Must be Santa

I took the girls and their best friend Jennifer to see Santa and we took some great photos while waiting in line and I got a great photo of the three of them with him.  Jen's mom was pleased as she has never been willing to get close to him so this was a real treat for her. 

Merry Christmas!

(I know I still owe you more...I will get there!)

Promise

I promise to add photos in the coming days - I have my two finals Monday and Wednesday this week then I am free!!  Other than work of course.  I will be much relieved though but will have a little time on my hands so look forward to some updates.

Alright already...

Katherine and Lillian Prepare for their first day of school.

My trip to Roscommon - and North Riggins Lake Park.  The photo on the right you can see the bald eagle about half way up in the branches - sorry, it was clearer and closer in person, I can only zoom so much in a photo.

               

 

We went to a beautiful park that has most incredible trees that are so tall that they seem to reach the sky.  It has a section that has been preserved and the trees have never been cut and some are nearly as old as the Redwoods in California as a reference.  It was truly an incredible sight.  This church was in it.  Their is an actual logging mill and everything that they still start up twice a year and run so that you can see how it works.  We plan on trying to make it back next year to see that event.

I admit I am extremely negligent with my duties but I definitely rank right up there in the list of people with a pretty good list of excuses.  Perhaps that should be my list of top ten this week, oh wait, I think I would easily make that 20...

One thing that has kept me right busy is back to school time for the girls - as you know that was of course just after labor day, I have included those photos as well as many others for your enjoyment below.

Besides that I have also been fortunate enough to do lots of camping and I mean LOTS!  I camped for four weekends in a row all  for Girl Scouts.  Two of the weekends were magnificent the other two - well could have been better.  The first was the weekend the hurricane (Ivan) was hitting and it rained, and rained, and rained and we got soaked.  After all we were camping in little two person tents not made for anything more than fair weather.  We had 23 inexperienced tweens 7th-12th grades and they were all troopers.  All in all we managed.  The following two weekends were perfect, one was my weekend of all adult scouts followed by a weekend up north in Roscommon (technically this one wasn't scouts I guess).  I went there with 3 girlfriends and we canoed and kayaked.  The weather was glorious for being early Oct. and I even spotted a bald eagle.  What a taste of heaven.

Finally, it was my chance to take my scouts camping, been waiting for years for this chance...come Friday night around the fire my throat gets scratchy and I am sure it is the fire...Saturday nose running - sure it is the weather, allergies.  As the day progresses I feel worse and worse by evening like death is warning over.  By Sunday I felt DEAD!  I missed all but one day of work that week and even that day I should have missed in retrospect and it was a long hard week, all I did was sleep and still find myself tired playing catch up.  Dr. said - just a bad virus, had a fever and all.  Guess that happens.

Besides all that yuck, Mark and the girls have stayed healthy.  Mark and I are going to Italy in a few weeks.  Well, he is going to a conference and I am touring all the fun stuff - so send money my way :) -jk  (I hear gucci calling)

What's Happening Wednesday...

What an exciting few weeks we had.  I don't know if I can even be organized enough to write my thoughts into a list or note but I will try...

1. Pom ended and with it so came a lovely performance by both girls. They did a nice job.  Lilly was especially good at kicking her legs up high and Katherine also really had a good one too - even got it on film.

2.  We went camping and had a great time and the girls made a lot of friends while we were there.  Lilly hung out with some kids and caught bunches of frogs and one little girl she was with even got two snapping turtles.  Katherine also had a "date" while we were there.  She befriended the young man in the camp across from us that was 9 and they hung out together all weekend and he invited her to play video games with him one evening and he even offered to pay... 

3. Fair food, fair fun.  We went to the fair with my girlfriend "Aunt Anne" last Friday from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Really!  We didn't get home until midnight!  Aunt Anne had a great time spoiling the girls paying for treats and the bungy jump and other fun stuff.  

4. While at the fair we were able to see a piglet being born, and we learned all about how yarn is spun from sheeps wool - ask Katherine she could tell you.

5. The girls have both gone curly!  Lilly had a perm last school year and this year Kate decided to join her so both girls got one - my what a difference two curly haired girls...

6. We enjoyed our long weekend - went and saw Fly me to the moon - what a silly movie, did some bowling, haven't done that in forever and just hung out.

7.  Mark and I got to take the girls in to their first day of school.  They were both pretty excited about that - too bad we were a little late and couldn't visit with their friends but oh well.

8. The first day of school was pretty exciting for both girls in particular Katherine.  She came home and was overly anxious to tell us all about what she learned and she learned the names of all the continents on her first day!  What a feat.  Let's see how long she keeps that up.

9.  Lilly of course was happy to see all her friends and is in the same class again this year as they do looping so she told us all about the class pet (Teegen - the school dog who belongs to the teacher of her class) and her new collar.

10. I also started back to school all around.  Work school and school school.  Classes started just tonight for me and I am looking forward to another busy semester albeit fun.

What's Happening Wednesday...

On Tuesday I sat down to do the Ten on Tuesday like so many of my "siblings" do and then remembered wait, I do Wednesday.  Boy am I glad I waited.  I have much more fun to speak of waiting an extra day.  I will do my best to save the best for last...(no peeking)

1. The girls completed their play "Pied Piper of Hamlin" at the local theatre and it was a great success.  Gma and Pinka Farmer drove 2 hours to watch the 1 hour production - a bit off in calculations of time but you know...what we do for love.

2. Speaking of the play the girls were fabulous - in one part they both were adorable in carrying a prop off the set and squealed perfectly not to mention they were very good at drowning.

3. Registered for dance - Katherine is all registered for dance class.  She has signed up for ballet again.  She is unsure if she wants to do tap again or try out jazz.  She will be sampling jazz the first week of class to decide.

4. Lillian is going to return to gymnastics this year - she has done it before and loved it and we are going back to it.

5. We went to the zoo the other day and had so much fun - sadly it is the first time we made it there all summer long - with any luck we will make it once again next week.

6. Floatie night- Tuesday night at our neighborhood pool.  Where else can you get a hot dog, a bag of chips a scoop of ice cream and a soda ( we generally all choose A&W for root beer floats) and they encourage you to bring your pool floaties.  We went last night - next week is the last one of the season!  You know what that means.

7. Camping season is coming to an end - so much for our 4 -5 weekends of it.  I think this weekend marks our 2nd time out...the joy of new jobs.

8. The girls have been working on riding their bikes all summer long and while we have been working most with Katherine to be on two wheels Lilly has been on 4 with her other 2 unbalanced.  We decided to try her without training wheels tonight since she was to the point her training wheels weren't touching much and the first time out she was off like a race horse...she even rode around the block with the neighbor!!  (This is the big news of the evening)

9.  I am struggling here so we'll leave it at nine for tonight...Enjoy the photos, a friend of mine took a few hundred (yes that is what I said - 487 to be exact) these are just a few.

What's Happening Wednesday...

Well since the family trend is 10 on Tuesday I figured everyone will be pretty tired of reading and may not have time to get to all of our sites in one day so I thought I would make my day Wednesday so I will have my 10 be on Wednesday.  Or well, whatever number I come up with as some others of you have found - depends on how challenged I am feeling mentally at that moment.

1. The girls have been practicing right along for the Pied Piper of Hamlin and the show is in a week - it is getting pretty exciting now, they had a 3 hour rehearsal tonight.

2.  Katherine and Lillian both wear the same size clothes - well I do buy bigger shirts for Katherine only because she is taller still.  But in pants they are the same.  After all they weigh the same and they are within 2" of the same height!

3.  We have already been school shopping and the girls have quite a sense of style all their own - each one separate and unique.

4.  We made mashed potato donuts earlier this week - for those of you who have no idea what these are I am sad to tell you that you are really missing out on something pretty special.  We even invited the neighbor girl over and taught her how to make them too.

5.  Pom Pom.  Both the girls are in pom class and loving it.  They are learning a dance routine that they will perform for us at the last class.  Lilly's is to some Barbie song - go figure with it being younger girls, she is eating it up even more so than Katherine.

6.  It is rhubarb season - you know what that means, I will be making pie for Mark (supposedly he is going to go visit with Joey this weekend and take the pie to my Dad's to share - we'll see)

7.  Did I mention fresh zucchinni from the Stuck's - well, since I can't get it from Gpa Mr. Stuck is the next best option.  I have enough to make at least 6 loaves.  I think tomorrow might be the day for that.  I will freeze them and they should last at least a few days.

8.  SWEET CORN - need I say more, went home this weekend and ate it at every meal, at least 2 pieces and brought home at least 3 dozen or so ears - my Dad is good to me. :)

9.  The girls went out to the fields all weekend with my Dad when we were home, there was lots of watering to do since it hasn't rained in a while so travelers to move and pivots to check and at every meal the girls were quick to speak up - now that they know how Pinka's schedule is - "Can I go" and they both went at once or took turns helping him.

10.  4 wheelers - the girls begged for a week before we went to Pinka's to go on the 4 wheeler's, despite his busy schedule he took the time out to take the girls on a ride to satisfy their urge - what a good Pinka.

More photos from our Vacation as promised...

As promised more photos from our wonderful trip to 

North Carolina!  Hope you enjoy them!!

Lilly can always make friends with any local wildlife.

Weee!  As you can see Lilly and Kate were having a great 

time on this ride front and center!!

Who doesn't love Squidward - well except maybe Spongebob?

Lilly feeding a Giraffe

Kate took a chance at feeding too.