blog mush

Grandpa playing cars with Drew.  It's a looong way down for a 6'6 73 year old!

Ali sharing some leftover Halloween treats with her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade teachers.

I am pretty sure Drew has a smile on his face every time he is outside running around.

Emmy and her cute friend Ella sat like this during Primary one Sunday.

Emmy's serious case of bedhead when she stayed home sick one day and mostly laid around.

generosi-TY

I used to be Ty Detmer's biggest fan.  Recently, I found a sweatshirt I made in high school the year he won the Heisman Trophy (1990).  Yes, I actually wore it and yes, I really did think it was cool.  Thank goodness for the rad store at the mall who would iron on letters and stuff.

Because of this love for Ty, it's not surprising that I have all of his books, all of his posters, and many newspaper articles about him.  However, I have been the recipient of some very kind and selfless generosi-TY over the years, and these are the highlights of my Ty collection.

The year Ty won the Heisman, my mom asked the owner of her hair salon if she could have the Sports Illustrated from the waiting room table.  She stuck it in my stocking for Christmas.  Best present ever.

At BYU, my roommate somehow got a hold of Ty's wedding announcement (which he autographed), and gave it to me.  Seriously?!  How did she do it?!?  Especially since it was a year old--vintage!!

Most recently, some good friends of ours gave me this awesome Collector's Card of Ty Detmer. They just said something like, "thanks for being nice."  This is way too much of a reward for being nice.  This is a treasure!

So to those who have been so generous, I say a very big
Thank You.

fourteen

Happy 14th birthday, Jake!

To celebrate, we watched Jake play in 3 tournament games!  One on Friday and two on his birthday.  They lost every game, but Jake did awesome!  It is pretty cool because this is his first year on Issaquah Select basketball.

Saturday night we had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson, who drove over for the festivities, and Aunt Jenny.  Uncle Gary drove over on Sunday, which was so nice of him, too.

Sunday was also a special day for Jake because he was ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood.  It was a special day for me because he and I played a piano duet in Sacrament Meeting!

Jake is just one cool kid.  We couldn't ask for a better son, brother, or teenager.

I love celebrating all of the birthdays in our family, but I always think about how on November 15, 2000, we officially became parents.  Thanks for choosing us, Jake.

Veteran's Day

Jake's Scout troop was invited to raise the flag at a flag ceremony here in the Highlands this morning.  It was a really cool thing!  The flag has hung at Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona.  The boys did a great job!  The mayor of Issaquah was there, a State Senator, other State representatives, and council members of the School and Community Board.  The icing on the cake was Steve said the closing prayer.  Then the Troop came to breakfast at our house (which I found out about last night around 10:30).

 This troop is a great one.  Only about half of them are members--the other half are Jake's friends from baseball, soccer, and school.  When the ward divided last August we lost about 10 Deacons, so 10 other troop members.  When Jake received his Father's blessing at the beginning of 7th grade, Steve said he would watch his Scout troop grow.  It has grown from 2 Deacons to this, and two were missing today--one nonmember and one member who was baptized 3 days ago (Wyatt and Lucas)!

Charlie Kearn, Zach Zarling, Tyler Jensen, Jake, Caulain Saper,
Brock Fillmore, Xzavier Anderson, Mac Zarling

It has been exciting to watch.  Well done, boys!

dual duties

This year, Jake has dual duties in soccer.  He started refereeing on Saturday mornings for U8 soccer.  $15 a game.  Not bad.

 It actually worked out really well because for the first time for Jake in Rec. soccer, all games are on Sundays.  Since he really has had no games to play in, he's had time to do plenty of refereeing on Saturdays.  Steve was able to change a few games to Saturdays, so every game Jake has played in is that much more exciting to watch.  

 This team has been together since Kindergarten.  It was the first year Steve wasn't the coach.  However, you'd never know that watching and listening to him on the sidelines. ;)

It has been really fun to watch Jake play over the years and to see him now.  

He's good.

Halloween in '14

Halloween started a bit early this year with a ward Halloween party on the 22nd.

We had fun celebrating with our ward family!

However, starting that early still did not help us finish everything on time.

  Luckily, Steve worked from home Halloween morning so that's when we carved pumpkins!

 A Seahawks pumpkin, a truck, and a pumpkin house for Littlest Pets is what we (Steve) carved this year.  I made a festive Halloween dinner, and then had to think of more food real fast when Jake and some of his friends showed up to hang out Halloween night.

It was a beautiful night for trick or treating, and we ended our evening celebrating at the Dayley's.

Happy Halloween in 2014!!

blog mush

 Drew loves to go to Costco to watch the tires come off and on at the Tire Center

 Riding off into the sunset on their strider bikes

 All the tracks connect.  Huge accomplishment.  I used to do this with Jake and actually write the blueprints down on paper and keep them!!  I kept a record because I was so proud of myself and because I knew the track would break shortly after I finished.  I no longer make a blueprint, but still feel the same satisfaction when I build an all-connecting, awesome track.

 Ali with her scary face!

 Whoooooooo's going to the ward Halloween party?

Occasionally these pictures pop up on the computer's screensaver and I just can't get enough of them!

Drew does this a lot and every time he does, I think it's so cute.  Except for when we are out in public!!  Then I think it's kinda gross.

Emmy and Drew watching crafting shows together.

The girls had to resolve seating issues in the van.