Kelsie and Volleyball

So I finally had the camera with me to get some shots of Kelsie playing volleyball but the lighting in the gym was terrible and I couldn't figure out how to make the shots better without having the flash on. I will practice some more and hopefully get some better pictures. Kelsie always gets a great reaction from the crowd as she serves because she has a killer serve! They haven't lost a match yet! The team is so fun to watch!

My Baby Sister

Here is my tribute to my baby sister on her birthday. Growing up I don't remember much other than having to babysit by little sisters and brother and was never really happy about it. But now that we are all grown up and out of the house I can't imagine my life without my siblings. Valerie is my baby sister and always got stuck babysitting my kids and probably wasn't very happy about that but was always there for me. Now I beg here to let my watch her kids!! (it all comes full circle!)Valerie's memory for movie lines is amazing and when you get her really tired and playing games watch out!! The super funny Val comes out! She is always the life of the party! I hope you have a fabulous birthday Val!! I love you so much and I am so glad you are in my life!

Visitors

We have had some unexpected visitors come to our house. I looked out the window the other day and this squirrel was just sitting there basking in the sun. It brought back great memories of watching the squirrels with Grandpa Hansen. Then just last night Dave noticed this toad out on the driveway. He came in the house telling me that there was a HUGE toad outside so I had to ckeck it out. I think I hear our friend croaking every so often. This is the excitment and entertainment here in Spokane.

Football and Volleyball Weekend

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing football. We had a great weekend immersed in sports. Caleb and Jacob both had games on Saturday and Kelsie and I went to a volleyball tournament all day. Dave had the camera and so there are pictures of football but none of Kelsie playing v-ball.


Caleb is the player in red on the right. He has become a monster as far as tackling and is so excited to be running back for his team!

Jacob had a great game! He has the coaches watching him! He is going to be the football player every one runs from! He comes out of his games with a few new bruises on his arms and I am afraid of what his opponents bruises look like!

Dating and Decisions

We are going to be having a 16 year old in our house in a couple of weeks and we have already had to face some dilemmas. Zach turns 16 on October 6th and the Homecoming dance is Oct. 18th. No problems there. But we never thought about the fact that all the girls Zach's age are not 16 yet. Even though they are not members of the church, should he still have to wait until they turn 16 to ask? This has been the question of the week. We finally came to a decision that he should ask the girls that are 16. The For the Strength of Youth Booklet says that you should date when you are 16. And while this is the standards for our Church, the prophet is the prophet for everyone. This has not been an easy decision. It has made us all think about our beliefs and how we should handle dealing with those who may not understand our standards. I know that it is not going to be easy to for Zach to have to explain things to this girl and he may get a lot of crap for this. But this is the first of many hard decisions Zach will have to make in his life.

Barbara Thorson

I just learned that Barbara passed away last night and I felt like I needed to write. Although we weren't close friends I watched her and found strength through her. I remember coming to my door one day and Barbara was there bringing me cinnamon rolls. I knew that she was going through chemo and wasn't always feeling great but here she was at my door bringing me treats! I should have been the one to be at her door!! She was always complimenting me on how great my skin complextion was. I know that sounds funny but we would be talking and just out of the blue she would tell me how great my skin was. This picture is of Barbara and her daughter, Tara at girls camp this year. Everyone was amazed that she came! She stayed one night went home the next day for her treatment and then came back the next day with chocolate chip cookies for all the girls and stayed that night. I remember her getting up to share her testimony and just seeing the hope and the faith in her eyes. She knew that no matter what happened, the Lord was there to guide her and to help her. She is my hero and I will always look to her as an example of strength and courage. Barbara, you will be missed!

What's happening around here

So I have survived the routines and the beginning of school and I am still in one piece! It actually wasnt' as bad as I thought it was going to be thank goodness!! The kids are for the most part liking school. They come home and tell me which teachers are crazy and which teachers they really like. Zach and Kelsie started early morning seminary today and while it was early they had a great time. Jacob is the only one left in elementary school and for the time being does not have a permanent teacher due to a influx of students. Hopefully the school district will be able to fill that position quickly. As far as the sports goes...Jacob and Zach had their first games this week. Jacob's team did awesome and won (I don't remember the score?!) Jacob is an animal out on the field and he is so fun to watch! Zach's team played the local rival and unfortunalty lost 14-0. Zach was pretty bummed but it was the first game of the season. We have lots of room for improvement! I was terrible and forgot to bring the camera to both games so I have no pictures to post! But at least you have an update of what's up around here!

Labor Day Fun Run