November 26-27 Christmas Sweater Pics

Nov 26 - Today the LCHS girls basketball teams went to the Battleground Jamboree.  Both teams played Hockinson and Ridgefield.  We only played 10 minute, partial games.   The JV started out pretty bad and couldn't seem to break Hockinson's press or get the ball to go through the hoop.  I think the score at the end of the 10 minutes was 2-11 or something.  The varsity girls handily won both of their short games.  We (the JV) did much better once our jitters were out against Ridgefield.  We won that one.

Jake took Tamsyn to a convert that the middle school choirs were participating in in Vancouver.




I took some pictures of her for our family Christmas card since she had dressed up in her Christmas sweater.







November 27
After church I had all the kids put their Christmas Sweaters on and we took individuals and family shots.

November 24th - Thanksgiving

We started off our Thanksgiving morning with a casual Turkey Trot that Meagan and Ellen organized.  There were quite a few people there and they asked that each of us bring something to donate to the food bank.  The kids lead the race and hopefully went the right way.  Tamsyn started off in the front, but didn't know where to go and soon was back with me and Thurston which made her a bit grumpy.  Jake ran with Dantley and Natasha ran up in the front with Emily Graham from her XC team.

Here is a picture of a few of the ladies from our "running tribe" that came out.





Tamsyn's feeling expressed after the race :)  she is a bit out of shape and it bothered her.


More of the running tribe -- followed by a Dantley photo bomb.



This picture has most of the people that ran, although the walkers were still out on the course so they aren't in it.


We visited for a few minutes and then headed home to get the turkey in the oven.



Our friends the Andral's came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner and stayed the night.  We met them when both Jake and Vladimir were attending grad school at Carnegie Mellon.  Dolores had her twin boys shortly after they arrived in Pittsburgh and she and I used to trade babysitting.  She'd watch Natasha while I painted once a week and I would watch Vladimir and Ellis once a week while she wrote.

The kids had fun playing giant chess and roller skating in the gym.


We also had them recreate one of the photos we had of them when they were babies.



It was really great to get together and catch up.  Hopefully we will see them a bit more frequently now that they live in Seattle.

Nov 20-23

Nov 20 - Today we got high speed internet!  No more satellite internet for us, and no more need to have our room be the place where our computer is (before we had it there because the satellite got the best reception on that end of the house).  We suddenly can use the office and it is wonderful!  It was a bit of a struggle getting the internet to work because every time we have something done that has anything to do with the phone lines we have trouble.  The wires in our house are a complete wreck.  Someone cut them and stole the copper wire, and it appears just cut wire to create problems.  We only have one phone jack that works and so we had to have the technician bring another wire under the house up into the office in order to hook up the modem.  After two days of figuring things out we finally have it up and running and it is wonderful!  In the past couple of months we have had to pay extra for satellite internet just to have enough for Natasha to be able to get online and finish her homework.  It is so nice knowing we won't have to do that anymore.

Nov 21 - Today was the cross country banquet.  There was a slideshow and pizza and then Coach Helm gave out awards.  Natasha got her first varsity letter and was also awarded the team MVP.

Saige keep got the "sweater" award, Nate Beed and Calvin Dubois were co-MVPs for the boys.  The coaches awards went to James Carmona and Garrett (I think?), Sierra Harris & Bethany Whitten, most improved went to Jared Cox and McKenna Olsen,  The guts award went to Sean Murray.

Saige with his "Sweater"

The five freshman that lettered - Katelynn Hurley, Natasha, Roselyn Martin, Rachel Brockway & Shelby Kysar.


The entire girls team with Coach Helm.

November 23 - There was no school today because of Thanksgiving break, but when Dantley found out Jake was going to work, he couldn't stop talking about how he really wanted to go to work with his dad.  So Jake decided to go ahead and take him.  They left super early in the morning like Jake always does, but Dantley was happy to get up and excited to go.  I figured by lunch time Dantley would be tired of the office and ready for me to come get him, but Jake took him to lunch and kept him busy in the office and said he wanted to stay the whole day, so he did.  Glad he got to go in with Jake one last time at Smiles before Jake switches jobs next week.



Since it was one of Jake's last days (he worked on Friday as well, but most everyone else did not), his team brought him a huge card and several cartons of hot chocolate mix (not all pictured) and a mug of chocolate coins which I thought was cute because they have figured out how much he loves some money to count.  He has had a good stretch, albeit super time-consuming and stressful at times working for Smiles.  It is a relief (I think to both of us) that he found a new job that interests him here in the area.  He starts working for Geneva Woods (ahealthcare and pharmaceutical company) as their new CFO the Monday after Thanksgiving.


Nov 23 - Natasha started this drawing during the summer.  She was going to enter it in the Renton art show but never had a chance to finish it.  It was nice to see her pick up her pencils on her own accord during the break and finish it.  She can enter it next year in one of the art shows we do.