12 Years Old!

I missed posting this birthday boy last month! Grandma is looking out for him and reminded me.  After I commented that in just one year he will be a teenager, he said, "Hopefully, I'll be more mature by then."  He can be so cute sometimes!

No More Braces!

Before (December 2009)

 :

After (December 2011):

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch with friends this fall.  The kids had a great time in the corn maze.  We picked out pumpkins for carving.

Photographer

We have another photographer in the family.  He knows more about my camera than I do.  My 15 year old son loves taking pictures and took a lot of them on our trip to Yosemite.  He picked four of them to enter into our county fair this year.  All of his got a ribbon!  Good job, son!

1st place! Category: National Parks

2nd place.  Category: Sunset

4th place. Category: General

Honorable Mention.  Category: Landscape

Summer Fun

We did a lot this summer. In June, we went to Yosemite. In July, we went to Pismo, and to a friend's house for the 4th of July.  We went to other friends' houses for swimming quite a bit.  We visited friends in Ventura and went to the beach in Carpinteria.  We visited my older cousin in Glendale in her beautiful home and the kids got to swim. We had a wonderful visit with her. Went camping twice in two weeks to Lodgepole in Sequoia National Park and to Belknap in the Sequoia National Forest.

September 11, 2001

I was 5 months pregnant with my youngest.  My husband called me from work to tell me the news of the first 3 planes.  I was still in bed, but immediately new, "terrorists".  I got up and turned on the TV and was glued there for a few hours til the other kids woke up.  I remember wanting to watch it constantly, to see when they brought up the survivors that were found.  But only a couple came out of the rubble alive.  A week or two later, we went camping in Mt. Shasta.  The campground was almost empty.  But across the way, a group was camping and they put up this flag.  It was awesome.  They took this picture and sent it to us. I can't believe it's been 10 years.  My baby is nine now.  None of my kids remember it, they were too young, though my oldest who was 6, knew that something happened, but we didn't tell her much.

Swim Team 2011

Last year, my two oldest boys joined the summer swim team with the parks dept.  This year all three boys and my youngest girl joined!  It was a lot of work, but they all did great.  My oldest got 1st place in freestyle in his age group at the citywide meet.
Back stroke:

 Breast stroke.....or is that dog paddle?

Fifteen

Our second child, and oldest son, turned 15 a week ago.  He just keeps getting taller and his hair is getting curlier and he's becoming a hard worker. We love him so much.

Yosemite 2011

We went to Yosemite the first week of June and met up with friends. It was pretty cold, with some rain.  We hiked to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, the first time for most of us!  The good news is, it wasn't hot at all which made for easier hiking. The bad news is, it snowed on the way up! But we made it, and I was sore for a week. I mean really sore! Not in shape at all.  On the rainy day, we all stayed in our unit playing games. It was a blast! My 14yo son took some of these.

Top of Upper Yosemite Falls,a rather small creek just about to go over the cliff.  So scary.

I Made Jam!

I finally made my own jam!  My Mom and daughters helped.  I made freezer plum jam using the recipe from my friend Daisy (the recipe isn't listed, sorry).  The kids love it!  Then I made apricot jam.  The kind you cook and boil the jars and put the jars in boiling water and the lids pop.  Yum.  We still have lots of fruit, so I need to make more.