Meg Turns Eleven!

Meg had a fun birthday.  We celebrated with Lars, Dyan, Nora and Soren as a family.  Later she invited her girlfriends to a Hollywood Premiere as they all got to walk the red carpet and dress up like stars.  They decorated stars with their handprints and signatures, and decorated star boxes for their jewelry.  Meg has had an eventful year.  She starred in her school play as Charlie Cowell in the Music Man Jr., she sang a duet and solo as the lame girl in the Opera The Piper of Hamlin which started her involvement with cantabella choir.  She also played competitive soccer with Amber as her coach and with many friends on Rage.  She starred as the Ladybug in James and the Giant Peach in the fall.  She loves her teacher Ms. Ferriera and even talks like her sometimes.  She loves to read.  She loves to sing.  She is such a joy in our home we are so lucky to have her around when she has time to be home!  Happy Birthday Meg!

Temple Visit

Meg

Look at my baby!  Isn't she amazing!

Alice wouldn't hold still for a second!

We went to the temple last Sunday for Meg to tryout for a performance at the temple lighting celebration over the Thanksgiving holidays.  It was the first time that I had gone on top of the temple.  The view of the Bay and San Francisco was breath taking as usual.  The children had a good time walking around the grounds together on such a great day!

Meg's Piper of Hamlin

Meg as the Lame Girl with townsfolk and the Piper.

Meg's fan club!

Meg as the Lame Girl!

Meg performed in her Opera today.  She was a child in the first performance and the lame girl that gets left behind in the second performance.  It was so wonderful to be able to see how so much hard work has paid off.  Bee Chow is the Cantabella Children's Choir Director and with the help of many people has put together an amazing performance.  You could tell that singing was the strength in this performance.  Every note was perfect.  The timing was perfect.  It was very professional and amazing to watch all of these darling little children hit their notes with such confidence.  It was beautiful to watch and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of this.  I am sad that it wasn't better attended.  Meg is hopeful that her soccer team will come to tomorrow's show.  We did have some dear and sweet friends come see Meg perform: Shelia & Emily Alt, Leah Faith, Susan and McKenzie Bezzant (all the way from AZ!), and Adam and Michelle Rich!  Such cute support and love(:  This has been such a fun experience for Meg.  This is a close group and she feels connected with them.  I am excited to see her perform tomorrow and so grateful that she is continuing her singing with Bee and the Children's Choir in the fall!  What a wonderful group we have discovered!

MEG

I have to brag about Meg for a moment.  She is such a wonderful person to have in our family.  We are so blessed to claim her as ours!  She just turned 10!  She is so busy and talented, creative and interesting!  She makes our home a fun place whenever she is around.  She decided to take her friends to see Alice in Wonderland for her birthday celebration.  She has a cute group of girls that she has surrounded herself with!  She also just made competitive soccer again this year with some of her old teammates, so we are looking forward to another busy fall season hanging out on fields with old friends.  My favorite brag to date is her beautiful singing voice!  She was just given a main part in the opera the Piper of Hamlin in Livermore.  She will have 2 solo parts and a duet.  The director was so impressed with her that she has asked to give her private vocal lessons in order to prep her for the Pleasanton Cantabella performing Choir for which there is a wait list.  They are so excited to have Meg become involved with their singing  groups, and Meg is thrilled!  What an honor to be able to do what you love to do and have people excited to have you there!  Way to go MEG!  We LOVE You!!!! 

Meg's Birthday Tea Party!

Once

Four of my most favorite people in the world!

I wish I could stop time and just live like this forever.  I know that this time is fleeting and I labeled this Once for a reason.  This time is happening only once.  Once upon a time when my children were small and thought that I was important and wanted to be with me.  Once upon a time when I could kiss it better or hug it better and put a band-aid on it.  Once upon a time when I actually did have almost all of the answers.  Once upon a time when I had a huge and immediate impact and influence.  Once upon a time when being together was way better then anything or one else out there.  Once upon a time when I could really mess up and say sorry and truely be forgiven and events forgotten.  Once upon a time when they wanted to walk with me and hold my hand.  Once upon a time when they liked to dress like me and do make up like me and tell all of their stories to me....even the really long dreams that never end.  I hope this story ends in happy ever after but right now I'm enjoying the beginning!

Halloween

Our Baby Ghost!

One Dracula, two witches, one ghost, and a ghost holder all ready for Trick-or-Treating! Grandma Mickies WE LOVE YOU! Thank you for all four of these costumes(:

I Vant to Suck your Blood!

Hermione casting a spell!

Vampire Alert! Look out Edward...this one is even more handsome and charming!

Year two in this great witch costume....we just love it!

A little Witch and a Black Cat on Halloween night!

ballerina girl time

Daddy time for Alice is always play time.

Meg and Kate starting Alice early on the dress up scene.

Sweet Meg and Alice.

Reading time thanks to Meg!

Daddy likes to show off his little girl's talents!

Our Family Castle

Erik working in our garden after the harvest while the kids make a castle in the backyard.

Our little Kate working hard on her castle.

Our neighbor Ali Cannon helping with the paint job.

Sam working on the inside kitchen.

No picture could do this fancy new building in my backyard justice. They were so creative. The castle had bedrooms, a patio, front door with a door handle, an oven, a family room and an archway that led to the patio and backyard.

Sam looking out the front window.

Meg working on the back patio roof.

Kate painting the side wall by the second window...very artistic!

Sam getting the front doormat ready.

It hardly ever rains around here, only for a month out of the year and a few sprinkles in the spring. This year it rained heavily within a week of creating this masterpiece....unfortunately we had to dispose of the melted castle sooner then planned.