Beacon Hillbillies

Sam's school

Please allow me to brag about Sam's school, Maple Elementary School, for a minute.

This is a school where more than 60 percent of the students receive free lunch, the student body speaks 17 different languages, and more than half of the students live in homes where English is not the first language or spoken at all.

Despite these challenges, in 2006, 91 percent of Maple fourth-graders read at or above grade level, and 82 percent performed at or above grade level on math tests. Both school scores were way above the overall state level.

Because of these successes, the U.S. Department of Education visited Maple to shoot a video about the school's successes. Please read more here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/344079_maple19.html. The end of this article provides a link to where the U.S. Department of Education will present the entire video that they shot.

I can't help it -- I'm really, really proud. Basically, this school went from being a 'failing' school to being named a federal No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. And my kid is a part of that. What's not to be giddy about?

Jen's photos are getting out there!

I know you've all been enjoying Jen's photography since she got her Canon Rebel XT last year, but now she's finally getting the recognition she deserves...

Two of her photos of Seward Park have been selected by the online travel guide Schmap and are now being featured in their section on Seattle Parks and Gardens! You can find Jen's photos on their website here (scroll through the photos of Seward Park on the right by clicking on the red triangles). I've also included the two photos below for your further admiration. Go Jen!

Sam's message.

Meme and Pop and Grammy and Grand I can't wait to see you at christmas time! and I miss you very much and I havint bin at house for a long time! and Meme and Pop I can't wait to see that jeep! and Grammy and Grand I can't wait to see your house and yours too Meme and pop. From sam                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Sam's Christmas Card

Sam wants to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! The window scene in the picture shows snow falling outside and Santa Claus with his reindeer :-)

Deck the Halls (with boughs of Molly)

Molly has a new favorite spot to nap. She has also victimized a few ornaments! Big surprise there, huh? A few minutes ago, I heard Jen saying to Molly, "Don't eat the Christmas decorations!" Yes, she's a mess, and she fits in just fine around here...

The first snowfall of the year

It rarely snows here in Seattle, but we got more than 2 inches of snowfall yesterday. The snow started falling hard just as we were leaving Sam's bowling birthday party. The snowflakes were huge, wet, and perfect for making snowballs. Within a few hours we had enough snow on the ground to build a huge snowman. More pictures from the snowtime fun are here. The boys had a great time. It was still snowing in the evening when we took Grammy and Grand out to dinner at El Sombrero, but by the time we left the restaurant the snow had switched to rain. It's been raining nonstop since then. We took Grammy and Grand to the airport later last evening for a red-eye flight, and they're back in Kentucky safe and sound. We had a great time during their visit to Seattle!

The good news about all the rain is that has been dumping snow in the mountains! Snoqualmie Pass has received 24 inches of snow in the last 24 hours and Crystal Mountain is now open for business! So I guess that means we need to get our snowboarding stuff ready and buy our lift passes. Jen, Sam, and Charlie are all going to be taking lessons this winter at Snoqualmie. We've also got full snowshoeing equipment for our family of four, so this is just the first of our posts on winter fun! Hope you all are having fun, too.

A birthday surprise

Sam got a BIG surprise from his mom and dad for his seventh birthday. After going out to dinner with Grammy and Grand and the rest of the fam, we blindfolded Sam and took him for a drive. He had no idea where he was going! Our destination was Greg's Greenlake Bicycles...to pick out a new bike!

Sam had outgrown his 16-inch Gary Fisher and had been asking for a new bike for months. When he finally got to pull off his blindfold, he said, "WHAT are we doing HERE?!" Our answer provoked a wild dance that we wish we had on video (FYI: we're getting a new video camera soon).

The picture above shows Sam on the bike he picked out himself. It's a black and blue Specialized -- that he's decided to name Spike -- and it has seven speeds and hand brakes. It also has, of course, a kickstand! You can check out the full picture set here.

Yay, Sam! Happy Birthday, buddy.