Raking Leaves and Other Fun Activities

We came up with all kinds of activities to keep Katherine busy. Below, we're coloring on paper plates. Katherine was thrilled--it was the first time anyone had let her color on a plate!

Katherine and Deedee are painting a ladybug. (Check out the big bird mug. That was Tasha's cup from when she was a kid...thanks to Nancy for saving it!)

Katherine made the mistake of telling Uncle Matt that she LOVES raking leaves. He had her in our backyard raking immediately, although we didn't have too many leaves for her to rake. In the pic below, she is demonstrating her mummy pose.

Somebody needs to tell Uncle Matt that these gloves and the rake are way too big!

Christmas Lights!

On Thanksgiving day, we put up the lights on the bushes and on our sidewalk, but we waited for Kla and Tony to arrive on Saturday for help with the stars.

Tony is reading the label on the extension cord package, letting us know that it is for "indoor use only." Pshaw! (ok, we used a different cord...only b/c Tasha didn't belive in Kla's rationale that most of the cord would be under the porch.)

Clearly, Tasha is in charge. Or, at least she's the one having the most fun!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Kla, Katherine, Donna & Tony came to College Station for a late Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. We put up our Christmas tree, and Katherine helped us put on the ornaments. Below, the finished tree. Note that the majority of the ornaments are clustered on the bottom half of the tree :)

Katherine wins the award for the cutest 5 year old. (The white dot on her cheek is a small sticker of a radio. She called it her "beauty mark." It stayed on all day.)

San Diego, Part 2

Wendy and I spent Sunday afternoon at the San Diego Zoo. (Really, we were all working hard at the convention. Really.)

I'm afraid I have no pics of us looking at the animals, but the above pics are just a few of our favorite animals. We probably spent the most time with the gorillas (at one point, two gorillas approached each other and hugged....so cute).

San Diego, Part 1

I (Tasha) was in San Diego for five days for a convention. Great place--will definitely go back.

Above, the view from our hotel room. Yep, it's a tough life. Thanks to Wendy for making our reservations again, and scoring such a great view!!

Kristy and I spent most of Sunday at Balboa Park. This pic is of the roots of a HUGE tree. Amazing.

Me in the Japanese friendship garden. The garden was a disappointment--very small, not much to see, except for the Koi (see below).

Gabriele and Andy's wedding

We had a great time at Gabriele and Andy's wedding on July 11th. It was HOT, but it was lovely. The Woods family pulled off a beautiful celebration of a beautiful couple. YAY!

Matt and his dad at the brunch the morning after the wedding. We all woke up early and started cooking immediately. Lindy had an amazing brunch menu planned, and we pulled it off!

Aunt Flo & Gabs

The bride and groom...so sweet!

At the wedding, we met up with Randy and Debbie Upchurch--better known as Brad's parents.

The bride and groom leaving through a sea of bubbles.

First dance...

The Dubriwnys--get a room!

Gabriele & Ray dancing--

Dallas with Nic & Ash

Ash & Nic were in Dallas a while back for a conference, so we decided to join them for the weekend. In addition to seeing a Rangers game, we stopped by Dealey Plaza and the Texas School Book Depository building. It's a bit of tourist trap now, but it was interesting to stand on the grassy knoll, look around, and recognize all of the buildings, scenery, etc. from the pictures in our history books.

This is a memorial to JFK a few blocks away from Dealey Plaza.

The Oregon Coast

We had a great time exploring the Oregon coast with Vicki, Sarah, Nancy, and Grandma.

The lovebirds. Nancy made us take this picture.

So cute!

Why is Sarah hiding in the background?

The view from Cape Perpetua.

Having fun!

This is the staircase (above) and the light (below) from the Yaquina Bay lighthouse.

Coffee break at Newport.

Oregon Wine Country

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Washington and Oregon. These pics are from our day touring Oregon wineries with Tasha's family. The weather was a bit cloudy and chilly, but we managed to stay warm by sampling the wine at Airlie, Williamette, and Eola vineyards.

Aunt Vicki and the most beautiful flower in Oregon.

Having fun at Eola.

The ladies--looking good!

The view at Airlie.

Terry, Vicki, and Sarah...and several port-a-potties.

Note that Tasha and Nancy are very well prepared for the Oregon weather!

Washington on the Brazos

Gabriele and Andy came up with the great idea of having a picnic at the Washington-on-the-Brazos historic site/state park. A bit of Texas state history: the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed on March 2, 1836 in the town of Washington (on the Brazos river, of course). The park actually encompasses the historic town site and is a great place to see lots of Texas wildflowers in the spring.

Yummy food! Thanks to Gabs and Andy for providing sandwich fixings, drinks, and chips!

This is Matt's favorite photo. We walked along this trail for about an hour. The weather was truly perfect (sunny, not too hot).

All we need in this photo is a cow or a horse, and it would be 100% Texas!

Gabriele and Matt in front of "Independence Hall."

Beautiful flowers. We need to buy a Texas wildflowers book, because I have no idea what these are!

Fall & Winter Update

WOW! Is it really spring already? We've been slackers about our blog--so sorry we haven't been putting up pictures on a more regular basis. This post is basically a random assortment of photos from the past few months. Enjoy!

The Dubriwny clan gathered in Tulsa in December for our reception. This is our nephew Jacob and his fabulous dinosaur hat.

Christmas with the folks. Dad received this "angel/santa/chef" from Grandma Betty.

Back outside with the boys...

Cosby really wanted to be playing ball with Jacob and Ive Jr., but Mr. Nic wouldn't let him!

Finding the perfect dress for the reception took about 15 minutes. We took this photo to send to my mom to get her opinion. Our Christmas tree looks pretty sad next to Amazon woman!

We spent Thanksgiving in Tulsa. Cosby is waiting eagerly for bits of flying turkey. He was well fed that afternoon. (Dad only sliced two of his fingers!!)

Our pumpkin for Halloween.

The family at Thanksgiving. Thanks to Nic and Ash for being such great hosts!

The dudes abide.

PDX

We spend Labor Day weekend in Portland, OR for Brad's wedding. Our time was brief...we were in town for less that 48 hours. Next time, we're definitely staying longer!

On Saturday morning we met up with Mike, Vicki, Sarah, and Jesse for a great brunch at a place called the Mississippi Station. Note the beautiful weather and the fantastic sitting area outside. Wow.

The wedding was held in a park in the early evening...

Proud members of the Sooner nation.

Cate loves her camera...

Perhaps we need a camera like Cate's! These shots didn't turn out too well, but they give you a sense of how lovely the event was.

a quick trip to tulsa...

We made a quick trip up to Tulsa back in August to celebrate a few birthdays and relax before school started!


Birthday dinner for Nic and Tasha at the Red Rock Canyon restaurant.

Nic and Ash and the Arkansas river

Tasha and Matt and the Arkansas River

The gang...and the river.

Check out our wedding reception blog.

We have created a wedding reception blog. Check it out here: www.receptiondec29.blogspot.com

SeaWorld San Antonio

This weekend we met up with K3, Laura, and Diana in San Antonio and took a trip to SeaWorld. We had a great time, and it didn't rain on us! Thanks so much to Laura and Diana for being such great hosts!
Katherine's first purchase of the day---her very own Shamu!

Laura and Diana consult with Katherine about where to go first. Katherine's answer: the rollercoaster! We managed to squeeze in a visit to the dolphin pool first!

Kimberley, Katherine, Kla, Laura and Diana try to bring the dolphins to our side of the pool.

Katherine's face is pretty typical for the day: she's not quite sure if she's having a great time, or if she's just miserable!

Official members of the Woods family consult the map again!

The rollercoaster, the "Shamu Express," was definitely the highlight of Katherine's day! Aunt Laura was the only one brave enough to ride with her :)

If you think we look like a tired, sweaty bunch, you are right!

Katherine taking a nap during the Shamu show. We were all so sad to that she missed part of the show, because she had been talking all day about seeing "Shampoo"!

The whole group...ready to go home and eat dinner!