Family Photo from Bend Summer 2017

Koh Samui, Thailand October 2016

Prank Video

Sophia and Lucy made a prankster video.

Lower Pierce Reservoir

When Sophia had a birthday party to go to, Russell, Lucy, and I explored the lower Pierce reservoir. We had a fantastic evening walking around enjoying the scenery.

Sophia Birthday Surprise

I came home after school before the girls in order to set up the house for Sophia's birthday. She was super surprised to come home and see balloons and signs and get the birthday spirit.

Sophia's 11Th Birthday Treat At School

We had a lovely time celebrating Sophia's birthday with her class by eating cupcakes.

Don't Try This At Home

Being silly with some friends at a dinner party.

The First Day Of School 2016

A picture of the girls with their classroom teachers on the first day of school.

Sri Lanka Part Two

Here's a video from the second part of our Sri Lankan holiday, at Ambalangoda.

Les Miserables

In June, Russell and I treated ourselves to a show. It was an amazing experience.

Koh Lanta, Thailand Spring Break 2016

Spent a lovely week in Koh Lanta relaxing, exploring, and swimming.

Summer 2015

This summer, we decided to break up the long trip back to the USA with a 9 day layover in Hawaii.  Then, on the way home, we broke up the long flight with a 10 day layover in Japan!  The plan worked out beautifully and we are so glad that we chose this option.

Our summer break started slowly even though we were in Hawaii.  Exhaustion took center stage so unfortunately most of the first 3 days were spent sleeping through most of the day!  Once over our jet lag, we began enjoying this gorgeous island.

After Hawaii, we spent 3 weeks with my family in Atlanta, Georgia.  This portion of the summer was very busy too, but also relaxing at the same time.  Plenty to do, but only because we wanted to do it.

Lastly, we spent time in Tokyo and a lovely mountain town called Hakone.  Japan was a new experience for the whole family and we adored it.

Below are collages that highlight the stops on our summer vacation 2015.

    

Mother's Day 2015

Today I was pampered with lots of love and quality family time.  It was a very special day.  Here is a video Russell made highlighting all of the wonderful years from when our little girls were babies and toddlers.  We seemed to have come so far with them and yet (thankfully) we still have far to go!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

We spent a week in Siem Reap for our fall break, October 2014.

The Phare

Last night we went to see the Cambodian circus. It was an absolutely amazing show! We were impressed by the level of acrobatics, the music, and the story behind the show.

Sophia is 9!

Sophia chose to have a sleepover slumber party to celebrate her ninth birthday! She had four friends sleepover, play games, swim, eat cake... It was a blast!

Day Trip to Eyam

We went on a trip to Eyam, which is known as the plague village. In 1665 a tailor from Eyam ordered a parcel of cloth from London to make up clothes for the villagers, unwittingly triggering a chain of events that led to 260 Eyam villagers dying from bubonic plague - more than double the mortality rate suffered by the citizens of London in the great plague. Between the first death and the last, the villagers set an extraordinary and enduring example of self-sacrifice by sealing off the village from the surrounding areas to prevent the disease spreading. After touring the Museum, we went for a walk to the outdoor church. Here's a picture of Russell and Sophia sitting in the buttercup fields. What a lovely day!

W.O.W. Family Fun Day

The Working on Wellness committee at our school organized a Family Fun Day that was spectacular!  They had activity sign-ups, massages, bake homemade pizza, caricatures, balloons, swimming, and old-fashioned picnic races.  We had a blast!!! 

Lucy Rides a Bike

Lucy learned how to ride a 2-wheel bike this Easter weekend! We are so proud of her!

Sophia 2nd Grade Student Led Conference

Sophia had her second grade Student Led Conference. She took us around to various stations in her classroom to share her learning. Sophia did a wonderful job explains what. She had learned and then demonstrating it through math games, teaching me how to make a game on the iPad, and how to write a Haiku poem.