Halloween!

The Greek Goddess and the Gladiator

Art Award

Our family had a wonderful time in Annapolis on Thursday, October 21st, where M. accepted a 3rd place award for her Conflict Resolution Day Bookmark artwork. This contest included schools from all over Maryland, so it was quite an honor to be chosen. The award ceremony was held at the Court of Appeal Building and awards were presented by the Chief Judge.

10th Birthday Bash!

Look who turned his first double-digit today!!

Meet Kiwi

The newest member of our family is an almost 7 month old green-cheeked conure parrot. Kiwi is full of personality and loves to play, cuddle and explore. We're learning that it's a little bit like having a toddler in the house again; it's been a sweet opportunity for all of us to care for Kiwi and enjoy the company of a pet in the house. Conures have a 20-30 year lifespan, so we expect Kiwi to be a rather permanent member of the family.

New School Year

Yes, a new school year is upon us! I began my new job at the middle school on August 17th and the kids returned to school on the 23rd. It's been a busy few weeks, but we are all adjusting well and having good experiences. In fact, I absolutely love my new school, and it works out perfectly for J. since he comes to school with his sister and me and then catches a shuttle to his elementary school, returning to the middle school in the afternoon on another shuttle just in time to ride home with us.

One of our most exciting events of the first two weeks of school was M.'s being chosen to participate in Jazz Band!! She was one of several pianists to audition, and we were very proud of her for trying out. We were all absolutely elated when she made the final cut, and, of course, we know that the band teacher chose the right person for the job. She is such a talented and delightful young lady and the Jazz Band is blessed to have her :)

In other family news, I just finished up an online class I was taking through BYU-I. It was a pretty intense few weeks juggling work and school, but it went amazingly well and I survived it with an A! My next class starts in January, so I have some interim time to enjoy the holidays, our family birthday season, and the adventure of setting up a closed-circuit TV broadcasting station at work.

Summer Summary

I cannot believe that August is here already! Summer has flown by, as always, and in just a few weeks (or less) the kids and I will head back to school. We've enjoyed lots of wonderful family time and have had several good adventures. In creating the video below, I realized just how many pictures I didn't take! Missing are pictures for Cub Scout Day Camp, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Lab, most of our numerous trips to the pool and the fun times spent with friends. But, it still makes my heart swell with the love that I have for my family when I watch this. Enjoy!

Hershey Park!

Okay, Hershey Park is just one of our Summer adventures. They'll be more pictures coming, but I couldn't wait to post this one. The expressions are priceless! Can you tell who's truly enjoying the ride, and who might be a bit apprehensive? :)