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!