Cozy Fall!

Our first fire of the year! Everybody got all cozy for Bible time.

Sara?

I went to Spokane on Friday to visit an old highschool friend. Sara had such a blast with her 4 year old daughter, I barely saw her for three hours. Unfortunately this is the only picture that turned out from that day, but you get the idea - we had a great time!

Soccer Starts Again!

Such a handsome fella!

Will is back at soccer again. Having one season under his belt and being two inches taller than everyone else, he is the star of the team and scored 5 goals the first game. We were so proud of him!
If you have the chance, you really need to come see his touchdown dance-it's classic, complete with high-knee stomping and pointing at the crowd! I love it!

Buzz Cut!

The Finished Product!

So, here it is!
Will saw me sew up the last little bit and as I took it out and looked at it, he said, "You did a great job!"
"Yeah?" says I.
"I think it's perfect!" he said.
I wrapped him up and gave him the biggest hug ever! I know it is far from perfect-ahh, I can see imperfections from here!-but it is definitely functional! It's only job is to protect you from baby spittle after all! (Good first project, wouldn't you say?)

Brothers and Sisters

Joe and I were so thrilled when we found out we were going to end up with two brothers and two sisters. This is how I found them the other day on opposite sides of the house at exactly the same time.

Sisters reading.

Brothers evaluating the latest fishing lure.

Isn't that perfect?

A Duet

No, Will cannot play the piano, but he is a very gracious duetist. He only plays one note at a time so his big sister violinist can steal the show.
They are playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and it sounded just lovely!

(Kelly and I used to play this same game and I was the violinist, but instead of a violin I used a frosting knife and a cutting board. Well, I didn't know how to play a violin, so it probably sounded better that way anyway :)

Every journey begins with a first step. . .

Threadin' the bobbin!
(I think that's what that's called!)

Ok, I haven't sewn a stitch in 18 years, but I've always fancied myself quite the seamstress. When I was younger I made doll clothes for my Cabbage Patch Doll and later for my American Girl Doll with my grandma's old Singer. I even altered a pattern to make a doll dress to match one of my own. So this Christmas my mother-in-law, Ann, bought me this beautiful sewing machine so that I could get back to this forgotten hobby. Free-time has been scarce the last six months, but the Fall Jolly is now just a week away and I still haven't whipped up that apron and burp-cloth that I promised to donate for the craft booth, so it is time to get to work!
I'm completely intimidated! Miss Jo-Ann frightens me, I know nothing about interfacing or grain lines. I sat down and read the instruction manual from start to finish. The Singer box does say "Easy!" and so does the pattern I bought. But already I accidentally bought $8 white thread, pinned and repinned my pattern twice, and burnt a big white spot on my dining room table! And yet I still maintain images of grandeur in my head, like, when can I get to the store to buy material for matching quilts for the girls' room? I don't know. . . there is something about the challenge that completely inspires me!
And hey, the girls don't even share a room yet, so there is still time for me to make those quilts!

Will's Inaugural Steelhead Trip

This is my first official blog takeover, but I couldn't help myself. For the first time ever, we had three generations of Casebolt steelheaders on the water. The highlight of my day was Will telling me that I was his best fishing buddy, not much more a Dad could ask for. You can see our competition was stiff as you could practically walk across the river on boats....

But regardless Will and I fished intently....

After no real action, Will started giving Grandpa some advice...

It seemed to help, just not the right species of fish. Will thought this fish was too "suckery" to keep (and he was right)

Finally a big fish, but not a steelhead. This is the first salmon I have ever caught. Will did the initial fighting, but this one put up a pretty good fight and Dad had to finish him off. Not salmon season so back into the water he went.

Finally, we got our steelhead. Too bad he was wild or he would have been in our cooler.
This was an amazing day for me to have Will along. He kept us smiling with his witty humor when the fishing was slow. Thanks to my Dad for joining us after being up until 1:30 AM last night! And, also for my wife for giving us the time to get out.

The School Bus!

Yes, this was even cooler than the fair itself! The kids anticipated the ride on the bus all week long! They were a little shocked to see that there were no seat belts-ahh, kids of the new millenium!

Preschool Field Trip

The preschool and kindergarteners took a field trip to the fair today and I volunteered to tag along. I was with the preschool group, so I didn't catch any pictures of Kayte there, but she took the same tour. . .

Pig, with 7 babies!

Orange tractor-Cool!

Legos-even Cooler!

Petting the bunnies.

More. . .

Dancing to some good old country music.

Kayte, taking a bow after the Hokey Pokey!

This is the highlight for Will-trains galore!

Sara was so tuckered by the end of the day! She loved the rides and the dancing and the food!

. . .and more. . .

Fun at the Fair!

Kayte, me, and Will.

Yeah, that's Sara and me. And yes, she was too short for the ride, but I snuck her on anyway.

Grandma Annie got a bracelet too so she could do all the rides!

Joe's one ride with the kids and they chose the dizzy dinosaurs!

'Tis the season. . .

. . .for steelheading!


The "first-fish-of-the-season" grin!

"Does it have teeth?" says Will.

Yep!

Will the Inventor!

This is Will's latest invention, I think that it is called a Boat-Train.
He told me that if you pull the bat out of the back, that is where you can pretend steam is coming out of. I'm not sure what the little catapult thing is, but whatever it is, it is sheer genius I'm sure!
(I know I am sounding like a broken record, but Will is just like his dad. As a just a short young thing, Joe was an inventive entreprenuer making some good cash with his great ideas. Will is often found around our property making sketches of his next big plan. And just as often, you will find Joe doing just the same thing! One of them is bound to make millions someday!)