Then and Now

KATE AND WHITNEY IN 2000

KAYLA AND MILLIE YESTERDAY

Our girls have had a great time playing dress ups with their friends and especially cousins. Millie has been having fun playing with Kayla every Wednesday. We switch houses each week and Millie has a great time. So much fun having cousins and especially cousins that live close.

These little numbers from Disneyland have been good to us. One could be Snow White, Cinderella, or Tinker Belle. It's so fun to see Millie dressing up like Kate used to. Although, Millie doesn't like to as much. I remember Kate being a ballerina for Halloween when she was three. She wore that costume every day 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after Halloween. Millie... not so much. She just wants to TALK about dressing up for Halloween. And talk, talk, talk, talk, talk about the Halloween decorations in the yard down the street.

Red Ribbon Week

This week is Red Ribbon Week...a week set aside to teach the children about being drug and violence free and making good choices and being in charge of their lives. Tuesday, the kids all wore red (naturally). Wednesday was have bad hair--not bad habits--wear your craziest hair. Sooooo, Hunter created the tri-hawk and mom brought it to life. So THAT is how Hunt and Taft went to school on Wed. Kate went wearing EVERY SINGLE BOW that we own in her hair. I didn't get to photograph this...she had violin in the morning and removed them all right when she returned from school. Today the three of them wore pajamas to school. Mils wanted to participate and so she stayed in pjs until about 1pm and then she couldn't handle not being ready for the day any more. Whew...I was getting sick of seeing her in pajamas too.

Pack Meeting fun

Tonight was Pack Meeting. Hunter received his Wolf award and the other kids had fun painting pumpkins. I made sure Millie used washable paint only!!

Child Labor

You know, one needs to train their children at a young age to work. I've got the one year old vacuuming these days. Maybe I should have him do the toilets tomorrow...he does have an obbession with them.

The Birthday Boy

Hunter is 9 today!! Happy birthday, Hunt!!

Celebration VII

On Saturday Kate and I enjoyed a day together shopping, rehearsing, eating and attending the Celebration concert. The state Suzuki Association organizes this concert every 3 years. All the instruments that have a Suzuki program participate by each group playing 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 songs. Then someone writes a piece all the instruments play together. This year Kurt Bestor wrote that song, "Jubilate." More than 3, 000 students come from all over the state to play and they've all learned this song written by Mr. Bestor. He was very fun with the kids during the rehearsal as he worked with them to play together. The concert was in the Conference Center which is hard soundwise. The kids really have to watch the conductor rather than listen to each other because of the size of the building and the speed of sound. Anyway, this was a fun opportunity for Kate. After the concert she told me about a girl in her section that fell sound asleep. The sound of her violin crashing (it really is a loud sound) to the ground didn't even wake her. Someone by her just picked up her violin, passed it to a volunteer parent, and left her to sleep. I chuckled at this because it made me think of the time Hunter fell asleep at one of Kate's recitals long ago. He was sitting in perfect Indian style, with his arms folded, and his head tipped back. Next thing I know, he is sound asleep. After the recital he told me he was trying so hard to stay awake, but he was just listening to the pretty music and got so relaxed that he dosed off. Anyway, I think the sleeping girl did wake to play with the violins...they were last.

Welcome to my state's Autumn

MY FRONT YARD FRIDAY NIGHT

The kids had great fun raking up all the leaves from our maple tree and jumping in them.

Then...

MY BACKYARD SUNDAY MORNING

The kids could have made a snowman Sunday morning, but we had other obligations (church) . By the time we returned, the snow had melted. Gotta love fall!!