SURPRISE!

I decided for Kelsee's 18th birthday, I would throw her a sUrPrIsE party. I had a lot of fun planning the evening and trying to invite her friends without her knowledge. Texting is great for that!

The FOOD

Obviously, the chocolate fountain was the favorite of the evening.

a couple of Kelsee's favorite things: Little Caesars pizza and chocolate.

HANGING OUT...

ENJOYING THE FIRE....

telling STORIES....

AND her fAvOrItE pasttime.....SWIMMING!

OFFICIALLY 18!

Kelsee is oFfIcIaLlY 18! We had a great time celebrating her birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Speakman and Matt came down to visit and watch her swim meet. I got her favorite kind of cake....a chocolate/chocolate chip bundt cake with lots of cream cheese frosting. WOW! There sure are a lot of candles.

Grandma and Grandpa Speakman and Matt

Sisterly love...

"A daughter may outgrow you lap, but she will never outgrow your heart."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEE....WE LOVE YOU!

FALL BREAK - LAS VEGAS

During fall break, we took the kids down to Las Vegas for a couple of days. We went to The Lion King and did some shopping in Primm at the outlet stores.

Before the show...

After the show we went to The Cheesecake Factory. The kids love to try a new cheesecake every time.

Bailey couldn't make it till we got back to the hotel. She fell asleep at the restaurant.

National Honor Society

It always amazes me how things change over the years. When I was in high school, to be a member of the National Honor Society , all you needed to do besides having the right GPA was to enroll. I don't remember having a list of criteria and service hours to be able to wear the NHS collar at graduation. Anyway....times change.....things become more time consuming and overwhelming.

National Honor Society induction night....

So as I was saying earlier, as a high school student, I enrolled one time, kept my GPA in the right area and was recognized at graduation. Kelsee enrolled when she was a freshman which was great. I didn't realize she was a member of the National JUNIOR Honor Society and she would have to sign up and be inducted all over again for the National Honor Society. She missed it her sophmore year and her junior year she was too busy to complete the information before the deadline. So, with my long explanation over, Kelsee was inducted into the National Honor Society. Way to go Kelsee!

VOLLEYBALL

Abby is in 7th grade this year. She tried out for the border league volleyball team. They had a great year. The team started off pretty shaky but by the end, they had come together pretty well. Abby worked hard on her serve and was one of the best servers on the team.

They took first place beating out the other Desert Hills team. It was a long day but well worth it.

The girls thought it would distract the other team if they had "crazy" hair. I know I was a little distracted :)

Washington D.C. Trip

In October, Jared had medical meetings in Washington D.C. Whenever possible, I like to tag along and take in the sights, have a little R&R and do a little shopping. There is so much to see in D.C. We decided we would need another week to take in more of the sights. We would like to bring the kids for a visit. This town is rich with history. Here are a few of the highlights from our trip:

Vietnam Memorial

The Eternal Flame at John F. Kennedy's gravesite

Arlington National Cemetery

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

at Arlington National Cemetery

The Lincoln Memorial

The White House at night

It seems so much smaller than I thought...

The Washington Memorial at night

World War II Memorial

The view from the Washington Memorial

(looking down toward the World War II Memorial, the Reflecting Pool, and the

Lincoln Memorial...all part of the National Mall

The National Cathedral

inside the National Cathedral (I actually feel tall)

Just a quick note...

Just finished celebrating Bailey's birthday. She is officially 6. I can't post pictures about it because that would be out of order. :p

I sat down to complete a post and realized I need to get my taxes ready for tomorrow, pay the bills, get dinner started and have everyone practice the piano, get their homework and chores done and finish up the laundry. No wonder I am so behind.

It seems like uploading photos takes the most time. Does anyone have any suggestions or short cuts to speed up the process? I really want to catch up.