What'cha got cookin'?

For Kurt's birthday dinner this year he requested homemade Chicken and Dumplings. My first reaction, "Wow, that's a lot of work." After thinking about it for a just a minute though, I thought, why wouldn't I make a something that takes a little time and effort in order to celebrate my man?! So, I rolled up my sleeves and got cookin'. They really are pretty yummy - maybe they should be standard birthday fare around here (although I must say the picture doesn't do them any justice)! Happy Birthday, Popie!!

Fort Worden

For our President's Day weekend we decided to take a little camping trip to Fort Worden near Port Townsend. We had a great time exploring the old batteries and hiking up the hill and along the beach.

No More Brace Face... for now, at least.

Lauren recently got her braces offafter a few years of wearing a Herbst appliance to correct her mis-aligned bite follwed by the braces on her permanent teeth so far. This was "phase 1" and was very simlar if not identical to the treatment Ashley went through for the same thing. Ashley's braces went on when she was in 2nd grade. The day after she got hers off, Lauren got hers on! So, all in all, it's been about 4 straight years of braces in our home. Of course now we just heard from the orthodontist that Ashley is ready any time for "phase 2"!! I figure by the time she is done with that it will undoubtedly be time for Lauren's "phase 2"! So, for now... we will just enjoy some brace-free days.


Isn't she beautiful? :)

Ballet Performance

I just found these pictures from the girls' Christmas ballet performance. It took place on Jan 10th after being rescheduled due to bad weather in Dec. We were using the camera to record the dance, so I took these few pictures on my phone.

The girls work hard each week to learn these dances and we think they have done really well.

Pardon me while I brag about my daughter!

BTW...This post is going to be all about Ashley. In our house I often hear the phrase, "that's not fair" to which I am usually quick to reply, "the fair comes once a year in August!" Lauren will have her moments for me to brag about her, but for THIS moment... I'm gonna brag on Ashley!

What a fun year this has been for Ashley starting middle school. She has taken really well to it. The end of her elementary school years were not so fun for her. However, 6th grade has opened up a whole new world. She really enjoys her classes and she is making great grades, including a 4.0 her first quarter.

BAND
Ashley had grown a little tired of piano after 5 years of taking private lessons. We still wanted her to have some sort of musical training, though, and so the Monroe Middle School band seemed like the perfect way for her to do so. At first she wasn't too excited about it, but decided she would like to learn to play the saxophone. In order to learn saxophone, she would first need to learn clarinet. So... along with quite a few other students in 6th grade that is what she is playing this year.

Mr. Dumchen, the band director, has been wonderful. Ashley really enjoys him a lot. In December the first concert of the year had to be cancelled due to the snow and ice we had at that time. It was rescheduled for Jan 14th. She was excited and very prepared. Below are a few pictures from the concert.
When it was over she thought she played pretty well - no squawking at least. ;)

Ashley has told us that she is excited to continue in the band next year and she really IS gonna go after the sax! What fun it is to watch her beginning to enjoy music. God has blessed her with a natural talent and we are so happy to see her discovering the true joy of it.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH
A week after the band concert, we had another opportunity to be proud parents of our Ashley Mae. The school has started a program called "Student of the Month" where teachers, staff and students have an opportunity to nominate students to receive an award. Ashley received an award for outstanding performance as an Aide and good citizenship.

They said of her:

"Ashley is always willing to help correct papers or do other tasks requested. She also enjoys helping other students. She is very kind and respectful in everything she does."

The school called us secretly (without Ashley knowing) and invited us to the assembly where she received her award.

Kurt and I are really happy to see Ashley doing so well in middle school and we feel very proud of her. I thought I would take a moment to celebrate all her hard work with a blog post in her honor! :)

Friends for life!

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”

I agree!

Terra, Elke and I in 1993

Terra Elke and I in 2009

I love these women more than they will ever know! Our families all had a blast celebrating Bryce and Elke's January birthdays. Check out the pictures! :)

New Year Traditions

It seems that we are establishing traditions in our family without even knowing it. The girls informed us that we "always" go ice skating to celebrate the New Year. Come to think of it, we have been doing that the last few years! Another tradition they are claiming is that we eat French Dip for dinner on New Year's Day.
So... here are some photos of our family brining in 2009! We hope you all enjoyed a Happy New Year with your own family traditions!