State is done!

This last weekend, our three post-season gymnasts had their State Championships at the T-Dome (Tacoma Dome) and did AMAZING!! I get to brag if I want to.

Two of the girls competed on beam and the 3rd one was on Uneven Bars, Vault and Floor. They all three had their most flawless, stuck and strong routines that I have seen all season! WOW!

Got to love the chalk dust flying everywhere, it makes beautiful specs on the lens and photos.

Since we did not make it to state as a team, all the individuals are placed together when going to all the events. So here is a photo of our 'team' that we went around with Friday night. This was such a great group of girls, some we knew from past meets and others we met on Friday and will for sure see again in the future. We made a game too, and decided that we were a 'competing' team, so we followed our 'team' score to see if we would have won, and with a 179.45 we would have come in 2nd place at state. We made it a great time!

Unfortunately, seeing that we were in session 3 for the day (Friday) which started at 5pm with warm-ups and 6:20 with march-in, we did not start the awards part of the evening till 9:30ish... by the time we left the T-Dome, it was 10pm. And since most restraunts close at 11pm, we did not get our olive garden dinner. We all just went home.

That was a good thing too, since one of our girls MADE IT TO FINALS!!! on vault! So we had to be back at the T-Dome at 9am Saturday. She did amazing and finished 8th in the state on vault.

All that is left for this season is the end banquet which is next week.

GO BEARS!! Till next year!!

Random photo Update

Piggy Back fun!

Stop! Gimmie That!

Diego's helper (using the monitor as a walkie-talkie
and hooking it to a belt while wearing pajamas)

On a trip to Snoqualmie Falls... Yes, I hiked to the bottom while 8 months pregnant... I did a engagment photo shoot there, dragged Eric with me for some quality outside time, and exercise... they had fun! The couple offered to take our photo too. :)

Allie and Isabelle! Allie has been a big part of my life, since I met her my first year teaching, when she was in 3rd grade. Two years later she was one of my junior brides' maids and then 3 years after that, she was one of the first ones to hold Isabelle while we were still at the hospital. And in a few weeks, she will again be at the hospital to be one of the first to hold our son!

Work Baby Shower

There are two of us on the staff that are having new additons to the family, and it so happens that we are 'due' the same day, March 17th, St. Paddy's Day. So the theme was 'luck and well wishes.'

One of my co-workers, a few months ago, got Isabelle hooked on lollipops... he was actually the first person to ever give her one, and now when she sees him, she says lollipop please before a hello or anything. She does say thank you!! So when my co-worker found out she was coming to the shower too, he brought a pocket full of them... there is not a single picture of her without one in her mouth... I take that back, there was one of her eatting cake. :)

Present time

Thank you to a great staff!!

(you may be wondering who that guy is sitting on the couch... that is the other one expecting a new addition to his family... His wife works in Seattle and was not able to make it, so he gotto open all the presents and enjoy the cake).

Subs, Districts and now STATE!

Two weeks ago, we had a gymnastics meet, sub-districts, to try to qualify for Districts. At subs we did not make it as a team to Distircts, (they olny take the top 6 teams and we placed 8th). However three of our girls had amazing talent on their events and moved on to districts! YEAH! And one of the girls was the Bars champion!!! (below)

So then last Saturday was Districts. Those three girls were all fighting for their chance to qualify for a spot to move on to State. What were the chances that all three of them would qualify?? Slim to little, since there are about 50 or more girls going for 6 individual spots per event. Great news is!!! They, all three of these talented girls, qualified on at least one event!! WOW!!! And they are headed to the State Championships this Friday. AND one of the girls was the reigning Vault champion!!

It is almost time to celebrate a delicious Olive Garden dinner tradition... Yumm for late night Friday night dinner!

Post-Season Gymnastics

It is that time of year again where the THS girls' gymanstics team has been amazing and in the league, so far we are in about 8th place amongst 17 teams. Not Bad! This coming Sat, Feb 6th is Sub-districts, which will confirm who actually goes into true post-season. So there are only 3 more weeks of gymnastics; all saturday meets from this point on. This has been a long season... mainly the lack of sleep while being pregnant has made it extra long. But there is a light and it is almost over. :) In case, the SPSL.org website has the times and places for those meets.

I'll post some photos of the girls' high flying and tumbling soon.

Our varsity squad sporting their new leos!

Done with that!!!

Yes-siree!!! The pacifier is gone!!! I finally did it (again) and cut the top off the latest pacifier and this time, there wasn't one somewhere hiding (yes, she had a secret stash of them for a while - so everytime I would cut one, she would have a rough day and then she would pull another one from somewhere and well, yeah...) Granted she was good to go during the day, she only used it at night and for naps, but enough now!

So we have been pacifier free COMPLETELY for 5 days and nights now and only one night of melt down. And wouldn't you know it, I did it on a night where I would have to wake up at 4am for coaching and then go to work after. But in the end we are good to go. Of course she does need extra cuddle time at night, basically till she falls asleep... but once she is out, she is good to go! Ahhhh!

What is the next milestone? Oh yes... a baby brother!

Photography

In the last two weeks, a few friends of mine have all gotten engaged and have all asked me to do their engagement photo shoots. This is so exciting for me! and hopefully them too! I did the first one this past Sunday, up at Snoqualmie Falls, where the couple got engaged. We (the couple, my self with Eric and Isabelle) hiked down to the board walk of the lower observation deck... WHAT!!! you can't go all the way to the falls anymore! unless you climb over the railing... haha, that wasn't happening at eight months pregnant... Either way we got some good shots there and then did a bit of rock walking along the river and got more. Sad though, I had some great ideas for some pictures up near the falls which would of been (might of been) spectacular. Next time, I say.

Needless to say, if you have ever hiked down to the bottom of a waterfall, there is a hike back up. Yeah that we know the dad of the bride to be and he came and picked us up at the lower parking lot (I know, we should have parked there) and drove us all back to the top. Once back, the couple re-enacted their romantic night of getting engaged while I snapped a few more.

The weather was perfect (overcast with some wind) up till the end when is started raining. I should have their photos done, just before my next shoot in a few weeks and then another towards the end of summer.

Casualfamilyphotography.com will be updated this coming weekend

Quick Update!

For those needing a January update... here you go!

Isabelle is getting bigger, talking ALL the time, and is 90% potty trained. We still wear a diaper at night, for naps and if we have a trip to the store, but for around the house, at nana's and on play dates we are good to go!!! :)

Eric is good, still works a lot and plays on the weekend with his toys. He is working on random house projects here and there too, all getting ready for the new addtion. ;)

I am getting fatter of course, there are about 8 weeks to go, so it is starting to get close to the end. I am still working and doing the 4am get ups for gymnastics coaching (which is a interesting year... everytime I think I have this head coach thing under my belt, someone throws a wrench in to the mix). Eh... so is life. I am still getting photography jobs too, got an engagement session Saturday, if the weather holds. It has been amazing the last few days!!

Speaking of weather, WOW in So. Cali. I can't believe that there are tornados there in Orange County and LA areas. Crazy!! Glad my parents and grandmother are in an area that are not too much affected by it all... though they are getting hit a bit.

So tired, must get up at 4... signing off till next post.

Eric is 33!

Happy Birthday Eric! Your old! J/k

Sophia was in charge of the 'decorations' which ened up being Dora hats and loud horns... and we know Isabelle loves the horns!!!

Hat fun with Sophia and Uncle Charlie

Cheers Daddy!!

Cake time!
33 candles to blow out before setting off the fire alarm...
with help, he was successful!

Baby Shower

Baby boy Morceau is coming in about 9 weeks... and I really wanted my mom and grandmother to enjoy one of my showers, since they both missed Isabelle's, so we had an early shower. It was an amazing time and very special with family and friends. Though, passing my camera around agian, photos came out blury. So here are some that were good. I am waiting for another friend of mine to send me the ones she took and I will post those when they come.

The girls having fun!

A bit of the bump

New Year Photos

New Year's Day at my parents!

Look, up there!!! It's Elfin... he moved AGAIN!

I love horns!!!

Let's count Grammy... 1...2...3...

Blow!!

Let's do it again... for a few more hours! :)

Christmas Pictures

With so many Christmas' it was hard to pick which photos to put up... So here are a few that weren't blury... (when others use your camera... sometimes blury takes over :( )

See my new doll?

Mike and Eric

The boys... fathers, sons, brother's in law, cousins and cat.

Daddy cutting down a tree at my parents house for Isabelle's own tree in her room.

All decorated (the lower 1/3) ... time to admire all the hard work.

Beautiful!!

Christmas Here!

New Binoculars to see all the animals in the forest - to help Diego

I see you (in orange)

Parts of the new kitchen set

Reading to another new doll

My new work desk... here I can play with play-doh, paint, make my sticker puppets...

just about everything!!

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa

WOW! Christmas morning!!

Thank you Santa!

New Drum and Keyboard set

More presents at nana and papa's

Happy New Year!

To all... Wishing you a Wonderful 2010!

Last night, Eric and I were watching the TV for the NY ball to fall and then the Seattle Space Needle Fireworks show to bring in the new year... Isabelle was asleep -- so we thought. Literally at mid-night, she called me from her room, clear as day... "MOOOOOOM" over and over till I went in an got her. She was wide awake showing me the full moon that was shinning SO brightly in her room... so I decided to bring her out to the living room for her to join us and watch the fireworks together. She loved them, smiling the whole time, saying 'oooh' and 'yeah fireworks' the whole time. And when it was over she clapped. She must of known there were going to be fireworks! somehow. Then off to bed for all of us!

Now as my tradition holds, 8am and up watching the Tournament of Roses Parade. And then off to my parents to spend New Year's Day with them!