Magical Strings

Last night Trinity and I had the pleasure of attending the 34th Annual Magical Strings concert in Bellevue. It was a teeny tiny theatre and a very intimate performance space that allowed for us to be right up close. It was a celtic Christmas complete with a processional where we got to dress up and join the performers on stage! The Irish dancers were Trinity's favorite. She was positively enraptured at one point getting a note book out to right arrows left and right in order to help her remember "the moves". How cute is that? She fell back in her chair with wonder when I tall young man came dancing out on stage. (mom rolls eyes). The dress costumes put her over the moon. Here are vids and pics of our fabulous time, thank you Nee nee and Granda for the tickets!

 girls night!

 waiting to begin, believe it or not she was writing down facts about France = running out of time for extra credit report. I'm not a mean mom! really!

 she found a drum

the fabulous Collen Raney

the amazingly sparkly dress costumes. Lame camera.

Snowflake Lane 2012

I am just a sucker for taking the kids to this. It's free people! Herein I give you video evidence of how much fun they have. =) Even Isaac was old enough to enjoy this year. He didn't seem scared of the noise nor super smiley just gazing around taking it all in. He's a chill character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwUE5E0qGI&feature=share&list=UUS7pLCW9fny1VDyw_Yjv8Vw

copy and paste the above link to see video of snowflake lane

This blog is doing some really weird things today so if you go to this video it should take you to my channel where you can watch two more (for the grandmas). Sorry I didn't get them on here.

Pumpkin Chunkin

Hello all, we have been busy! The school year sails on, we had parent/teacher conferences and I was very excited by the kids' progress. Trinity had a rough year academically and socially last year with the baby and moving. Things have really smoothed out for her this year and I am so thankful that the rough patch seems to be over. Blake's teacher says he is a "smartie-pants" and she wasn't referring to his attitude so it's all good. We spent an amazing few days with my sister and her family as they joined us for Thanksgiving. We were also joined by Jeremy's brother Zach. It was so funny because we played pictionary and the brothers were horrible! She posted pictures on her facebook page and I took zilch. Pathetic I know. I cooked my first turkey start to finish and it turned out perfectly, yay me! Nat and I went and got reflexology messages (she had never been before). Ahhh..great way to end a busy weekend. The holiday season carries on however and Jeremy and I remembered to record one of our Thanksgiving weekend funnies, the annual Punkin' Chunkin' contest! Seven categories of machines (man-powered, trebuchet, air cannon, catapults, torsion, centripetal, and tension) are built every year by teams from all over the nation and brought to Delaware to compete for these silly wooden carved trophies to be the farthest "Pumpkin Chunker" for the year in their division. These people are hard core about this. This was also the first year they showed the children's division. Trinity was immediately demanding that we make our own. I was trying to shut her down because I sure as heck wasn't going to help her with the project but Jeremy was all up in arms that I would "dare to block her creativity and interest in science". . .so off they went. One shoe box, bag of rubber bands, spatula, and measuring cup later they had a mini tension machine launching trin's squishy piggy ball. So without further eloquence I give you. . .Pumkpin Chunkin 2012 Diviney Style. Now, we plan to expand on this first simple project next year. We may even have a Thanksgiving contest that may or may not include mini machines of our own devising that will shoot leftover Halloween Brachs brand pumpkins. Yum! the battle is on. . . .

Ronnett Tusime- front and center

Saw this done in the World Vision catalog this month by some supporters. They had taken their sponsored children and pinned a string from their locations to each other and back to the supporting people. DUH! I thought, I have a map on my wall too!!! So here it is. It sure does draw more attention to the sweet girl we support. I love that.  SO blessed to sponsor a child.

and I am praying earnestly that soon I will be able to put my favorite pre-fielders the Duryees, in their new map spot in Spain

the autumn leaves. . .fall by my window. . .

Trinity and I went out today to gather branches for the thankfullness tree we are doing in our home this year. The whole path was covered in huge maple leaves. Here are some pics from our fun little walk. I can't get enough of my goofy girl!

 them some big leaves

 "and then I was like, 'What? There's a leaf behind my head?' "

 peekaboo!

 ah smiling. much better Trin

 the beginning of our Thankfulness Tree

 leaves!

 she looks weird here. . .the pose I think

 doofy. about right. 

 gack! I'm sorry Trin, but that is totally what my chin/neck do too. you can thank me later.

 my best "I'm a giant!" angle

 She and Nee Nee made the hat

 Yo Yo! 

 she always wants to take a silly face pic. Well here it is, for all eternity. Serves you right if you hate this when you are 18!

 my fave

 me a little exasperated with ms. silly pants

 exasperation continues =)

Fall!? This is the Evergreen State. . .

(a Trinity quote)

Happy Halloween.

well all it's been a busy end to the month of October! My brother who was diagnosed last year with Acromagela (only 3-4 new cases per million every year) came over the mountains from Spokane to meet with a surgeon specializing in removing pituitary gland tumors. After two plus years of varying symptoms we were happy to have a diagnoses but the treatment options were limited and the medicine route they were planning to take just didn't seem to work out. We were all praying hard and wondering why he wasn't getting any relief and why the red-tape on the meds never seemed to clear up. Once it was made clear that even meds would not be a long-term solution he made the aforementioned trip to Harborview in Seattle to get an evaluation. The surgeon and endo he saw were confident that taking the tumor out was the solution so two weeks later (last Thursday) over the whole family came for the procedure! Friday was the pre-op, my mom was here to to help me watch my niece and nephew and to go back and forth from the hospital if needed. Then we spend the weekend enjoying ourselves just hanging out. Monday Zack and Mishael headed for the hospital with mom not far behind. He was supposed to go into surgery at 10ish but it got pushed back to 1:30. He was done by 3:30 but they didn't get to see him until 8. He came through it with flying colors and returned to our house Tuesday and stayed another 24 hours through Wednesday (Halloween) because they said if anything happened it should in the first 48 hours. Praise God nothing happened! It is CRAZY fast to have gone from twiddling thumbs to having the tumor removed. Mercifully, these tumors are almost always benign and Zack could possibly be cured of Acromagela! It's such a blessing. He will have to come back for a 2 week and 6 week post-op where the cure will be confirmed. Now we are just telling him to rest up! I see God's hand all over it. So extra kids and surgeries made for a whopper of an end of the month but you won't hear me complain. Here are some pics from our trick or treating. The kids had an amazing time with their cousins and our trick or treating with our dear friends the Donothans was bittersweet as they prepare to move to Texas this month. We will miss you guys soooo much but this isn't goodbye! Disneyland 2013! maybe. . .

 lookin good for having your brain roto-ruetered

 Halloween shirts

 "CAR" nee-nee, 'Car"

 I mean seriously. . .

 ognore the ugliness of the left side, admire the adorable ruby fairy

 ARgh??

 Trick or Treat!

 sweetie