Relieved

I didn’t quite finish 365 blog posts for my project 365 last year since I never did go back and post pictures for most of the month of October.  Still I am glad that it is a new year and quite relieved that I don’t feel the pressure of blogging daily.  I enjoy taking pictures, especially of my kids so I will continue to post pictures regularly (I hope) but not daily.

I took this picture of Katelyn this morning.  We took the kids roller-blading and then stopped in at the Star Mart to pick up a few snacks.  After we were all feeling refreshed, Katelyn graciously allowed me to take her picture.  She has grown so much!  I miss her baby face.  She asked me why I liked to take pictures of her.  I said it is because we don’t always look the same as time goes on.  Some day she will be all grown up and I want to remember how she looked when she was still little.

New Year’s Eve

We went from one party to another today.  I also can’t believe we actually stayed up until midnight.  Joseph stayed awake also but the girls didn’t make it.  Audrey was really close.  One of our friends brought fireworks and the kids really enjoyed setting them off.  Happy 2014!

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The Bills Family brought fireworks to the party and Bro. Bills helped Audrey fire off a Roman Candle…fun times!

Puncak

Some of our friends invited us to go to Puncak with them for the weekend. We stayed at a retreat for US Embassy employees.   We left early Friday morning and came back very early this morning.  The weather was beautiful  and the kids spent so much time playing outside. It was so nice to be up in the mountains and to breathe some nice clean air. Once in awhile, it is just nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city life.

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Beautiful views

 

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All the kids enjoyed running around outside.  The grounds at Marisole were beautiful!

 

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We saw a Rhino Beetle.  It is the largest beetle in the world.

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Joseph really needs a haircut!

 

Good Mood

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Katelyn generally hides from me when I try to take her picture.  She must have been in a good mood today because I asked if I could take a picture and she said actually said yes.  She even sort of smiled.

Christmas!

Doss stayed up late to call his brother so I didn’t get a chance to post my picture of the day yesterday.  I made him get off the computer today so I don’t get too far behind again. 

We had a lovely Christmas.  The kids got up early and opened gifts.  Later we had 3 other families join us for Christmas lunch.  Some of them had never had an American holiday meal before.  It was surprising to hear that they had never had turkey or cranberry sauce or some of the the various casseroles.  We had so much food!  It was a ridiculous spread but so yummy!  The kids enjoyed playing all afternoon with their friends and the parents got to hang out and chat.  Doss even fired up the grill and everyone enjoyed roasting marshmallows…fun times. 

I didn’t even try to take a family picture on Christmas this year.  Every year as far as I can remember, someone is always crying/screaming.  I just didn’t even feel like attempting one this year. 

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I couldn’t find my phone to take a wide-angle picture of the holiday spread we had.  There was a dessert table with cookies and cakes. We also had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and jelly, pork ribs, sausage, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls, vegetable platter, fruit, and an assortment of different Chinese food.  I ate so much for lunch that I couldn’t even think about eating again for dinner…lol.

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The kids each wanted to open a gift on Christmas eve so I told them they had to let me take a picture first. 

Laptop Issues

We have been having problems with one of our laptops.  I think I need to wipe it and reload the operating system.  I haven’t posted in a few days since I was either too tired or someone was using the only working computer we have.

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I walked over to Pacific Place mall this afternoon to pick up a few things for Christmas.   I got a good chuckle out of this sign.

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I don’t think I ever posted about Katelyn learning to whistle.  She started whistling a couple of weeks ago.  She loves to whistle since that is something she can do that Joseph and Audrey can’t do.  They tell Katelyn that she is showing off…lol.

 

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I made one of my friends a “darnit” doll since I wasn’t sure she was the swearing type.  Turns out that she is…lol.  She has been having a rough time so I thought the doll would cheer her up. I should make one for myself.  Just the idea of one always gives me a good chuckle.  My kids have each decided that they want a doll too.  I guess I will be busy hand-sewing a few more of these things.

Another Holiday Party

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Another holiday party this evening. The kids were good sports about it.