Anaheim Days Of Play...

Still in Disneyland, but will be leaving in the morning. We got in early today, and went crazy in Fantasyland with Hannah leading the way. We met up with Joe, Winter, and Joey and saw Snow White, Mulan, and Aurora at the Fantasy Faire. We also met up with Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Santa Goofy, and Pluto in ToonTown while we waited. Hannah seems to be scared of any dog toons, so Goofy and Pluto did not go in the autograph book. Breakfast found us at Goofy's Kitchen (poor Hannah, she kept faking having to go to the bathroom to escape Goofy and Brer-Bear) where we ate until we could no longer move. I took a nap at the hotel while the rest went back to California Adventure for more thrill rides. We all survived Tower of Terror, and have the t-shirt to proove it! We caught up to Mr. & Mrs. Incredible and Frozone at the Hollywood Backlot, where we went to the Aladin production. It was an awesome day, and Hannah and Diane wept at the exit from the park.

oh, quotes from the trip: "That was awesome! I didn't puke!" - Hannah "I was driving, and I kept waking up." - Diane

DisneyLalifornia Adventure

So we survived yesterday (barely) and were up early for a bonus ToonTown pass which made us honorary citizens for the day, complete with really big pins! That got boring quickly, so we went back to the rides, a quick breakfast of Mickey Mouse Pancakes, and Hopped over to California Adventure. First we caught up with Joe, Diane's brother, and his kids Winter and Joe Jr. We had lunch at Ariel's Grotto, where we got to meet Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle! There was a High School Musical mini-parade. We also got to see the Muppet 3D thingy, which I loved, and went on the Grizzly Mountain water thingy, which soaked all of us. Afterwards we recuperated at the Hotel Pool. Now it's off to the New Orleans area to meet back with Joe and grab Dinner at the Blue Bayou.

The Wonderful World Of Disney

So day one is over at Disneyland. Wow, are we tired! We're staying at Disneyland Hotel. Hannah likes the roller coasters and most of the rides, except for Indiana Jones (the snakes are scary!). Too much fun to think about typing. Just check out the pics.

Advent Choir Spectacular!

Michaela, along with her boyfriend Sam (aka Peaslee), joined the Advent/Christmas choirs at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church for a special event. It was huge! Hundreds of singers, and at least 15 musicians who actually made up the greater portion of the service Sunday morning. The sermon was short, and the music was spectacular!..even if Hannah did fall asleep.
After church we hopped in the car and drove south...on the way to DisneyLand! Woo hoo! Michaela got to visit a couple of colleges of the arts that she was looking at, and Diane and I got to visit with her uncle Abe who she hadn't see since she was 18 and who lives in Hollywood. Since we were in Hollywood, and I had never been, we had to stop by Grauman's Chinese Theater to check out the stars and the hand prints in front. Cool, says I. I Moonwalked over Michael Jackson's star. Take that Michael! We're at Disneyland now, so stay tuned for more!

Waltz of Michaela

Saturday was Michaela's birthday. But she's a busy girl, and spent most of the day at the Lake Oswego Academy of Dance where she dances and teaches. They had their 3rd annual Open House featuring dances from the Nutcracker Ballet. Michaela was in the Waltz of the Flowers. It was cool.

When she finally came home, we had a cake and presents for her and then she left to hang out with her friends...and Peaslee, her boyfriend, of course!

Mike's New House

My friend Mike bought his first house and I hooked up the LGPC trailer and went to help him move his big stuff over. He lives in SE Portland now, and it's pretty cool...the floors are a little crooked, but other than that, he got a pretty good deal. It took like 6+ hours though. Very tired now.

First Snow

So as I was making Hannah's breakfast this morning, I looked outside and Lo and Behold! It was snowing! And we're talking huge flakes here! It was 33 degrees, so it wasn't sticking, but it was pretty. Diane went out to catch snowflakes on her tongue. She's so cute!

Thanksgiving

We had a near catastrophe this year when, after using the self-cleaning cycle, the oven refused to unlock on Wednesday! after 20 hours, it still wouldn't unlock, and my dad had to come over to help Diane pull it out of the wall, take of the back, and unlock it...and then put it back (I was at work)! So we were able to have our Thanksgiving dinner!

It was actually more of a Thanksgiving Lunch, as I had to go to work (Thanksgiving is one of Gustav's busiest days of the year) in the evening. Diane got up early to put the finishing touches on the pie's, turkey, stuffing, spuds, etc. Michaela took Hannah to see Deck The Halls, so that made for a bit of quiet time for us to enjoy. Hannah ate both drumsticks of the turkey! she loves her drummies! We had 3 pies to enjoy, and then off to work I went! after the necessary viewing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving that is.

Rainy Day Play

Hannah has been hounding Diane and I to have her friend Rowan come over for at least a week. So, Rowan came over today! It's pretty rainy outside, so play was confined to the house. The girls put on their own makeup, and then Michaela helped them bake cookies, which Diane and I were quite pleased with, cause we were having a lazy day downstairs napping in front of the TV. Ah, to quote the infamous James Marshall Hendrix, "Rainy day, dream away."

Mom's Birthday

So my (Kevin) mom's birthday is tomorrow, but we went over to celebrate tonight. My brother even popped in for a wee bit, just to see his kids. I was surprised (and happy) to see my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Steve there (these days I'm such a slacker that I usually only see them at Christmas...I'm a bad nephew, by my standards at least). My ex-sister-in-law Shanda was there with mom's grandsons, and that was cool, especially since Cole has started walking! Roan (Cole's brother) was pleased that we had brought Hannah along, since they can play together. My parents old friends (and my dad's current boss) Mark and Sandy came by as well. We got to have pie (apple or chocolate cream) courtesy of my sister (who couldn't make it) and Mom got some cool gifts...I mean check it out; she got a Nintendo DS. I don't even have a 64! Hannah had picked out a puzzle of Jesus and a little girl for her as well. So Happy Birthday Mom! Even if it is tomorrow!

Bouncing with Melisha

Hannah was invited to go to a classmate's birthday party today, along with about 25 other kids, at Pump It Up! which is basically a 4000 sq.ft room with all sorts of inflateable bouncie houses and things. So these kids went absolutely crazy for an hour and a half, and then retired to the party room (where I remembered that I had a camera) for pizza, cake, and presents. Melisha got to sit up on a big ol' inflateable throne, along with a crown while people handed presents to her. It was pretty cool, I tell you! As we were leaving, Hannah and Rowan (from school and soccer) set a playdate for tomorrow, so there may be more about that.

Beauty & The...

Halloween Night came and went...and Hannah dressed up as Belle from Disney's Beauty & The Beast. I dressed in all black along with a cape and long black wig. I don't know what I was, but it was weird. And it was a windy night! Well, it's over now, and Diane says that if it's like this next year, we'll dress as Eskimos.

We went over to my mom's to trick or treat (since only mom will give Diane and I any candy!) and I got to scare my little nephews...apparently Spiderman fears the big hairy thing that was Uncle Kevin!

By The Bay...

My folks had to cancel their trip to a "beach" cabin at Netarts Bay near Tillamook this weekend... so Diane, Hannah, & I went instead! Michaela had to work and had school monday, so she didn't come unfortunately...and Hannah...well, it's only first grade! So, we headed out, and arrived before dusk on Saturday, and I must say; it's a nice place. Small, quite, with a woodstove to keep us warm, and a full kitchen. I tell, you, sunday was friggin' cold on the bay! We went down for a walk, but had to come back, as the wind blew Hannah away! Thank God for the woodstove, and plenty of wood (yes Dyke, I chopped more!). We (mostly Diane) cooked chicken soup, tuna surprise, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and cookies. We went out for oysters and clams. It was very peaceful, except for one thing; Hannah. A 6 year old just doesn't understand relaxation. It was literally every 2 minutes on Sunday that she complained about the quiet and "being bored". Grrrr... but we enjoyed it anyway, and on the way back monday, since we were going through Tillamook, we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Neither of the girls had ever been, so it was really fun for them. Hannah was especially excited, being the little mouse that she is. She had more than her fair share of cheese tasters, and still had room for Root Beer Float ice cream! Much fun, but I'm certainly glad to be home, although Hannah isn't feeling very well...too much cheese?

Foggy Ball!

Hannah had a 9 O'clock soccer game this morning...and you couldn't see from one goal to the other! The fog hadn't rolled out yet, but they played their little hearts out...it may have been from the fact that it was the only way to stay warm though. Hannah played on a team with Claire, Sydney, Collin, and the "secret" crush, Winston. Lots of scoring by both teams, and Hannah scored at least 3 of 'em! "Two in a row!" was her cry at one point. She rocks.

The Mercy Project

So we played Grace Lutheran Church in Vancouver, WA. There weren't very many people there, but we rocked. We played for about 45 minutes for the youth group there. A few original songs, but mostly covers and worship tunes. We rocked in a version of Nothing But The Blood that Brandon had come up with, but the slapping on the bass actually caused his hand to bleed! So we wrapped it up with one more song, and ended the set for the night. We're on backup for playing the Annex this fall, so that might pan out. Other than that, it's just (just, right, it's everything!) playing as the worship band for LGPC youth.

LGPC Harvest Fest!

Sunday night was Lake Grove Presbyterian Church's Harvest Fest. It was lots of fun; there was all sorts of games outside under the bigtop: tic tac toe, jousting, those hammer-to-show-your-strength thingy's, and a bouncie house. There was more, but I didn't get to them. Inside was the food - BBQ ribs and bratwurst, hot dogs, coleslaw, baked beans, even brownies and ice cream! The Mercy Project played live music (I'm drumming for them now) and Danny Ray did his amazing illusion show...which just about creeps me out everytime I see it! After this was all over, the High Schoolers went upstairs for some personal time with Danny, and lo and behold, the youth group from Columbia Presbyterian was there!
Good times, especially when James performed an Ashley Simpson song!

Hannah: Soccer & Singing

So Hannah has been playing her little soccer-heart out on saturdays, and I finally got some good photos of it! She and her team, the Dominators, rock...they didn't score yesterday, but they played hard! Even when Marcus from the other team (the Dragons) kept kicking players on her team on purpose, they were in it!
Hannah sang with the Joy Choir at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church this morning. Actually, all of the choirs sang this morning! It was commissioning sunday for the Music Ministry today. The band of High Schoolers that I work with, The Mercy Project, will be playing later today at the church's Harvest Fest. Look for that story in the near future!

Homecoming!

Lake Oswego High had their Homecoming Dance last night, and Michaela went with Peaslee (Sam) and a whole gaggle of their friends. Diane, Hannah, & I held a table at the Old Spaghetti Factory for them, and then went home, leaving the young and beautiful people to their dinner, and then to their dance. Michaela slept until about 4 this afternoon, so it must have been a good time!

Fish Co

I was testing the new camera with the kids...they're a rowdy bunch.

NYWC 2006 Con't...

Got more pics! So the second night, I caught the band Nevertheless on the small stage. They rocked. The Mercy Project is better though (shameless plug). I got tired and left between bands, then joined Jim for brats down on 6th street...on the way there, ran into the guys from Nevertheless. That was cool. Saturday afternoon, we (all youth workers) were treated to lunch at Stubb's BBQ for free! There was even live music, courtesy of...hmmm...I've got the card somewhere...but it was way cool. Hillary, Angela, and Vick from First Pres Portland joined us. Today Building 429 played a set after a seminar, and then there was a 1000 Foot Crutch & Kutless concert that Jenn, Lucien, and I were front row for. That was cool. There was even some real moshing (not just the jump-up-and-down that Christians like) and crowd surfing. Between the concerts, Lucien and I wandered the streets to find the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial by the river. I had to be a little touristy! Well, no brats tonight as Best Wurst is closed. It's sad. We have one more day, and then we'll fly home tomorrow night. Merry Christmas to all, and to all: A Good Night!