Happy Holidays 2012

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I haven't sent cards for a while now, and I've even forgotten to send out the Christmas email a few times.  Here is my attempt to share a few photos and let you know that we are thinking of our friends and family this holiday.   We are thankful to have the best of both!  

This year flew by.  Both girls have been improving their Kung Fu skills. Sydney has her blue sash, and Kyla recently earned her green sash.  Sydney  started 3rd grade this year and loves to do art and science projects.  She has really been enjoying drama/music camps and performing in "Oliver" this summer.  She is still playing soccer and likes going on bike rides.  

Kyla is officially a phone-owning and texting tween that started 6th grade.  She loves school and continues to read more books than I can keep track of.  She just finished studying Egypt, and we're looking forward to visiting the King Tut exhibit in Seattle after New Years.  

The girls love their summer vacations in the Carolinas with Kevin's family where there is swimming at the beach or pool everyday.   They also enjoy camping, and this year we went hiking, rafting and spelunking in Central Oregon our good friends, the Klines.  

Their newest love is named Freeway, he's a sweet mature horse that lives at Grandma Gayle's house, and the girls are doing great with their riding lessons. 

Kevin is still teaching Chemistry at the University of Portland and keeping quite busy as the chair of the department.  We have all enjoyed perfecting our summer theater in the garage and regularly have a dozen of the girls' friends for shows.  

My photography business of selling cards and prints (mostly of the nearby St. Johns Bridge) continues to grow, and I had my first show this year.  This must be the reason for the severely neglected family blog.  

That's all for now.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Little Sister Magic

Just a little video we did while big sister was out of town.

Syd's Blue Sash

Well, I'm only a month late with these photos.  Sydney tested for her blue sash in Kung Fu, so now I only have to take them twice a week now that the girls are in the same class.  Yay!  Way to go Sydney!

Second Breakfast

Last Friday was the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit.  Kyla's classroom is reading it now and decided to join in the big celebration by having second breakfast at school.

I guess I should have taken that photo before the bread basket (which was really full of hard boiled eggs) was empties by a bunch of hungry 6th grade hobbits.

Stop Motion Dominoes

Just a few stop motion videos for your 4th of July entertainment.
  Can you tell we have a little free time on our vacation?

Happy Father's Day 2012

This video was sent to the dads, but I'll share it here too!

Capture your lovey before it's lost!

Have I found my new calling?   I was at my sister's house last weekend and her new yard is so beautiful!   My niece has four lions plus a baby lion, all supposedly identical, except that they're not.  She knows them all by sight and each one has a name.  I thought we better get some portraits before they are lost or loved beyond recognition.  

Here's fat lion - well he does have chubby legs.

Here's Lion D, not sure if I spelled that right.  He already has a patched nose.

And this is my daughter beloved Lamby, the one true lovey.  For a while, she wouldn't even play soccer without Lamby.  It's a good thing you don't need your hands for soccer!

Well, I don't think I could make of living doing this, but it was fun.
  They are so cute and super cooperative!

Visiting Nammy

These are from visiting my Grandma last Monday.  She is losing her memory and the dog is getting fat from eating toast all day.  My car got vacuumed - thanks Kevin & girls!

 The hay in the back field is getting tall.

Sydney helping uncle Tom pound some posts.

 I was surprised to see this on my camera since the girls were taking turns

 making silly faces, yay!

African Dance Friday

Sydney's class performed their African dance today.

You Capture - Lines

Little sister took that last one, the only time big sister doesn't resist a photo is when she is asleep!

You Capture Sunshine & Spring

I hope you don't mind if I put two weeks into one post. 

 We definitely found some sun last week. 

 And sun means that you should eat ice cream!

We must have had a lot of wind last night.

You Capture - Easter

I always loved finding eggs as a kids, but the 4th & 5th graders in our family had other ideas.

Click here to see more You Capture Easter/Pastels.

You Capture - White

All of the photography challenges have been passing me by lately.  They are the only things that seem to keep me blogging.  Can you believe these first two photos were taken only four days apart?

Last Saturday we stopped here.  That's a silhouette in front of the big screen. 

We saw a lot of cool costumes including this Coca-Cola drinking angel from Dr. Who. 

Click here for more White captures.

Macro Mystery Monday

I don't know how much of a mystery these will be, but I took them for the Project MCP weekly challenge.

If you're wondering why I chose these items, well, they were sitting on my desk.  :-)

Dr. Suess, the CFO and eggs

Oooh, this sounds like some kind of weird sci-fi movie, but I'm just catching you up on the girls' school activities.  Last week they celebrated Dr. Seuss' Birthday with a Fox in Socks theme.  I discovered that I don't own any interesting or crazy socks, but luckily the kids do.

The 5th grade has been studying eggs and little sister also wanted to have a "baby" egg.  We even made her a skirt.  

They had to build something for an egg to be dropped of the roof of the school.  Parachutes really help and the egg survived.

This week Kevin and I got to help the 5th graders on their field trip to JA Biztown.  The kids get to run the businesses and Kyla was the CFO of the town newspaper,

 which meant a lot of desk work.  

This year she made it to the Animal Shelter after her second paycheck and adopted a puppy before they were all gone.  

Little Miss J - 14 months

I'm so excited because I did my first official attempt at portraits with my  new flash.   It's a good thing she is little, because my living room makes a tiny studio.  We also did  a few outside too - and isn't she so cute!  So many great expressions and she can sing.  

 

You Capture - Peach

 A carnation left over from Valentine's Day.

Instead of sepia, we'll call this peach tone.

I couldn't resist a photo from last summer's vacation in South Carolina.