me and my cake

Susie and her cake

Cherie and her cake

Please be praying for the unborn babies in this country as well as their mommies!

Meeting Stella Catherine

Yesterday our newest niece, Stella Catherine was born. Chris and I were able to drive down to the hospital to meet her in the evening. The boys were at a party and were disappointed they couldn't go, but we will go later this week to introduce them properly.

Stella is adorable! She looks just like her sister Maggie. Well, just like Maggie now not Maggie when she was a newborn. Amy had a really fast delivery, but did awesome and looked beautiful when we saw her!

It was even more fun because Amy, Frank, and Ada and Theresa all came while we were there, too. Ada was happy to meet her new cousin and be off the elevators. :o)

Ada and Daddy

meeting Stella

Ada was grinning the whole time we were there

she really wanted Daddy's tape

Stella and Theresa

Stella has very long fingernails

so Greg put her socks on her hands to

keep her from scratching her face :o)

After we left the hospital, we went out for dinner with Theresa at this trendy little Meditterean place by her apartment. We had yummy food and even better company! Thanks for taking us, Theresa! We had a great time! I really miss having so many wonderful places to eat. But maybe it's better for both our budget and my health. LOL

Last Day Lessons

Lessons I learned on this last day of Friday School are:

1. Don't have a "free fun day" on the last day of class. It's too crazy!!! Fun, but crazy...

Camping Out class in tent

Noah in his crazy glasses

2. Electricity is NOT something to mess around with!

the PUD came out and did a safety demonstration.

Lesson: NEVER mess with anything electrical!

a 60,000 degree white-blue flame WILL hurt!

3. It is totally worth all of the work!!! I LOVE teaching!

this is one of the thank yous I received

it is a picture of Annika and I roasting

marshmallows on a campfire

First Trip Of The Year

This was the first of what we hope to be MANY days on the river. With temps at about 80 degrees it was hard to believe it is only April 2oth, until you got into the water that is. LOL

But it was a gorgeous sunny day! The water was smooth as glass! (That almost NEVER happens on the Columbia at any time of year.) No one got too sunburned. We got to do a bit of exploring upriver (or was it downriver?). Brauts roasted on the fire was a very yummy lunch! All in all it was a very fun and very relaxing day off. And shouldn't every day off be like that?

the water was so smooth

the first "ship" of the 2009 boating season

playing Zack's new ball game

roasting brauts on the fire

we didn't even need to use any of the wood we brought from home

going exploring

Mt St Helens was beautiful and white

heading over to play in the ship's "wake"

Yee Haw!