Halloween Happenings 2010

For the last six years we have dressed up together as a family. This year we decided to be a little more scary. We were vampires, at the request of the girls. We had another fun Halloween season. The weekend before Halloween we had our ward Trunk or Treat and Carnival. We had a blast. Scott and Sundy were asked to be the DJ's. We had a great time dancing to the tunes and just acting crazy. Kiara helped run the Carnival with the other young women in the ward and even made cupcakes for it. At the end of the festivities she participated in a little fun herself by sticking her face in whip cream and trying to find a piece of gum and be the first to blow a bubble. We had Karaoke at the end and while we were cleaning up. Scott and Sundy sang a duet of "You're the One That I Want," the girls sang quite a few songs together and Scott even sang "Elvira."

On the Saturday before Halloween, we spent the evening with the Call's. The girls went Trick or Treating while the men stayed home and passed out candy. After they were done, they came home and we watched the kids empty out their candy on the floor and start a candy stock exchange. They were bartering and swindling. It was fun to watch. We enjoyed the rest of the evening visiting and listening to Jerry Seinfield's Halloween. It was hilarious.

Sunday was Halloween. We had the primary program where Kiara played the violin for a few of the songs. She did a great job. Later in the day we went over to the Bettenhausen's and ate our traditional chili and visited. The kids had fun. One bonus to the weekend was that Dad DeGooyer was able to be here for it.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

Last Friday we were invited down to a hayride with Christy and her family. Scott decided to take a day off so the family could go and see some sights on the way down to their place. We stopped in Hodgenville, Kentucky. This is where Abraham Lincoln was born. We went to the museum there and also visited the actual home where he was born. The log cabin is enshrined in another building to preserve and protect it from the elements. Is was neat to learn so much about our 16th President and his life. Sundy really liked that he was an avid reader. It was also interesting to find out that Douglas and Lincoln not only had their famous debates but they also courted the same woman, Maty Todd. Lincoln won of course! The place where he was born was called Sinking Spring Farm. It was named after a spring that kept sinking further into the ground. It is a gorgeous place. I can see why he loved it there. Anybody would love to just sit and read under the trees. Here are a few photos we took along the way.

The log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born.

The Sinking Spring Well.

The Sinking Spring Farm.

Scott and Sundy Having some fun.

Kiara and Katia at the Ford Theatre.

A painting we really liked.

The Lincoln statue in the town square.

The other statue in the town square.

The building where the log cabin is enshrined.

Some fun scenes and pictures at the museum.

Fun at the Louisville Zoo

On one of the girl's days off for Fall Break they went with their friends to visit the Louisville Zoo. They had a blast and blended right in with all the other animals. Here are a few of the photos they took while there. Enjoy.

This free picture slideshow created with Smilebox

Kiara's First Birthday in Kentucky

We celebrated Kiara's birthday by having fun together as a family. We first went and saw a movie called "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole." The girls have been reading the books and really wanted to see the movie. We all enjoyed that and then went home and played some games and had cake. This year Kiara didn't want Scott to make a special cake because she wanted Sundy to make the "Better than you know what cake." She is now a young woman and wanted a grown-up cake, I guess. She has been in YW for the past few weeks and is really enjoying it. It is amazing how much she has grown up in the last year. She still loves her stuffed animals though. She got a few unique ones like a possum and an okapi. Payton also sent her Peeta's pearl on a necklace. She also got a cute halloween shirt and earrings from Kelly. She was spoiled rotten and really missed celebrating with her friends and family.

Ohio State Football

Chris, one of the family's friends here in Kentucky, invited Scott to go watch the Miami-Ohio State football game on September 11. It was #2 vs #12, so it was a huge game for both teams. Chris is a huge Ohio State fan and even got Scott a hat and t-shirt to wear so he would fit in. Scott had a great time doing all the cheers and everything. The total attendance at the game was 105,590. The stadium was huge and the atmosphere was awesome. The marching band was amazing and they did a patriotic theme for 9-11. They really are the "Best Damn Band in the Land." It was even better because Ohio State won the game 36 to 24. It seems like wherever we go Scott makes friends with Ohio State fans, like Matt and Dexter. He just can't seem to get away from them so he decided to join them. They are everywhere. Go Bucks!!!

Kiara's First Concert in Kentucky

On Monday Kiara had her first orchestra concert of the year here in Kentucky. She really enjoys the orchestra and has made quite a few friends through it. Here are three clips that show her playing with her classmates and friends.

Labor Day In Kentucky

Today we decided to explore more of Kentucky. We went to Frankfort which is the state capital. It wasn't very far and we thought that would be a fun short trip. We really wanted to see the museum of Kentucky history but it was closed. We were able to walk around the Capitol Building and the grounds and admire the beautiful scenery. We also went and saw the Old Capitol Building and learned that there have been four Capitols. The first two burnt down and we saw the other two. We also saw a statue of William Goebel, who may be related to Scott somewhere down the line. He was one of the Governors of Kentucky who was martyred. We were able to see a chocolate factory that was started by two woman entreprenuers before women were allowed to vote. We saw a few shops downtown that had some really nice pottery and other unique items. Below is a SmileBox of some of the pictures we took. Enjoy!

This free scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

We ended the day BBQing and playing games with friends from the ward. Hope ya' all had a great Labor Day! We did.

Visiting Friends in Kentucky

A few weeks after Sundy finally came to Kentucky to join us we were able to go and visit one of her friends from Ricks. Christy Haven invited us down to Morgantown to see her place and spend some time. We took her up on the offer and went down and spent the night. Her place is wonderful. They have a lot of land where they raise cows. They have recently finished their house and have a swimming pool as well as four wheelers. We went down on a Friday night and went to their Pioneer celebration they had at church and ate well and learned some new games. The one in the pictures is called "Corn Hole." Katia really did well and placed 2nd in the tournament with her partner. Scott and Kiara didn't fair so well, and Sundy didn't play. We definitely want to get our own set of boards and play it again. We had a great time and they have a great branch. On Saturday Scott and the girls went out on the four wheelers with Pete and Logan and explored their land. They showed us the cows and the dogs they have and then we went further up the road and saw where Pete goes hunting sometimes. We had a great time. Later the girls went swimming in their pool with Lucas. We can't wait to go back and see them again and spend more time enjoying the sites. Christy has a wonderful family and is so nice. It was fun to see her and Sundy interact and have fun.

First Day of School in Kentucky

On August 18th our girls started school here in Kentucky for the first time. And for the first time they are going to different schools. Kiara is now in middle school and Katia is the queen of the elementary school. Kiara was nevrous and excited to be in middle school. She has had to learn what it is like to have a locker and plan ahead on what to bring to class. Katia was thrilled about being in a two-story school that has pillars and looks like a business building. Both have been enjoying Kentucky and making some really good friends at school and at church. Here are pictures of their first day.

DeGooyer Day 2010

Every year around May or June we have an annual family holiday called "DeGooyer Day" where we take a day and spend it together having fun and also learning about places around where we live. Scott also makes T-shirts for everyone to wear. The picture above was the design he came up with this year. We always get a lot of comments about them. This year "DeGooyer Day" was delayed due to being apart and moving along with everything else that was going on in our lives. We finally were able to have it in August. We decided to go to the Kentucky Sate Fair that they were having in Louisville. At the fair they had tons of things to see and do. We saw all sorts of animals, plants, vegatables, crafts, and also were able to get a lot of information about the different places to see here in Kentucky. We can't wait to go and visit all the sites and historical places. We saw huge pumkins, watermelons that weighed more than us and displays that were great. We decided that we all might be able to enter something next year if we wanted to. We were able to listen to jug band music and watch childrens shows. Katia even won a shirt from the 4-H Club. We also learned to dance the Cotton Eyed Joe. We had a blast and by the time the day was over our feet were very, very tired. We finished the day by winding down watching a movie together and relaxing on the couch. Boy were we all tired!