Ella's Soccer Highlights - Sept 7 - Oct 12

Ella's team with funny faces!

Their numbers (Ella is #5)

Ella's individual soccer picture

Lunch at Round table pizza where there are some arcade games (how convenient)

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Ella will usually play goalie for 1 quarter of the game

At the end of her shift as goalie, happy to have no one score on her

Starting a game with a coin toss with the refs

Ella fighting for possession of the ball

Keeping the ball in play near the side lines

Battling it out with the opposing team

5th Grade Science Camp - Oct 8-11

It snowed!

It snowed for a whole day!

Climbing the wall

She looks happy

Ella had a great time at Science camp!  There was a snow storm the second day, and then it was just super cold, but it did look like they had some sun.  I am glad she was able to borrow some warmer winter clothes because she really needed it!  I think the kids enjoyed the snow a lot, even though it had us parents a little worried.  It's more of a novelty here than when we lived in Utah.  She had a fun time bunking with her friends and having many fun experiences.  She was tired, hungry and a bit dirty when she stepped off the bus. But nothing that a big lunch, a shower and a whole 12 hours of sleep can't fix!

Welcome Home!  We sure missed Ella!

Science Camp Send Off - October 8th

Ella, Jaylyn, Ava and Melody

Ella and Ava

All the girls are in the same cabin too!

It's going to be a tight squeeze! Three to a seat is harder to fit than you think with 5th graders!

Ella left this morning for Science Camp.  They are in for some higher altitude and colder weather.  Down here it's supposed to cool off 30 degrees, so I can only imagine how much colder it will be up in the mountains for her!  She is in a cabin with many of her friends, she seems so excited.  Maybe because she knows no one can make her take a shower for the next three days!  I hope she stays safe, warm, and has lots of fun!

Middle School Choir Fall Concert - October 7th

Kaitlyn auditioned in the spring and was selected to be in the "Encore" choir.  They had their first concert performance and it was amazing!  Her friend (the smallest one shown in the photo-Thanh) played the piano for one of their songs, and she did great!  It was a nice evening to see them perform.

Saturday of Soccer and Karate - Oct 5th

Messing around before Ella's game

The end of Andrew's game

Crazy to think that Ella just grew out of that Gi less than two years ago

Andrew's jump kick

He's so high in the air!

Ella's jump kick - amazing!

Cutie pies!

Ella and Andrew both had games this morning.  Juan Carlos and Tara Avena were actually in the area for a wedding, so they met us for Andrew's game and afterwards we went out to lunch for a quick visit.  We kicked ourselves for not getting a picture of all of us at lunch.  After lunch they had to get back to their family festivities. We went to the San Dimas Western Day Celebration where Ella's Dojo was doing a demonstration there and she asked for permission for Andrew to participate too.  He has learned a lot of karate just by Ella teaching it to him.  She dug out her old Gi and let Andrew borrow it for today.  I can't believe Ella was that little when she first started!  They both did amazing and really impressed the crowd with their skills.  Go karate kids!

Soccer Season Has Begun! - September 14

Ella and Vanessa

Running down the "high-5" line!

Ella's team played another team that had her good friend on it, Abby.  They are both really strong teams. In the last 30 seconds of the game Amita on our team finally scored the one and only winning goal!  It was a great game!

It's Still Summer! August 30/31 And Taking the Day Off - September 6

 Andrew trying to surf in the pool.

Ella, Reid, Andrew and Kaitlyn

Riding bikes in Newport.

Finally had to cool off after all the bike riding.

Just the girls!

Kaitlyn and Ella in the waves.

Andrew is cold already!

As an anniversary present to ourselves, we went to Newport and rode bikes along the beach.  We brought the kids' bikes and James and I rented some in Newport.  It was a sunny warm day and riding along the beach has been something I have wanted to do for a really long time.  We even splurged and ate at a little Mexican restaurant right near the water.  We found a nice strip of the path that wasn't too busy and after returning the bikes we went and cooled off in the water.  The waves were really huge and Kaitlyn and James got tossed around in a few.  It was a nice start to our first 3 day weekend of the school year, to take a break from the norm and go on an adventure!  

Andrew had a stomach ache this morning so he didn't go to school.  I told him it would be "super boring" to stay home since I needed to work in the morning and run errands in the afternoon...but alas, he stayed home. After reading his book as I had required him to do, he decided to raid his lunch and watch a show.  He has everything he needs within reach in this photo.  This is how I found him after working for a bit...t.v. remotes-check, lego magazine-check, water bottle-check, lunch-check, socks off-check and last but not least the dustbuster (to clean up any crumbs from eating in the living room!)-check.