Christmas Is In The Air At Work

At work we set up a tree to help bring the Christmas spirit. We even decorated with plastic bottles, sprayers, pumps and lids. The girls and I had so much fun and the whole crew at work thought it was great. Ben was here for a visit and had me send a picture to Keith and now it has even made it onto Facebook and our company blog. Decorating is so much fun.

SPRING BREAK - General Conference, 4H Fun, Zoo Fun, and Haircuts

Spring Break started the weekend of general conference! And we had soooooooo much fun watching conference and discussing the talks together. We invited the girls' friend, Destiny, to join us on Saturday. They opted to watch conference in their newly purchased pajamas. They had to buy icee drinks to match. It made for a DELICIOUS way to enjoy learning from our church leaders. The girls even took notes using stickers of the general authorities mom made. The stickers made taking notes more fun! :-) On Tuesday we spent the entire day at 4H. First the girls painted large pots and planted tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano, and basil in them for a "Pizza Garden." The finished pots were stunning. Of course, Kiara and Katia's pots were absolutely the best pots out of the 14 kids who were in attendance. They really have a talent for all things crafty and creative! Then the girls made scarecrows (not pictured). And finally the girls made working lamps out of soda pop cans. They are absolutely cute! Now the girls are working on decorating the lamp shades. :-)

The girls finished their 4H day shooting cross bows. Unfortunately, mom didn't get pictures of the event. (Next week she will.) Katia was a natural at archery. And Kiara is the only blind shooter there. She has to close her eyes to shoot because when she aims she misses. :-)

Wednesday mom took the girls to see the movie "Tangled" in the $3 theater. It was fabulous! We loved it! Definitely an owner. I recommend it to everyone!

Thursday was spent at the zoo with the Melansons. It was super fun although a bit crowded. :-) We saw giraffes, monkeys, elephants, tigers, cheetahs, etc. There is even an albino crocodile named King Louie that was fun to see. The girls enjoyed taking pictures of each animal. They took over 50 pics.... Here are a FEW favorite photos of the two animals mom likes best (her daughters!)

Well, Spring Break is almost over. We celebrated today, Friday, by crafting some more. We made some easter egg decore (we'll take pics of the finished project when it dries). And we all got new hair cuts. The hair cuts are perfect for my kids. What do you think?

Hope ya'll have a fabulous spring! And stay tuned for some more Cruella DeVille video and Kiara's violin concert pics.

Cruella De Ville

This last weekend Katia finally starred as Cruella DeVille in her school production of 101 Dalmations. She was fabulous. She really stole the show and has a knack for acting. Her and her two henchmen were the best and made everyone laugh. She also scared a few of the little ones along the way. We went and saw her both Friday and Saturday as did many from our ward. She really felt loved and we are grateful for the support she received from our friends. She was very exhausted after the show and crashed on the couch when we got home the first night. Here is a little clip of her introducing herself. She had a lot of fun. Enjoy.

Resolve

Once again we have made a new resolve to blog more frequently as we have done in the past. Our lives never seem to slow down, however we think we have a handle on things at the moment and hope that we can at least squeeze a little time each week to blogging about our happenings.

This week has so far been interesting to say the least. Not only has it been going by so quickly but we have had a few minor incidents with vehicles. On Tuesday Scott was hit by flying debris from off of a work truck. Two pieces of heavy metal siding from a semi hit the front of the car and the hood and then bounced over the rest. Luckily it didn't hit the winshield and no major problems with it running but the hood, the headlights and the front of his car do not look the greatest. Then today on Wednesday, Kiara's bus was involved in an accident. An older lady had fallen asleep at the wheel and ran into her bus pretty hard. The Bus Driver and the Lady were the most hurt. Kiara had whiplash but was checked out at the ER and is sore but well.

Also, last Saturday we got a new addition to our family. A new puppy. She is a Chiuaua and Pomeranian mix. Her name is Karmel. She is cute as a bug in a rug but hyper to boot. She has even won Sundy over to being a dog person. She now takes both Kamelot and Karmel on walks and even takes naps with them.

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.