Ethan's Baptism

Last weekend was an important one for our family. Ethan was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, October 11th. He was so excited and could hardly wait. The baptism was amazing! There were four kids from our Ward baptized that day. The room was completely packed, standing-room only. The Spirit was very strong in the room. I was asked to sing a song, which was very difficult considering I was on the verge of tears, but I muddled through it. Eric both baptized and confirmed him, with my dad stepping in to assist. It was a really wonderful meeting. I hope Ethan will always remember this special day!

Vacationing on Vashon

Last weekend my dad came to visit and we went on a little day trip to Vashon Island. We saw the famous bike in the tree, a sight my dad has wanted to see for a long time. We also found a great beach that had a gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier. The weather was so perfect, with a reminder of what the sunshine looks like! On our way home we stopped in Seattle in the U-District and had an authentic Carribean/Trinidad themed dinner. Then we watched the sun set at Gas Works park. It was a great day, and a nice way to end the summer.

Name Game

A friend of mine recently gave me some fun and interesting information about our names. Believe it or not, "Erica" is Latin for "Heather." So isn't it funny that I should have ended up with an Eric? And also, "Heide" is German for "Heather." It appears that I really liked those names for a reason, I just didn't realize what that reason was!!

Best Friends

Elise has taken a real liking to Erica, as long as I'm not holding her! Whenever Erica is on the floor, Elise has to be right there too, patting her or laying next to her. She's even started giving her kisses! I think these two are going to be best friends!

Primary Prophets

The kids had a Primary activity on Saturday with booths like a Carnival. One of the booths was a photo booth, which I ran. A gal in our Ward painted the posters for them to stand behind (aren't they terrific?) I got pictures of the girls, but Ethan had to leave early for a soccer game, so he missed out on the pictures. It was pouring rain outside, but they had their game anyway. He came home soaked!

Eight is Great

Ethan turned the big and important eight years old on Sunday. I can't believe how big these kids are getting. His baptism is scheduled for October 11th. For his birthday he got some 8-year-old inspired gifts, like a nice new set of scriptures (green, because that is his current favorite color), and a Cub Scout uniform. He also got a new scooter, and some Legos and clothes from family members. I think overall he had a pretty good haul! Ethan has been obsessed with sharks recently, so I made him a cake with a shark on it. It was kind of a funny-looking, scraggly-toothed shark, but Ethan thought it was cool. (The teeth were almond slices, if you're wondering!) Plus, the candles sparked when they were lit, and that was cool! He had to practically spit on them to blow them out!

Blueberry Bliss

After an unseasonably cool summer, we finally got some blueberries on our bushes! They aren't nearly as plentiful as last year, but we will definitely take what we can get! We just picked about four cups of them tonight. Here Heidi is modeling our largest and juiciest ones! Now I must decide if we'll just munch on them or make them into a pie....decisions, decisions!!

Back to School

Once again summer is over and we are back at school! A huge sigh now from parents everywhere! The kids were almost as excited as me to start school again this year. Heidi has embarked on her second year at Middle School in the 7th grade and is very excited about continuing Band. Ethan is starting 2nd grade and lucked out in getting the same teacher he had last year, whom he adored. Elise is in her last year of Preschool, now using her new fancy wheelchair. Her teachers were so excited to have her back again.