Sunday, May 29, 2011

River City Dance Spring Recital

Our girls have been dancing since they were young. It is funny to think that Sam at age 8 has five years of dance behind her.

These are pictures I took at the recital rehearsal. A good family friend, Aaron, took some other pictures that our incredible. So much better than mine, here is his site - Aaron Betts Photos.

Sam and Makayla came to the rehearsal dressed in their first costume. Bailee did not and would not let me take her picture before they started.

This is Sam's ballet dance.


Makayla's pre-ballet class danced with Sammy's ballet class.


It was funny at rehearsal. Makayla kept telling her classmates where they should be. I got one picture where you can see her scolding one of them. Bailee and I both mentioned it when we got home, which got us in trouble with her. She was much better the night of the recital.

This is Bailee and her pointe class. She is the third one from the front.


This is her jazz class and this was the best dance of the night. It was balliwood style and done to a song of the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, very Asian Indian. I loved it.


Here she is with Overflow, which is the service group she is a part of for the dance school.

Another jazz piece, she danced in seven dances.



This is Sam's jazz class. They actually danced with Bailee's class.



We had a great night. All three of the girls did a fantastic job.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Our Yard

Finally, we have been able to get out in our yard and do some work. Although, our weather has been ridiculously cold. It got down to 31 degrees last night here on the Palouse.

The above picture is of my strawberries. I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised when I realized they were growing this spring. I did not realize they were perennials and would come back after I planted them last year. I love strawberries and I cannot wait for some fruit. Below is after I got rid of the weeds and prepared the ground around them a bit.

This, at one time, was a rock garden. The man who lived here before my parents collected all kinds of rocks and I bet he had a nice looking little spot right here. It had a border and everything. I have not given this part of the lawn all that much attention over the years we have lived here, but it became a goal this spring.

My mom had planted a few roses here also when they lived here. I feared that I had killed them by my lack of attention. Thank God, roses are resilient. With some sunshine and the weeds and grass gone from around them, they are growing well.

Also, you will notice in the first picture, a shrub. Well, I hated that shrub. It got huge and just attracted a lot of bees right next to where we bbq and have our picnic table. So, I ripped it out. Well, actually, Jeremy finally had to come help me, but it is now gone, which I am excited by. Mom, I hope you did not plant that.

I planted some wild flowers and I am hoping to see them any day now. Once the roses are bigger I will have to decide what to do with it, but I do love roses.


Finally, I got to my garden. It is going to have less variety this year, but I think I understand our wants and needs better this year.

I decided to do some raised beds this year. It was a lot of work getting those together also. Thanks to my husband they came together well.

We now have some carrots, radishes, spinach, cilantro, cucumbers, and corn planted. I really want a tomato, but I wanted to wait. I know there are varieties out there that have a shorter growing season. If anyone knows where I could purchase one of those, please let me know. I am only going to do one this year.

I never really thought I would enjoy working in the yard, but I do. My husband sometimes gets after me on Sundays for "working" in the yard, but it never feels like work to me.

I will have more as flowers, vegetables, and fruit show themselves.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sammy

This is our Sammy. She is a funny girl and very much the middle child. At times, she reminds me of my brother, Josh, and then others my sister, Brittney. Anyway, she is a beautiful girl with beautiful hair.

Around March, I began to get frustrated with her hair care habits. She is eight and she does try to care for her hair, but she is eight and at times does not think about it. Her hair is thick and it was getting long. We had an understand that if she would maintain her hair then she could grow it out. If not, I was going to cut it after her dance recital. (She take ballet and they like their hair to be in a bun.)

At times, I thought she might get into taking care of her hair, but on the whole, it was the same old, same old.

Anyway, her dance recital was on Tuesday and on Thursday, I took the scissors to her hair. I have to admit that I do not do a fantastic job, but it turns out okay.

Here she is with her short and easier hairdo for summer. She is beautiful no matter what the length of her hair.




Saturday, May 7, 2011

Happy Birthday, Amy

Today is my sister-in-law Amy's birthday.

Happy Birthday!!

Amy, I need to to take more pictures the next time you are here. I do have some fun ones of you, Becky, and me when we were all pregnant, but they are not digital.

We hope that you have a wonderful day. We miss all of you.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Art Under the Elms

Every year we love to go to the Dogwood Festival's Art Under the Elms. This year we had dad in tow. He is not as thrilled with it as we are, but he was great. He was very patient with all the browsing and wandering.

River City Dance also performed at their community stage, so we went and watched Bailee dance.

The only thing we missed was the Fairy Tea Party. The girls did not even seem to notice though.

We had a great day and one of the great things was the weather. It was perfect.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer.
I would encourage you to take a moment and lift up President Obama, our nation, your state and governor, your city officials and mayor, your church and pastor, and anyone else you feel is in authority and affects changes in our lives.

Lord, I ask that you bless our nation today. Give those in areas of authority wisdom. Help them to see what is best for those underneath them from you view and not theirs.
Amen

Firewood

Firewood is necessary for us and this year we have had to use it a whole lot long than usual. Typically, we stop using our stove around the middle of April. This year it looks like we could be using it through the month of May. It got down to 29 degrees Tuesday night.

Here is Luken helping his dad bring wood to the front entry way where we store it.

He tried several times to get that wheel barrow to move.
He loves to go outside and follow Jeremy around and "help" in all the outside work.


Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Happy Birthday, Randi

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law, Randi

I believe I have said before that I am blessed by the sisters and brothers that God has brought into our family. Randi is definitely one of those blessings to me. I miss her very much.

I do not have any pictures of Randi when she was a child, but she did join our family at a very young age, 19, in fact. With Bailee drawing close to that age, it kind of stuns me to think of Randi and Jake being married as young as they were.

They are a wonderful couple and celebrated their 10th anniversary last year.

Wasn't she beautiful?

Randi, I am sorry you have to share so many pictures with my brother. This being your birthday post, but I just do not have that many without him. He seems to like you a lot.

The babies are Sammy and Kyleigh.




The growing Jake Leister family

These were just last summer. There will be no visit this summer, because Leister baby number three will be born in July.

This last picture was from Christmas.

Randi, I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you.
Happy Birthday!!!!