Catching Up, Part I

I had no idea how stressful this year was going to be. I'm teaching English 7 for the sixth year, but switching to the block schedule and adding yearbook has really kicked my butt.

Here are my favorite pics from the last few months:
HALLOWEEN
Chris, Annie, and Maiki
Yes, Chris really did shave so he had a handlebar mustache.
(Maiki wearing her 1st Halloween costume.)
Maiki and Great Grandpa Kaz
(Halloween costume #2, Maiki really wanted to wear a dress)
A SPONGEBOB BIRTHDAY
Maiki and her BFF Morgan
Josh dressed up as Spongebob for Maiki's b-day.
Is it just me, or does he look like a pedophile?
Slone crawling through the tent/maze "mambo combo" Maiki got for her b-day. Maiki turned it into a gauntlet by hiding in the middle and randomly hitting people with her gigantic balloon.

A miscellaneous pic that's too good to skip.
Josh, Alyssa, and Maiki
Maiki spent an entire month showing everyone her "owie"
on her middle finger. =D
FYI: Alyssa is Josh's new girlfriend that we all love.
(It's been just over a month.)

Pray for Pete

One of my good friends (and one of the healthiest guys I know) just had a massive heart attack and is on life support. His family is posting updates on this blog:

http://www.vanderlindenclan.blogspot.com/

As you know, I'm not a religious person, but if you pray please pray for Pete!

Maiki is 3!

Maiki's birthday was yesterday. To help remember the year we had her pictures taken Friday evening. If you want a good deal check out Target's Potrait Studio. We used their online coupon and got six sheets of pictures for $21.25!!!


Three Year Recap:
I don't know if it's because she's mine or because she really is how I think she is, but this kid is hilarious! Maiki is bursting with personality.

Maiki is a music lover!
Her favorite songs include:
Good Girls Go Bad (Cobra Starship)
Boom Boom Bow (Black Eyed Peas)
Love Story (Taylor Swift)
I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)
Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
Give You Hell (All American Rejects)----Chris won't let me listen to this around her because she is really good at singing along.

Maiki is a flirt!
She will always tease and tell people entertaining things.

New Hobbies:
-Riding her sweet tricycle (it now has a pink basket and a pink horn)
-Flipping people off (she has an owie on her middle finger)
-Dressing girly (if it's pink or frilly she LOVES it)
-Playing dolls
-Putting on make-up
-Reading
-Drawing/coloring (she holds a pencil correctly and stays IN the lines)
-Giving kisses, then grabbing your lips to get her chapstick back

Homecoming & Hang'n w/Dad

A few weeks ago we enjoyed an awesome football game. Tim Toone played an amazing game and Maiki got to cheer him on wearing her new outfit from Grandma Sherrie.

http://www.weberstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=39328&SPID=3468&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=8600&ATCLID=204817090 (The link feature wouldn't work; cut & paste this site if you want to read about Tim Toone.)
Slone & Maiki
Myah & Maiki
Chris is the best dad ever!

Monster Mash

Alek, Dylan, Maiki, Mikade, & Tatem starring
in the Monster Mash '09.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Another Month Bites the Dust

I know I say this a lot, but I am still shocked at how fast time flies. Maiki will be three in just over a month!!!

I didn't take many pictures during September because we spent the beginning of the month preparing for Asia, the middle in Asia (taking zillions of pics), and the end enjoying jetlag.

Here are the few pics that were worth displaying:
After school one day Maiki came home starving, exhausted, and grouchy. I gave her a snack and she was mad that I wouldn't let her have more (didn't want to spoil her dinner). She started throwing a cute, little fit
and fell asleep in the middle of it.
Maiki and Josh enjoying her new "monster tricycle." Uncle Dave bought her the sweetest tricycle I have ever seen!
(It's so sturdy it can even support Josh's weight.)

Chris figured out how to make fried icecream. Mmmmm!
We started October with a 30 degree drop in temperature
and some of the most beautiful snow I have ever seen.

Circus

We went to the circus last weekend.
The best part of the show was watching Maiki. She started out a little scared (it was a bit loud, and we were pretty high up), then once she figured out what was going on she loved it! Her favorite part was when they shot two girls from cannons. I missed the picture, but she yelled the countdown and then when they flew out she sat there with her hands on her face. Maiki also loved the singing and dancing, and was creeped out by the scary, Gravity clown.





I had no idea elephants could even do headstands. . .
(Yes, I flat ironed Maiki's hair. I had to see what it would look like.)

Japan

Being two hours away from Tokyo was just too close, so we had an extended layover and a guided tour with a foreign exchange student (and great friend) I had in high school. I can't believe we actually made it! We've been talking about going to Japan since we first met Keiko (in 1996).

We spent September 13-17 in Tokyo. We accomplished a lot in a few short days, but we never made it to Kyoto. . . I guess we will have to plan another trip.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I didn't take many pictures because my camera battery was dying. I'll post more once I get pictures from Sohee, Beth and Keiko. :D

Korea

We just returned from one of the most amazing trips ever! We spent September 6-13 in Seoul, Korea. People thought we were crazy bringing our two year old on a 13 hour plan ride, but she did great and Jon and Sohee's wedding was spectacular (other than the freak flash flood, which luckily ended right before the ceremony).

Here are a few pics highlighting our trip. I'll post all of them on the kodak site. If you don't get invited to view them and want to know the secret login just send me an e-mail. :D

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sohee and Jon (the pic in the slideshow is from a bad angle).

The End of Summer

It's amazing how fast the summer flies by. I think this summer felt even shorter because the weather was so cool in June (tons of rain in UT).

Here are a few miscellaneous pictures during our last week of freedom:
Maiki and Mikade chill'n @ the movies

Maiki and Mikade fighting
(for some reason these two always go at it)

Maiki hang'n w/all of the Poulsen boys

Relax'n @ Jemma's pool (the Star Wars floaty was Maiki's favorite)

Maiki is back at Syracuse High and loving every minute. My new work is great, but we are off to an interesting start. I'll post pics ASAP. Right now we are frantically getting ready for Korea and Japan.

*******************************************
I just found these pics. They are from play dates in August.

Maiki and Elizabeth hanging out in her "house."

Maiki and her best friend from Syracuse High, Morgan.

Train Conductor Maiki

Aunt Beth-
THANK YOU for Maiki's new favorite hat.

This is my new favorite picture of Mike & Ike. I love how old she looks. :)

Glass Flowers

The Williams crew making glass flowers
at Thanksgiving Point

Kate anxiously waiting her turn.
Tim, Colleen, Cory, Chris (& Kate)


Sequential pics of Colleen (Chris' mom) making a flower:


Finished flowers:

Chris', Annie's, Cory's, Kate's, Colleen's, & Tim's