End of the Year 2016

This year I did not do a letter for the Christmas cards, but I will write a post here for the end of the year.

Corey continues to work hard as the store manager of the Plano store.  He is looking at possibly transferring to a busier store in the future, but for now, he continues to do his best there at making it a profitable store.

Jenna has started teaching piano after school as well as trying to build a home preschool during the day.  And having a new baby has also kept her really busy this year.  Earlier in the year she started putting together everything she would need to get a teacher's certificate for Texas and has that ball rolling.

Westley continues to play trumpet in the band and work hard at scouts.  He enjoys dog sitting and babysitting and trying to do any odd job he can to earn money.  He also likes spending time with friends and with family.

Caleb started playing trombone this year at school.  He continues to excel in academics and was put in advanced math and Language Arts classes.  His favorite extra-curricular activity is playing video games but he has also developed a real love for reading and has read through several big series of books, including Fablehaven and Eragon.

Travis still excels in academics at school.  We haven't been able to put him in any sports, but he loves to play all the sports--basketball, football, and baseball.  Hopefully we'll be able to soon so he can expound on those skills.  He also has a lot of friends and enjoys spending time with his siblings as well.

Eliza continues to take gymnastics with her cousin Maggie.  She is in the Gifted and Talented program at school.  She has also found she loves to sing and wants to learn the violin.  She is very creative and loving.

Jonah has really blossomed in kindergarten.  His teacher is always sending good notes home about his work and his behavior and he has made a lot of friends.  He recently learned to ride his bike without training wheels and bought himself a scooter with money he had saved up.

Annmarie is doing preschool with me at home and excelling.  She loves to sing also and she keeps me hopping with her bright and cheeky personality.

Nathan is just a cute chunky boy of happiness.  He is now ten months old and huge for his age--24 pounds at ten months!  He is crawling, pulling himself up, walking along the edges of furniture, and climbing the stairs.  He still doesn't sleep all night regularly, but he is still in our room.  He is still lovable and cuddly anyway.

We didn't have a chance to go on a trip this year, but we have had fun here around home nonetheless.

Christmas 2016

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, so we had a special musical Sacrament meeting.  Eliza and Annmarie wore their Christmas dresses that I made.  I played the piano for the primary musical numbers and one other musical number where I accompanied someone on the violin.  I also sang in the choir.  I had forgotten how much I loved participating in musical activities and I'm glad I did this year. 

Christmas itself wasn't a grandiose affair for us (I guess it never really is).  Since we started doing the "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" several years ago, it has really simplified it.  This year we didn't even do Santa gifts, mostly because our funds were extremely limited.  The kids still gave each other gifts and they did homemade gifts again.  I didn't get pictures, but I will list what they made.

Westley made a drum for Annmarie out of a hot chocolate can. 
Caleb made a paper light saber for Westley.
Travis made a book for Caleb.
Eliza made a pillowcase for Travis. (I taught her basic sewing skills)
Jonah made a paper doll set for Eliza.
Annmarie made a light saber out of a pool  noodle for Jonah, which only lasted a day but was fun anyway.

Merry Christmas!

Graham Cracker houses

 We got together with all the Fowles family to decorate graham cracker houses.  Grandpa and Grandma came in from Arizona.  Unfortunately, I didn't really take any pictures again of them or of Christmas Day.

December Preschool

We had fun learning about Europe for preschool in December.  We talked about France, Germany, Norway, and England and made treats and crafts to illustrate Christmas traditions of the different countries.

A Feast of Carols

Our stake puts on a huge Christmas concert every year that includes a choir, a children's choir, and a symphony orchestra.  This year, Travis and Eliza joined the children's choir and I sang in the stake choir.  Hopefully next year Westley can join the symphony orchestra on the trumpet.  It was a wonderful experience singing beautiful Christmas music to celebrate the season and really put me in the right mood for Christmas this year.

Gifted and Talented Program

Eliza got into the Gifted and Talented program at school.  They put on a showcase where they created games based on the concepts they were learning about.  Eliza based hers on the concept of Pi.  She worked really hard and was able to attend the showcase.

School Santa Night

The elementary school has a Santa night where the kids can go do fun activities and see Santa and it's all free.  I took Travis, Eliza, Jonah and Annmarie.  Caleb had a band concert the same night that Corey went to and Westley stayed home and babysat Nathan.

Eliza's birthday

Eliza turned nine.  We celebrated her birthday a day early because it was such a busy week with school and church activities. 

In-N-Out Christmas Party

Corey and I enjoyed the annual In-N-Out Christmas party.  It was good food and a nice venue, Union Station in Dallas near the Reunion Tower.

Thanksgiving Day

I didn't take any pictures at dinner, but we had Thanksgiving at Aaron and Kaori's this year with them and Austin and Paige.  Adam and Eve did not join us for dinner but we had dessert at their house.  In the morning, we went to the park to play and it was a gorgeous day.

Thanksgiving Preschool

For Preschool this week, the kids were off school so they put together a rotation of activities for the kids.  It was very helpful and the kids had a lot of fun.  They had stations that included a bean bag toss, whack-a-mole, making paper turkeys, and learning about the First Thanksgiving. 

Time Out For Women

I gave myself a little break for a four-day weekend and went up to Utah for Time Out For Women. I have always wanted to go but just never made it happen. This year, I was going to go to the one in Arlington, but it happened on the same weekend Margrethe was visiting, so instead I bought a ticket to the one in Utah and went up there. Allison came with me. I rented a Mustang (well, I signed up for an economy car but they upgraded me for free). I visited Jordan's grave and stopped in at Village Baker for some goodies. I got together with my friends from River Rose ward--Ralina Kellis, Heather Belcher, and Rebekah Bowen. I got to see my friend Melissa Nordstrom at the TOFW. I ran into several other women there but didn't get a picture, including people from River Rose ward, pepole from my years at BYU, and people from Bingham High School. I enjoyed being in Utah and having a little break from being the mom. The meetings were wonderful and inspirational and the conversations with Allison thoughtful. It was a much needed weekend.

More Nathan

How can I resist?  This now eight-month-old is just too darn cute!

Halloween 2016

Halloween was a busy time.  This year I did not sew any costumes.  Phew!  We used mostly what we had already.  I had made a poodle skirt for Eliza during second grade for a program she was in, that I must not have taken any pictures at, so she wore that and dressed as a 50's girl.  Travis was a Jedi knight.  Westley was Darth Vader.  Caleb was Harry Potter.  Annmarie was a ballerina princess.  Jonah was a chef.  I dressed as a Greek goddess for the ward party and Nathan was a fox.  Unfortunately, on Halloween, Eliza came down with strep throat and Jonah had a stomach bug.  It was not a fun day for either of them.  Westley hosted a Halloween party at our house the weekend before with his friends.  They mostly gorged on junk food and watched a movie.