Spring Choir Concert

The Columbia Heights Elementary School choir. Alexis "Hambone" Troy (in the front middle in green) is enjoying another solo.

Katie watching her big sister--and me to see if she HAS to be in this picture. (needs her bangs cut, doesn't she?)

Alexis and Katie are both members of their elementary school's choir. This requires them to attend practice several times a week before school. It hasn't always been enjoyable for them (especially Katie), but they have toughed it out. Alexis often tries out for solos and has been fortunate enough to have many of them over the last years. Once again, Alexis had a solo and did GREAT! She's such a ham. Katie participated too, but would NEVER try out for a solo. Just a little too shy.

Game and Fish Magazine

After the boys got their bucks, I decided to submit their pictures to an outdoors magazine. After all, how often do brothers get their first bucks only a week apart?! I thought it was newsworthy and sent in the pictures. Imagine our surprise to see that our boys were included in the April 2011 edition of the Game and Fish magazine on page 57! I quickly ran out and got a copy for the grandparents and each of the kids. The grocery clerk said that I must really like the magazine and so I HAD to show him the kids' pictures! He was impressed. Both Derek and Evan thought this was pretty cool too!

Severed heads and hanging horns

Evan's buck looking at him from his bed.

"You kiiiiiiiillllled meeeeeee...."

Derek's horns, sans wrestling garb.

All decked out with wrestling awards.

Shortly after the boys both brought home their first bucks, I brought the severed heads to the taxidermist. Here are the finished results. Pretty nice, but creepy, if you ask me.

Evan thought so too and wondered if the buck was saying, "You kiiiiiiillllllled meeeeee...." in the middle of the night. He hung his mount on his bedroom wall and for the first few nights, was nervous that the buck was looking at him across the room at night. He's since gotten over that, thankfully.

Derek immediately hung his antlers in his room and is currently using them as a display for his wrestling awards. He didn't want to mount the head because he thought he'd get a bigger one later and would want to mount that instead. Wishful thinking! :)

Bump, set, spike!...

Alexis (in red shirt with black shorts) is waiting in line for her chance to hit it over the net. Two girls on her soccer team are in front of her--same age. Girl behind her is in middle school.

Her first "kill." Went right over the net and she jumped too. So proud...

Alexis tried a new sport this week: Volleyball! Our friend is the head coach at Lower Columbia College here in Longview and is interested in getting Alexis involved in the sport due to her height and intensity. She invited us to the next volleyball clinic she was doing. As luck would have it, we were free that night for Alexis. She did very well for never having played and I think it is definitely something she'll do in the future.

P.S. I enjoy this sport as it is indoors, has seating and restrooms provided and potentially could have a snack bar.

Ask not what your candy bar...

can do for you, but rather, what can you do for a candy bar!

Katie was one of three third-graders selected to campaign for the Cowlitz County Voters Association. They were coming in the schools to help children gain an understanding of how the political process works.

Each of the three campaign managers was asked to represent a candy bar. One was M&Ms, one was Milky Way and Katie's was 3 Musketeers. They had a minute or two to talk about why their classmates should vote for their candy bar as the favorite.

We talked about how she should approach it and did a little research on the internet about 3 Musketeers facts. It's lower in fat, fluffy, etc. She even asked her dad to run out the night before and buy all the kids a Funsize 3 Musketeers so they could experience it. She then used this to try and persuade her classmates into voting for her candy bar.

In the end, M&Ms was the favorite (who doesn't LOVE colorful chocolate candies?!) Katie lost by eight votes (of 90 kids). Apparently, Milky Way, didn't even get a vote! Oh well. It was a good experience for her to get out of her comfort zone and speak publicly. I wasn't there, but the school took these pictures and it appears she did just fine with her shyness.

Japan Earthquake

On Friday, March 11, 2011, JD and I were eating our breakfast and watching the news while we waited for the kids to get ready for school and our drives to their schools. We were shocked and saddened to hear about the nearly 9.0 earthquake that had hit the Japanese northern coast overnight and the eventual tsunami that followed. We anxiously watched as the news continued to follow the flow of the tsunami to our own Washington and Oregon coasts because they also were under tsunami watch. So scary, but the west coast was all but spared for a few incidents in California.

The devastation to the country and loss of human lives has been incredible. Thousands lost their lives (mostly in the tsunami), tens of thousands are homeless and millions are without electricity, adequate water and food. As of today, there is great concern over the safety of their nuclear power plants and whether they may eventually overheat and melt the nuclear cores, producing radioactive emmission to the survivors.

Our prayers go out to the people of Japan and all those affected. Such a tragedy. As always, we are gladdened to know that our Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is already assembling assistance and has been in contact with the Church leadership in Japan how best to help the people there. All the missionaries and 95% of the members of the Church have now been accounted for as of today.

If they weren't already at the forefront of my mind, my food storage and 72 hour kits are now....

Jump Rope For Heart

Katie's poster. Her heart's jumprope lit up from behind! Fancy...

Alexis and her poster. Her poster is hard to see, but the girl is paper-mache that "pops" out 3D style.

Sarah, Alexis & Katie dressed and ready to jump!

Have their game faces ON! (good thing we have an ample supply of face paints)

Once again, the girls participated in the Jump Rope For Heart campaign to raise awareness and funds for the American Heart Association at their school. Part of the event involves the kids decorating posters to promote it. Alexis won the Grand Prize in 3rd and 4th grades. Katie has not won anything until...this year! Katie took 1st place in the 3rd grade and Alexis won an unprecendented third time for the Grand Prize! There was some talk that Katie would beat Alexis this year, but it was not to be. Congrats to BOTH girls. Love to have everyone win something. :)