2018 Blue Jeans Week 4

It was a busy week.  Lots of pictures.  Lots going on.  The quieter part of January is gone.  Hitting the busy part and running into February this week!  Take a look at our week. . .

Sunday soup kitchen volunteering this week.  Miss O is in charge of writing the menu up before serving starts.  Maai and Miss E offered her some suggestions :)  She like to make it fancy.

Girls Lunch out with my best friends.  We love going different places and exploring.  The town we went to had a mini Statue of Liberty!

FBLA competition this week.  Miss O on front row and Miss E in the middle.  Waiting to hear on results to see who gets to go to state!

A picture from Miss A--she went to Lisbon, Portugal last week and loved it.  One of the many awesome things she saw was this very colorful castle.  

Homecoming candidates were announced....Miss O and an awesome group of seniors make up this group.

Miss O and her escort in their "funny" picture :)

Mr J got a bow and arrow for Christmas, and the weather has been warmer so he has enjoyed practicing on it.

The Young Women in church had a special program Wednesday night--New Beginnings.  The girls did a great job, and we got a cute group shot of them and their leaders.

Of course basketball is going on in the middle of everything else.  Miss E had a great game this past week.  February really gets into crazy basketball with two games a week.  

And an extra busy week for Miss E on far left--first forensics meet of the season--she got first in speaking and 4th in prose and they got first as a team!  Great way to start the season!

So after a busy week, Saturday night we enjoyed some warmer weather and built a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and had s'mores for dinner.  A nice evening together after a crazy busy week!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!

2018 Blue Jeans Week 3

Our one day off school for Martin Luther King day turned into two days because of a snow day.  We enjoyed the extra day.  Maai has never experienced a winter/snow/ice and that has been fun.  Miss A is loving Spain!  So awesome to see the pictures she sends!  It has been a good week.  Take a look. . .

We didn't get a lot of snow, and Maai was so excited to build a snowman, but there wasn't enough snow for a man, so the kids settled for a snow mouse :)

Sledding is another thing Maai has never done.  Again, not a lot of snow, but on our freezing cold (-10) extra day off school, we went sledding for a little bit until everyone was frozen solid :)

A gorgeous picture from Spain and Miss A. Awesome!

Miss A and her first Spanish churros.  She is discovering that 'sweet' things over there are really not that sweet.  She is realizing how much sugar we put in things in the US.  The churro had no sugar in it--so just fried bread, and the hot fudge sauce that you dipped it in wasn't very sweet either.  She said she is missing sugar :)  

Mr J shoveling our snow this week.  He is an awesome helper!

Miss O and Maai working on Maai's prom-posal.  She used almost 500 suckers to make this sucker ball and then a sign that said, "Prom would suck without you."  The boy liked it and said yes!  Her first US prom!  Woohoo!

Miss O and Maai went and did a service project for Rotary--Maai is here through the Rotary exchange program.  They went to a Rotary warehouse where they get surplus medical supplies and such and then send those to non-profit and free clinics around the world.  Miss O was so impressed with the black gentleman who was a doctor from Africa but practices in the US.  He was filling a huge truck trailer to be sent to his home village in Africa where he runs a free medical clinic.  She loved being able to help him fill his trailer for his African clinic.  So many amazing people in the world!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!

2018 Blue Jeans Week 2

An exciting week!  We sent Miss A off to Spain for a semester for a college study abroad program.  She arrived safe and sound, and we are enjoying the photos she sends as she has an adventure of a lifetime!  It was a busy week getting her ready to go, and then we had some cold, cold, weather and finally got some snow!  Our first snow of the season!  Take a look at our week. . .

Miss A talking to an elementary school class that she is going to keep in touch with while she is gone so they can learn about Spain.  This was her "before" presentation, and then when she gets back she will give them her "after" presentation and will send pictures and notes while she is there.

Our family picture before Miss A left.  By the time she comes back Maai will no longer be with us, so we needed a shot before everyone left!

Miss A and I enjoyed lunch with my Dad one day this week.

And off she goes on the adventure of a lifetime!  Spain here she comes!  

And here she is in Spain!  Madrid's Royal Palace!

Ben and Jesse cuddled up in a tent in VERY, VERY cold weather!  Burr!  Winter camp outs are not for the faint hearted!

Mr J and the scouts on a very cold morning camp out!!!

And a beautiful sunset with our first snow of the season!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great week!

2018 Blue Jeans Week 1

Happy New Year!  I have been blogging since 2009, so starting my 9th year this year!  Crazy!  We had a fun New Year's Eve at friends, set our goals for 2018 which is a big deal for us, got Christmas put away, school started, basketball and life just never slows down, but it is all good!  Take a look at our week. . .

We rang in the New Year's at our friends with lots of yummy food, fun games and great people!  Happy New Year!

Time to put Christmas away.  I love to get it out, but after New Year's I am so ready to put it away and get my house back to normal :)

The first Monday of the year we make our goals as a family.  Goals are an important thing in our family.  We have been doing this tradition for years, and years.  2018 is going to be great!

Our dear friends---who we consider as family and have knows for almost 20 years, their oldest married a few years ago, and they became grandparents this week!  It was so fun to get the updates from our friends--"labor has started"  "she is in the hospital!"  and then to get this picture that the baby is here!!!!  How exciting!!!

School started back up and they announced winter homecoming king and queen candidates.  Miss O is so excited (she is the one in the white headband) Well, not really, but she will endure it :)  She would be excited if she could wear basketball shorts and a t-shirt instead of a prom dress and heals.  Can't say that I blame her either :)

Ben, Miss A and Mr J made it to the city to the temple this weekend.  A great way to start the New year!

Thanks for visiting!  Happy New Year to all of you!!!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 52

I am behind.  I am in the phase where I have to ask myself a few times daily, "what day is it?"  But school starts back up today, so hopefully that will help.  We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's.  It was extremely cold, but we stayed warm inside being together and playing games.  Christmas Eve is always a big celebration here, and this year did not disappoint.  I am taking down Christmas and getting ready for the new year, but today take a look at our last week of 2017 which was a very good year....

Christmas Eve and Maai played a special Thai flute for us as part of our evening of song and music that we have on Christmas Eve.  It was pretty cool to hear.

The three wise men and their "gifts" for our Christmas Eve Nativity.

The shepherds all ready to go!

The Angel of the Lord and the star :)

And don't forget the sheep!  Miss O did a great job there :)

And our tradition of new PJ's on Christmas Eve

And Christmas morning Santa did come, we must have been good!  

Christmas day is pretty laid back at our house.  We enjoyed playing new games the kids got in the evening.

Day after Christmas my sister and brother-in-law joined us for a fun evening of games.

And we have been extremely COLD here!  Temps in the negatives, and this is our foreign exchange student Maai's first winter ever since she comes from Thailand, so it has been really cold for her!  The kids were bored and decided to go for a walk in the negative temps....they got very bundled up and last 5 minutes :)  because "baby, it's cold outside!"

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!