Snow Day - Dec. 14th 2009

The perfect snow day! It started snowing Sunday afternoon, snowed for a few hours, was cold enough to stay a little while to play in, and warm enough the next day to melt and go away. The kids had a 2 hour delay so we got to sleep in and not make up school at the end of the year. Ray does a small paper route at the capital and he takes the weekend papers their on Sundays so he doesn't have so many to do Monday morning. The capital campus is always beautiful, but the snow was so much fun to see there.

Keagan playing in the snow at the Capital.

Here are the lights that our youth put up for a service project.

It was sooo cold the week before that there was ice in the Capital Lake! The snow was sticking on top of the ice on the lake.

Someone wasn't very careful.. this is near our house, the corner of College ST.

Our house when it was snowing, I always seem to get the neighbors across the street when it is snowing outside, not our house.(usually because I don't want to go out in it)

Formal Dance

Aren't they beautiful! These 3 young ladies have known each other since they were born and have always been good friends! This was their first formal, A church dance at the Elma Stake center. They had a lot of fun. Leslie drove and went along for the ride, we had a load full of kids in her suburban and had a great time. Les & I went to the Rusty Tractor for snacks and visited while the kids were at the dance. I wish I would of gotten a picture of all the kids that drove with us.
I know I'm a proud parent, I feel like she's a baby again (still?) and every pose is just soo cute I have to post it! :) She finally smiled for me so I would stop taking her picture.

Love this one, the teenager look, MOM!!!

Mother!

Are you done yet?!

Isn't she beautiful?! I'm grateful that she is as pretty inside as out! :)

Computer problems

We've been having computer problems the last couple of months.. (sigh) Our (MY) biggest problem has been that the computer hasn't recognized my camera SD card. I never realized how much I use that feature and upload pictures. I went and got a SD card reader that plugs in the back of the computer, so now I will be doing blog overload to catch up on all of our fun December pictures. :)
Hopefully in the next couple of months we can get a new computer. (Before the old one dies, we did go get an external hard drive to back everything up in case it does). Any suggestions?

Christmas Day

Our Christmas Tree, one of the things I enjoy the most is having all these ornaments that have special meaning to our family, from the homemade to the special ones I have gotten over the years from good friends or special places we have been. (I like to get an ornament when we go somewhere on vacation- if they have one) I have an angel on there that is falling apart but from one of my YW leaders who is fighting against cancer right now. I also have a little soldier man that I made in 3rd grade and lots of cute kid ones!

Our stocking hung by the chimney with care

Keagan leaving cookies for Santa with a note..

Keagan woke us up at 7:30, which was what time I told him he had to wait. He was soo excited! I love the pure joy and excitement he had!! Even though he didn't get a DSi.

Keagan handing out the presents.

Melissa excited about her Santa present, a $50 visa card! Wow! Santa was nice this year!

Keagan couldn't believe it! I love it!

I love this picture of him!

Keagan got lots of k'nex toys.. Melissa spent most of the afternoon reading the instruction book and building this! Go Melissa!

We had a great Christmas Day! We had quiche for breakfast, Grandma & Grandpa came over, we watched some movies, read the story of Christ's birth in the scriptures, relaxed and didn't even get dressed! Perfect! Keagan loved his new coat, too. This is how he fell asleep that night, still in his new coat, clutching his $50 visa card. :)

Onto shopping the next morning..

Keagan's not tongue tied anymore!

Keagan got his surgery a little over a week ago for his tongue. I felt so bad for him. It really hurt a lot! The DR gave him a few dissoluble stitches under his tongue. It was pretty sore for quite a while. He even asked for Tylenol - which is very out of character for him! All week he has been very careful with what he eats and hasn't wanted to show us that he can stick out his tongue, yet. We've been asking him the last couple of days, saying, I'm sure it is healed now,etc. But he has said, well what if it hurts my tongue, etc, etc. Well yesterday, he was drinking out of a straw, and the straw moved, he used his tongue to move it, and then realized he stook his tongue out all the way. Then he starts playing with his tongue, sticking it out various ways and having this huge smile on his face. It was priceless! I wish I could of video taped it! I took him to the DR today for a follow up and he is all better! Now this weekend we need to get him an ice cream cone! I'll have to get pics, soon, too.

Melissa's play

Melissa was in a little play at her school, something like The Fastest Thimble in the west, or something like that. (sorry I can't remember it's name) It was very cute. Melissa and Brooklyn were dancers in it. They got to wear very poofy tutus that Sandy (Brooklyn's mom) and I got together and made for the girls. Yes, I made her skirt. Those of you who know me, don't fall over from shock... Aren't they cute.. I know w/ the dasani machine right in the middle.

Christmas 2009 Newsletter

Here is a copy of our Christmas card and newsletter with added pictures and links. (Where the words are underlined, I guess they are a different color, when you put the mouse over them they are underlined, you can click on them -if you want- and go to the old blogs about that word..)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

December 2009

Dear Family & Friends,

When we pause to reflect on what we have done this past year, we realize that we have so much to be thankful for. I love this time of year when we can take a minute to do that!
This year has been fun and busy as usual! Some of the highlights include Trips: a few trips to Boise, trips to Portland, and our favorite – a long time coming and deserved trip to PA, pages coming to stay at our home, Keagan learning how to ride his bike, orchestra concerts, power tap performances, talent shows, seeing different temples- including the one Ray & I were married in, going to grandma & grandpa’s house, enjoying our hot tub, getting several trees cut down in the backyard, Melissa getting glasses, couponing(is that a word?), Melissa going to stake dances (yikes!) and reconnecting with old friends!

Some of the kids getting ready for the stake(church) dance at the beach

Melissa getting ready for her 1st church dance

My friend Corey & I at my High school reunion. We were neighbors, we have the same b-days & our mom's have the same b-days! It was soo good to see her!

A Good family friend of ours.. my little brother - Adam's girlfriend in High school, who we still love and adore! We consider her part of the family!

My friend Jennifer from High school and church, Sis. B (Alana Brudvik) - my YW president 20 years ago(yikes!). We got together for lunch and had a great time catching up!

Our favorite trip was going to PA!! It had been 4 years since we have been back. We had a great time being with family and seeing several of the sites! We went to Hershey Park (of course!), WA DC, Gettysburg, Harrisburg – the capital building, and a really cool historic museum there. Did you know that the Shoop family has their own cemetery? We spent a day searching it for Ray’s grandparents and couldn’t find them. We went back another day when the caretaker was there and found them right away – they had too big of a headstone, we were looking for something smaller! Of course the best part was to hang out with our family. We have really missed them and enjoyed reconnecting with them. We can’t wait to see them again and wish we didn’t live so far away!

One of Ray’s talents is to find great deals on Craigslist. One of them was to find us a free (yes, free) hot tub! We only had to put a little bit of money in it – mostly to update our own electrical to plug it in. We love to spend time as a family in there and enjoy our new backyard.

Sad to say, but true, in the 17 years we have been married, we have finally lived in one place longer than 4 years! With buying an older home, every year there is some kind of project that needs done. This year was cutting down some of our trees in the back yard. We had 7 cut down (for free – another one of Ray’s craigslist finds). Now the back yard is still in progress and won’t be done until next year (maybe-hopefully). It is so nice to have more light coming in. (Don’t worry; we still have several big trees left).

The best way to stay in touch with us is on the computer, you can e-mail us at rdmkshoop@comcast.net, find Ray, Donna, & Melissa on facebook, and read our blog (rdmkshoop.blogspot.com) and you can connect to Melissa’s and Keagan’s blog from our family blog. I plan on posting this letter on the blog, too with pictures and links.
We hope you and your families are all doing well and in good health. We look forward to hearing from you soon. We’re very grateful for this time of year when we can ponder the true meaning of Christmas and think of our Savior.

Love Always,
The Shoop Family – Ray, Donna, Melissa, and Keagan
*The pictures on the Christmas card (The first picture on the blog) – our family picture was taken at Chocolate World, can you tell Keagan was tired of having his picture taken? The next one is Melissa right before her first stake dance and then Keagan enjoying a water ride at Hershey Park.