Blog Moved!

Hey Everyone! I finally moved the blog to wordpress so go check it out at http://saralaplante.wordpress.com/

School, Christmas, church...

Here's a random post..

First, I graduated from school! YAY!! I know have a Bachelor's degree in Project Management which is pretty much a management degree. I don't want to be a manager, but I did take a lot of classes which will be helpful in the job I already have. Boeing pays for it and is giving me 100 shares of stock for completing the degree. How could I pass that up? Anyway, I am all finished and now I have a lot more free time for working overtime! :) And, of course whatever else I want to do. It's so nice to not have to tell the kids they can't talk to me because I have to write a paper or take a test. The kids were very good about dealing with it, but it's nice to not worry about any deadlines.

We had a wonderful Christmas at Whistler in Canada. I learned that my rear wheel drive car that I love doesn't do so well in the snow! I parked it in a garage and didn't move it until it was time to go home. Luckily, the bus ran right in front of our hotel straight to Whistler Village at the base of Whistler Mountain. Mom and I took the kids to the Tube Park. Cam loved it and Paige hated it! They give you these big inner tubes (how do you spell that? Inter? Inner?) and then you go to the top of a big hill and sled down. Usually they have a moving track to take you to the top, but it wasn't working while we were there, so we got a lot of exercise. Whistler Village is beautiful and it snowed every day! The hotel had a nice hot tub and heated pool (The guy said the pool was 40 degrees, but I don't understand Celcius, so.. we'll just say it was warm, but not warm like the hot tub.) Papa made each of the kids a cradle for their babies. One for Paige's doll and one for Cam's teddy bear. They are beautiful! He signed and dated the bottom of them so they will always remember and someday their kids can have them.

Before we left for Whistler, we had a Christmas celebration with the kids' grandma and great-grandma. Cameron is the proud new owner of a great telescope and the sky cleared up for the evening so we were all able to see the beautiful full moon and its craters. It was amazing! Paige got a doll house which I love. It's beautiful, white, three stories. She's very possessive of it right now. Jeff is working on making me a new blog, so I'll post pictures when I get that up.

Jeff and I are looking for a new church. We haven't been happy at a church since we left Northgate which was years ago. Like.. ten years. TEN years! That's crazy. We've tried, but I've never felt at home. I thought I had found one in Everett, but I just have so many differences that it isn't home. I want a home where everyone is welcome, no one is judged and I'm inspired by the message and excited to be at church singing and worshiping. The longer I am without a church to call home, the more I feel separated from God. I don't think you have to have a church, but for me, it's a place to help me stay on the right track and focused on what is important. The church we used to go to has changed its name, but the lead pastor is still there and the church is moving a little closer to us. Still, it's a drive, but I think it's time to go back. I smile when I think of it. How does ten years go by so quickly?

I'm also trying as a family to keep the Sabbath as God asked his people to in the Bible. The Jews celebrate the Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. This makes it difficult for Jeff when he has a wedding, but there are many weeks (especially this time of year) where he doesn't have a wedding and we are trying to make it family and God time. I love some of the Jewish traditions of lighting candles in the evening, starting the Sabbath at sundown the day before and focusing on family and God. I'm just.. feeling a bit lost today.

Cameron will be six years old in just two weeks! I can hardly believe it. I have an almost six year old! He is having a rough morning. The two of them are fighting and crying and getting things taken away from them. Sounds like it will a long day.. Poor kids, it must be hard to get so miserable!

Yea, still need to make a new blog

but in the meantime...

The kids just got back from a few days at Mom and Dad's. They had tons of fun and I had a nice break. I finished up school and now I have an official Bachelor's degree! Yay! I'm still going to keep my current job, though. I just like to go to school. Actually, that's not true. I like taking math and French, and some other classes, but not all the classes that are required for a degree. I almost went for the master's as well, but then I realized I'd rather have my life back :) Boeing gives me 100 shares of stock for graduating, which is a great graduation gift!

Jeff took me out to dinner last night to celebrate. We went to a place on the lake.. I think Emery's? I could be wrong though, since that looks like the name of a nursery and not a restaurant. Either way, it was really really good!! I had steak and shrimp and we shared a bottle of Syrah and a Creme Brulee dessert. It was so great! Oh, and the best part was the oil you dip the bread in... YUMMY.

Paige and Cam had a great time at the family Christmas. Jeff and I weren't able to go because of work and school, but the kids had fun at Uncle Tim's! They both got blankets and cheerios with a cheerio cookbook, Cam got legos and Paige got a build-a-bear in a swimsuit. She's very cute!

At some point I'll get another blog. :)

moving the blog

Okay, as much as I used to like blogger, I'm increasingly fed up with it! It removes pictures randomly, it won't rotate my pictures correctly and it chops off the sides! GRR. I just tried to post pictures from Halloween and it was such a mess, I gave up. I'll move it later and post the link here.

GRRRRRRR!!!!

I'm not fixing it until I'm finished being mad about it :)

Here's one picture...
Or two

Jeff is famous. Well, he could be.

Jeff was on Komo radio yesterday morning. The radio guy interviewed him about proposal photography since he had done Courteney and Jed's shoot out at Cape Flattery. Here's a link to Jeff's blog about it:
http://blog.jefflaplante.com/2007/10/10/radio-story-on-komo-1000-news-proposal-photography/

Sarah had her baby! Sarah and Esteban had a baby girl named Sophie and of course Jeff took pictures of that too :) here's a link to a slide show. Turn on your speakers.
http://www.jefflaplante.com/slideshows/Sophie/

Happy Birthday Jeffery and the kids are silly

Today is Jeff's 33rd birthday. Yay Jeffy!!

We went to dinner at Tony Roma's and then back home for cake.

Tonight, we were sitting at the dinner table as a family with Jeff's mom and grandma. It was kind of chaotic and loud and Cam put his hands out to pray. He reached across Paige to hold his grandma's hand and pouted when I told him he had to include Paige by holding her hand. Usually Cam says grace, but he was busy figuring out how to avoid holding his sister's hand. As he was resisting, I said:

"Paige, would you like to say grace?"

Paige: "Grace!"

We all laughed soooo hard. I know that's so cliche, but Paige really thought that was what I was asking her to say.

A little while later, Cam asked if he could play a video game and I said sure. He wasn't quite ready though because he was still finishing his cake so I said that Paige could watch cartoons until he was ready. Cam said "NO!!" and Paige said "NO!!" I was confused until Paige continued with "Cam wants to play a game, I will wait." and Cam said "See? She will wait for me. That's my girl."

:) My kids are nuts!!

quick update

I've been so busy with school work and work work that I just haven't had time. Things are good here and I have lots of pictures to put up when I get a chance.

Highlights:
Cam started Kindergarten and so far he really likes it.
Cam had a tooth pulled because it had abscessed (poor guy!!) and now a tooth is loose for the normal reasons.
We went to Wenatchee last weekend because Jeff had a wedding to shoot in Chelan. Brittany was supposed to be up here, but then plans changed and she wasn't coming so I called her up and told her we REALLY needed here and would she PLEASE come up and she did!! YAY!! The kids love Brittany and Jeff and I do too. We had a great time with her. I hope she moves up here.
Cam is almost finished with speech therapy now that he can say anything you ask him to say.
Paige.. I must have an update on Paige.. but, I can't think of anything. She is doing well :)