The Ratnayake Family

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY NATALIA !!!!

2012-01-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe our little peanut is 5!!! We just couldn't resist having a girly girl party, then of course we followed up with the usual family trip to Red Robin.

Since Andrew's birthday is so close to Halloween, costumes are usually the norm

and therefore costumes have become the norm for birthdays in general.

Raja and Isaac happy as can be.

Natalia's birthday cake

Pin the horn on the unicorn. (Raja drew the horse- I know- amazing huh?!)

Natalia wanted to do pedicures with her friends. Did I mention it was a girly girl party?

It was a fun day! We are so glad Natalia is a part of our family. We love her to pieces!!!

Ladies- restrain yourselves- the oldest one is mine!

2012-01-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

My handsome boys. They bring all the fun i need and sometimes don't need.

OUR 2011 CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION...

2011-12-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Hashan slept through the first little bit of Christmas morning, so when he

woke up, everyone was so happy to see him- and to

open his gifts for him.

Andrew and Natalia are opening Hashan's stocking for him.

Opening my new frying pans- Thanks Santa!

Andrew was so excited to see his 3D puzzle from Grandma Joy and Grandpa John.

Hashan got a new high chair for Christmas. Natalia also found it useful for her new baby. As it turns out, she's a great mom!

Grandma and Grandpa gave Natalia her beautiful Christmas dress.

She looked so pretty, and felt like a princess.

Hashan did get his turn too!

This video starts out on Christmas eve. Natalia has just put on her new Christmas nightgown that I made. Andrew is just plain excited!

Later, is when they first get to see the tree with gifts on Christmas morning.

Thanksgiving and more!!!

2011-11-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

1st lost tooth

2011-11-28T22:22:00.000-08:00

Andrew has sworn he has a loose tooth since he was about 3.

Finally at age 7 he lost one!

Wahooo!

Left to her own devices...

2011-11-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

Oh the joys- Natalia found a new subject to beautify!

SOOOOOOOO pretty!

Putting up the Christmas lights

2011-11-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

I just had to post these pictures to show Raja's annual death defying stunt that we like to call "putting up the Christmas lights". The ladder he is on the very top of- is on the hood of our car- enough said.

Hashan

2011-11-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Natalia's preschool Halloween party was lots of fun. She got to decorate a cupcake, play 'pin the wart on the witch', and do a bean bag toss!

The kids also had a parade to show off their costumes to the parents- is was so cute!

Our ward trunk or treat, is always fun. Every year, the kids get to go through this maze of hay bales to get their candy- they love it!

Andrew was batman

Natalia was Tinker Bell.

When we went trick or treating in our neighborhood. Natalia decided to be 'Belle with wings' instead.

Sleepovers and Soccer

2011-11-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Addiley and Rylund got to spend the night a few weeks ago, when there parents left on a little get away. Here they are in the morning hanging out and looking at books.

Breakfast

Natalia's last soccer game

(she's wearing the white jersey- and has two braids)

Her coach and team

Andrew's last game was the same day. Afterward, his coach invited us all to his home for a barbecue where the team members received their trophies.

Our new family pictures with Hashan...

2011-11-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

RATNAYAKE FAMILY.

Our lovely boy Hashan and his first official photo shoot ...

Our beautiful princess always cheerful.

Our handsome boy.

We tried so hard for all of them to smile and stay steady especially keep Hashan smiling was a battle.

Happy 7th Birthday Andrew!!!

2011-10-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been wanting a hex bug for weeks!

This year for Andrew's birthday party, he invited Rylund and Keegan to come with us to Red Robin for dinner.

Hashan's photo shoot...

2011-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

4 months old and lookin' good!

Fall is here, but before it gets too cold, Raja,

wanted to get Hashan out to enjoy the fresh air!

I think I see a future in the music industry!

Middle of somewhere in Utah...

2011-10-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

When we are coming back home from the General Conference in Utah, Hashan got hungry. While I was feeding him somewhere in Utah, Raja, Andrew and Natalia to a chance to explore this harvested wheat field. It was fun that Andrew and Natalia took a chance to run around and stretch for the next lag and Raja took some pictures of them running around.

Andrew was trying to gather some stones to his collection.

Natalia was having her free spirit time. She was running freely in that golden color wheat field.

Indian Creek Festival '11

2011-09-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

This year we all got in on the action at the Indian Creek Festival, right here in Caldwell. Raja participated in the cardboard kayak race. It was so fun to see!

Preparing for the race...

On your mark, get set.... go!!!

(The official rules- if the participant stays in contact with their kayak, they are still in the race!)

We were grateful for that rule :)

Somehow, Raja managed to get back into his kayak while moving down the river- unfortunately, that didn't last long!

I hope this becomes a family tradition- it sure was fun!

Way to go Raja!

Natalia enjoyed the bounce house...

... and Andrew couldn't get enough of this rope bridge! I believe he crossed it 5 times!

(yes, Hashan and I were there too. He was either sleeping or being rocked/patted/held etc. - he was a real trooper all day! :)

Andrew's first day of 1st grade

2011-08-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Andrew was very excited to start school in his new school this year. He is starting at a bilingual charter school where he will go to an english speaking class the first half of the day, and a spanish speaking class the second half.

Breakfast to start the big day!

Hashan got blessed on Sunday the 21st....

2011-08-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

We had our dinner outside. It was fun and hopefully everybody enjoyed the dinner.

We invited Sherman's to our dinner. Andrew and Natalia loved having them because they are all best friends.

Our good friend Bishan and Sarah came to Hashan's blessing. It was nice of them to come to the blessing and have dinner with us.

Welcome to the World!!!

2011-06-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hashan Isaac Ratnayake

2:50 p.m.

Weight: 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Length: 19 1/2 in.

Grandma- holding her grandson for the first time.

This is one proud Daddy!

He was weighed in this little bag- the entire time he had his foot sticking out!

Being weighed...

The woman weighing and washing him is my midwife, Samantha. She delivered him.

Being washed...

Andrew and Natalia seeing their new little brother for the first time.

(They were not in the room during the birth, but they were

close enough the hear me screaming- I'm not a quiet birther :) So, they were also

able to see that I was still alive and well :)

This was within minutes of the birth.

(Yes, as a matter of fact, I was going for a glamour shot;)

As soon as our son was born, they put him up on my chest, and we got to stay like that for as

long as we wanted. I loved how laid back everyone was at the birthing center. It was very calm, peaceful and relaxing. We could also stay for as long as we wanted. We decided to stay overnight, and left the next morning to bring all three of our kids together again.

Andrew and Natalia spent the night at our friend's, the Sherman's, house. This is just after they got home. (Natalia is holding the egg she got from their chickens- she was so proud of it!)

They sure love their little brother!

Our first family photo!

We celebrated Hashan's arrival with a birthday party-

if you look closely you can see a "0" on the cake.

The presents are gifts from Hashan to his new brother and sister.

Andrew and Natalia, with grandma, playing with their gifts from Hashan.

All in all, we are absolutely in love with our own little

Mr. Amazing!!!!!

The Father's and Son's Camp Out 2011

2011-06-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Roasting marshmallows and enjoying the night campfire

Saturday morning. Everyone wants to come around the fire to warm up.

The kids had so much fun, there was always someone to play with!

OUR CAMP OUT AT DUTCH CREEK CABIN

2011-05-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

We usually start getting excited for summer activities around Feb. This year was no different. We reserved a cabin through recreation.gov so we could have one last adventure as a family of four. Also, knowing that at this point I would be close to 8 mos. pregnant, I opted for an actual flush toilet and not sleeping on the floor. This cabin was perfect.

(These pics aren't in any order:)

Andrew and I went exploring after Natalia went to sleep Thursday night. There was still plenty of day light that couldn't be wasted! Across the road from us, were a few other cabins, as well as this cool swing and a place to play horse shoes (with 4 that had been left behind- good for us!) Friday morning, I went back to sleep after breakfast, while Andrew took Raja and Natalia to see all of the amazing things we found on our adventure.

It's hard to see in this picture, but there is a tiny waterfall on the other side of the river. Andrew and I decided that because we were most likely the first people to ever have discovered this waterfall, that it was up to us to name it. Andrew decided to call it "Falls of the Hikes".

We avoided the drizzle of the early hours and ate breakfast inside. Oh, did I mention, this is so my type of camping!

Thursday night we had to go inside for s'mores. I know, it's tragic, but we still had fun. We recently found out that Andrew and Natalia are quite the story tellers, so we started what we now call 's'more stories'. One person will begin a story, then pass it off to another person who continues it etc. etc. Most of the stories revolve around going to alien planets or creature power suites (from Wild Kratts on PBS.)

Our sleeping arraignments. I love camping like this!

Our Thursday night cuisine. I was the prep cook, and Raja made it happen!

Raja and Andrew spent some time playing baseball and cricket with this 'bat' Raja found.

Raja performing his 'manly-man' duty of wood splitting!

On the way to the cabin, we noticed this huge rush of water flowing into a very full Boise River. This is near Lucky Peak.

Summer in May?

2011-05-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, it has actually been hot the past couple of days. So, what does that mean? Time to get a pool! It seems our summer water toys (pools, slip n' slides etc.) never last us very long and we end up having to replace them about every year. We're hoping this one will be around a little longer.

Andrew and Natalia wanted to lay out (obviously their tans need a little work:)

Raja had just mowed the lawn so it was wet and

had grass clippings on it.

We suggested they lay on the picnic table.

They loved soaking up the sun!

Cooling off in the cold water!

READY FOR THE SPRING

2011-05-06T20:14:00.001-07:00

Last week Raja decided to have fun with the kids with this rotary sprinkler head. Andrew and Natalia loved it!

We've seen some amazing rainbows in the spring over the past few years, this is the first hint for this season..

EASTER EGG HUNTING TIME...

2011-04-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

Andrew & Natalia had easter egg hunting back of our house today. They both were exited to do Easter egg hunting and they had fun time together. Before they woke up, I put a easter basket in each room. Andrew found his basket and was so exited to tell the news of Easter bunny came to his room.

RANDOM PHOTO SHOOTOUT WITH THE KIDS...

2011-04-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today after the church meeting when we got home, Raja had random photo shootout with the kids in the back yard. The day was nice and had good weather. He asked kids to jump and try yo make funny faces. I think all the pictures were came out pretty good. Whenever they jumped, Raja tried to capture them up in the air before they landed to the ground.

This picture looks like he is going to catch the sun...!

GENERAL CONFERENCE - 2011 APRIL

2011-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Every General conference for the last 3 years Raja was privileged to do translating and interpreting for the conference. For him it is very stressful and at the same time blessing for all of us. While he was involved with the conference, we are all get to have time to enjoy with grandparents during the conference time. Raja took the above picture by himself while he was interpreting the conference.

This is inside the translation area in the conference center.

VISIT TO THE CAPITAL BUILDING BOISE, ID

2011-03-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is our second part of the trip. Tour of Capitol building. I mean self tour. We all enjoyed that day with everybody.

We think this is the best picture of all. Loved it..

After all the pictures we got from this tour, this is one of the best pictures Raja captured. He asked Andrew to jump so that he can get a still image of Andrew flying in the air. This is such a good picture. We loved it...!

While we are walking around we asked some strangers to take our family picture. It was a struggle to keep the kids at one place. But finally we succeeded.

Andrew posed for this picture. When I am looking at this picture, I think he is growing so fast and becoming a big boy. The way sits and poses for the picture is very teenage style.

Raja tried to be creative with this picture. We are all looking at the ceiling while he tried to take this COOL picture. This ceiling dome was pretty cool and pretty.

Inside the Capitol Building, there is a sculpture of George Washington on a horse. We wanted her to take a picture in front of it.

Raja tried to throw Natalia up in the air and catch. While he is doing that I tried to take a picture.

End of our tour in State capital, Raja tried to take a picture while throwing Andrew in the air. I think it came out to be not too bad at all.

OUR FAMILY TRIP TO STATE PENITENTIARY MUSEUM

2011-03-27T14:39:00.001-07:00

Last two weeks before Raja suddenly decided to explore Boise Idaho Area. So he did research some areas to see and came up with the idea to go and see old state Penitentiary. That was so cool.

This is the laundromat. All the inmates brought their clothes and exchange for one bad set of clothes for one good one. This is old style laundromat.

In this museum there is a gun history selection too. We are all enjoyed that part. Andrew thought this would be cool to take a picture.
Andrew & Natalia is in front a cell.

Inside these cells they tried to cram four people. It is like tin sardine can. Not only you go potty in that tin cell, but also there is a potty place fixed onto the wall. It was insane... When you see the cell you can get cluster phobic.

This is the Gallows witness room as you see on the picture. Actually people can see who is going to hang. It is pretty scary place.

During our trip to prison, this is the most uncomfortable place to see. "The Death Penalty" section. You can see beyond this glass where the person got hanged and the hole beneath it. It is a gruesome place....

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

2011-03-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

We started the day with green eggs and ham. (yes, the squares of 'blue mold' are actually squares of ham that sat in a little water with green food coloring.)

The kids decked out in their green! Andrew was on his way to gymnastics and insisted on wearing his swimming suit (for obvious reasons!) Natalia is trying to show her green fingernails.

Andrew's self photo

Me- green x2

This is the 'lucky potion' that Andrew and Natalia created by picking the 'clovers' found growing in our back yard. Andrew decided that keeping them in water was the best way to keep them from getting crunchy. He also brought some to school in a plastic bag to show his class.

Andrew's kindergarten teacher has made St. Patrick's day so much fun for the kids this year. It was complete with a Leprechaun trap with green noodles inside to catch the little fellow so they could ask him where his gold is. Apparently, at school the leprechaun came, didn't get caught, made a mess of everything red (a color he isn't fond of) then left them with chocolate gold coins.

Andrew was so excited, he made his own trap.

Unfortunately, he didn't catch the leprechaun either (although he did eat the left over green mac & cheese we had for lunch and took the green kazoo Andrew left.) In return, he shared some of his favorite green candy.

And Natalia, seeing that Andrew got his picture taken with a box, wanted to have her picture taken with a box too!

Andrew's School Carnival

2011-03-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

When we first walked up to the school, outside the front was Andrew's principal, sitting in the dunk tank. So, Andrew immediately knew what he wanted to do first! He didn't hit the target, but we did get to see some other kids hit it!

Dinner is served! Nachos- yummm. They actually enjoyed it a little more than they show!

I'm pretty sure this is the first purchase Andrew has ever made with his own money, on his own. He has a little money that he has earned, but anytime he wants to spend it, we insist he save it. However, we decided that the only way for him to ever learn the value of money, is to use it. So, he brought some to his carnival and planned for days that he wanted to buy us all popcorn. He was very sweet- he wanted to make sure he got enough for us all!

This is the balloon-dart game

Face painting

Andrew wanted a batman symbol

Natalia picked a flower

Soda ring-toss

Natalia won!

Showing off prizes !

Spring is coming!

2011-03-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

The weather is getting warmer and Andrew and Natalia are soaking it up! (Eventually Natalia put on a jacket, and Andrew downsized to one;) Here, they are playing on a wooden horse that Raja made for them.

Family Home Evening

2011-03-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

Usually when we have family home evening, Raja or I take turns teaching a short lesson. Tonight, Andrew volunteered to be in charge, with the wonderful idea of acting out a Book of Mormon story. So, here we are, Lehi, Sariah, Nephi and one of Nephi's sisters. We walked back and forth across the living room a couple of times while Raja held his hands together pretending to hold the liahona. We talked about faith and trusting in the Lord.

(This doesn't have anything to do with family home evening, but I just had to show Natalia's fashion sense- hair accessories included. She's into the layered look:)

The Rock Show

2011-03-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Raja found out about a gem/rock show here in Caldwell. He wanted to take the kids, but had to work so we had to go without him. There were all sorts of gems, crystals and displays (some of which didn't seem to have anything to do with rocks, but were still fun to see.)

Andrew wanted to make sure to show off the helicopter he made earlier that day. It was pieced, glued and painted by him.

Probably the highlight for the kids, was the booth than gave them a scoop of sand in a pie tin and the chance to find some treasure! There were tiny polished rocks and crystals that the kids could find and take home- they loved it!

Girl's Day!!!

2011-03-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Since Andrew has started kindergarten Natalia and I get to have 'girl day' about once a week. We usually spend our time just running errands or doing everyday things, but we make it a big deal, call it 'girl day' and I get to spend one on one time with my daughter!

It's a Boy!!!

2011-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's true, baby #3 will be here around June 27th and it will be a boy!!!

Here I am getting ready for the ultrasound and Andrew, Natalia and Raja are waiting for the screen to light up so they can see if we'll be welcoming a boy or girl into our family.

Daddy Time

2011-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats 3 bugs in a rug!

Happy 4th Birthday Natalia!

2011-02-09T12:48:00.001-08:00

Natalia had a fun princess birthday party with 5 beautiful princesses and

1 handsome Prince Charming- Batman

Natalia loves to dress up. Above she is wearing all of the jewelry she got for her birthday, and below she is wearing her doctor dress up clothes. She has been saying for a long time that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up- now she can pretend she is!

"H" Day at Preschool

2011-02-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

Natalia is in a rotating preschool this year. This was our week to have it at our house. We learned about the letter "H" and got to wear hats!

Jumping Jacks

2011-02-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jumping Jacks is a really fun place to play in St. George. The entire place is filled with inflatable obstacle courses, bounce houses, slides etc. It was awesome!

Happy New Year 2011!!!!

2011-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Raja made sure to bring our firework stash to bring in the new year with a bang!

Andrew put everything he had into that noise maker (for about 5 solid minutes:)

New Year's toast!

Snowmobiling

2011-02-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

My sister in law, Ember, let us know that her dad was ready to put the snowmobiles to good use. That's all the boys needed to hear! They had a great day enjoying the snow and riding around!

Andrew loved riding behind on a sled and didn't even seem to mind falling off into the snow!

Feeding the Ducks

2011-02-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Raja took Andrew and Natalia to feed the ducks at a pond near my parents home. This is one activity they always love to do!

Judd's and Dancing

2011-02-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

When I was in the 6th grade, we used to always go across the street from our school to an old fashioned shop called 'Judds' to get bread sticks and cheese. So, whenever we go to St. George, we like to stop by - for old times sake.

Natalia and Grandma enjoyed their time dancing in the living room! With music and dress up clothes it was great!

Visiting the Dinosaur Footprint Museum

2011-02-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

In St. George, a few years ago as an area was beginning to be developed, they discovered dinosaur footprints in the stone. They are still finding all sorts of fossils and footprints and now have a museum to display them.

Las Vegas

2011-02-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

We went to see Lake Las Vegas, were Raja used to work

Right behind us is the back of the Ritz Carlton where Raja worked

Afterward, we went to Circus Circus. Andrew went on his first 'real' roller coaster. I think I was more nervous for him to go than he was!

Christmas Day 2010

2011-02-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

It looks like Santa came!

Christmas Eve

2011-02-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

Natalia twirling in her new nightgown.

Getting ready to go to bed before the big guy in red comes!

Our Christmas Eve tradition of acting out the nativity story. Natalia was so sweet,

she cared for that baby as if it were real.

Reading a Book of Mormon story with Grandma and Grandpa.

Talking to Santa

2011-02-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Natalia were very excited to see Santa when he came to the library. Andrew knew just what he wanted to ask for.

Natalia was even excited to see Santa read the letter from her friend Addiley.

Back to the Discovery Center

2011-02-08T22:46:00.000-08:00

Last time Andrew and Madison missed our trip to the Discovery Center, so we had to go back.

Laying on a bed of nails!

In a 'newsroom' standing in front of a green back drop that becomes another place.

Andrew at Gymnastics

2011-02-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

Natalia's music class performance

2011-02-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

Natalia has been in a music class this past fall and has loved it!

Here is Natalia and her best friend Addiley

This is Natalia and Zach- the boy she says she's going to marry!

Decorating the Tree and Playing in the Snow

2011-02-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

This time, when it snowed.... it snowed!

Our First Snow of the Season

2011-02-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

We didn't get much snow, but the kids were so excited that they immediately got all dressed up to go out and play.

This was the magnificent sculpture they created with all of that snow!

(This is only about a handful of snow on the patio table)

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-02-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Andrew's kindergarten class combined with the other kindergarten class for their "Thanksgiving Feast". Each child was asked to bring something- and it was a FEAST!

For our real Thanksgiving feast, we met with our Sri Lankan friends. We put curry aside for this one night and enjoyed the traditional turkey and potato dinner- it was delicious!

It's just not a Sri Lankan get together without the guitar and some singing!

The kids ended up downstairs enjoying a Christmas movie

My Man and my boy- such talent!

2011-02-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th Angela!

2011-02-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Discovery Center

2010-11-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

A Girl's Day

2010-11-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Natalia and her friend's Addiley and Kindly came to play. The love to look beautiful and dress up, they even adorned their own hair with anything they could find ( it helps them dance more gracefully!)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

Natalia as Tinkerbell

Andrew as Superman

The ward Trunk or Treat. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. A long sleeve shirt was enough to stay warm.

The best costume of the night! Andrew's primary teacher was about 8 mos. pregnant- and used that to her creative advantage!

The missionaries were there too- giving out candy and pass a long cards.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Happy 6th Birthday Andrew!!!

2010-11-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Raja and I decorated the house the night before his birthday, so when Andrew woke up, he knew it was his special day!

Andrew's reading his card from grandma and grandpa- Thank you, he loved your gift!!!

Opening his gifts from us.

The Brithday Party

One of the games Andrew wanted to play as his friends were arriving

The fun part of having a birthday so close to Halloween, is that we get to have a costume party!

The treasure hunt

Reading one of the clues

The treasure at the end

The Iron Man Pinata- painted by Raja

The Longest Apple Peel, In the World!!!

2010-11-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

This year, I decided to can apple pie filling- for the first time. I borrowed my friend's peeler/corer/slicer to make the job go faster, but the best part was the looonnngg, continuous apple peel that it created. Andrew and Natalia thought it was the coolest! Once they found out about the peels, none of them could be thrown away in the scrapes pile- they all had to be eaten!

Natalia's first day of school!

2010-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Natalia has started a rotating preschool. She has been so excited. It makes her feel so special that, now, she can go to school like her brother.

Well, look what the cat dragged in!

2010-11-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

A mouse! A real, dead mouse! Yes, I panicked, yes, most likely a scream was a part of my initial reaction, and yes, it was disgusting!!!!

Andrew's first field trip

2010-10-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

We went to the Linder Farms with Andrew's kindergarten class. We had a great time on the hay ride, going through the corn maze and picking out pumpkins!

Ta Da!

2010-10-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew was so proud of this amazing crayon creation, that we had

to take pictures. But really, it is quite spectacular.

Kid's Race 2010

2010-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is our second year running in the kid's race. It's a 1 mile race and at the end each participant gets a medal. Last year, Natalia piggy- backed at least half of it, this year she did the whole thing by herself, with at least half of it running! Andrew did great too!

Apple juice and Magic Wands

2010-10-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, we had the missionaries over for dinner last night. Mid meal, Natalia looked over at me (sitting next to me) to show me her cheeks were full to capacity of apple juice. She, like many 3 year olds tends to believe this is a wonderful accomplishment. Then she started to choke, nothing big or life threatening, but enough to cause her shoot her entire mouthful of juice out in a straight line, of course onto me, (since she was still looking right at me). So, we cleaned ourselves off and Natalia changed into her p.j.s. A short while later, she announced she needed to use the bathroom. After a few minutes she came out... having used her time very efficiently to do her hair. However, it was her facial expression that topped off her performance of the night. She came out waving her 'wand' with a look on her face saying, 'I know that you all must being thinking I'm beautiful!!!- and yes, I'll graciously accept your praise'! Yup- that's our girl!

1st Day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this day is finally here! On one hand I've been looking forward to it for about 3 years, on the other hand ahhhhhhhhh, we have definitely closed a chapter of our lives - and opened a new one! Andrew has been so excited, I'm the one who's nervous! Enough said.
Here are some pics of his big day!

Outside his new classroom.

Inside the classroom.

Mrs. Rimbey, his teacher.

The bus bringing Andrew home!

Excited to tell us about his fun day!

Emmett's Most Excellent Triathlon

2010-08-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

500m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
It was awesome!

Raja got time off work to bring the kids to watch. I have the best support team ever!

Above: at the second transition. Here is where we leave our bikes to begin the run.

Below: this wasn't actually at the triathlon, this was an open water swim in preparation for the triathlon. It actually looked about the same, except there were a lot more people and we were all wearing bright green swim caps.

Just hanging around

2010-08-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ryland's birthday!

2010-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Andrew's best buddy/brother-from-another-mother turned 6! They had a bounce house (and a hose) which made for a wet and happy time!

Grandpa and the grandkids

2010-08-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

They sure love their grandpa!!!

Reunion continued...

2010-08-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

You may not know this... but BIG LIPS run in our family!!!
Like Father, Like Daughter!

We all got to go to Deer Valley to see the Tabernacle Choir. It was so awesome! The setting was beautiful, the music was beautiful, it was just great!

Cousins! Above: James (upside down) Andrew is holding Miles, Katie, Natalia

Vandemerwe Reunion

2010-08-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

We crammed into the back of a truck... to attempt the impossible.
Roger Banister was the first person to run a mile under 4 mins.
We had the same goal to do as a family. Everyone who was able, ran as fast as they could as many steps as years old they were, then passed the baton (a rubber chicken) to the next person to do the same, until a mile was covered... and we did it! Our time was 3:14!

Breakfast after the run

Games and lots of fun!

2010-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

A visit from Auntie Rachel, James and Katie

2010-08-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

We were very excited to have my sister and her kids come for a visit. We had a great time! Here we are enjoying a picnic at the lake.

Raja brought his raft so the kids could all get a turn to float. A week later, Natalia was telling her nursery teacher all about her boat and riding in it- boat/raft- same thing!

Katie is so adorable!

Whewwww... all tuckered out after a fun few days!

Rexburg

2010-08-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Rexburg to see my sister Sarah graduate from BYU-I.

CONGRATULATIONS SARAH!!!
(ironically, we don't have cap and gown pics, but we are very proud of Sarah's accomplishments!)
Rexburg has a deluxe water playground!

The Carousel was next to the water park and snow cones.

This is at a childrens museum where Sarah did her internship. It was so fun to see where she worked and all of the fun activities the kids could do.

A Clown and Water Balloons

2010-08-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

The library has a special activity each week, this one was a visit from a clown. She brought water balloons- the kids had a great time.

Lemonade Stand

2010-08-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing says "summer" like a good 'ol fashion lemonade stand. Andrew and Natalia looked forward to doing this for a week. Andrew was very diligent and stayed at it for about 3 hours during the hottest part of the day. He earned $8 and payed Natalia $1.10 for her help the first 1/2 hour. They were eager to pay tithing , especially once they realized that their tithing could help to build a temple.

Jump off the diving board day!

2010-08-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

This long awaited day of swimming lessons was an emotional roller coaster. Andrew was super excited- Natalia was super excited until she got half way across the diving board- then burst into tears (each of her 3 turns!)

... we all lived through it, and will happily do it again next year:)

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

We decided to light a few fireworks on July 3rd. It was great! We even had some additional unexpected guests join us (half of those kids we don't know, they just saw the show and stopped by!)

OOHHHHH........AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

Zachary being so brave with his sparkler!

Natalia, celebrating like a true flower child!

The day began with a 6 mile fun run in Melba. It was so fun to have the kids finish the last part with me! Afterward they give out a lot of prizes. Natalia was sure she would win something- because she ran too!

Swimming Lessons 2010

2010-07-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Uncle Carter comes to visit!

2010-07-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Uncle Carter came to visit a week or so ago, it was so fun having here him! The kids, as you can tell, absolutely love him!

Storm Clouds

2010-07-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

What can I say- I think clouds are amazing! Beautiful sunset/storm clouds- even better!

Random Moments

2010-07-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our Camping Trip with our Ward...!!!

2010-07-04T21:59:00.001-07:00

On our way to the camping area, we stopped at a scenic place for the kids to run around and get some fresh air. Andrew and Natalia were about to get car sick, so we decided to stop for a moment.

Andrew, Natalia and me are trying to make s'mores during our evening time. They had so much fun with the ward and their friends. It was good time for us too to get away from daily stress of activities.

Andrew and his best friend Ryland. When they get together Oh... boy....!!!!

They are trying to get some tree barks to make fire for themselves. They had fun being outside.

We have invested into a new digital camera that has the facility to take panoramic pictures. We took the advantage of that since we are new to this.

Getting ready to have some snack time.

Natalia not only had great time, but also found time to get so dirty too.....!

Good Things to Come

2010-06-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Good Things to Come

Click on the link above to be inspired.

An Amazing Song by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

2010-05-29T15:10:00.001-07:00

The Tree House

2010-05-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

This was a fantastic children's museum that had everything! The center was made to look like a tree house- complete with a huge tree trunk with a spiral staircase inside and branches and walkways going out in different directions.

Above: Natalia dressing up to feel what it would have been like on the Mayflower.

Below: Natalia dressing up as a doctor to check to baby!

(yes, real liquid came from that udder!)

Of course, Pres. Obama was there! It was the oval office after all!

Random days of our lives...

2010-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Natalia loves dancing. She will ask Raja to turn on some music, and that's all it takes! He usually finds a good 80's dance tune or Sri Lankan music for her. She loves it even more when there is someone to dance with!

Andrew was very proud of this awesome Leprechaun hat he made in pre-k.
(...and it goes so well with his mismatched pj's!)

I couldn't help taking a pic... it was a work of art!
(Not just the hair, but the sitting still that was required!)

Natalia is also a great yoga buddy.

Andrew getting a hug from the kitty. He loves to take care of her; and he loves getting hugs!

This was the cutest thing ever! One night, I heard Andrew and Natalia whispering in the living room- so, I braced myself to be bombarded with "I can't sleep" or "I'm thirsty" etc. etc. but they never came in. Very unusual. So, I listened, after a minute or two they were quiet, then they'd whisper again, then quiet. I was beginning to think Andrew had taken charge of the situation and gotten them both back to bed. When I came out to check a few minutes later, this is what I found...

They had decided to just sleep on the couch- side by side. And by the time I got there, they were both fast asleep!

Raja built a picnic table!

2010-03-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Raja loves building/fixing things. His most recent project: a picnic table! This is a very stable table, it's not going anywhere- we look forward to many outdoor meals this summer!
Thanks Raja!

Andrew and Natalia know they have the best dad ever!
They couldn't wait to 'try out' the new table!

Sledding Day

2010-02-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

We left a little apprehensive about the amount of time our kids would actually happily play outside in the cold snow- but they couldn't get enough of it! We currently don't have snow in our neck of the woods, so our plan was- go north until we find it! Just past Idaho City was this fabulous-perfect-for-sledding spot where we spent a good chunk of our day. This was actually a church activity, so we went with several other families (coincidentally with children the same ages as ours) it was perfect. This spot has a large parking lot? - I couldn't actually tell what was under all the snow, maybe it was just a field. Anyway, among all of the steeper sloped mountains surrounding this area, was a very mild slope, just right for sledding. At the base, the flat ground/parking lot/ set up camp to warm the chili was close enough that we could still see Andrew going up and down the mountain over and over again. It was a great day!Raja and Natalia coming down!

Natalia and Raja climbing the slope (it's actually steeper than it looks- I promise!)

Andrew is in the red hat, pulling the blue sled.

Natalia and I tubing down

Raja pulling the kids behind the Andrew's four wheeler

Lunch time!

Natalia and Sammy sampling the falling snow!

Natalia and Addiley trying to make it down on their own- (Eventually- they did!)

Cooking Time!

2010-02-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Lately, the kids have loved helping me cook. So, we have been cooking/baking together a lot! Andrew is now, very efficient at browning ground turkey and gets very excited whenever he gets the chance to 'cook meat'. I love it, because I can just dump in a pound of raw meat, and poof! it's done! They both like to help stir and are learning to patiently wait their turns to pour ingredients into a bowl. We have had a lot of fun baking different things and looking through cookbooks to find what looks the yummiest! (and for what we already have all of the ingredients!)

Valentine's Day

2010-02-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

Each year, our Stake has a Valentine's Day dinner and dance. ...oh, so romantic!

Andrew and Natalia

2010-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Natalia both enjoy playing games on pbskids.org . One day Natalia and I found these crowns that you can put your name on and complete different word/letter recognition tasks to get the 'jewels' in the top. She was so excited! Then, Andrew, seeing that Natalia had something 'so cool' had to make one too!

They were so proud of this puzzle! Not because they had finished it, but because they had finished it together!
(Without fighting!!!)

Nothing beats a Sunday afternoon dog-pile on Dad!

Andrew's Snowman

2010-02-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

Andrew built this snowman all by himself! It was perfect timing with great packing snow- a few hours later all of the snow had melted- except Andrew's snowman!

Andrew and I

2010-02-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

This is Andrew, just after his entertaining dive- off-bed routine. Natalia is the photographer. She also requested a 'CHEESE'!

Blowing Bubbles

2010-02-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

We haven't gotten the bubbles out for such a long time- Andrew and Natalia have seemed so uninterested (either that or they would get really excited, then just dump out all their bubble solution as they dipped their wand!) Today, they had a lot of fun blowing bubbles, without even spilling! ... and yes, their coats are in the washing machine now!

Natalia's first day of gymnastics!

2010-02-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

After watching Andrew at gymnastics so many times, Natalia is now old enough to participate! She was so excited! She was jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face though out the time she was there. Andrew had been showing her what to practice for the last couple of weeks - like the handstand to the wall (above).

Natalia walking on the beam

The coach, helping Natalia do a backward somersault

Waiting in line to walk to second beam on their rotation

Running like "cheetahs"

Waiting on a dot for her turn- sorry blurry picture.

Warm ups