Holiday baking with Grandma

Tacked onto Thanksgiving weekend. .. we have to combine this year! They're making tasty nut rolls - yum! (I'm just sipping on mulled wine while they work...)

3 years of HJS

3 years of Kate

3 years of Paul

3 years of ERS

RCS School Pictures

(Scroll down for Elizabeth's, it's in a different post). This year they included first and middle name in the lower right hand corner, which is nice. (Then when I'm old and gray I'll know who I'm looking at. 

Or now...because I can't keep them straight anyway.)

2nd grade - Mrs. Schmidberger

4th grade - Mrs. Roebuck

5th Grade - Mrs. Watrous

Paul's popcorn table

Finally getting a few sales!

It's popcorn time!

Paul is making his price list as we get our site sale started at our local ACE hardware. Paul hopes ACE is the place to sell a lot of popcorn.

Elizabeth's 8th grade picture

Liberty Common Schools, 8th grade

Hannah is turning 11!

So we threw a party on Saturday complete with shopping, swimming, movie and sleepover. I survived! Kate did too. There's a photo of her looking a lot like Ramona Quimby as we walked to the pool...

Altar server mass with Archbishop Aquilla

Last weekend the Archdiocese held a mass in Denver for all altar servers. Paul went and Kate, Hannah and I joined. Afterwards our parish treated us to an all you can eat Italian buffet at Cinzettis!

X country pasta dinner

We hosted one at our house on Tuesday,  and 8 of 11 kiddos came. Great group!

First Day for Ridgeview kiddos

First X country meet

There were four teams total, probably about 50 girls running. Elizabeth finished fourth overall, and probably met her time goal we will find out soon. Great job ERS!

Babysitter in the making

Look out Hannah...

First day of 8th grade

Ready for another stellar year!

At the Udvar-Hazy Center with G and G

In front of the blue room

And a coloring book the size of...The State Dining Room. And Abe keeping track.

The East Hall

At the gate

On the bus

Here we go

The night before

We heard all about what to expect at dinner. The kids will be introduced in the same format as foreign dignitaries.  As they walk in front of a bunch of media, they are invited to stop and talk to them, or keep going if they want. They hope to give each kid a photo op with Michelle. There's a surprise entertainment event.  We're allowed to go around to other White House rooms that aren't roped off, maybe we can go into the library.   We were encouraged to remember that Abraham Lincoln,  Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan and so many more have roamed these halls (including Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt,  even Kermit the Frog). 

We heard from the White House head nutritionist, the Executive Director of Let's Move!, who assured us that this is Michelle ' s favorite event of the year, and most of the staff are not allowed in, and they don't like that rule :)

They advised us to take it all in.

See you in the morning, Michelle and Rachel. (Wow.)

Smithsonian

Amazing day, and Hannah befriended North Carolina, Arkansas and Nebraska. 

Dinner with Arkansas and North Ca Carolina

Also known as Lily and Mena. Ready to eat in the Washington Ballroom.

Letter from the First Lady

Wow.

Wednesday morning departure

From Amy's...and riding with little Annika...and listening to "Hello Everybody,"  courtesy of Annika ' s "Music Together" class (a la Kindermusik). Brings back memories!

Tuesday night dinner

At Amy's with Aunt Rita.

On time departure

Seated and ready for takeoff

Jamba juice

Jamba juice got smart,  at least at the airports. Hannah cannot recreate the "excitement" Aaron had when Elizabeth poked a hole in a huge Styrofoam Jamba Juice cup at the airport service counter...

We are off!

4th of July

Yesterday we had a great afternoon and evening with our friends and neighbors, the Salmen's. The kids got to fish, use the paddleboard, go out on the pontoon boat and use the kayak. We cooked out and had a great day!

Hannah kept good balance

ERS learned to make a few waves without falling

Almost 13...whoa.