The Quail Have Arrived!

Sarah's quail hatched this weekend.  Here are some pictures of how they looked right after they hatched and then a couple of days later.  They are SUPER cute!  Sarah is very excited!

SNOW DAY!

If you ever wondered if it snows in Alabama, the answer is yes!  We played together outside and made a quick snowman.   A few hours later it was all gone!  

Church was canceled due to weather so we played in the snow this morning (how could we resist?) and then came inside for some good family time.  

Jacob had prepared a talk for Primary so he gave his talk to us and Dad taught us a Sunday School lesson.  

We spent the rest of the day making Chilli and cookies and had a really lovely day - one of the best Sabbath Days I have enjoyed in a long time.  Isn't snow great?!

Geography Fair

Jacob and Kathryn participated in a Geography Fair last week.  Kathryn learned about Germany and Jacob learned about Morocco.  Kathryn interviewed James since he served his mission there and made German Butter Cookies for the other students to sample.  She received several compliments from parents on her cookies - they were DELICIOUS!  Kathryn especially enjoyed learning about all the beautiful castles in Germany.  Jacob couldn't decide what country to study so James assigned Morocco to him.  He wasn't too excited about the assignment until he learned that the big off road race 'Paris to Dakar' runs through Morocco.  He made Moroccan Moist Cake all by himself - it was really good.  The Geography Fair was a lot of fun and we all learned a lot and will be participating again next year.

Sarah's Quail

We have started a new adventure of hatching our own quail.  Actually it is Sarah's project.  Our quail eggs arrived a week ago and are safely in the incubator staying nice and warm.  They should hatch in 14 days or so - Sarah is remembering them in her prayers so we are hopeful for a successful hatch.  These pictures show the tiny size of the eggs.  The hand is Sarah's and the thumb is James'.   They are about the size of a quarter.  We'll keep you posted.

By the way, the meat chicken experiment went well and we are enjoying delicious chicken thanks to James' hard work.  We do not plan to eat the quail - they will be Sarah's pets and perhaps a way for her to make a little money for her future.

New Driveway!

Hurray!  We have a new driveway!  Goodbye dirt, hello blacktop.  It is terrific and we had a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate, with an inaugural bike ride back to the house.

Thanks for the Pie Emily!

Emily made banana cream pie for us.  She put the cool whip on top ALL by herself, just as Grandma had taught her to do it.  She was very proud of herself.  It was delicious!

It's Basketball Season at our House!

Well, it is Basketball Season at our house now.  

Jacob, Kathryn and Sarah all play basketball from the end of November until the end of February.  It is a lot of fun.  

James is coaching Jacob's team this year which has been super great for both of them and Kathryn and Sarah are on the same team this year.  

Emily is anxiously waiting to join the fun next season and Samantha is keeping us all on our toes at the games.  She ran across the court a couple of weeks ago to get James - one moment later and she would have been run over by a dozen 11 year old boys.  What can I say, Jacob's games are so exciting to watch that turned my back on her for one minute.  

All three kids have made baskets in atleast one game this season and they are all improving in their skills.  

I LOVE basketball season - it is so fun to watch your children play and to cheer them on.  Apparently I am a good cheerleader - Jacob says he can hear me cheering for him over the other spectators, but he never looks up for fear that he will laugh and lose focus.  

Next year Kathryn will be in the 3-4th grade girls team and Sarah and Emily will be on a team together.  It will be great!

Kathryn is a super shot and made 34 baskets in her last practice.  I think her record is 5 in one game.  Jacob is a terrific point guard.  I almost pity the guy he gaurds since Jacob is so good at defense.  Sarah is great at getting rebounds and improves in all of her skills every week.

Basketball is one of my favorite sports - to play and to watch.