Feeling kind of talented and with it today

Flowers from the yard

New photos on the wall that everyone liked

I feel like the new room is kind of coming together a bit. So much of the time I feel like the house belongs to the kids and nothing stay nice for very long, but today was different(this only happens once in awhile mind you, I know you know what I mean)I actually felt like it was a put together space and not thrashed by you know who. It feels GOOD!!!!

House remodel

Before




After





As many of you know we started remodeling our house AGAIN last spring. Well it's about done now, we still have some trim to put up, hang photos on the walls, oh and the back yard is a mess but it is moving forward. Well we love it, its made our home so nice and airy feeling, there is tons of natural light poring in. The best part is that I can sit anywhere in the room and read, we can entertain our wonderful family and friends much more comfortably and we can all sit in the same room on furniture together, wow. So here are some photos. Believe it or not we only added 8 feet on to the existing space, it's amazing the difference it made.

Audra in the paper

Every week (actually every other week with bilingual education)Audra's class does a short english writing project on a given subject in conjunction with the local paper. Every Tue the paper publishes about 7-8 of the students pieces. For weeks she has been running out the get the paper every Tues morning to see if she had made it. Well weeks have gone by and all her friends had made it, some even twice and Audra has been in tears with disappointment. This past week though the tide turned, yea, on inauguration Tuesday, she runs out the get the paper and comes running in "I made it, I made it". "Yea let see it." The topic was what qualities make a good leader and and who is a good leader. Well she wrote about me, wow, now it was my turn to cry and boy did I, in fact I still am.

Great job Audra and thank you!
xoxo mom

Winter Formal

Wilson attended the HS Winter Formal on Fri night and here is the group of kids he went with.

Last day of Art

Today was my last day of teaching for the school year and I'm already missing the kids, actually I was missing them yesterday, while I was still on campus. I really feel so blessed to be able to do what I do, it's very fulfilling, I fell like I'm actually making a difference, they're learning something and enjoying it too.
With all of the State budget problems I hope I'll have a job next year, we'll see.
Now I'm free and have a long list of stuff to do around the house, whew.

Jamie's wedding

I took some photos for Jamie at her wedding and thought I'd post one of those too. There's so much new love flowing through here. :)

Izzy & Abe engament photos

I got to take Izzy and Abe's engagement photos for them on Fri. It was a spectacularly beautiful day down at Baywood. I'm posting these because I don't think they will use them for the invitations but I loved them so had to show you all. They're so happy together... it's wonderful to be around them...its infectious.

19 people & a puppy in the snow, McCall ID

Views along the Road

Brecken and Audra flying
Briant loving the ice


Briant catching some air
Grace figuring it out

Boys preparing for war

Brecken and Audra kissing there snowman

Grace preparing for the big one


Harvey heading out snow shoeing


The Oregon landscape on the way home

For New Years week we went up to McCall ID(yes we drove), with the Hubers, to visit the Johanson's. We had a WONDERFUL time!! There was tons of beautiful fresh new snow...there was snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, ice skating, sledding, thousands of snowballs and a new puppy(not ours). It was a perfect trip with great friends, great fun and tons of food.

Christmas morning

Audra so excited about her electric blanket



Grace made Wilson some dice to hang in the jeep, too cute!

Audra made Wilson his fun hat


Can he keep up?





We had a great Christmas!
Christmas Eve we had family and friends over for dinner, the reading of the Birth of Christ & Christmas music played and sung by all. It was beautiful!
Christmas day we woke to the packages. Friday night we spent out at Dad & Mom's for dinner with my brother & sister's families.