Carina's latest haiku

Ocean waves roll in
Foam against the sandy shore
Then slide back to sea

(this is my personal favorite of hers)

Gingerbread Man

A fun activity/dessert with the missionaries.

Got milk?

Forest Lawn Christmas Party

The lobby of Hall of Liberty

Los Angeles Temple visitors' center

Semi-lousy pic but we had some fun on the temple grounds with Diego and Jennifer and family seeing the pretty lights.

The new visitors' center is amazing, on par with the state-of-the-art centers found in Salt Lake and Mesa. Really neat.

Carina's ornaments

Carina has been on a bit of a poetic streak lately. Andrea found these ornaments hanging on the tree tonight.

Ever since her unit on poetry, especially Haiku, she has been writing some of the cutest things. She's always enjoyed writing, but it seems that her intro to poetry has opened her eyes to the realization that she can be completely free to let her imagination run wild.

Nachooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wesley will win 200 pesos if he wins his wrestling match.

Tea Time Ladies!

 

Carina and Maddie set up a tea party for their aunts and baby cousins. They were all so cute together!  They had hot chocolate and the babies had fun cutting up their own bananas.

My new credenza

Since moving everything around in the family room, the big wall has appeared so bare. What's a girl to do, but find a credenza in the alley. Everything I find usually needs repair of some kind and for sure paint. But not this piece. Isn't it awesome? It's so Anthro! I love the detailing along the drawers and bottom. It will now house our art supplies and other office things.

Zach teaches a class

"Paint only four popsicle sticks red"

"You need 9 popsicle sticks altogether"

"use the blue to make a rectangle to draw your stars onto."

Zachary taught the kids at Pack Meeting how to make an American flag out of popsicle sticks. He did this to finish up his requirements for his religious knot from his Faith in God book. He will be receiving it in December along with his Webelos badge. Zachary is enjoying Webelos and has an amazing husband and wife team as leaders. They do such great projects every week. Great job Zach!

Awards and Rewards

Zach stopped biting his fingernails
He also received the
Academic Achievement award



Carina received the academic achievement award and the Citizenship award for all "E's"

They have both been working hard in school and at home. Zachary has come a very long way with his fingernails. What's a mom to do when nothing else works? Offer legos as a reward. Hey, it worked!

Sacagawea comes to LA

I got to play Sacagawea for the second time at Miller Elementary. It is part of a Time Travelers program the PTA sponsors twice a year where actors portray different historical figures. They have one in the fall and in the spring with different characters. I had to memorize a script and go to 6 different classes and talk to the kids and answer questions about Sacagawea. I had so much fun being with all those little kids. I love their enthusiasm! They are all so sweet! I am so grateful for early American explorers like Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea. How amazing it must have been to discover such great beauty that surrounds us in our country. I am also grateful that my life is amazingly easier than theirs ever was. They endured such hardships! Wow!