Race's kitten

Race had been wanting a kitten for a while so we had an opportunity to adopt one from a friend of ours. Race named him Cheeto. He is super cute and sweet. As you can see from the pictures, Juliann has been having fun dressing him up and posing him for pictures. Funny, huh?

Spring follow-up

The kids will be 'officially' done with school this week. They have been participating in an online program for the past 3 years. This year has been even better than the years before. The kids teachers are great. We all bonded right away to Juliann's teach, Ms.Sorensen. She is fantastic!

The eggs that we found earlier in the season have hatched. Actually, as I'm writing this they look like small versions of their parents now-I will have pics soon.

2009-Spring

It was brought to my attention that it has been a long time since I updated our blog. So, here I am, updating....

The beginning of this year was pretty rough but God has blessed us and we are doing well.

We enjoyed the snow but are glad for the sunshine now! It was so funny how we would have snow at the beginning of the week and then sun at the end. Pull the snow gear out, put it away, pull it out put away! Not to mention, the slip-n-slide.

Since we took a big trip in December, we have been happy to be closer to home the last few months. We found some little blue eggs in a cavern of one of our fence posts. I will add some pictures for you to see. Just today we saw that there are 4 baby birds in place of the eggs-so cute!

This last weekend Race, Aaron and Race's best friend Hans competed in a dirt bike event at Burnt Ridge. They all rode very well. Juliann, the dogs and I enjoyed watching and walking around the grounds there-beautiful scenery. We also got to see an absolutely perfect view of Mt St Helens-and I didn't have my camera-ergh!

The spring also motivated us to get 6 chicks-5 Buff Orpington, 1 Frizzle. In a few months they should be laying eggs. We have 7 full size chickens-3 of which lay daily. 2 of them belong to my sister and her family. We love having chickens. They are so fun!
I have been also spending time visiting with friends and family. It has been so fun to get reconnected w/several people I had lost touch with over the years. One of whom, I have been looking for for 16 years! I was so excited to get back in touch and meet her family. (thanks to Facebook!)
May was a pretty exciting month. Juliann became a member of the "Double Digit Club". She got her first I-Pod Nano and a storage-shed-turned-into-an art studio. It has been a gift to me too-she does most of her projects in her studio now!
I had a wonderful birthday celebration. Race cooked me a gourmet breakfast-second year in a row-I am so well taken care of! My mom and sister took me out to lunch and Aaron made me dinner. He also gave me an I-tunes gift card-yippee! (how spoiled am I?!) A few days later, Monica and Jennifer S. took me out to the Purple Cafe in Woodinville. It was a beautiful day and the food was spectacular-with the company being even better! What a great time!
Well, I have been delinquent from my task at hand for too long, so I will have to go. I can't promise that I will update this sooner than last time but I am optimistic!

What a summer!

Wow! We have had an amazing summer!

Our days were so laid back in the beginning. Then, in July, Race and Juliann got to go to California to their Nana and Papa's for 12 days. While they were gone, Aaron and I went on several dates; hiking, biking, out to dinner, walking around Seattle, not to mention out to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary! Also, while they were gone, I got the house cleaned top to bottom, bottom to top and everywhere in between! hehe

One of my things during the summer is to work on decorating projects. I worked on a few projects here and there. Unfortunately, didn't complete them 100% but it has given me motivation to make the time to complete the projects. (maybe my wonderful cousin Kat will help me next time she's out! hehe)

After the kids got home, our summer went to laid back to crazy-crazy! Race went to his 1st youth camp w/church. He loved it! Juliann went to VBS the same week-Pirate theme-Fun! Then, the following week was Cousin Camp at our house. The weather was fantastic the whole time and the kids were even better. Minus a few sunburns, I'd say it was an absolutely terrific week of family time!! something to cherish.

A few days after Cousin camp, we adopted 2 chickens and 2 turkeys. They are so fun! I love them more than I thought I would. Race's rooster likes to 'roost' on his shoulder. Funny, huh?

We have gotten eggs from the turkeys but none from our little hen yet.

After we got the poultry settled, we started our life at the Evergreen Fair. I helped out in the horse barns for 3 days, Juliann showed her dog 4 days, and Race competed in motorcycle events for 4 days. The kids came home with an arm load of ribbons and trophies. Aaron and I are so proud of our talented kids!!

Now, we are back to school. Race has been chomping at the bit to get his studies started. It's exciting to hear his enthusiasm. Juliann is happy to be back to school too. Juliann is doing 4th grade and Race is doing 8th grade work this year.

just the beginning

So, we have decided to get with it and start a blog. It seems like a great way to keep friends and family informed and encourage feedback from others. What is a day in the life of the LeClairs like? Well, let me tell you....
Most days Aaron gets up before the sun(about 3 hours b-4 now) and goes to work-Boeing. He has a desk job now. He's getting really good at it too-of course. He's an asset anywhere he goes! By the time Aaron has been out of the house for 2 hours I start my morning routine of animal care(our zoo!), breakfast prep, and computer business. Then, it's time for our Bible study and breakfast. Shortly after that, Race and Juliann start their schoolwork. They are supposed to start school by 9am but some mornings they are tardy! hehe Both Race and Juliann are excelling in all of their studies. Race even commented that he enjoyed writing an essay the other day. Huge progress!!
Juliann is the writer in the family and writes on any allowable surface. Both Race and Juliann are accomplished spellers too. I'm trying to get them to do a spelling bee this year but they're not going for it yet.hehe Race is doing pre-Algebra this year. He seems to have Aaron's math prowess-thankfully! Both the kids are good readers! Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! (Race is reading the "On the Run" series recommended by cousin Clara-Fun!!)
Both kids love to be outside doing all kinds of stuff-bike riding, basketball(we gleaned a hoop recently!), dirt biking (mostly Race), horse-back riding, exploring the woods (we saw a bobcat recently-Wow!), playing with friends, and helping Aaron and I with projects.
Well, as you can see our days are full but they are never too full to have friends and family over or go out to visit them too. So, never hesitate to get in touch with us! God Bless you!