Ali's Performance

5th Grade Performance - April 2014 Alison's final performance as a fifth grader!

We've been listening to Ali sing her songs around the house for awhile. (Similar to this one!) The big news this time was she had a speaking part in this program. With her big obnoxious appliance in the roof of her mouth, her speech is sometimes a bit tricky to understand. (It really wasn't too bad, but I had to have her repeat herself a couple of times. Maybe it's just me?!) So, that being said I was a little nervous for her. Silly me. I had nothing to worry about! She was amazing!! Clear, concise, and easily understandable. She even looked up as she read, which is so hard for the kids to do when reading a speech in front of tons of people. We were all very impressed. 

Gramma and Mikey came to watch as well. Go Ali!

Spring Break 2014

I love, love, love being at the beach... especially Cannon Beach. Trav made plans for us to go to the Hallmark Inn for a few days during spring break. They allow dogs - and they even had a little care package for Lucy when we got there; a frisbee & dog treats! It was so good for my soul. :) Just sitting by the window with my morning coffee fills me up!

 I love my little family.

We spent some time in town shopping, picking out books at the local book store, and having lunch at our favorite pizza place.

The bummer was I had a deadline to get my report cards done. Ugh. I had my "station" all set up by the window... I didn't even mind that I was doing school work! My view and the whole atmosphere made it easier. (I should go to the beach every time I have to do report cards!!)

I did take several breaks to walk Lucy on the beach; she and I were both happy about that. :)

One morning we all went out to the beach to check out the tidepools. It was a little cold, and very windy... but it's all good. We're at the beach!

Braces!!

March 2014

We spent the first day of our Spring Break at the orthodontist's office. (There goes my new car! LOL!) Mer was extremely fascinated by everything that was going on. She was right up there in the middle of everything. (She'll see first hand how it all works in a few years...)

Ali got the bottom gear and wire all done on the first visit, but her top teeth only had the brackets on because she had a "t-rex" mechanism installed in the roof of her mouth that needed to be cranked each morning and night. I immediately passed that job on to Trav, but with his nutso schedule I had a few nights when I had to take a deep breath and give it a turn. The first night was a bit rough! I got it done and (when my nausea passed) I was pretty proud of myself!

Before:

 After:

Mer's Program

March 2014 - Spring Musical
Miss Meri was so excited to perform! She has been singing the songs around the house for awhile now... Of course, she isn't afraid to perform, so getting up on the stage was no big deal for her at all. :)

Grammy and Mikey came to cheer her on.

First Competition

March 2014

We love watching Ali dance! She has been dancing with most of these girls for many years now. They've become a special little group of girls. The first competition was at Parkrose HS...  the first one is always a little nerve-wracking! First up: the tap number called "Bring Me Sunshine".

 The ever-faithful cheerleaders.

And then on to jazz - "Bom Bom"...

Great form Alison!

Great job girls!

Snow Day 2014!

Oh, how I have waited for you!! It was so glorious to get the message that schools were closed for the day! We were SO excited. :) Of course, snow days in our house means getting bundled up, heading outside, and "sledding". (Which is code for Daddy pulling the girls back and forth on our very flat street.)

They start at the end of the street where Daddy gets a running start.

When Daddy has built up enough speed, he sends the girls sailing along in front of him.

As you can see by the look on Mer's face, it is completely awesome.

The girls could go for hours! 

The snow makes everything look so beautiful.

After they had warmed up and claimed they were *bored*, the girls got creative with Ali's new birthday present - a Nerf gun - and set up target practice in the front room. Of course, you can't have a shooting range without the appropriate accessories.

My sweet little outlaws.

It was a great day. We love snow days!