Here is an abbreviated version of late summer/fall.
After our fun vacation to California we had a Keeler reunion in the Vancouver area. We played in the sand and kayaked at Cottonwood Beach in Washougal, had some nice dinners at people's homes and visited the coast, among other activities. Here are most of the cousins at Hug Point. It was a fun reunion.
School started!!
Matthew is a senior! and Anna a junior.
John started 6th grade at the middle school and Grant is a big 8th grader there.
Emma is all alone at the elementary school now and loving it...but missing John too.
Matthew is a senior!!
He has been working hard on college applications and all his senior things.
He currently wants to major in Computer Science and has his eye on University of Washington, but we'll see how things work out. I'm excited for him and his new adventures but start tearing up whenever I think too hard about it. So, just enjoying this year for now.
John and Grant ran Cross Country
Before the first meet
John was very nervous/worried/scared/sad before the first meet
And after the first meet
The first meet was really hot and smoky and everyone had a rough time. After that first one John worked hard and improved his times A LOT. Grant ran great that day - a seasoned vet by now - and kept improving his times all season.
Grant finishing a race strong - it was a photo finish
John finishing a race one rainy meet day
This day it rained and rained on the kids and the 6th graders ran last. John was at the back of the pack but a bunch of his teammates went back to help him finish the race and cheer him on. It was so sweet.
8th graders got to run first on that day - a perk of being an 8th grader I guess.
Grant did great and tried to stay dry during the rest of the races.
At the end of the season Scott ran the cross country course with the boys as part of a challenge race - Scott ran it twice, once with the 6th graders and once with the 8th graders. Grant got an award for competing on the cross country team all 3 years of middle school (he's in his last year of middle school!! - more tears!!)
John got the award for most improved and he really was - he cut his times way down during the season! As my kids well know and are tired of me saying, I ran cross country all 4 years of high school and I am a huge cross country zealot! So I loved that my boys participated this year!
And speaking of zealots - Anna is BIG into choir at the high school and recruited Matthew to try out for a special choir, Select Vocal Ensemble. Matthew and Anna both got accepted into this choir, which meets during 0 period, so requires them both to attend the earliest seminary class. Their choir sounds great and they are having a lot of fun! Here they are before a performance. Anna used to be the lone soprano 1, although she may be joined by some other singers now. Matthew was recently made the section leader of the baritones! So that's exciting too!
In junior high in Utah Matthew played trumpet in the band.
He hasn't had room in his schedule (or wanted to make room) since we moved until this year. He joined the band as a senior and switched to playing French horn. French horn, as we've learned is a harder instrument but Matthew has worked hard to learn it. He's one of only two (sometimes 3) French horns in the band of 125ish kids. He's in the middle back here - the marching French horn he is playing here has a forward facing bell and looks more like a fat trumpet.
Here you can see the marching French horn better
At senior night! All the senior band members got special recognition, along with their parents at one of the football games. I now love the Camas band and am sad I won't have any kids in it next year. Oh well. It's been fun!
At the football games!
The football team did really well this year, extending the marching band season into December. The football team went to state finals and got to play in Husky Stadium in Seattle. The marching band was right there with them.
Here is the marching band playing at the state finals game in Seattle
Matthew is somewhere in the back right
Our school ended up losing the game, but it was close!!
Anna took driver's ed this fall.
By the time I got around to posting this she already completed the class including a written test and driving test for the class, which she passed. She still has to do the state tests but can't get her license for a few more months. She's doing great at driving - lots of dark rainy driving hours under her belt!
Got some pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.
We did some different hiking outings
This is Falls Creek Falls I think
Matthew applied to 6 colleges and has already heard from 3 of them (3 acceptances and some scholarships!). Still waiting on the last 3.
Halloween! John was a ninja and Emma a vampire.
Grant was a Hog Rider from a video game and even had a ride on pig toy and a Hammer of Thor type hammer to go with it. He was funny and some people knew who he was - he ran around with his friends on Halloween night and I didn't get a picture. All of our kids ended up trick or treating this year! John and Emma went to a lot of different trick or treat events!
Anna and friends had a group costume - Strawberry Shortcake characters and trick or treated a little then had a party.
Matthew stayed at home and helped hand out candy until a cold and wet group of his friends came to the door hoping for a ride home (it was very rainy that night) - he gave them a ride and they stopped and did a little trick or treating along the way and then hung out a bit. Another night they went to a Halloween event and he was Waldo. It's good to have a backup costume handy just in case you need it!
Emma was in her school choir this year and got to sing with Matthew and Anna's choir one evening. Matthew missed it because of play practice :( but the girls sounded great!
Celebrated Emma's birthday
Matthew after the play - he ran the light board for the fall play!
Thanksgiving came and we got to see lots of Guptill cousins!!
Thanksgiving was great!
And lastly we got passports! In June we hope to travel to the exotic land of...Canada!!
If they'll have us. More (December!!) adventures to come!!
