Trunk or Treat

Every year the youth in our ward host a Trunk or Treat for all the families. They set up a bunch of games carnival style and pass out candy treats as prizes. At the end of the evening, the kids (including the youth) get to go trunk or treating and the holiday season officially begins. This year it rained so we had to improvise a little, but it didn't seem to ruin anybody's evening.


Alexis and her friend with scary teeth

Julee and her friend were in charge of the Ghost Walk

Hall or Treat? Classroom or Treat? Or just total chaos?

Julee and her friend make faces for the camera

Alexis going through her candy stash

No more tricks, no more treating, just lots and lots of candy eating

An unusual moment....they're getting along

In an unusual moment of cooperation and teamwork, Katara (Julee) and Ang (Alexis) work to defeat Zuko and Azula. It is music to my ears to hear them laughing and getting along so well while doing the same thing in the same room in the same 5 square feet......

Wait---I think I hear tempers and quarreling...

Those WERE smiles right?

Remember these?

A couple of weekends ago, we cleaned out and organized our storage unit. As we were cleaning, I found these. My sister, Marilyn, made them as a project in one her community college art classes. She had to take a couple of rolls of film (yes, this was before digital cameras were so affordable) of close up and far away pictures, and then piece the puzzle together. If I recall correctly, getting Alexis, who was not quite 3, to sit still was quite a task. As you can see, they turned out to be awesome. I hung them in my office so I could always see my girls but they quickly took on a life of their own. There were several people that I worked with that always had to bring people by to see them. What a great conversation starter they became! Each girl's personality really shows through in their picture and it was amazing what people who didn't even know them observed. Now when I look at them, I get that catch in my throat and my eyes start to water because my girls are all grown up. But not to worry, Julee hasn't lost that "I'm really 6 going on 30" aura; and you can pretty much guarantee that Alexis' feet are still dirty.

Sidewalk Art and More!

Earlier this month we had a fun activity at the church. We started with a huge potluck lunch that had more food than you could even imagine. After lunch all the "booths" opened for the kids of all ages. They had a bouncy house, cotton candy, 4-square, parachute games, fire pits to make S'mores, and a sidewalk chalk contest. Of course, the kids loved the bouncy house (though I did see a couple of adults take their turn) and the cotton candy was quite popular. The fire pits saw their share of melted marshmallows, sticky fingers, and dirty chocolate faces. There was a continuous line at the 4-square game and lots and lots of friendly chatter. But surprisingly, the most popular activity seemed to be the sidewalk chalk contest. At any given moment you could see adults, teenagers, little kids, and even missionaries kneeling in the parking lot creating their masterpiece. And masterpieces they were...... (click on each picture to enlarge for better viewing)

Alexis posing with her winning universe (and princess dress)

A different view of Alexis' universe

A jeep for off-roading

(our friend who drew this keeps trying to convince Rick he needs to get

a jeep like his so they can head for the hills and enjoy their mid-life crisis)

A nice rendering of the Salt Lake Temple

What a fun place to visit on vacation!

You don't see turtles like this at the zoo

The missionaries disagree......on sports teams

Volleyball - A New Challenge

This year Julee decided that she wanted to be on the volleyball team at school. The team is made up of 7th and 8th graders, many of them never having played before. They spend time teaching the girls all the rules and techniques of the game. They practice every afternoon and have games 2 or 3 times each week. Having never played any type of organized sport, all of the practices and games have been a new experience for Julee. But, she is LOVING it! We are impressed by how much she has learned about volleyball in such a short time; and are excited to see how she improves each time she plays.

The first game.

Julee is sitting on the very left end.

Watching her team mate serve

Ready to go if the ball comes to her

Julee's turn to serve

They miss this volley but this is a good shot of Julee going for the ball

Julee serves again - this time for the winning point!
(Ignore the screaming parents in the background)

The season is almost over, but Julee has already decided she will play again next year.

GO JULEE!