Buchart Gardens

 For Katie's graduation, Nana, Papa, Katie and I went to Canada to see Butchart Gardens. It is a reclaimed quarry that has been transformed into a family-run garden for over 100 years. There are many lessons to learn here: creating rooms, pathways, height, water features, and color design.

Katie's Graduation

 We were so excited to watch Katie graduate from Stanwood High School. Both the Willards and McKays were in attendance so we needed a lot of tickets. After graduation Nana, Papa, Katie, and I took a trip to Whidbey Island and to Butchart Gardens in B.C. We had loads of fun!

Maple Leaves

 This batik quilt is based a pattern with a lot of 3-D triangles. It's fun to play with, but hard to quilt. My hopping foot kept getting caught on them. After I quilted it, I was unsatisfied with the amount of quilting, so I reloaded it and worked more with different colored threads.

Fiddler on the Roof

 Months of practicing culminated in two weeks of performances at the PAC at Stanwood High School. Katie was cast as the Matchmaker, Yente, and Calvin performed with the ensemble throughout the show and in the Russian bottle dance. They were fantastic!

Calvin's Birthday

 Calvin had the opportunity to invite friends over this year. It's a bit tricky to get kids all the way down the Island, but they arrived and we had a great time. Adam, Nathan, Jacob, Ammon, Alex, Taylor, and David came and celebrated. 

Family Christmas Photo

 We gathered after sacrament meeting in the lobby of the church to get our picture taken. It's time to send out a Christmas card to show how everyone has grown.

Christmas Practice

Every December is crazy busy for musicians. This year I've been playing for the stake choir and practices are two hours every Saturday morning. Sister Southworth is conducting so sometimes her husband comes and takes pictures from the back. I love playing the piano, so it doesn't feel work.