Elizabeth's birthday

For Elizabeth's 9th birthday, she wanted to go to Funderland with a friend and ride on some fun rides. When her friend ended up not being able to go, she said she wanted Natalie to come with her. They had a great time. They are on a train ride in this picture. Elizabeth got a Karaoke machine that we've been having some fun with.

White Sauce

Just wanted to post some pictures of waffles and white sauce (a sweet pudding-like sauce) This time we made it "aqua-marine" to satisfy one who wanted blue and one who wanted green. :) Ken is the only one who eats waffles with syrup still.

Anniversary

Ken and I went to Time Out for Couples in Reno for our 12th anniversary. We sat on the front row next to President Hinckley's daughter, who spoke with her husband. It was a great evening. The next day, we did a session at the Reno temple. I love Ken.

Fire Station field trip

Our homeschooling co-op went on a tour of a fire station. We all enjoyed it and now Nick wants to be a fire fighter when he grows up. Natalie chose to go to school instead of coming with us. She loves school.

Rat

Welcome Ratella! Elizabeth showed us that she was responsible enought to take care of a pet, so after a couple of months trying to find one, we got her a rat. We actually tried another rat a while back, but after a traumatizing 5 hours of hiding under our entertainment center, the rat turned into a biter. Snake food. Our nephew Matthew has a snake that enjoyed Ratalina. Ratella seems to be working out better. She's cute, but seeing her on Elizabeth's shoulder with her tail wrapped around Elizabeth's neck still kind of creeps me out. :)

Gold Rush Days

Old Sacramento puts on "Gold Rush Days" where they make everything look like it did back in 1849. They bring in 200 tons of dirt to cover the streets, have people dressed up for the time period, and the only way to get around is by walking and horse drawn wagons. They had gunfights, gold panning, a saloon, a Mormon Battalion display, music and dancing and all kinds of fun things to see and learn. We had a great time, even though it was 105 degrees!

Back to School

The kids started school last week. Here they are modeling their new first day of school outfits. Elizabeth is doing 3rd grade at home. Natalie is thrilled to be in Kindergarten at Twelve Bridges Elementary School and Nick started preschool. He wanted to go with Natalie all year last year and now he keeps saying over and over, "I'm 4 now! I get to go to preschool!" I am also doing a little schooling myself. I'm taking a literature class and a tennis class.