Photo update

I use this blog as much as a scrapbook or journal as a family letter. So some posts are specifically for my own records. I recently went through my phone to swap out SD cards and I came across these pictures and decided I should post them. They are in no particular order and many are completely unrelated to the other, but here they are so that Kanga, Tigger, and Roo can enjoy them later.

Angel pulled the tent out a couple times this summer and the kids had a blast playing in it. The hard part was always making sure to clean it up before the next day so the sprinklers wouldn't douse it and everything inside it. The kids did spend a couple of nights outside in the tent over a Friday night. They got about as much sleep as if they'd had a slumber party (one of the greatest oxymorons ever created).

This was the picture that Angel sent me of the kids on their first day of school. Tigger started kindergarten and Kanga entered 2nd grade. As of now they are still enjoying school although Tigger can only tell me what he did at break. However, I was reading to him last night and quizzing him on his letters sounds and names and he did a lot better than he has in the past, so I guess we'll let him keep going. :) Kanga loves doing homework with friends and is glad that we had a new family move in that has kids her age that she can play with.She's still studying Chinese and doing a pretty good job of speaking it. I'll have to see what movies we have that have Chinese subtitles/language tracks. Their school was recently featured for it's "super readers" and we attended a celebration at the high school a could of weeks ago. They had superhero and princess look-a-likes. I thought it was funny how they use characters from predominately video based formats to advocate reading. I'm sure it has something to do with visibility.

I took this picture because it was just such a beautify image. I love the look of the clouds and flag. I was feeling very patriotic. This picture is from several weeks ago. The weather has been turning colder since then and it even snowed yesterday and today. There is snow on the caps of the mountain and we're going to buy Angel some new snow boots. I don't mind taking the bus when the weather is questionable because then I don't have to drive in it and can enjoy reading a book. Regardless, I love this was a good day and the Picture turned out pretty decent.

This is the last of my canning for the year. Last year we didn't get any apples (or at least not enough to do anything with). This year we didn't get as many as two years ago, but it was enough to make 11 quarts of applesauce. As with other canning projects, I managed the majority of the project, but I don't mind. I really enjoy being able to see the fruit-based-results of my labor. The kids helped me process one of the batches, using the plunger to push the boiled apples down the food processor. Two years ago I used my mom's old hand crank strainer, but this year I used one we got with our Kitchen Aid mixer. It was nice not to have to turn the handle, and it performed really well. It was a busy day because Angel went to a girl's night with her mother and sister and I had the kids and their friends for the afternoon. I'm glad that I can handle the kids while Angel gets away.

This was Halloween this year. It was a year of reused costumes. Kanga's was one she wore shortly after Tigger was born (Tigger her brother, not the brother dressed as Tigger). The didn't have her size when we bought it, so we got a size bigger. Turns out that 7 year-old Kanga can fit in 3 year-old Kanga's clothes. Tigger did get the armour and helmet this year, but the cape and the sword were from other occasions. He's also wearing camo pants. Roo is wearing his cousin's costume, or was it Tigger's costume? I can't remember, but we didn't buy it. As for myself, I'm just wearing my airsoft stuff with a nerf gun. Angel stayed at home and passed out candy. This was the best picture that we had form my phone. I don't look like much, but the kids are better here than in the other one. Either way, we had fun and got a lot of candy.

This is what I came home to the other day. I had my usual early morning Sunday meeting and as I come up the stairs I see Roo sitting on the table eating butter off the butter knife. He's started climbing more, despite not walking yet. Heights do not appear to worry him, although he doesn't like it when he can't reach the floor but can't pull himself up either. His feet swing like a pendulum and then he starts to worry. We're hoping he starts walking soon because he is getting heavy!

That catches us up on some more current pictures. I need to get some for my office because Roo doesn't even have a picture in my office. I'll work on that next.