School Music Concert

This year, our school music concert had to be moved, due to snow.  It was supposed to be on Wednesday, Dec. 14, but it got moved to Tuesday, Dec. 20 because a snow storm hit us on Dec. 14.  But we were all flexible and had the concert on Tuesday.

The boys did great.  Simon's class did a couple of singing numbers.  Sam's class also sang two songs. Daniel's class sang one song, and he also played in the beginner band this year.  He actually had a solo in one of the songs.  We were very proud of him.  He plays the trombone, and he has picked it up very quickly.  In addition to playing in the beginner band, the band teacher had also asked some of the beginner band students to play in the advance jr. high band, and Daniel was one of those.  So he was excited to do that.

The whole concert was very nice and we enjoyed listening to everyone play and sing.

Acquiring Our Christmas Tree

To get our Christmas Tree this year, we went to the same tree farm that we've been going to for the past few years.  It's about a 10 minute drive north of here.  We drove out and walked around a bit, before deciding on our Christmas tree.  Then Jeff cut it down with the help of the boys.  They carried it back to the car.  This tree farm has a great bonfire and hot chocolate and cider that you can drink to warm up.  It's lots of fun, and the boys enjoy going.  

Just Kidding!

The Boys

Cutting

Simon

Sam

Daniel

School Happenings

The past few weeks, the boys have been involved in some school things.  Basketball season started for Daniel.  He enjoyed playing the past few weeks.

Simon had a couple of projects that he did at school.  One of them was a Farm Project.  He had to "plant crops" and figure out how much they would cost, etc.  Then one day he had to bring in an actual vegetable to share at their "Farmer's Market".

Simon class also helped with the Veteran's Day chapel.  They led out in song service.  Then he had a small speaking part.  It was nice.

Veteran's Fun Run

Last month, on November 5, I signed up Daniel and I to run in the Veteran's Fun Run.  We signed up for the 5K.  It's near here in West Linn.  Sam and Simon did the kid's fun run which was probably less than a 1/2 mile run.  We invited our friends Donald, Renee and Travis with their kids too.

It was a wet and rainy day.  And it had been raining a lot leading up to that day.  The course was on a golf course, and it turned out to be very muddy.  It didn't rain too hard before the race, but once the race started, it began to rain lightly.  Sam and Simon did their race first.  Then a little later, Daniel and I began the 5K.  We had to be careful in parts, because it was hilly, muddy and slippery.  But overall I thought we did well.  We finished in a little over 30 minutes.  It was fun.

A Quick Catch Up

After the Harvest Hoe Down, there were a few things that happened rather quickly.  The next day was Halloween.  The boys carved their pumpkins.  Later that night they went trick-or-treating.

That following Wednesday, Sam's class had a field trip to OMSI.  The kids had fun experimenting with science.

That Friday, the boys had a season ending soccer party.  They each received medals and had a lot of fun eating pizza and playing games.

Jeff's Birthday and Harvest Hoe Down

We didn't do too much for Jeff's birthday this year.  I made him one of his favorite meals.  We sent him an edible arrangement at work.  When he came home we had cake and presents.  Here is a pic from that evening.

That next weekend, our school had their Harvest Hoe Down.  This is a fun event for the kids.  Our class had a bean bag toss booth.  The boys dressed up and had lots of fun eating candy and playing lots of games.  They had fun.

Pumpkin Patch

In October, we visited one of our favorite farms, Kruger Farms, on Sauvie's Island.  They have a pumpkin patch where we can go and pick our own pumpkins.  They take you out to the patch on a hayride.  They have a corn maze that the boys enjoying walking through.  They have lots of fun fall goodies like pumpkin pie and caramel apples.  We went again this fall, and we had a fun time!

Wild Kratts

A few weekends ago, we got a chance to see a live show in downtown Portland of Wild Kratts.  Wild Kratts is a television show on PBS that takes the lives of 2 brothers, changes them into cartoon form, and they teach about wild animals in the world.  Our boys really enjoy the show.  So we had a chance to see the brothers live.  It was a fun outing.

The Performance

Simon and I

Jeff, Daniel and Sam

School and Soccer

We've been in school about 9 weeks now.  Our first quarter finishes next week.  That seems so crazy fast to me!  It feels like it was just yesterday that we were going back to school shopping, laying clothes out for the first day of school, and taking first day of school pictures.  Time is going by so quickly.

First Day of School

Simon, First Day of First Grade

Sam, First Day of Third Grade

One fun thing the boys have been involved in this first quarter is soccer.  Simon is on a soccer team with other first and second graders.  He plays against other kids at the school.  Sam and Daniel are on a third through fifth grade team.  They play against other schools.  They have had fun.  It will end in about a week, then we will be moving on to basketball.

Sam, Soccer

Daniel, Soccer

Simon with a Friend, Soccer

Hood to Coast 2016

This year, our team got another spot for the Hood to Coast Relay.  It's a 12-person relay that starts at the top of Mt. Hood.  Each team member runs various lengths of miles, anywhere from 3-7 miles.  They take turns running from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR.  We started Friday morning.  It was a beautiful day.  In fact, the weather was really warm that day.  By the time our last runners were finished, the weather was in the 70's to 80's.  When we passed off to the other team, it was getting close to the 90's.  The other van had to run in the hotter hours.  But they did great and got through it.  After our first set of legs, we stopped at Jeff's parent's house for rest, food and showers.  Then we were on our way to meet up with Van 2 for our second set of legs.  This year I ran leg 3.  The first leg wasn't too bad, but my second leg was over 7 miles.  I knew that one would be tough.  I was glad when it was over.  When our van was done with our second set of legs, we drove to the next major exchange and got a couple hours of sleep.  Then we all got up, met Van 2 and started running our 3rd legs.  It's always such a good feeling to get the 3rd legs over with and know you are done!  But when our last runner finished his last leg, we looked around and Van 2 was no where to be found.  And we had no cell reception, so we couldn't call them to ask where they were.  So we just waited.  And we ended up waiting an hour!  That was a bit frustrating.  They apparently had not allowed enough time to get to the major exchange point and had been stuck in traffic.  After we passed off to Van 2, we drove into Seaside and ate breakfast.  Then we drove to the finish line and waited for Van 2 to arrive.  While waiting, we walked around a bit.  Once Van 2 arrived, we crossed the finish line together.  We all were so happy to be done.  It's a long haul, yet we all love doing it, and we will definitely try to get a team for next year!

Decorating the Van

Our Van at the top of the Mountain

Jeff and I After Leg 1 is Completed

Renee and I After Leg 1

Jeff and Brandon (from Van 2)

Our Names Posted on a Board at Seaside 

Jeff and I at the Finish