Great-Grandkids

We attempted to get a picture of my grandma (mom's mom) with all the great-grandkids. This is the best we got!


Not too bad considering my grandma hates to pose for pictures, Grace (just to the right of Emily) was really sick, Eva (the baby on my Grandma's lap) was tired and hungry, and we'd called the boys down from the playroom upstairs... LOL!

Not pictured: My 10 year old neice, Ali, who had prior plans for the day, and Russell (my cousin's 2.5 year old son), who was misbehaving and got taken upstairs for a nap.

Next month, hopefully all the kids will be in attendance and we can try again!

So Cute

Emily used my mom's camera to take a picture of Grandma and Connor together. She did a nice job!


The kids visit my mom quite often on Fridays after school, and they always have such a good time! This picture was taken at their most recent "play date."

Where's Jared?

(think, "Where's Waldo?")


See him, top row, 2nd from the left? Hidden from the nose down behind the girl in front of him? That's how he was, THE ENTIRE PERFORMANCE. He could have been standing there without singing a single word for all I know (though he claims he truly DID sing!).

It's better than the year where all I could see of Emily was the french braid (headband-style braid) across the top of her head!

How to play a trombone

First, pucker up your lips, and vibrate them a bit (trombones won't make any noise if you don't provide any vibration, you know)


Next, press lips to the mouth piece and have at it!


Finally, march around the room testing out your mad trombone playing skills...


PS It works for trumpets as well!

Well, if it's in the newspaper...

I suppose I need to head out and buy my kids skateboards! LOL

That didn't come from a big name newspaper, but a free Seattle-based Newspaper with articles about upcoming concerts, and random stories, etc. Dan thought it was pretty funny, and shared with me. I couldn't resist snapping a photo and sharing with you!

Rotting Nature

Emily found this leaf outside, and we all thought it was so cool! It's basically decomposed, except the veins


And as we were all raving about not having seen anything like it before, she came over with this:


I guess I just don't spend a lot of time outside this time of year to see how really cool rotting nature can be!

Today's Date in past years

I was struggling to come up with a blog post for today, and finally decided to look on my computer and find pictures taken on January 21st from past years. I didn't get a digital camera until April or so of 2002, so the first Jan pic is from 2003. I tried to use all Jan. 21st photos, but some years I didn't take a photo that exact day, so I used the closest one I had.

Jan 21st 2003:
Emily as an 8 month old baby, laughing while playing with some toys


Jan 15th 2004:
Emily giving Uncle Corey a hug the night he came home for R&R after being gone approx 9 months in Iraq with his National Guard unit; we'd kept a pic of him on the fridge at her level and had her give him kisses every day, hoping she'd remember him still when he got back home, and she totally did!


Jan 15th 2005:
Mini Steelers fans! I believe there was a big play-off game we were watching. Dan was working and we were cheering his team on in his absence (and I'm pretty sure they lost, too)


Jan 20th 2006
Jared happily painting away at the art easle!


Jan 21st 2007:
I was taking Connor's 7 month old "bear picture" one day late.


Jan 21st 2008:
Emily was "skating" in her rubber boots on a frozen puddle in the driveway


Jan 18th 2009:
GO STEELERS!! Probably cheering on the Steelers during a play-off game. This was the photo I photoshopped myself into, so we could have a picture of all five of us! ha!


Jan 19th 2010:
Welcoming our newest pet, Olivia, to the family


A lot of changes through the years!!

GO STEELERS!

The Steelers will be playing in the AFC Championship game this weekend, and four out of five of us in this house will be cheering them on; waving our Terrible Towels and all that good stuff!


One of us, by the name of (traitor) Jared, has decided to be a Seahawks fan, and now snubs his little nose at the Steelers (actually, he made a pig nose and yelled "BOO STEELERS!").

I thought that since the Seahawks are out of the running for a Superbowl slot, Jared would move back to supporting the Steelers in their attempts at getting to another Superbowl, but alas, he claims he'll be cheering for the Jets this weekend, because of, you know, that whole pig-nose "boo steelers" deal he's got going...

I might have to make this kid start paying rent until he remembers where his loyalties lie.

*grin*

4 out of 5 family members vote STEELERS, and if 4 out of 5 is good enough for dentists recommending gum and toothpaste, then 4 out of 5 of my family members voting STEELERS is good enough for me. MAJORITY RULES!!!!! (and Jared drools!!!! haha... just kidding)

Baby's 1st Year

I created this "1st year" scrap book to give as a gift to my SIL's sister at her baby shower:

This page lets the mommy-to-be insert a picture of herself showing off her belly before baby is born


Once baby is born, the mommy-to-be can add in the correct month and each month's days/numbers on the calendar, then document baby's birthdate, visitors, coming home date, first bath, etc, include birth stats, and include a picture. The embellishment in the photo section is only lightly tacked down so it can come off and not be in the way. I just didn't like the big bare spot on the page until it's filled in with a photo!


I made monthly pages to cover the first year, and included spaces to document length and weight at 2, 4, 6, and 9 months (typical well-child visit months)














closer up of the quotes I used on this page






(My favorite page)






Then I did a page in the back that color coordinates with the front page, and is meant to show a messy cake picture of baby at his first birthday party

Sleeping like a baby?

If this is what sleeping like a baby is like, count me out! It looks so uncomfortable!


(different view)


And so does this:


And this:


He's going to have some serious neck issues later in the life if he keeps it up!

Olivia, the movie-goer

Jared was playing with Play-Doh and decided to make our turtle, Olivia. And then he decided she should go to a 3-D movie:

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

5 things:

1. I had the deep fryer out.
2. I had an onion.
3. I decided to treat Dan and the kids to onion rings with dinner.
4. I found a recipe online and got to work.
5. The onion rings were a huge success, and here's the BIG NEWS:
I tried one, and liked it!!!!

(I cut them a little skinny, and I didn't have a wire rack to let them drip for a few minutes, so they're funky looking, but they were YUMMY!)


My mother just fainted from shock...

Onions were not allowed to touch my lips as a child (not for lack of trying on her part!), and while I've introduced onions into my life in small amounts as an adult (tiny chopped onions in home-made soups and whatnot), I wasn't willing to do any large pieces/bites. But you know what?? They smelled SOOOOO good, and I couldn't resist one bite. They were good! Big pain in the hiney to make, though, and then I had dirty, onion smelling oil to dispose of afterwards, so ME making them will probably never happen again, but I will partake in the eating of onion rings at restaurants in the future (assuming they taste as good as my home-made ones did).

The End.

LOVE this

Emily Grace was practicing her piano the other day, and for the first time, I found her singing along as she was playing. It was totally adorable! She was only a day or two into this song at the point I videotaped, so it's not a totally clean performance, but just too too cute anyway. I tried to be sneaky with the video camera, but it makes a little noise when it first turns on and she caught me and stopped, so the first part of the video is me trying to talk her into doing it again. I had to let the video buffer for the a long time the first time I played it, but then it played straight through the 2nd time (but the voice doesn't match up with her lips at the video plays, but at least you get the idea). Photobucket isn't always the best host, but blogger wouldn't load the type of video file my video camera creates.

Anyway, Em's not super thrilled I took the video, and she'll be less thrilled to see I shared it, but how could I not?? Someday, she'll be glad of it, when she's all grown up and sees how adorable she is. *grin*



PS Her teacher got confused and assigned her this piano piece (which is in the way back of her new piano book), and it's got several sharp and flat notes, which she'd never done before, so I was SUPER thrilled she was able to plunk her way through it anyway. And when her teacher realized she'd assigned a song beyond what Em's learned at her lessons thus far, but that Em got through it anyway, she was EXTREMELY excited. They're working on a duet of the song (which is coming along nicely!)

It can be a real pain in the hiney getting Emily to practice some days, but as she starts mastering the newly assigned pieces, she really just starts to get giddy and then suddenly she's playing all the time (stinker!).

Say... Cheese?

Or, how about, make funny faces!


Connor's preschool class got individual and class pictures taken back in November, and the photographer printed out that version of the group pic for the teacher (I wish she'd included it for all of us--we paid enough money, in my opinion! ha!). I think it's hysterical! C's preschool class really is a very animated, goofy group of kids, so I just loved seeing them hamming it up this way. SO CUTE!

Connor's Camera

We celebrated Christmas with my parents at their house the day after Christmas this year. Connor got his own "kid camera" and he couldn't have been happier!

Hi Grandma, thanks for the camera!








Caught Emily being goofy


And she caught HIM being goofy


He was sooooo proud of getting this picture of Bella:


He's gotta show off the pack of Bubble Tape he got in his stocking!


And this would be Emily's coat sleeve...


Us driving home from from IL's house later in the week (he got in trouble for taking pictures while I was driving because the flash from behind was really bright!!)


this is a picture of the Lego book Jared got from my mom (and which J is totally obsessed with)


This is a picture of the digital photo frame I have


He took 71 pictures in about 3 or 4 days. I couldn't possibly share all of them, so I picked some of the better ones (or ones I thought were funny), so you have kind of an idea of what he's done. He also took some pictures of the floor, a puzzle, some other picture frames, lots and lots of Emily making faces... He's having a great time!