Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Annular Solar Eclipse






We had an eclipse party!  The show was spectacular!!!
Mac and I went to PV High to hear Prof. Filippenko from UC Berkeley speak on the eclipse.  He was really fun to listen to and I learned alot. 
We met a crowd at the park to watch the actual eclipse later.  A big thanks to the Pings for ordering the special viewing glasses.  The children were all amazed and super curious.  It was a great learning experience for everyone!
I can't wait for the transit of Venus in just a few more days!!

Piano Recital 2012

Mac and Maddie did very well at their piano recital. Maddie sang "Candle on the Water," accompanied by Alina. Maddie played "The Llama" with Roxanne. Mac seemed nervous for the first time. I think it was because so many people he knew from the ward were there. Mac played "Brontosaurus Strut" and "Frontier Frolic."

Gold Nugget Museum

 John and I went with Maddie's class on a field trip to the Gold Nugget Museum up in Paradise.  We were in charge of the corn husk doll station.  We taught the children how to make the dolls and then let them accessorize as they would like.  John was super well behaved and had a great day.
 The children ate stew that they made for lunch.  It was delicious!  They even made the butter that the put on the bread!


I was so glad to be able to go on this field trip with Sloan's class.  Maddie had a great time dressing up like a pioneer!

Senior Prom

Rachel went to her senior prom with her boyfriend Mikey.  She wanted to look extra special, so she went to my friends Brit and Jodi to have her make up done.  They did a fantastic job!!  She was so excited.  I was so fun to watch.  When we got back from make up, I made her boyfriend look away so that she could run in and get her dress on without him seeing her!  Super fun!
 This is Rachel all dressed up.  The dress was spectacular!!  Rachel looked beautiful.  I wish I was a better photographer so that I could have caught the moment better.  She was so happy and so excited to spend the evening with Mikey.
Where was Mikey this whole time?  He was cooking!  The man made lobster!!  Incredible!  I didn't get a shot of him dressed up, but I wanted to get out of the way and let them have a nice time, which I believe they did.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Stonyford Rodeo

 I went to my first rodeo.  Maddie and Ryan wanted to go to one, so we went for Ryan's birthday.  I had no idea how much fun rodeos are!  My favorite was watching the little ones on the sheep.  Hilarious!!  Some of those kids were GOOD!  The girl in the red shirt is the Stonyford Rodeo Queen, Emily Rath.  Emily teaches Maddie riding lessons.  Emily is also a math tutor and has helped Maddie with math too.  We adore her and had so much fun watching her do her thing!
 John had a great time.  He loved the icees.  He did get a couple of nasty slivers, but the nice medical people helped him.
 Emily came up into the stands to say hello to the kids.  She is such a good sport.  I am so thankful for Emily and all that she does.  It is so wonderful to have someone like her for Maddie to look up to.  Emily is truly beautiful on the inside and out!
On the way home, Ryan requested McDonald's for dinner.  So we all ate dinner and had some ice cream for dessert.  Yum!  Happy Birthday Ryan!


Happy 7th Birthday Ryan!

On Ryan's birthday, we woke up in the hotel.  Our tradition is to open presents first thing in the morning, so we were ready at the hotel to celebrate.  Ryan was very excited and up super early to open his gifts.  He got lots of legos.  Those are his absolute favorites right now.  Then we went to the breakfast buffet to eat.  He got to have his favorite breakfast - waffles.  I'm so thankful for Ryan.  He is a super smart, energetic, fun-loving kid and I can't wait to see what his next year brings!

Gold Country Casino & Hotel

 Here we are at the Gold Country Casino.  Maddie won a talent contest and was able to go and compete for the district.  The competition was put on by the Exchange Club.  They gave us a nice dinner and a hotel room to stay in.  Maddie felt super special!
Here is Maddie with her accompanist, Alina Pickett.  Alina is spectacular!  The girls had so much fun together.  Maddie did well, but she did not win.  We all enjoyed the fun of staying in the Gold Country Casino Hotel!  I can't wait to see where Maddie sings next!

Lulu's Baptism

Lulu was baptized just before leaving the United States.  She was so happy.  It was great to see such a nice community of support for her.  She was baptized in the creek.  It was so cold, but she jumped right in.  We are so happy for her!

Chinese Food

On the last Sunday before Lulu left, she and Maddie made a Chinese feast.  It was SOOO delicious!  Lulu is so fantastic.  Maddie adores her.  She taught our kids so many good things, the least of which was to enjoy Chinese food.  We are sure going to miss her.

Miniature Horses

Johnny is getting very brave.  He went with Maddie to check out the horses at Jan's.  He was brave enough to pet and play with the miniature horses. 

Spelling with the Smiths

 We wanted to try something new for spelling practice.  Ryan's teacher suggested that we use a little shaving cream.  I may have given out too much...  but, Ryan got a 100% that week on his test!



Happy Birthday Spencer!

Happy 36th birthday Spencer!  Sorry about the terrible picture.  We opened presents in the morning and Spencer and I sneaked away for a nice lunch at Priya in the afternoon.  He is super wonderful!

Field Trip to Chico Creek Nature Center

 I was able to drive Ryan's class to the Chico Creek Nature Center.  This is easier said that done, as I had to scrounge up a bunch of extra booster seats.  The kids had a blast. 
 The teacher let the snake slither around on the floor.  It was awesome.  Some kids loved it, some not so much...
 Here the teacher found all sorts of neat creatures in the pond out front.  My favorite was this awesome caterpillar.  It was black and just super neat.
Next time I need to remember to bring bug repellant...  I sure love Ryan's class.

Shady Creek

 Here we are the morning Macky set off for Shady Creek.  I sent a camera with him, but he didn't take any pictures...  He was very excited to go.  I was the only one with teary eyes! 
 This is at Shady Creek when I went to pick him up with his friend Jason.  He had a terrific time.  There were no fish, so it was a bummer that he hauled up his fishing gear.  He did catch many bugs and enjoyed the food.
They got this special spirit stick for having the cleanest cabin.  I was so proud!!

Shasta Shuffle 2012

 This year I was able to help out during the Shasta Shuffle.  The kids raised lots of money and had great fun.  Here Ryan is with his best pal Joshua.  Neither boy likes to look into the sun for pictures...
This is Ryan's first grade class.  They all tie dyed their shirts.  Ryan is allergic, so he didn't wear his this time. 

The Storm

Here is Ryan all dressed up for baseball.  Yep.  Except that I put him in white pants.  Team pants are gray.  Oops.  Oh well, he had lots of fun!  And - he does look good!

1 Mile

 They lowered the dam at One Mile to allow the salmon to run.  When I heard about it, I ran over there to see if we could see any action.  No action.  No fish.  But, it was fun to see the dam down.



Easter Fun

 We had a nice little party for Easter at our home.  We invited the Chinese teachers over to teach them about our traditions.  They all colored Easter eggs.  Well, the Chinese girls took pictures and the kids colored eggs.  Those girls sure do love kids.  We had the Guadagnins and the Deckers over too.  The Deckers are our good friends who also love the Chinese program.


 Here are the Chinese teachers.  I believe we were missing two girls.  What fun!

 This is Sarah and Joshua.  They were such a fun addition to our group. 
 We let John and little Elizabeth (below) go out before the big kids.  They had a great time. 
 Sheila has a great camera...  I'm afraid all of my photos are taken with my phone...


 Macky and Jaycee found the big eggs.  They were happy!
Aunt Shannon worked so hard to get those little plastic things on the outside of the eggs!!
 Immediately after the party, Maddie went with Aunt Shannon to meet up with Aunt Sabra.  Sabra took Maddie to visit Aunt Delayne for Easter weekend.  We missed her, but Maddie so needed to see her cousin Bonnie.
 Here are the boys on Easter Sunday.  I love that bow tie!!