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Dane on astronomy

Dane, "Hey, I can see the big dipper!"

Madeleine, "Where?"

Dane, with as much disdain as he can muster, "In the sky, duh!"

Snow Day!

So Monday brought the first snow day of the year. We just had a light dusting, but the roads were icy enough for them to delay school by 2 hours. The kids were hoping for the whole day off of course, but no such luck. By afternoon it had warmed up and the rain came back. Although I wasn't a fan of that crazy cold weather we were having, I'm now missing the sun. As I write it is gray and gloomy with a light drizzle...typical Washington for you.

Hey baby, it's cold outside!

Brrr! It has been unusually cold for these parts. The other morning I woke up and my thermometer said 10 degrees! 10? Really? Wow! Despite the frigid weather, we have managed to keep ourselves very busy. Dane has started private trumpet lessons with the director of music at Tacoma Community College and is doing very well. He still plays with the Stahl Junior High band as well. He is also continuing with piano along with Madeleine. They are both amazing at piano! I guess they get it from Brent, as I have no musical talent what so ever! ;) Madeleine is also going strong with her guitar lessons. They are both becoming very talented musicians!

We have made it to a few shows lately. We saw Little Women at Kentridge High with my niece. Next we took in a live performance of Guys and Dolls at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Then we enjoyed a classical concert performed by the Tacoma Community College orchestra, directed by Dane's trumpet teacher. To round it all out, we went to a Jazz concert last night featuring saxophone, and of course, trumpet!

Madeleine is taking Lyrical and Jazz in dance and is working hard toward her upcoming recital. She is not thrilled with her jazz costume, but her lyrical one is very pretty. We weren't able to get enough tickets for everyone to come to the recital, so we will have a DVD for those who want to see it.

We are hoping to get up to the snow over winter break. The kids are both wanting to try their hand at snowboarding, so we have been looking into lessons. We are undecided as to which mountain we want to go with however. There are a lot of pros and cons for each. So we're working on that.

That's it for now. ~ Try to stay warm out there!

Peace

I love this picture...I love how peaceful it is...just looking out in wonder at the vast ocean...you can almost hear the sound of the crashing waves...feel the wind in your hair...Oh how I'd love to be there right now...just to have that moment in peace...

Riding in Cars with Dogs

Fu Fu's new favorite thing is riding in the car to pick up the kids from school. He gets so excited when we pull into the school parking lot. I usually roll down the window so he can look out and watch for them. The other day when it was pouring down rain I had to keep the windows up, for obvious reasons. He was so upset! He kept scratching the window like he does on the backdoor when he wants to go out. It was really comical to watch. He even had parents in other cars laughing at him. What a nut!

Turning Point

Today marked a new phase in the saga of The Puppy and The Big Fat Cat. Chester for the first time ever was playing with Fu Fu! I am so happy that Chester is finally warming up to him. Hopefully in time they will become good friends. For now we are making baby steps. :)