Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!! It's hard to believe it's already 2010! It doesn't seem that long ago that we wondered what the new millennium would bring and now we are already ten years in! Time sure does fly by! We didn't have a New Year's Eve party this year as a number of our friends were out of town. Since I don't have any pictures of that event to share with you, I am going to back up a little to the beginning of our Christmas break. Here are the pics of the kids with Santa at the Staff Christmas party on December 19th. I was pleased to get one pic of each of them this year as sometimes KB thinks he is too old to sit on Santa's lap;-)

KL's recital piece

This is for grandma and grandpa...I know, it took me long enough :-)

Formula Drive

I have no idea how many of you are still checking in since I have been SOOOO bad about updating this the last couple of months. However, I am here today to ask for your help, if possible. The orphanage ( www.hishomeforchildren.com ) in Haiti that KJ came from is in need of formula for their babies. There is another adoptive mom who is making a trip down mid January to deliver it. She will be allowed over 1000 pounds in excess baggage for this trip (thanks to a generous airline) and currently she only has enough donations for 100 lbs of formula. If any of you are able to help in any way please consider doing it. The milk formula is purchased in 3 lb cans from Sams Club, and the soy formula and pediasure come from Walmart. You can purchase a gift card that is good for either of these stores (or send a check if you prefer) and just send the gift card to the adoptive mom and she will buy the formula. If you are interested please let me know (via email or just leave a comment and it will get to me) and I will give you the address to send the gift cards to. She will not be traveling down with another delivery until May, and needs to at least bring enough formula to feed the babies until then. If you can't donate please pray for them. Thanks for considering it and doing what you can to help :-)

Other updates to the blog are on my "to-do" list of this week...hey, I still have four more days before it's over! lol!! See ya back here soon...;-)

Little League champions!

You know KL has been playing on a little league baseball team started by one of the teachers here at the school. This is the first year they have run the league so all of the players started from ground zero. We saw many improvements throughout the season and are proud of how all the kids played. This past Saturday they held the championship "series" to determine who the champions were (KL's team won the regular season). It was to be the best of three and KL's team came away with the medals! He spent most of his time on the mound, but did manage to get in a little catching in the last game. Over all he pitched very well and we were so proud of him. In between the two games they announced the players who made the all star team and KL is one of them. He also walked away the the defensive player of the year award, which was an added bonus. The next thing up for the all stars is a game against parents/adults of their choosing (combined with a fundraiser to help local charities), which will take place on November 24th. KL has two invitations he is allowed to give out. He has already decided he's going to be giving one to his dad, but then asked me if I wanted the other one!! I don't know...I can't play baseball and I am SO afraid of making a complete idiot out of myself. I think I am going to encourage him to give it to someone else and I will just take pictures...stay tuned for an update and pictures! In the meantime here are a few highlights of last Saturday's games...

KL receiving his defensive player award...

Getting the All Star t-shirts...
The All Star team...
Trying to steal home...


Medal time...
His team...
KJ and her friend enjoying the day:-)

Costume and Treat Parade

Here are a few pictures taken of the staff kids who did a treat parade around the neighborhood on Friday night. It's always fun when those without little kids choose to participate and give out candy. Here is a dorm dad who dress up and everything (Tim Steinert)...what a good sport!

This family always gets into their roles as well. They were hillbillies this year (Bobby Joe and Billy Joe :-) They even dragged their furniture out of their house, parked their car on the lawn and had southern honky tonk music blaring from their stereo!! So fun for the kids!!
Parading up the street...
The whole group including a few grown ups who dressed up!! Way to go!

Earlier on Friday was the elementary school's annual costume parade. KR was the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz and KJ was just a cute little cowgirl! I thought they both turned out pretty well for not putting much work into them.

KJ's class...hope to get my hands on a better picture soon.

KJ and her friend, Kaylee.

"Fall" pictures...

Here are the pictures we took of the girls last week when we pretended like we were having fall here...Last year I missed getting KJ in them so am very happy to have some of her this year. I even managed to get in one with the girls...

October...already??

Wow, it's hard to believe it's already October 9th!!! This month is quickly flying by. Today is the end of the quarter for us so we have been busy with the end-of-the-quarter responsibilities which include giving tests, grading last minute assignments, entering grades, writing report card comments, and finalizing grades. It's hard to believe that one quarter of our school year is over.

About this time every year (or every other year), our high school band travels to Bangkok for a music clinic and performance. This year Greg went along as a chaperone. They left via charter bus mid afternoon on Wednesday. The ride is about 18 hours long. Greg gets car sick so I hope the trip wasn't too miserable for him! I guess they made it safely, although I haven't heard from Greg myself. Another wife did hear from her husband and that's how I know they arrived safe and sound. They arrive back home on Sunday mid afternoon. I hope they are having a good time. The kids miss him but they are excited because they get to have a "camp out" in my room tonight. It's become a tradition that everyone spend the night in my room with me at least one night whenever Dad is gone. They begged me to stay more nights this week, but I put my foot down and told they would have to wait until Friday night. It just wouldn't work very well to do it on a school night. Besides I do need some space of my own! lol!

In the meantime I am a single mom for a few days. It's going okay so far :-) KL is currently at a birthday party. He has baseball in the morning and KJ has a birthday party in the afternoon. I am also watching one of KR's friends overnight tomorrow night because her parents are out of town. On Sunday afternoon KJ has another birthday party to attend and I am attending a baby shower to which I am bringing food to share. I think my weekend is going to busy...but hopefully good as well :-)

A few pictures to share...

More pictures around Penang...

Fishing village...
Downtown...

This horse and his friend were eating grass on the top of this wall...well it just looked like they were on the top of the wall but the ground went up that high on their side. This was at Fort Cornwalis...
Trishaw at the Fort...

Downtown...

More buildings downtown...

KL's birthday party...
The whole gang...
Watching a movie. He chose a thriller that none of them had seen before so they all had a fun time watching it.

I was going to share more, but it's taken me hours just to get this far so I will close for now.