Elite Recital 2017...

Hooray for Hollywood and Ragtime were this years' recital themes. Kate once again had a great year dancing with the Performing Company at Elite. She was a member of the Mini 2 team this year. They often times combined with Mini 1 for their dances because of the similarity in age.  Where she seemed to always be the younger dancer, she finally is starting to feel like one of the older members on PC. We are so proud of her and the dancer she is becoming. It is nice for her to have something she loves to do everyday. The friends she has made in the process is the icing on the cake.

Last Day of School...

 These kids are ready for School to be OVER! And honestly I am too. I am tired of making lunches and checking homework. And the added school days, from the snow days that we experienced through the winter, have made school feel like it has gone on forever. So...so long third and sixth grade, its been real, but time to move on!

Chuck's 40 for 40

 Our neighbor Chuck turned 40 this summer and for his 40th he created a marathon race that was 40 miles long. He recruited all of his friends to run different legs of the plotted route. Justin started with Chuck from the beginning at the Nike Campus and ran an entire half marathon for the first time in his life, ending at the Audubon Society in Forest Park.  He was pretty sore and couldn't run for about 6 weeks after, but what an accomplishment!  

Ryan Graduation from the 3s class...

Ryan had a fantastic year at pre-school this year.  Teacher Teresa and Teacher Stephanie were so fun and Ryan made some really great friends, Rhett and Claudia. They had a cute little graduation program based off the theme of Super Heroes. All the kids dressed up as their favorite Super Hero, and as you can imagine Ryan chose a Construction Worker! Ryan is looking forward to coming back to school for some summer camps and then will be looking forward to coming back next year for the 4s program! 

Preston's First Swim...

The weather has been unusually nice here in the PNW, so naturally we took advantage and went swimming at Villasport. Ryan's cute friend from pre-school, Claudia, joined us as well. This was Preston's first time at the pool and I think he loved it!

Potty Trained...Finally!

Lets talk about patience and perseverance! that is exactly what it took to get Ryan to be fully potty trained. My goal was to get him out of diapers before Preston came along. He was doing great with #1, but #2 was always a struggle. He is one of those kids that likes his privacy when doing his thing. I am happy to say, even though it is a year later, that Ryan is officially potty trained! #1 and #2 are mastered! And in case anyone is asking, yes, potty training is one of the hardest things a parent has to do...hands down! Ryan has been wanting this excavator for months, and has begged for an entire year every time we go to Piccolo Mondo. I was so excited to finally be able to bring it home for him.

State Cup...

Zach's soccer team made it to the state finals...again, just like they have for the past 3 years. They fought a battle against PCU and just came short of the win. The boys were devastated. The top teams to beat this year were FC Portland, PCU and ADF.  We definitely stood a chance but just couldn't finish. Zach played great and as always very consistent! Regardless of the outcome I am very proud of him. They changed the rules this year in the league and divided the teams dependent on the kids' birth year. With Zach's December birthday that made him the youngest on the team. He worked his tail off to make a difference and to make things happen on the field. His coach Mark was great to work with and they had an amazing season!

A Little Swing...

This year has been a big year for Kate in dance because we signed her up to do a duet with her friend Claire. Her coach Karin choreographed a cute jazz number called A Little Swing. They performed it so well winning Second place Overall at one dance competition, Top Ten and Best Synchronicity at another competition, and Platinum at both for their Performance. I am so proud of Kate. She seems pretty shy when dancing for her peers and in the classroom but she sure turned it up when she stepped on stage to compete. I hope winning gave them both an extra boost of confidence. Her team also competed a jazz number called Dance Like Yo Daddy that won First place in Specialty. Way to go Kate!