Summer Fun for J

His solo adventures included throwing different shaped balls around, helping some friends move, earning 2nd class in the Scouting program, going to Scout Camp, and participating in a one-week science internship.

The 2nd Half

What an incredible school year! As unbelievable as it may seem, I (Mom) am now retired, J is an eighth grader, and M is a Junior. The 2nd half of our school year was full of happy adventures and amazing progress. Both kids earned straight A's. M applied, auditioned for and was accepted into a college-level music program which she will attend her final two years of High School. J literally grew about 6 inches! Other highlights include:

A surprise birthday party for one of M's BFFs

February trip to Williamsburg to see family and to attend a good friend's baptism

Mementos of Mom's retirement

Volt

A quick three-day getaway in April to College Station, TX for Mom & Dad

The National Gallery of Art

Temple Trips

Sushi

Priest/Laurel dinner party

Extremely successful Spring Track & Field season

Lady M Passed the Test!

Okay, it was no surprise that she aced her driver's exam! This girl can do anything!!

Last Spring, M decided to apply and audition for an Advanced Music Studies program about 20 minutes away. She was accepted! The only snag was that the school district doesn't provide transportation. So, being the determined young lady that she is, M took on extra piano students to earn money for a car. She also took every chance to drive so that she could get in the required 60 hours of practice. And she earned her Young Womanhood Recognition and a prerequisite for getting her license. She saved and saved, drove and drove, and worked really, really hard to reached her goals. A gazillion kudos to this amazing lady!

Her 2006 Scion xA gets great gas milage, and M has informed me that she likes it better than my Prius or her father's Accord. She will continue to teach 4 students each week (plus her brother on occasion) to earn money to pay for gas.

The School Year Moves On...

sort of. Lots of snow (and ice) days means time off of school and time to hibernate a little.

Through it all, 1st semester wrapped up nicely with good grades, scholastic awards, and strengthened friendships.

And the kids both enjoyed successful sports seasons.

Christmas 2013

Ward Christmas party

 Santa Run, 5K

Christmas Eve

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry, merry Christmas to friends and family, both near and far! 

2013 was a whirlwind year for us and it's fun to take a few minutes to look back at it. We decided to do another anagram puzzle this year, and as promised, here is the answer key (including explanations):

• Bishop - The new year brought with it a new church congregation (ward) for our area. Marc was called as Bishop and tasked with organizing and leading, along with his two wonderful councilors. The new ward is made up of geographical regions that previous made up portions of three different wards. Being Bishop (and Bishop's family) has been a huge responsibility, and has given us opportunities to learn and grow in ways we had never imagined. It's been an amazing experience and we look forward to the many adventures yet to come!
• New Friends - Along with the new ward came an abundance of new friends. That has been our favorite part of the change in congregation boundaries. It has brought us closer to existing friends, and blessed us with the opportunity to connect with so many other good people. I cannot imagine not having these new friends in our lives!
• Temple Trips - This has been the year of the temple for our family. We were able, for the first time, to all attend the temple together. Our new ward youth group has had several enriching temple trips. And, M was able to attend every week for a month over Summer break. 
• Parties - Parties and more parties garnished our entire year! It's been a fun way to connect and strengthen friendships. We enjoyed backyard parties with our church youth group, parties at the lake on July 4th and Memorial Day, church dances and Homecoming, a sushi party, birthday celebrations, a Halloween party, 5k races, cross country meets and other sporting events (which are basically huge outdoor parties), BBQ's, dinner parties, etc.
• Teenagers - It's official. With J turning 13 we now have two teenagers under our roof. This is very likely a factor in the increased partying we've engaged in this past year ;)
• Musicians - M, J and even Marc continue to play and progress on the piano. Our home is rarely quiet thanks to their musical skills. M has been composing some pretty impressive pieces, and is also teaching piano lessons. J has also bee learning about composition and improvisation. Marc has far less time to practice these days, but likes to sit down and play when he can.
• Running - M and her dad are the runners in our family. They both run nearly daily, and like to participate in 5k races together. M runs on her school's Cross Country team, and runs distance for both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field.
• Basketball - Jacob continues to love basketball, and is currently playing for both his church team and a local recreation league. He also attended a basketball camp over Summer break.
• Artist - M is an artist. She just is! She has so much creative talent and loves to draw and paint, as well as use her digital tablet to create amazing works of art.
• Academics - Both M and J work hard in school and both have numerous academic achievements. They finished off last school year with straight A's and J was awarded a week-long paid Summer science internship. M was recently inducted into the National Math Honor Society.
• Especially for Youth - M attended her first EFY at a university in Virginia last Summer. It was a week of incredible, life changing experiences revolving around her faith.
• Lakes and Rivers - One of our favorite families hobbies continues to be river rafting/tubing and spending time at the lake. Our Summer was so packed with with activities for the kids and travel for Marc, that we didn't really go away for vacation. Instead, we took lots of short trips to enjoy the lakes and rivers in our region.
• Scout Camp - J attended his first Boy Scout camp and had a blast! Yes, he learned a few things too :)
• Church Girls' Camp - This was M's 4th year of church girls' camp, which meant that she enjoyed high adventures and a more rustic experience. She loved the spelunking, rafting, campfires, sleeping outdoors, spiritual experiences and time with friends.
• Italy and Spain - Marc traveled a fair amount for work this year, especially over Summer break. The highlight of his travel was the two weeks he spent in Italy and Spain.

This year, in spite of the craziness, we chose to: Love the Journey!

We hope that you all found joy in your journey this past year as well. Friends and family are among our very greatest blessings. We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year!! 

Sweet 16!

Who has the best friends? WE DO!!

We wanted to do something special for M's 16th birthday, but had no idea what or how to pull it off. In came our dear friends with an offer to plan, prepare and throw the most amazing dance/party a girl could ever ask for. The party was planned to a "T" with all of the trimmings, and it was a complete SURPRISE! M had no idea. We'd told her that we just wouldn't be able to throw her a big party, but that she could get together with a few friends. She was okay with that, and so okay with it that I wondered if somebody had spilled the beans about her party. Then, on her birthday, she awoke a little melancholy at the thought of not having a real birthday celebration. She overcame this as she went shopping with friends. When she arrived to her party and realized what was going on, she was completely taken by surprise and overwhelmed with happiness to see so many of her friends there to celebrate with her! It was a night that none of us will ever forget!! Here are a few snapshots of the festivities:

November 29, 2013