gingerbread kids

~Emily and Michael~
Christmas 2009

Oh dear!

Just so you know, at least half the people in this picture are posing.

Belle

In ball gown, stripped pants, and flip flops

Seize Candy

Robbie's twelve o'clock chocolate shadow

La Boda de Ivan y Marta

May 30, 2009, all cameras point to Ivan and Marta. 

A temple worker said, "It is tradition for couples after they are married to take pictures in front of the Christus statue in the visitor's center."

Ivan with his sweet and smiley little sister, Brenda, fuss with Marta Viola's wedding gown.

The Mexico City Mexico Temple (lovely photo taken by Adam) has a unique look that made us think of ancient architecture. It was a joy to be there for the wedding of Ivan and Marta.

Wedding day preparations

The wedding was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, so we had plenty of get-ready time.

Marta, Ivan's mother, and sister had their hair and makeup done professionally. 

Elsa, Mom, and I wanted something extra, too.  Manicures were scheduled for 8:30 am. We got to the salon at 9 to learn no one would be in until 10 (Mexico City was  quietest in the morning).

 So, we paid  200 pesos ( ~$18) to have our hair done. Part of the experience was not really knowing what she planned to do.

Que guapos!

Dad, Adam and I sat in our shuttle's rear-facing back seat with a wedding dress and bouquet, watching city traffic from the rear; it's much more breathtaking than a forward facing seat view. We loved every moment of our Saturday morning preparations.

Views from Mexico City

View from our Alaska Airline flight

View from the hotel window near the avenue Paseo de la Reforma

View from the hotel hallway (outside our room #1907) to the Savilla Palace Hotel dinning area

3 years later...

Happy graduation to Adam!

May 16th, University of Oregon School of Law Graduation

Shaking hands with Dean Paris

We are so glad that we did it, and we are so glad to be done.

You did it, Adam!

Mom's Preschool

Our mom's preschool has finished up for the year. I looked back in my library and found snapshots to share.

Dress up time

Mikey joins us to make Christmas star ornaments

Family Christmas party

Mother's day craft

Learning to play together

Making a card for Mother's day

Graduation! They were quite the crew.

~Big Sun~

I stepped out onto my back patio and discovered this drawing.  Someone is longing for sunshine and palm trees, I'd say.  I wonder who that might be.

La Ultima Clase

Dear Adam--

Happy Last Class Day!!!

Adam's last law school class gets out at 11:45 AM today. We're almost done!
I reminded Adam and the kids that this is probably the last formal education class he will ever attend. Adam said, "Well, Kari, it's been fun, but my real passion is anthropology, and I'd actually like to be a dentist."

Notice the date in the photo (April 15 2006).

Emily tries keyboarding

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Mexico plates

See these fancy plates? Emily designed, painted, and named them, "Mexico plates". 

¡Muy bien!

What is warm?

Emily asked me this when I had a cold. I told her that warm is when it's neither hot nor cold. She said, "No, mom. Warm is when you don't have a cold!" I'm not warm right now.

Friday morning, before 7 AM, Adam returned home form the grocery store with bags of groceries. He set the bags down on the table and showed me what he bought:

Cereal and milk for breakfast,

Lunchables and snacks for the kids,

Chicken noodle soup, lotion tissues,

Airborne (which he told me to take right away),

& Cold-eeze lozenges for me and my cold . . .

What a man!

Three-year-old son

Presents to unwrap, tractor for scooping cake crumbs

Airplanes to fly, racecar for zooming along

"fancy cars" to see equal birthday fun for a three year old.

"I'm one!"

Robert Jay turned one on Sunday.

Here we are, Mikey waiting for Robbie to be up from his nap, and me in my fancy apron from Mexico, I believe.

First, presents

then the cake--yellow cake with hidden pumpkin puree and very visable polka-dots. 

Robbie dabbled in the cake at first...

and then he picked up the whole scoop of ice cream we gave him and ate it, then grabbed chunks of cake with both fists. 

It was a wonderful birthday mess, for a wonderful birthday boy.

Spring!

The kids and I got a glimpse of spring yesterday.

As Emily would say , it was "warmacito".

 Spring has not quite sprung; just the kids were springing away 

at our favorite park for climbing, jumping, and getting dirty. 

They had so much fun playing, 

and I was content to watch them and remember 

the many adventures I once had when I was in their muddy shoes.