Kate Turns 13!

Happy 13th to this sweet little lady!  She happily survived her birthday on a Fast Sunday!  She shared her testimony in sacrament meeting.  She requested pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.  She's beautiful inside and out, a great big sister, amazing breadmaker and the best daughter ever.  

 Kate made her own Texas sheet cake - her specialty.

I posted a birthday picture of Kate on instagram and she got tons of sweet birthday wishes and compliments.

Favorites:

• food - pizza, pulled pork sandwiches, salsa, funeral potatoes, ham
• friends - Kaylee Memmott, Claire Z, Claire C., Ivy, Brianna, Abby, Whitney, Jaynie, Ellyce, Keira, Hope, Audrey, Emily, Sophi, Anni, Nina, Ada
• things to do - read, run, swim, bake bread and sweets

Things Kate did this last year:

• Went to girls camp
• Went to the temple for the first time and have gone seven or eight times to do baptisms
• ran cross country
• played 7th grade basketball
• took piano lessons at 7 am every Thursday
• first piano adjudication
• first 7th grade band adjudication (playing flute)
• made bread every weekend during the school year (about 15 loaves each week) and bread multiple times a week during the summer
• made "Kate's Bread" famous
• took a six hour babysitting course and have had many babysitting jobs
• first youth dance (Pixie Dance in February)
• went to Camp Zarahemla with ward youth (and mom) for overnight sledding activity
• got glasses
• 8.5 mile walk with Stake Young Womenq

I interviewed Kate and this is what she said:

1.  Who is your favorite person in the whole world? mom and dad (someone besides your family --> Sophi

2.  What is your favorite color? blue...and purple

3.  What's your favorite television show?  Great British Baking Show

4.  What's your favorite outfit?  GAP sweatshirt, jeans, random shirt

5.  What sport do you like best?  cross country

6.  What song do you love?  It's Going to Be OK (by Piano Guys)

7.  What's your favorite cereal?  cinnamon LIFE

8.  Who is your best friend?  ...in which place?  Sophi.  Claire & Kaylee.

9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  a baker (bake bread and sweets)

10.   What is your favorite book?  Land of Stories the Wishing Well

11.  What are you really good at? making bread

12.  Where do you wish you could go on vacation?  Hawaii and Los Alamos

13.  What is a memory from this past year? girls camp

14.  What would you buy if you had $1000? put it in the bank

15.  What vegetable do you hate the most? squash

16.  If you could have a wish, what would it be?  go to Los Alamos

17.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? chocolate moose tracks

18.  Who is your biggest hero? mom 

19.  What do you like to do best with your friends?  play games (like Egyptian Slap Jack)

20.  What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? ...besides see Sophi?  go to Los Alamos

Kate had a friend party on April 15th.  

She invited a bunch of girls over (Keira, Abby, Claire, Aleah, Whitney, Janie, Brianna, Kaylee, Emily, Bethany, Ivy, and Ellyce).  They did a "favorite things" exchange instead of everyone giving Kate a present and played some games in the basement.  Then they roasted hot dogs and ate a big green salad for dinner and a smores bar for dessert.  

Kate is 12!!!

Kate has been counting down to her 12th birthday for months.  The day finally came!

She woke up to flowers (from the neighbor's beautiful garden) and mini blueberry muffins.

After breakfast, we got to head to the church for some birthday church cleaning.  :)

After church cleaning, Kate opened a few presents (some shoes that were way too small, a Young Women circle of values necklace and YW theme bookmark and a new binder for school.

Then Kate made her own cake (texas sheet cake) and enjoyed not helping with Saturday chores.  Then she headed to the mall (with Mom) and Audrey and Claire to do some birthday shopping.  The girls all bought bath & body works stuff.  Then Kate picked out makeup, a new skirt and some new shoes (size 8 in womens!!!!).  The girls enjoyed orange julius and a cinnabon cinnamon roll.  Kate said it was the best birthday ever.

After shopping, Kate went with me to Seth Mitchell's baptism (wearing her new skirt and shoes).  The Blaser family brought Kate a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts and sang to her on the driveway.

Afterward we picked up Dad and dropped the boys off at the Farris' house for dinner.  Kate chose to go to Red Robin, but was a little disappointed with her giant hamburger.  The root beer was good though.

After we picked up the boys, we headed home and then had texas sheet cake.  It was the best  Kate's ever made.

Kate talked to both sets of grandparents on the phone and had lots of facebook/instagram/text birthday wishes.

This morning Kate met with the bishop to advance from primary.  She came out of the interview with a temple recommend.  In sacrament meeting she was presented her faith in God award certificate and her advancement from primary certificate.  She was very excited to go to Young Women's and loved the lesson!

Here are some things about 12 year old Kate:

• She makes delicious whole wheat bread and has sold over 250 loaves to our neighbors (her customers) since July 2015.
• She is a good cook and has perfected making brownies and texas sheet cake.  She makes yummy muffins too.
• She loves to swim and is way faster than anyone else in our family.
• She is constantly reading and walks around almost always with either her kindle or a book.
• She is a great piano player and has improved a lot since she started lessons with Angela Jacobson last year.
• She gets very good grades.  
• She plays the flute in 6th grade band.
• She plays the piano in both the 6th grade and 7th grade jazz bands at Desert Hills.
• She is a good babysitter, especially to Nick and Ty.
• She has a very good memory and remembers things to no one else can.
• She is very responsible, especially at school and church.
• Kate loves to be with her friends, especially Audrey and Claire.
• Kate misses her best friends from New Mexico, Sophi, Annika and Nina.
• Kate memorized the 13 articles of faith quickly and still remembers them.
• Her hair is mostly brown now, but gets highlights in the summer time. 
• Kate has blue eyes.  

I interviewed Kate and this is what she said:

1.  Who is your favorite person in the whole world?  mom and dad

2.  What is your favorite color?  turquoise

3.  What's your favorite television show?  Girl meets world

4.  What's your favorite outfit? t-shirt and jeans, sandals

5.  What sport do you like best?  Swimming

6.  What song do you love?  Stand By You by Rachel Platten

7.  What's your favorite cereal?  cinnamon life

8.  Who is your best friend?  Claire, Audrey, Sophi, Anni, Nina, Olivia

9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Author

10.   What is your favorite book?  mother/daughter book club series

11.  What are you really good at?  swimming, babysitting

12.  Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Hawaii

13.  What is your best memory?  When I first got to meet Nick.

14.  What would you buy if you had $1000?  a phone

15.  What vegetable do you hate the most?  squash

16.  If you could have a wish, what would it be?  All my friends from Los Alamos could move here.

17.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  salted caramel

18.  Who is your biggest hero?  mom

19.  What do you like to do best with your friends?  talk

20.  What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday?  see my friends from Los Alamos

Chiawana Jazz Festival

Kate's jazz band played in their first festival on Saturday, October 31st at Chiawana High School in Pasco.  A bunch of middle schools and high schools participated from around the area.  The WVU jazz band came too and did a concert later on in the day.

 The middle school Jazz Band I played at 9:20 and played three songs.  Kate got to play the piano for two of them and a percussion shaker for the other song.

 Afterward, they got to have a clinic with the WVU jazz band director.  It was pretty neat to hear the kids' sound improve after just a few minutes working with him.

Bobcat Bolt

The kids got to run in their annual Bobcat Bolt fundraiser at school on Friday.  They ran around the field behind the school.  

Kate ran 7 laps.  Jack ran 10.  Ty ran 6.  I ran a few laps with each kid while I left Nick with a friend at the starting line.  Towards the end of the afternoon he caught on that I kept leaving him and he would cry if I set him down.  I had to walk with Kate instead of run.

General Women's Broadcast 2014

The satellite in our ward building was having issues, so they cancelled the dinner for the women and girls in our ward and the Los Alamos ward along with the broadcast.  Kate was bummed that it was cancelled, so we planned our own dinner.

We invited 15 other ladies and girls over for tacos, dessert and broadcast watching:  Juli, Anna, and Sophi Miller, Elise, Annika, and Ashley Nye, Sylvie & Nina Johnson, Elizabeth Allen, Ada Tripp, Kristi and Eliza Lamborn, Emmy Baker, and Angela and Kyra Vest.

Dave took Jack and Nick on a bike ride to Sonic for dinner and ice cream while everyone was over.  

Kate and I took a picture together after everyone left.  It's pretty special to be able to watch the General Women's meeting together with my daughter.  It was neat to watch it with our friends in our home and sing I am a Child of God together during the congregational hymn.

Riding the Bus 2014

Ty wanted to ride the bus to school on the second day of school.  I offered to give him a ride, but he turned me down.

 

 

Back to School 2014

Today was the first day back to school.  Kate and Jack were up early ready to go.  Ty took his time waking up.  He likes his sleep.  After some stretching in bed, a warm shower and some breakfast, he was ready for school.

 

Ty's teacher is Mrs. Schembri.  Jack had her for kindergarten and we loved her!  Today was only an orientation.  So Ty got to go out to the playground and learn the rules and play while I listened to Mrs. Schembri talk and then fill out paper work.  We had two more hours to kill when we were done before the kids got out, so Ty said that he wanted to go home and drink a caprisun and then play animal jam on the computer.  (He passed up biking at the skate park and a doughnut!) 

 

Jack is excited about his 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Neil.  There are only 15 kids in his class, which is great!  Jack said that Mr. Neil jumps a lot when he's excited and they're already earning a pizza party. 

 

 

 

Kate loves her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Hawkins.  She's exciting about switching classes and tomorrow she'll find out who she shares a locker with. 

Kate's spring orchestra concert

Wax museum

All the 4th graders at Barranca Mesa Elementary work put on a wax muswum.  Kate chose to be Robert J. Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

The kids had to write a research paper,  make a poster, write a poem, make a ticket box, find a costume and write and memorize a 30 second speech.

Then on the day of the wax museum all the kids dressed up as their person and sat under their poster with their research paper and their ticket box at their feet.  All the classes in the school and the public got to see the wax museum for over four hours.  

Grandma and Grandpa Judi were visiting so they came with us to see the wax museum.   We put a ticket in the student's box and they came to life.  They stood up and gave their speech,  then sat back down and held their pose.

Oppenheimer wax museum: http://youtu.be/z-as-aqMP5k

Kate's Art Show

Kate's dragon that she made in art class got to be on display at Fuller Lodge during the May Day Celebration with other art from the school district.

Kate's 10th birthday

Kate turned 10 this week!

She requested waffles and bacon for breakfast.

Dave and I took her to El Parasol for chicken tacos for lunch.  Kate requested hers without guacamole and cheese.  

We took our lunch over to the pond to eat.

After lunch Kate's friend Sophi, and her little sister, Anna, came over for a playdate.  Kate got to open one of her gifts.  A Rainbow Loom!

For dinner, Kate requested ham, funeral potatoes, and cloud light crescent rolls.  

Then she got to open her gifts:  $20 from Grandma and Grandpa Judi, a purple watch, Lego Friends, and a book (American Girl: Care and Keeping of You)

 Sheet cake for birthday cake!

LAA Swim Meet

Kate participated in the swim meet that her team, Aquatomics, hosted.

She swam a 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.  She did great and shaved some time off of her breaststroke and backstroke.

Kate and her friend, Annika

A Hair Post

Nick has some crazy hair going on.

And Kate got her hair cut, so it was not crazy. 

Johnson Baptism

Our friends, Sylvie, Heidi & Lily Johnson were baptized last night!

We've been friends with the Johnson family for a long time.  I met Sylvie five and a half years ago when Kate started preschool at Barranca.  Nina was in the other preschool class and Sylvie introduced herself when we were outside waiting to pick the kids up.  I mentioned to her that we were moving that weekend and ended up moving to the Johnson's street Canyon Glen.

We started carpooling to preschool (along with the Nye's).  Kate and Nina were in the same kindergarten class.  In first grade they walked to and from school together and had many playdates.  In second grade, we bought our house on North Mesa and I started teaching Nina piano lessons, so Kate and Nina could see each other each week.  They moved to Germany for several months and we kept in touch via email. 

We've had many dinners with the Johnson's, playdates, carpooling, etc.  They came with us to ward Christmas dinners.  Kate invited Nina to come with us to church and she's been coming for several years.  I spoke in church this past Easter and whole Johnson family came to sacrament meeting.

A couple of months ago, my friend, Sylvie started to come to church too along with her kids.  Her daughter, Lily, a freshman in high school, has been attending early morning seminary this school year.  They started taking the discussions with the missionaries.  In November they decided to get baptized!

Sylvie's parents (Oma and Opa) and her sister, Nikki, were here visiting for Christmas.  It was neat that they were able to come to the baptism.  They are very sweet and welcome us into their family.  Scot, Nina's dad, is very supportive.  Jack and Ty were glad that Jonah was there.  Jonah is 16 and plays basketball, chases and wrestles with Jack and Ty.  The boys love running around with Heidi too. 

 The baptism was held in the chapel and was filled with people.  Kate said the opening prayer.  Dave baptized them (and will confirm them in church today).  I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.   It was a wonderful feeling to see these three beautiful "sisters" in their white clothes getting baptized.  Such joy! 

Here's Kate along with her closest friends: Sophi, Ada, Annika and Nina.