I love listening to Kari play the piano, and I especially love the worship songs she's learning. I've been able to listen to this one lately.
Kari playing Here I am to Worship from Andrea Moffat on Vimeo.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Memorial Day Weekend
The kids had Friday off, too, so we had an extra long weekend, and it was a good one. Aubrey had a birthday party on Friday, and Kari and Joel ended up bringing friends home to play when we dropped her off. We enjoyed our pizza Friday movie night together that evening, and then got up the next morning to go on a hike in the gorge. We got some things done around the house on Sunday afternoon, and Greg and I went on a date and had dinner at Amalfi's. It was so nice to know we had a whole extra day before the weekend came to an end. Monday morning we took the kids to a park to let them play and get some energy out. We did a little shopping with them (exciting stuff like picking out flip-flops, Bath and Body Works hand soap and hand sanitizers--the kids really were excited), and then surprised them with lunch at Red Robin before heading over to Eric and Leah's for a while. Greg helped Eric put a fence around their garden boxes (to keep the puppy out) while the kids played, and then we headed home. With no baseball or soccer this weekend, we had tons of time to do whatever we wanted, and it felt great.
So, more about our hike. The Wilsons are so good at being adventurous and trying new things, and they help us be adventurous, too. :) We hiked up to Dry Creek Falls in Cascade Locks near the Bridge of the Gods (part of the Pacific Crest Trail), and it was beautiful--a perfect day for a hike. The kids did great on our 5 mile venture. We hiked up to the falls, ate our picnic lunch there, and then hiked back down. We had to carry Grant towards the end of the trek, but he did pretty well for a little guy. We ended our hike with some ice cream and playground time in Cascade Locks. Greg and I joked about "redeeming" Cascade Locks, as it is known to us as the spot we drove to when we were dating and ended up getting in a huge fight (neither of us remember what we fought about). We crossed over to the "fighting island" and the kids played some red-light-green-light before we piled into our cars to head home. It really was such a fun day! I think Cascade Locks has been sufficiently redeemed.
So, more about our hike. The Wilsons are so good at being adventurous and trying new things, and they help us be adventurous, too. :) We hiked up to Dry Creek Falls in Cascade Locks near the Bridge of the Gods (part of the Pacific Crest Trail), and it was beautiful--a perfect day for a hike. The kids did great on our 5 mile venture. We hiked up to the falls, ate our picnic lunch there, and then hiked back down. We had to carry Grant towards the end of the trek, but he did pretty well for a little guy. We ended our hike with some ice cream and playground time in Cascade Locks. Greg and I joked about "redeeming" Cascade Locks, as it is known to us as the spot we drove to when we were dating and ended up getting in a huge fight (neither of us remember what we fought about). We crossed over to the "fighting island" and the kids played some red-light-green-light before we piled into our cars to head home. It really was such a fun day! I think Cascade Locks has been sufficiently redeemed.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Spring
Today feels like spring--weather in the low 70's with a nice breeze blowing through the open windows, allergies, sinus infections, yard work, and gardening. It's not my favorite season (because of the allergy factor), but Grant and I both are on meds for our sinus infections and are starting to feel better, so I'm enjoying this spring day. It's Aubrey's "long" Wednesday, so it's just been Grant and I all day here at home. It's been nice. I truly love a nice, relaxing day at home. Guess I'm a home-body. These days just don't happen as often anymore. Have to enjoy them when they come.
I don't like the pollen that spring brings, but I do LOVE when my rose bush from Great Grandma Harrington's house starts blooming. The fragrant blossoms make my heart happy. I was afraid it wouldn't do well here at this house because of our bad soil, but it finally took off this year. It's huge and loaded with blooms!
Grant helped me transplant the tomatoes Dad brought me. I enjoy growing stuff, but I'm thankful that he does the hard work of getting plants started in that nice greenhouse of his.
Grant enjoys helping me with housework and tasks. He likes cleaning toilets (dumping Comet and using the toilet brush), and yesterday he "surprised" me and cleaned the downstairs toilet all by himself while I was putting laundry away upstairs. He climbed up on top of the dryer, got the cleaning supplies down from the high cupboard, and somehow managed to get wet Comet all over the bathroom, covering the floor and spattering the toilet and bathroom walls. And then he used my nice, dark brown hand towel to try to clean it up. He's so helpful.
He likes to help in the kitchen, too. It's an exercise in patience for me sometimes (or every time). He was so happy, though, that I let him use the scooper this time when we made muffins. We took turns. I love my little helper buddy.
There are three weeks of school left, and then summer will begin! I'm looking forward to the school year being done. It's time to be done with homework, projects, and the busy schedule. In the meantime, we've got soccer, baseball, and piano to finish up, and a church retreat to look forward to.
I don't like the pollen that spring brings, but I do LOVE when my rose bush from Great Grandma Harrington's house starts blooming. The fragrant blossoms make my heart happy. I was afraid it wouldn't do well here at this house because of our bad soil, but it finally took off this year. It's huge and loaded with blooms!
Grant helped me transplant the tomatoes Dad brought me. I enjoy growing stuff, but I'm thankful that he does the hard work of getting plants started in that nice greenhouse of his.
Grant enjoys helping me with housework and tasks. He likes cleaning toilets (dumping Comet and using the toilet brush), and yesterday he "surprised" me and cleaned the downstairs toilet all by himself while I was putting laundry away upstairs. He climbed up on top of the dryer, got the cleaning supplies down from the high cupboard, and somehow managed to get wet Comet all over the bathroom, covering the floor and spattering the toilet and bathroom walls. And then he used my nice, dark brown hand towel to try to clean it up. He's so helpful.
He likes to help in the kitchen, too. It's an exercise in patience for me sometimes (or every time). He was so happy, though, that I let him use the scooper this time when we made muffins. We took turns. I love my little helper buddy.
There are three weeks of school left, and then summer will begin! I'm looking forward to the school year being done. It's time to be done with homework, projects, and the busy schedule. In the meantime, we've got soccer, baseball, and piano to finish up, and a church retreat to look forward to.
Baseball
Joel is playing baseball for the second year in a row. This year is "kid pitch," which can be rather painful in a couple of different ways. The kids are learning how to pitch, catch, and play the game, so it takes a LONG time to do everything. Lots of bad throws and bad catches make for a LONG game. I guess they have to learn somehow, though. It also is spooky because the kids don't have a lot of control when they pitch, and the batter often gets hit. Joel's gotten hit a couple of times. He really does like the game, though, and says he wants to keep playing and is already making plans for next year. He has a bunch of friends on his team, which makes it fun for him, too. We'll see what comes!
I don't have any pictures to document it, but Kari is playing spring soccer for the first time. She's played every fall for the last five years but never spring, until now. She's enjoying it. It's the same coach and mostly the same girls on the team. They are learning a lot and are really improving their skills. Her team is fun to watch. The weather for most of the baseball and soccer games has been less than ideal. The first month of games was pretty miserable--cold, wet, windy. Not fun! The last couple weeks have been much better, though. Thank goodness! May it continue through the last couple games of the season!
I don't have any pictures to document it, but Kari is playing spring soccer for the first time. She's played every fall for the last five years but never spring, until now. She's enjoying it. It's the same coach and mostly the same girls on the team. They are learning a lot and are really improving their skills. Her team is fun to watch. The weather for most of the baseball and soccer games has been less than ideal. The first month of games was pretty miserable--cold, wet, windy. Not fun! The last couple weeks have been much better, though. Thank goodness! May it continue through the last couple games of the season!
Friday, May 09, 2014
1st Piano Festival
Kari played two songs from memory for this performance. No cameras were allowed, so I had to take pictures beforehand at home. :) She was pretty nervous (I was nervous for her!), but she did GREAT. Actually, she did SUPERIOR! She got the highest rating possible. The festival performance is an interesting experience. Only four kids go into the auditorium at a time, along with all the parents and family, and after each song, everyone has to sit in silence while the adjudicator writes down comments. I had Grant and Aubrey with me, and they did pretty good at keeping quiet. Aubrey did a lot of paper-rustling but no talking. We were sitting in pews (performance was in a church), and she kept busy fiddling with the giving envelopes and hymnals. Grant did a little whispering and his share of paper-rustling, too. He was cracking me up, trying to mouth his words to me. It's difficult to be silent for 30 minutes when you're 3 1/2! Kari really did do very well, and we're proud of her hard work! She enjoyed the festival performance but was relieved when it was over. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)