Zane and Karsten make it on the Pac12 network TV... WSU beats ASU in dramatic style...

Zane and Karsten were on the field waiting for WSU baseball player, Justin Harrer, to finish an interview so they could get their foul balls signed. Harrer is the one who hit the walk off home run to beat ASU in the 10th inning.

The boys appear on the right side of the screen at about the 1:22 minute mark into the video.

https://pac-12.com/videos/washington-state-baseballs-justin-harrer-his-walk-home-run-against-asu-i-think-i-knew-when-it

Cougars baseball game

Went to the WSU vs ASU, it went 10 innings and the Cougs won on a walk off home run. The boys caught several foul balls and got the balls signed.

Pete the Panda comes to visit

Cuteness overload! Like all his older siblings when they were in kindergarten, Karsten brought home a "friend" to visit him from China. Pete packed his own toothbrush, pillow, blanket, and buddy (K named him "Pete Jr.") in a special backpack to spend one night at our house. After dinner Signe helped her little brother write down all their adventures in a special journal.

I just couldn't get enough of watching K sweetly take care of his "guest". He buckled Pete in the car, carried him down to the baseball fields and held him up high so he could see a little of a high school game, and read several stories to him. Karsten showed Pete how to play Candy Land, brushed his teeth, and tucked him into a cozy night's sleep in a doll bed that was Signe's.

My baby is not much of a baby anymore, but I still love love love and cherish these innocent little moments in his childhood when his imagination soars.

Mount Hood beauties

Photo bombers

Last play pic!

This picture, taken by Lisa Hughes, is of the entire cast and crew of about 30 junior highers (and my 9th grade stage manager, Hero Merkle). They did a terrific job!

What a difference 3 hours can make!!

We had only a matinee play performance last Saturday, because Signe (and a few other girls in the play, including Greta) had their Irish step dance recital Saturday night, as well as dance rehearsal that morning. It was a full day! Signe barely got her hair washed and dried after the matinee (she took a loooong shower every night after the play to tame down that rat's nest) before rushing late across town to the Hartung Theater to get ready for the recital.

Zane’s 2nd grade play

My parents came out from Oregon last weekend to see all of the grandkid's activities, although we were so busy I didn't talk to them as much as I usually do. Coincidentally Zane's class play was last Friday morning, meant we had to temporarily clear the stage completely of props and set pieces from the Jr. High play after opening night Thursday night.
It was fun to see Zane perform as The Wine Seller in his play "The King on the Hill" in the morning assembly. He had fun yelling loudly and angrily at The King (his buddy Bennett) for wanting free wine. In the pics he is posing with another of his good friends, Bo Beauchamp.
The play had lots of physical humor; clearly his teacher, Mrs. Wilson, knows what her class of almost all boys would enjoy!

Play pics

More play pics

Signe scared some small children (including her 3-year-old cousin Louie) with her diabolical cackle, frizzed-out hair, warted nose, and penchant for enticing children for "dinner" in to her candy house. She did an impressive job as the witch, and you could hear kids clap and cheer when she was pushed in to her cauldron (which Nick helped build for the set).

A busy busy week!

I never did post any pictures of all that was going on the last week in February, and now that we are half way through our two-week spring break I am going to try to catch up.
Every night of that week we had dress rehearsals or performances of the Jr. High play, which combined the stories of numerous fairy tales and nursery rhymes. It was fun, but also a lot of work!
Greta worked on the crew with makeup and sound, and Theo (aka "Candlestick Maker") was hilariously appalled that I took a picture of his sister helping to do his stage makeup.