Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year's Eve 2009

We typically spend our New Year's Eve quietly at home, watching a movie or visiting with family, and blowing on conch shells or noisy tubes at the turning of the year. This year we decided to try something different and joined a group at a New Year's Eve dance. The Quick Step Social Dance Club consists of a group of home school kids who have an interest in ballroom dance, and who share their talents with others. What a terrific time we had!


Our evening started with a one-hour dance lesson taught by Kirby Gowen and his lovely assistant and sister, Zoe Gowen. In a large circle around the gym, we learned the basic waltz, two-step, swing, cha cha cha, and polka steps with a few spins and twirls to boot. For many this was but a review while for the rest of us this was either new (Joshua and Shannon) or return to long-lost memories from high school or college (David and Liz). Kirby was an amazing dance teacher.

Each time we learned a new dance step, the girls would rotate to the next male partner in the circle.


Once the lesson was completed, the dance floor was opened up, and everyone got to practice what we had just learned.


John chose to spend the majority of his evening reading...


...and bending over backwards, it would seem, to stay away from the dance floor.


As 2010 approached, the bottles of Martinelli's Apple Cider were opened, glasses filled, and the countdown started.


Welcome 2010!



Here's a short video we made of the evening. Be sure to pause the Playlist at the very bottom of this page before starting the video.




Thursday, April 9, 2009

Happy Birthday, Shannon!

Hard to believe our little girl is now 11 years old!  Her special day began with the traditional birthday pancake bear.  She was pleased I remembered to put the arms on it this year, but I did forget the chocolate chip eyes.  Maybe next year I'll get it right.


Shannon and I decorated the lemon cupcakes so she could share her birthday with the students in her clay class.  

The kids finished glazing their clay projects today.  It was the last day in their six-week clay class.  They are eager for the advanced class which starts at the end of the month.


The group sang "Happy Birthday" to Shannon before enjoying the cupcakes.


Alaina joined us for the afternoon and a special birthday dinner at Mimi's Cafe.  Then the girls cuddled into the recliner for the American Girl movie, "Kit Kittredge."  Here is Alaina holding Shannon's American Girl Elizabeth doll while Shannon holds her new horse pillow.  It has the softest "fur" imaginable!

After church on Sunday we joined Grandma Nancy at Chevy's to continue the celebrations.  


Happy Birthday, sweetheart!



Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Lehans Visit

A couple weeks ago David's twin sister and her daughter were in town to visit and to check on a local college for Emma. Wow! Our niece was born just a few weeks after we were married, and now she's looking at colleges. Where has the time gone??? We had a fun evening together at Chevy's and were greeted upon our departure by the local wildlife. A racoon was hovering by the door and paused briefly so we could snap a picture.