Sarah's Baptism

Sarah was baptized on April 24, 2010. James baptized and confirmed her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Grandad and Jody and Grandma were able to come for the weekend. We had a big lunch with friends and family later that afternoon. Sarah had a wonderful day and could not stop smiling. She has been looking forward to this day for over a year, counting down the monthes and weeks. Kathryn set the goal to play the piano at Sarah's baptism a year and a half ago. She practiced diligently every day and was able to play "I am a Child of God" and "I Like to Look for Rainbows". It was a very special day for our entire family.

A friend of our family came over and took some pictures of Sarah in her baptism dress. I think they turned out really nice.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Sarah celebrated her 8th birthday on April 22. How can she be 8? Sarah had a terrific day. She chose to go to Steak and Shake for her brithday dinner and Grandma was abe to join us that evening for the festivities. Sarah loved the clothes, doll, sunglasses and toys she got for her brithday, but the best part to her was that now she can be baptized. Happy Birthday Sarah!

Happy Birthday Emily!

It does not seem possible for Emily to be 6. We had a super day with her. She chose McDonalds for her birthday dinner and we all had fun playing on the slides there. She loved the doll, clothes, book, puzzle, toys and scooter she received. I made a farm themed cake for her (thanks Rebecca for the idea) and she really liked it. Our home is greatly blessed to have Emily in it. Happy Birthday Emily!

SPRING BREAK IN UTAH

We went to Utah for Spring Break. It was my Grandfather's 90th birthday. It was so great to see him and celebrate his birthday with him. While we were there we went tubing, visited the sites in Salt Lake City, went 4 wheeling, rode a train, and most importantly got to visit with friends and family. We had a wonderful time and it was just the vacation we all needed. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Geography Fair 2010

Today we participated in the annual Geography Fair with our school. Jacob presented Japan, Kathryn covered Switzerland and Sarah, Emily and Samantha learned about The United States of America. They each created a poster to show off what they had learned and brought a dish from their country to share with the other participants. Jacob brought Coconut Mouchi - basically a cake made from rice flour, brown sugar and coconut milk. It was fairly decent. Kathryn brought Swiss bread - a family favorite, and the little girls brought chocolate chip cookies. Fortunately other children at the fair made main dishes to share so we had a well rounded lunch. After everyone told about the country they had studied we had a Geography Bee. The children were shown a map with country boundaries and were given a card with a country's name on it, then they had to point out where the country was on the map. We started with South America, then Central America, on to Asia and finished up with the Middle East. The competition was open to children of all ages. Jacob, Kathryn and Emily all joined in the Bee. Emily held her own in the Americas, but she hadn't really studied Asia or the Middle East so she went to play with Sarah and Samantha during those continents. Jacob came home with 1st place and Kathryn got 2nd place. I am so impressed! Before you think I am a master teacher, you should know that the kids studied all of it on their own using a website called www.yourchildlearns.com. They currently know WAY more than I do about where things are in the world, I plan to start playing the games too...one of these days.

Basketball Season

This year we are all involved with basketball - such a great family activity when it is too cold and rainy to be outside. I am coaching the team Sarah and Emily are on. It is Emily's first year to play and she is super excited. Kathryn is getting really good and has some great girls on her team. James is coaching Jacob's team and they are having a blast together. Samantha is the Walker Team cheerleader. She does a terrific job of cheering at all the games each week. We play with the Upwards basketball league. It is put on through different Christian churches in the area. It is a wonderful program that teaches the kids the skills of basketball in a fun, nonthreatening way, where 'every child is a winner'. Google 'Upwards Basketball' to see if they have a league in your are. We are really enjoying it. As an extra bonus I am getting a lot of practice taking action shots, I think I will get the hang of it soon...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Here is the traditional Christmas Eve pageant. They did a terrific job!

My favorite part is all the hugging.