It's beginning to look a lot like

Christmas!

In a ten day span Emily had her Winter Dance Recital,

The Nutcracker twice (she performed Friday and Saturday and told the directors she wasn't available on Sunday),

and her school choir concert. So why does it look like this outside?

And will I ever get use to the grass being mowed in December?

I did make these red flannel p.j.s. for my sister, Michele, though. When we were kids, Santa filled ours with gum and lifesavers in the sleeves, feet and pockets. The original Lifesaver Book. Michele wanted them for her kids but I think she just wanted to feel like a kid again!

Great Full

I needed Emily to stand next to the giant cornucopia

and to back away from the crocodiles at Rainforest Cafe,

and to get up before noon

to document the day,

and stand next to the family,

and pose for posterity.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then Emily has a lot to say.

We should have told Emily we were going to Paris for Thanksgiving. Maybe she would not have noticed. It seems more responsible than taking a teenager to Vegas.

But then we did participate in the normal Las Vegas activities, you know, like going to church,

excessive snacking,

and getting all dressed up,

checking to see who you are with,

shopping,

sleeping,

drinking,

eating,

eating again,

and again,

and being inappropriately dressed when out and about,

and of course, there are the gorillas,

the lemurs,

the elephants,

and the lions (they creeped up on us)

and the ponies.

And speaking of animals, Grandpa thought it appropriate to play ball in the house.

Is someone sweeping up what is broken?

I think it is because when you play ball outside you can not so easily sit in a recliner.

At this point I was watching the minor children. Everything was under control.

Turn my back for a second and they are climbing on the furniture and somebody has a sword drawn.

It wasn't all fun and games. Miranda and the whole gang laid sod before breakfast one day. Miranda is five months pregnant and says she resembles a small planet. I offer evidence to the contrary,

and just so the previous photo is not proof that Lonny watched while the work was carried out.

He worked up a sweat but who wants to see that?

I happened to mention that Geoff had some crazy hair

and got this. Geoff, his hair and Alayna.

Justin had put sprinklers in his backyard in preparation for having a lawn. And they worked! It was impressive. Until we noticed what you could accomplish with a lot more time on your hands. I am pretty sure the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was being played when we first ventured out to this performance. Does anyone know if the Mo Tab is aware they are appearing in Vegas?

So long, until next time.

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I know I left you hanging with the progress of this ship. If you ever find yourself rebuilding a ship I have included step by step instructions. Install new shiny propeller thingys then cover in plastic so they don't get painted accidentally. Add the things that go up top to the top.

Paint over the dingy green with less dingy green.

Install the steering thing-a-ma-bobs to the underside.

Start painting the black over the dingy green that is painted over the very dingy green.

Keep painting. Put up some antennas for distress signals. Remember the Titanic.

And I know an out of work pirate. Emily, for the first time since she was Minnie Mouse, let me make her a halloween costume. She wore it to the stake dance, the ward party and trick or treating. She would not wear an eye patch or her scarf properly but at least she let me take a picture.

We have been here now for 2 months. We have mostly unpacked. There are a couple of boxes untouched in Eric's room and a drawer that has a lot of important crap but no one dares to sort through. The garage could use a sale, sort of. Emily likes to tell everyone WA is cold and rainy. I like to take pictures of ships being rebuilt to show she is wrong.

Anacortes High School is not Jenks HS. The football team won a couple of games. The choir concert had 100 student participants . . . . . . . . . . in 4 different choirs. Emily's microsoft office teacher called to tell me Emily was one of two students that had passed the certification test. (Does any school outside of NW WA offer microsoft office as a class?) We are still waiting for Bill Gates to call. Emily has straight A's. She is busy with school, seminary, dance class and Nutcracker practice. I think she is happy as a clam (are clams happy?).

Church friends. School friends. Dance friends. This is a small town, they are all the same people.