Friday, December 26, 2008

A "Day" in the Park



Nothing like a warm, sunny day over Christmas break! We took time to go to the park as a family.

Anna loves the tire swing.








Monika looks great in her sunglasses!












Leah not only enjoying the park, but her new Sony Walkman cell phone at the same time! Way to multi-task, girl!!










Aletta enjoys communicating at the park the old fashioned way--not by cell phone--but by "park pipe telephone!"


Thursday, December 25, 2008

Thanks Granny Day!!!





Granny Day made beautiful aprons for each of the girls for Christmas!
















Don't be fooled by Rachel's lack of enthusiam in the picture! She's a bundle of excitement, and a baker at heart!



















Anna's showing off not only her apron, but some culinary creation as well!

Okay...its really a maraca, but it sounded good, didn't it?














Aletta's ready to go help make breakfast! Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls!

Would have been home made cinnamon rolls, but we broke the bread machine, and couldn't make the dough.

Christmas Day!!




Santa Finally Came!!!















And it was time to open Presents!!!
















Or at least look at them, and smile for the camera!!!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve Tradition


In keeping with Day tradition, Christmas Eve was filled with Christmas light viewing, a Christmas play (written and directed by Leah, of course!), a few Christmas carols, and the opening of the Christmas Eve Pajama Presents!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Winter Wonderland!



I can't believe it! We've had some great cold weather in December, and even a good Snow Storm!!



Here's the house, decorated for Christmas, and few snowflakes caught in action.









Monika and I took the chance to build a snowman at 8:30pm. Sara came out just in time to add the nose, and jump into the picture. All glory, no work.






Monday, December 1, 2008

Anna's Thanksgiving Turkey


Anna sure makes a great turkey!
Apple, raisins, cranberries, marshmallows, and toothpicks also come in handy!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

General Family News

Some good and bad news to report...

...soccer is over...

...basketball is starting...

...Leah is trying out for the shool musical..."Chicago"...

And if you recall that Monika announced her pregnancy here on the blog, we are sad to report that she had complications and miscarried at the end of October. Halloween was a horror story for more than one reason!

Halloween!



Monika did a great job making Halloween costumes for the girls...





A biker fairy














Avast! Its Captain Sara the terror of the high seas!
















Could Anna "bee" any more cute?

Nathan & Monika also dressed as bees... Nathan was more "bumble" than "honey." Sorry no pictures of the bigger bees.

Are real bee's stripes made of duct tape?

















Aletta is the cat's meow!

Celebration! at CEC!



True to her word, Monika took the family to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate Anna's potty training!!!!

Way to go Anna!














Everyone else got to enjoy the pizza too.


Not exactly a pizza mustache...but close.











Leah thinks that Pizza is the perfect food. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Does pizza grow on the tree of life?

Walden's Farm



A few weeks prior to Halloween, the family took a trip to Walden Farms. A u-pick pumpkin patch. Corn mazes. Hay rides. Petting zoo. And countless hours of farm fun.
















Oh, and a giant pumpkin for picture taking.

Nathan Turns 37!


Wow! He's sooooo old!!!

Thankfully he still has enough lung power to blow out all the candles! Rather than risk a house fire, Monika just spelled out "37" rather than putting 37 candles on the cake.

Nathan insisted on the family singing "Happy Birthday" in multiple versions, including "opera style." So there was a little melted wax.

Thank you Betty Crocker!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Aletta's Birthday



Following Aletta's Saturday soccer game, we held a birthday party at a playground at the soccer park with Aletta's teammates.
Aletta turned 7 on the 27th.


Sisters at Aletta's Birthday Party



Rachel enjoyed Aletta's birthday party, but was already wearing her Middle School soccer uniform. She was anxiously awaiting her team's first County Tournament game.

Despite her father's repeated teasing that her team is the "Flaming Pumpkins," they are really the just the "Flames." Plenty of extended family are Kennewick High School alumnus, so should appreciate the colors.

Rachel's team went on to lose their game 5-0, despite Rachel's outstanding varsity play (her first start!). She did her best defensively to help her team win, including knocking one CMS player out of the game. Despite her sweet, bubbly exterior, Rachel is really a brute.










Anna spent her sister's birthday party in the playground house at the soccer park. She had a wonderful time.








Sara, also wearing the day's soccer uniform, enjoyed some downtime on the slide at Aletta's party. Sara spent half her morning's game being an all-star goalkeeper. She allowed one goal in her teams' loss, but made many great saves.

Eight Days in Tennessee?

The "Seven Days In Tennessee" title will no longer be accurate after May of next year. But 7 days +1 or 8 days in Tennessee doesn't sound like as good a title for our blog.

That should be enough of a hint.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Anna's 4th Birthday!!


Sweet Little Anna! Turned 4 on Saturday, September 6th!! She had a wonderful birthday with her family. She successfully blew out all 4 candles with one breath!
Anna received a doctor kit for her birthday, complete with blood pressure cuff for checking her parents blood pressure!

Labor Day at Fall Creek Falls


On Labor Day we took the girls to nearby Fall Creek Falls in Middle Tennessee. It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive to get there. Of course since its September, there wasn't much water going over the falls.

















The park is very large, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch and a beautiful setting surrounded by trees for the day.


The younger two, Aletta & Anna, were afraid of the bugs that inhabited the bathrooms.

Beauty at the Falls!




It was beautiful at the Falls...you can decide for yourselves whether the beauty was the scenery, or the Day girls...



We stopped prior to the descent to snap a few pictures of the girls.




Sisterly love isn't always so apparent between the two. But at the falls....

Leah & Rachel Rock Climbing at Fall Creek Falls





Leah and Rachel enjoyed a little rock climbing on the way down to the base of the falls.















At one point the trail goes under this rocky overhang. Looking up tends to cause a little disorientation.










Nice to see a little teamwork between the two as they climbed.

Anna Gets a Ride from the Doughboy!







Everyone had to hike down to the bottom of the falls, except Anna. Who got a ride from the "Doughboy," clearly a reference to the t-shirt, and not the size of her father!


It has only a 1/4 mile hike to the bottom, but a very steep grade that was covered with rocks, despite it being a "trail."








Anna enjoyed the climb. Though Monika made her propel herself up and down the short section that had wood stairs.



Too Cool for Pictures at the Falls






Somehow Rachel managed to humor her father in taking a few pictures. But she didn't have to like it.

This is the base of the falls. Mostly rock, not much water.














Sara enjoyed herself. And didn't mind being photographed. At least she managed a dimpled grin.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Piano Practice!


Leah spends some of her free time practicing the piano, and learning the hymns.
Leah has also been teaching Aletta how to play the piano, both as a kind older sister, as well as part of a Young Women's Personal Progress value project. I don't remember which value.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Bugsy with a Boo Boo!


Sometimes life results in a few bumps & bruises.
Especially with a younger sister.
Nothing a little band-aid can't fix!

Anna's Two Favorite Pasttimes!!


Few of us have two hobbies. But it takes true talent, and perhaps even genius to be able to combine two hobbies into one, enabling an individual to experience true joy.
Anna is such a girl, combining her love of sleeping with a good book.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Leah Turns 14!!!!

Wow! Is she old!!

Today is Leah's 14th Birthday. She is so excited! It means she is old enough to attend Church dances. She starts high school in August.
She received text message birthday wishes from many people throughout the day, and a phone call from her Grandparents in Washington.
For her birthday, we took Leah out to dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse.


Rachel Has a Run-In With Poison Ivy!



Rachel had an unfortunate run in with poison ivy during a recent effort do do some leaf rubbings during a summer art project.

Apparently there is poison ivy among the blackberry bushes in the back yard.


As you can see, the rash on her face is really bad.


Maybe now she can relate to the Phantom of the Opera?

Aletta's Last Day of Soccer


Here is a picture from the beginning of June. It was taken on her last day of soccer. Amazingly, signups for Fall soccer are already open. Aletta will switch from co-ed to girls only. It will be a great time for her to shine!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

How short can I sum up June?

Not too fast...our family life is still full even when school's not in.

On the 1st, I celebrated my 35th birthday. A couple things unique about my birthday. I share my b-day with my dad, Ed Wolf. Not hard to remember and we love the phone calls telling each other "Happy Birthday!" The day also landed on a Sunday and the first Sunday (Fast and Testimony Sunday). We also had a family from church come over for dinner and cake. The Dodges are a family we have come pretty close to. Normally, we just have our family for birthdays, but Nathan invited the Dodges over too. We enjoyed the time together.

Two days later, Young Women's Camp. We figured out a way for me to attend again this year. Last year the Dodges had watched the younger girls when Leah and I went. But then, Laura became the Young Women's president, so we had to figure some other child care arrangements out. A neighbor girl, Emily Donaldson, watched the girls. Her mom and I are friends, so I was comfortable leaving them. Plus, Nathan was just a phone call away. Rachel attended camp this year. She had a lot of fun as a 1st year. Leah was given the honor of having me as one of her cabin moms. It was great being a cabin mom to 2nd years...girls were more comfortable and knew what to expect. The highlight for me was the cabin skits. We had a great idea based on Joseph Smith's experience combined with the armor of God and superheroes. Our cabin had only 5 girls and 2 adults, so it was very manageable. Sara, Aletta, Anna and Nathan did well at home with the exception of bathing. It's just not his thing. The last evening Nathan came up to visit camp. He talked with the girls in the branch to see how they were doing, and also gave a message. Nathan also had dinner with our branch girls and stayed for part of testimony meeting.

Rachel has kept Mom running to and fro. Right after camp, she went right back to daily basketball practice and summer league games. Thankfully, she is not part of a travelling team. The 16th and 17th, Rachel tried out for the Blackman Middle School soccer team. She made the team, but was a little worried as they were asked how much experience. Rachel's background is 2 seasons of recreational and 1 season of school. The coach is new and will actually be working at the school as a teacher in the 7th grade. On top of that, Rachel attended soccer camp the 16th-20th, 8:30 am to 2pm. Basically, Rachel is in great shape.

The rest of the girls were hanging out a lot. I drove them to the library once a week and the YMCA for swimming twice a week. Sara was reading a lot. I believe she had read the Harry Potter series about 5 times. Leah has a big "like" for a boy in the branch. She talks with him a lot and e-mails him too. Anna and Aletta have played with it seems like all of the toys in the house. The girls are not fond of the humidity, so we are inside most of the time. Grandpa and Grandma Wolf can attest to how oppressive the humidity is.

Health wise, we have done okay this June. I came home from Camp and discovered that Aletta had head lice. She must have picked it up from neighbor kids...Only since we moved to TN has it afflicted our family. Thankfully, none of the others have it. It's real fun ( please note sarcasm), especially with Aletta's curly hair. I chopped her hair to about chin length from past shoulder length to make it easier.

On the 13th, I took my first trip to the ER. After a bunch of tests, to make sure I didn't have ectopic preg., or digestive problems, I was diagnosed with ovarian cysts. Wow, had a lot of abdominal pain and the morphine didn't do anything but mess up my head and make me throw up. This was on Friday evening, but by my followup visit with my obgyn on Tuesday, I had no pain, just tenderness like I strained something. I have another visit with obgyn following an ultrasound on July 8th. So, a report will follow sometime after that.

Good news, Nathan's elbow brace is off. He had visits twice a week for therapy. He almost has full range of motion. Not sure when he can get back to his favorite sport of swimming though.

And for the final day of June, I took Rachel into the clinic. We suspected poison ivy...right diagnosis. She is taking some steroid pills to heal quicker. It annoys her...brings back memories of her severe case of chicken pox Christmas 1999. Poor girl it is on her face too. She had picked some "leaves" from past the back boundary line of our property. She wanted them for making leaf rubbings. It's sad to see her this way.

Sorry, so many words, next time we will post some pictures.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

May...what a month!

Sorry, it's been a long time. I will be filling you in on our family's activities. Cheating though...looking at my calendar. Some days I can't really even read because of all of the writing.

Rachel, Sara and Aletta played soccer through the month. The girls had a lot of fun playing. I am not sure if both of us will coach again in the fall. It was like we lived at the soccer fields at times.

Rachel tried out for the Blackman Middle School basketball team. She made it. Practices started up right away in anticipation of a summer league. The team is smaller this year, so we hope Rachel gets more playing time.

Leah continued to take voice/piano from Jackson studios. The teacher has been her choir teacher at school. Leah had her year end recital on May 18th.

Tuesday evenings were extra busy. It's the evening for youth activities, etc. Leah and Rachel had a few meetings that focused just on Young Women's Girls' Camp preparation. They did activities like dutch oven cooking and first aid. Sara also came along to the activities when Faith in God for girls was meeting. She absolutely loves it...just wishes that it were every week like Young Womens'.

As for me, I was busy with chauffering kids around, etc. I did help out with Aletta's 1st grade Fun Day on May 23rd. The teacher was fine with Anna coming too, so I was able to be a parent helper. May 24th, Nathan, Leah, Rachel and I had fun slopping water on other people's cars. The car wash was the Young Women's fundraiser for camp.

Finally, the last day of school was May 28th. It was a 2 hour day to pick up grades and say good byes to teachers.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Leah & Rachel in a Choir Concert


Leah and Rachel had a choir concert this evening at the Middle School.
Leah is in the 8th grade choir, Rachel is in the 6th grade choir.
They both sounded beautiful.

Basketball Tryouts

Rachel had basketball tryouts today. They were to identify who would be returning to the team for next year's basketball team. The group that makes the team will play on a tournament team during the month of June.

She had to do some dribbling drills while wearing special glasses that make it so she can't see the ball while dribbling. Essentially blinders. Helps to improve dribbling with your head up.

Rachel is expected to make the team. She will also be trying out for soccer...likely in mid or late June.

Sara & Aletta win Awards








Sara and Aletta received awards today. Like last year, they both received "Outstanding Student" awards for thier elementary school classes. The award is only given to 1 student in each class.








Monika went to the celebration, and took pictures.










And Anna was just looking beautiful as usual.