Well In to the New Year

Um, how embarrassing that this is my first post this year. 
What are my excuses? No good ones come to mind. Let me make something up...My dog ate my posts?? Boot camp has taken over my life? (Read that: loss of sleep!!) I'm running around after my kids all over tarnation?? I started another blog?

We have been working hard to keep up with everything going on-- from school to birthdays to projects to practices. Each week is different but they are all full.

 Since I didn't blog about our Christmas time adventure, let me just say that we had a WHOLE TON* of fun. *Whole ton is what Payton likes to say to describe "a lot". 
Look at this bunch-- don't they look like fun?! The weather couldn't have been better and the good times we had were wonderful family memories. Makes me look forward to the Kooi Reunion of 2014. Look out Sioux Center, here we come...

 

Audra has been playing volleyball lately. It is fun seeing her develop her talent and love for the game. They are doing so well! So far in their season they have 4 wins and 1 loss.

 

Audra's class also got to experience the Revolutionary War up close. They each were assigned a character and an information card to learn well. Then they acted out the different parts of history that lead up to the Revolutionary War. Definitely a hands on way to study history! 

 

Meanwhile Chloe's class was busy celebrating the 100th day of school. Here Leo and Chloe and Claire are jumping 50 times and clapping 50 times (to make 100, of course!) 

 

Other things they had to do were: build with 100 blocks, be quiet for 100 seconds, and draw a picture of themselves when they are 100 years old. Pretty cute! 

 And this is what I've been up to lately. My friend is expecting a baby and we wanted to throw a surprise baby shower for her...but she decided to sleep in and not come to boot camp that morning. What to do, what to do? Well, we decided to go to her house --at 6am-- and wake her up to come on over anyway. It was quite the production, and funny now that it is a few days out. I felt pretty badly waking her up! 

Sigh. No pictures of Payton and no pictures of Eric. I should do a whole blog post just about them. Seems like it is often about the girlies. 
Payton is knee-deep in piano and middle school homework. He loves school (I think...most of the time anyway...well, that is my impression.....maybe I should just ask him.) He plans to try out for volleyball or track in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll have pictures of him to show you then. 

Eric has added a class at Cerritos College-- he is in the band there just for fun. Mostly. Actually, he was asked to be in the band. So that means another night of the week that gets rushed a bit. Only for a season though, right? 

Bright and sun shiny today but it was super rainy overnight. 
Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow will bring-- both the weather and what my new excuses will be for not writing that next post ;)