Russell Family Photo 2008

This is our Russell family photo for 2008 ... just realized I had it on a CD!

First Snow Fall

We got our first snow fall last night ... the boys couldn't wait to play in it.  There isn't any snow in the forecast next week, so I'm not sure how long it will stick around.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Kiriaka Family ... lots of food and fun!

Uncle David's Funeral

Uncle David passed away on Friday, November 21st. Kai and I traveled to Canada for the funeral service.  We enjoyed visiting with all our Russell cousins and relatives ... we'll miss our sweet Uncle David!

The Wall is Coming Down!

Well, we finally decided to tear the wall down in the basement to make one big room.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed the demolition.  I think we're going to like it!

Citizenship Awards

Every month each teacher chooses 2 students from their class to receive the "Citizenship Award".  Kai and Sam both got it for the month of October ... pretty cool!  They were surprised and excited!

The Ice Palace!

Kai went on a field trip to see the "Spokane Symphony" and then went skating at the "Ice Palace".  It was his first time on ice skates.  He had so much fun!

Trip to Canada!

Trick or Treat

Corey, Lora and the kids came to visit for the weekend and joined us for "Trick or Treating".  The kids had a blast going door to door getting candy.  I think Paige stole the show in her "Purple Dragon" costume.  Parker fell asleep and didn't even wake up when Lora dressed him in his costume and put his make-up on ... he slept the whole time!

Annual Pumpkin Carving Night

We carved our pumpkins last night ... Kai didn't want any help this year and did his all by himself - great job!  Can you guess which pumpkin belongs to who????

Cub Scout Awards Night

Kai had his cub scout awards night last week ... they had a tug-a-war against some of the dads.  The dads let them win the first one, but on the second round the dads took 'em down!

Soccer Season!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but the Fall is our busiest season. Chris is coaching 2 soccer teams this year (Sam's and Kai's), which is keeping him hopping. Courtney is also playing on the highschool girls soccer team and they have been dominating their league. Right now they are first in the league and are in the district play-offs for state. Their first play-off game is on Halloween ... GO LADY GRIZZLIES!!!

Phantom of the Opera

Chris and I went to see "Phantom of the Opera" a few weeks ago ... I've always wanted to see it. It was amazing!

Back to School

The kids are back to school today ... Tiffany (8th), Kai (4th), Sam (1st).

Quilts!

Here are a couple more quilts that I've finished lately ... I'm taking a break for a while so I can get the kids settled into school.   I have a quilt at the quilters right now and I'm still looking for my next project.  The top quilt is different than anything I've tried before - not my favorite design, but I really liked the fabrics.  A different design would have featured the fabrics much better.

Our Peach Crop

We finally decided to pick the peaches off our tree ... this is about a third of our peach crop this year - the deer were feasting on them nightly, so we'll let them finish ripening in the house.  We only have one pear left on the tree ... the deer ate the rest, we were so sad.  This is the first year that the deer have jumped our 6 foot fence.

Silver Mountain Resort - Kellogg, Idaho

Boating with the Kiriaka's

The Kiriaka family are friends of ours from Palmer ... they are moving from Michigan to Spokane to start a practice. It was nice to see them again - it's been 6 years.

Fun with Brinley!

Brinley came for a quick visit with Nana and Papa.

Pend Oreille County Fair

The kids all put entries in the county fair this year and they all got blue ribbons ... first place in their category. Great job! They can't wait to get their checks in the mail!

Russell Reunion: Priest Lake 2008

This is the original Russell Clan ... there are 30 of us now and we've got one on the way! Baby Konnor William will arrive sometime in November. Thanks for a fabulous weekend ... can't wait 'til next time!

Russell Reunion: Licorice Eating Contest

No hands allowed! It's harder than it looks! Our winners were Jenni, Didier, Courtney, Brittni and Max. Not sure if Max even took a bite, but he held it in his mouth the longest ... way to go!