December 2010 stuff

Just sharing some movies from December!

Lizzie's Year End Program

Here are some clips from Lizzie's Preschool Program! The "Elephants Have Wrinkles" song is fun! (well, they all are!)

Piano Recital

Emily had her 3rd piano recital today! It was also a sad day because her piano teacher won't be giving lessons anymore, she was just offered and she accepted the elementary music teaching position for 2 elementary schools in our district. SOOO...she will be Emily's (and Erica and Lizzie's) music teacher now!

Emily did a great job on her recital piece!

Prom Night

We have officially had our first prom! Well, only it wasn't an "official prom". It was the 2010 Girl Scout Prom! Erica and Emily were very excited to go, Erin opted out this time. Lizzie wasn't old enough, but she really wanted to go! It was fun getting them all ready, and I had some fun with my camera... So what better way to show off some new photos of the girls!
Emily - age 9



Erica - 7 1/2
(The braids were her idea - my creative child!)


Lizzie 5

Erin 11 .95





Okay, and this is just some new house stuff I got to go in our (used to be) bare entryway. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Wow, it's been a long time again since I've blogged. Since one of my first blog entries 2 years ago was our trip to the Pumpkin Patch, what better reason to share some pictures from our trip this year.

We take the "how tall this fall" pics nearly every year...

And even made Erin do it. :)

Climbing the bails...

Walking toward the maze.

Erica holding a bunny.

Emily and the turtle...

Lizzie, not enjoying the turtle.

Erin and the kitty...

Lizzie was just messing around on the bales as we waited for Erin and Emily to finish up the corn maze. She yelled, Mom - take a picture of me jumping, so I did!

Emily...

Erin

Erica also hanging out on the bales...striking a pose.

And the annual goofy picture of Daddy. :)

Parade and Lemonade

Last weekend was Ice Cream Days, here in LeMars, Iowa - the Ice Cream Capital of the World.  Elizabeth was one of twelve finalists in a contest for the LeMars Chamber of Commerce brochure cover, and they decided to make the 12 finalists "Little Ambassadors".   They started off the year by riding the firetruck in the Ice Cream Days parade.  They have several other activities planned with other parades and holiday events.

Each child had to have an adult with them - so, lucky Mom.  We sat on fire hose in the hot sun.  Lizzie wasn't too hip on waving, so I had to help her out.

Some parade watchers.  :)  Erin, Erica, Anna (Erin's friend), and Emily

Here are 8 of the 12 kiddos in their reserved rest-of-the-parade-watching spots.

And what better place to have a lemonade stand on a hot Father's Day, than right on the 3rd green of the golf course.  Emily, Erica, and the neighbor kids Carter and Leah made $6 in about 30 minutes, before the clouds rolled in.

Here's an update to my previous blog entry...I checked in on the nest again...and there is a new egg!  Zeke goes crazy barking at this tree every minute he's outside - grr.

Sights from around our home

Four helicopters together are really loud.  One evening it sounded like we were being attacked, and we looked out our kitchen slider to see this overhead:  I don't know the correct military verbage...but we believe they were flying from one training facility to another.

One day last week it was REALLY foggy. I stood on our deck and took this:

I was playing with my (inexpensive point and shoot) camera settings...these are dying flowers leftover from the dance recital.  Our blinds are in the background, but they are blurred together - some fancy camera technique.  I haven't been able to figure out how to do it since,  lol.

I don't even remember what type of flower this is, but I buy one every year because I think they are so pretty and unique - and every year they die right away.  But this one has had plenty of sunlight and water - and it seems to be thriving.

And lastly our dog has seemed awfully interested in our little Crabapple tree at the corner of our house.  The girls informed me that there was a nest in the tree, so I went out to investigate and this is what we found.  It's actually pretty amazing for the size of this tree.  It's shorter than I am...and only about the diameter of a large beach ball.   

Petunias in our front flower boxes:

Our day lillies.  This is their 3rd year in bloom.  I'm not sure if you can see all the buds without enlarging the photo (by clicking on it), but there are literally HUNDREDS of buds on these plants.  I can't even fathom what they are going to look like in a few more days, it amazes me.