...and we dance

Back in Rocky Point

This is what we do in Rocky Point:

Play in the sand...

Find sea creatures...

Go swimming...

(Okay, only Adam goes swimming in the ocean in February)

(The rest of us prefer the heated pool)

Relax...




Turn cartwheels...



Gaze at the cool beach sand that is made up of tinier and tinier seashells...

(Mostly it's just Michelle who's fascinated with the sand)

Eat at the Blue Marlin...

(Whoops...was too busy enjoying the fish and shrimp tacos and fresh limonadas to take a photo)

We're having a great time in Rocky Point this week and already looking forward to coming back in September!

Christmas Pajamas

I felt like I ought to blog something about Christmas, so I'll brag about the pajama pants I sewed myself for my cute little guys this Christmas...



Yes, I know that pajama pants are just about the simplest item of clothing you can sew, but it doesn't take much for me to impress myself! (Full disclosure: This photo was actually taken December 30, because that's how long it took us to get all four pajamas clean and all four boys clean and happy at the same time!)

I even managed to sew some pajama pants for my cute big guy:

Luke is holding the baby he got for Christmas -- the first baby doll this Welker family has ever owned! Even now, a whole two weeks after Christmas, Luke still loves his baby and sleeps with it every night.

We had a great Christmas break, hanging out together, playing lots of games, sleeping in, and drinking lots of cocoa. I hope yours was great, too!

A Christmas Carol

**UPDATE: I removed the video clips. If you absolutely must see them, just email me!***

Adam and Ian are in the Sahuaro High School musical "A Christmas Carol." Because of copyright issues, no one is allowed to videotape it, but I couldn't resist using my hidden camera techniques to get a few highlights for far-flung relatives. The following clips were from last night's dress rehearsal.

This first one is a duet by Tiny Tim (Adam) and Bob Cratchit. They disappear from the camera for a few seconds, but don't worry -- they come back.

This second clip is when the Ghost of Christmas Present is showing Scrooge how happy everyone is celebrating Christmas together. It starts with Tiny Tim's solo, and goes on to a big group number. If you want to hear Ian's one-line solo, go to about 5:50 ("I hope that his dinner is cold"). You can't see Ian well, because he's being carried by one of the girls, but you can kind of see his white leg dangling down.

Adam and Ian have been spending lots of late nights at rehearsals and are a little sleep-deprived, but they seem to be having a great time, making friends with lots of cool high-schoolers and loving being on stage!

Hopefully I'll be able to post some still photos soon...

Piano Recital

Adam and Ian had a piano recital today and they both did great! I tried to record them very unobtrusively, which is why these videos are a bit stalker-ish. Please notice Adam's amazing focus and concentration as Luke escapes from Dad and starts making friends with the old people around us during Adam's performance.

Halloween 2008

Adam the Indian (or maybe a mountain man -- whichever one wears flip-flops)

Ian the wizard

Heath the cowboy (the "twisty" moustache was all his idea!)

Luke the (reluctant) itsy-bitsy spider

Leaf Insect

Tonight Ian was attacked by a small green alien mind-sucker... and he liked it!

Actually, Ian spotted this huge leaf insect during dinner, hunted it down, and finally caught it. When he put it on his arm, it crawled up to his shoulder, up his neck, and finally rested on the top of his head. WHERE IT SUCKED OUT ALL HIS BRAINS!