Josh's Basketball pictures

Josh's first basketball game was last week. This week I remembered to take the camera.
Warm ups

Josh and his best friend Collin are on the same team

Steve and Collin's dad are the coaches

(that is why I am the one trying to take the action shots)

going after a loose ball

Pictures from Julia's birthday last month

So I am finally downloading the other camera, hence the barrage of old pictures.

For her birthday Julia got a keyboard. The keyboard has headphones and cool sound effects and background music so it is way more fun to practice on than the real piano.

Pictures from the end of football season

The second to last game it was so foggy!

Julia and Zach were not doing so well focusing on the game

Last game of the season!

Pointers from the coach

Quarterback Josh

pulling flags

Football season was lots of fun and we can't wait for next season!

Seeing Santa

The kids were very uncooperative about seeing Santa at the ward Christmas party. This is the closest I got to a picture of all of them with Santa.

Julia was a bit more cooperative, except she only sat on Santa's lap to tell him that she would like some spray butter for Christmas. Nice.

Josh being physically restrained to be in the picture

All Zach wants for Christmas is his 4 front teeth (and a few other things, of course).

The Scary Gingerbread House

Scary because Julia decided that it would look better painted, and hey, while we are using paint, let's use some glue too! Yummy!

Zach, Josh and Julia on the front page

The kids were excited to see that they made the front page of the Castro Valley Forum. On Monday we were up at the church sorting food for the PTA Outreach program. All the Castro Valley schools collect food donations and then all the food is picked up and taken to the Mormon church for sorting and packing into boxes for families who need help to have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Zach is the most obvious, since he is right up front. Josh is a little harder to pick out in the scan, since it is so dark and he is wearing a black jacket. Julia is a little easier to see with her tie dye peace shirt and Yankees hat. (Steve and I were there too, just not famous enough to make it in the picture.)

My scan of the picture did not turn out that great. I was going to try to do it again to see if I could make it lighter, but the kids took the newspaper and so that is not an option any more.

Zach's first guitar

Zach started taking guitar lessons last week. He had asked me numerous times to call Julia's piano teacher to see if her husband Glen, who teaches guitar, had any openings. I called on Wednesday and Glen had an opening on Thursdays at 4:30. We went the next day to the guitar shop, bought a guitar and headed to his lesson. Zach was so excited. He has so far maintained his enthusiasm and practices diligently every day.

Julia's birthday party

Julia is 11!

I took 5 pictures of Julia and the boys, and this is the best one. Sad, but true!


Julia had her party (on Friday the 13th) at a local craft store called Jazzy Crafts. The girls got to roam the store and pick out beads to make a necklace. Then we moved all the beads out of the way and had pizza and cake. Julia got to paint her hand and add her handprint to the store's party wall. (Next time we are there I will have to remember to take a picture of it!)

I wish I would have taken a picture of each girl with her necklace. They all did a great job and the necklaces were all interesting and unique.

Happy Birthday Julia

Our little girl is 11!

Julia's Nov 09 piano recital

Julia played three songs at her recital:

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - with Mom

The Entertainer - with Allison

Allegro Deciso - with Kate, Grace and Jonathon

Halloween 09

We started off the fun by working on our pumpkins

They turned out great and were done in minutes

We spent the afternoon having fun with our friends at the church Trunk-or-Treat


Then off for a night of Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood.

Zach was Dan Kuso from Bakugan
(if you are a grade school age boy, or know one, you will know exactly who this is. If not, google it).


Julia was a vampire

with lovely purple teeth


Josh was a skeleton pirate

and his favorite part was the awful mask. What is with kids?

At home resting after a long day and way too much candy!