Sari's Science Fair Project

This last week was the Tulare County Science Fair. Sari's project had been picked as 1 of 3 from her school to compete at the county level. We had to do some more work to fix her project up since we discovered that glue stick and elmers glue do not stick very well to vinyl :) She did her project on how much lemon juice it would take to keep her sliced apple from turning brown. The original project took about 10 hours to complete and then we put in another 6 hours getting it ready for the county competition. We found out this week that she did not make it to state but neither of us are too saddened by that :) She had a lot of fun and learned some too! This is a picture of her with her project and the ribbons she got from competing at the county level.

The Rockin' Party

So Sari had a blast at her birthday party. She was a little tired after playing in the snow all morning but after a shower and a little bit of rest she was ready to go! Her request for dinner was hot dogs (I really don't know why!) so we got some chili and cheese and did chili dogs! Evidently other people like chili dogs because 60 hot dogs were inhaled in about 10 minutes :) After we ate we played some Rock Band with every one getting a turn. Only 3 can play at a time so we had a waiting list most of the time.

After we played Rock Band for a while we took a break and opened presents. Sari was spoiled as usual and ended up with lots of fun goodies and quite a bit of cash to go shopping with! I'm wondering what she is going to purchase??? The last present she opened was from us, we got her another guitar for Rock Band so 4 people can play at a time. It is very cool pink with black skulls and in the shape of a heart!

After presents we did cake and ice cream. We tricked her with magical relighting candles :) That was fun watching her try to get the candles to stay out. Everyone wanted to eat one of the people off the cake. Most everyone liked the fondant but there were a couple who didn't really like it. After they were done eating they went back to Rock Band this time with 4 instruments going and had a blast. Here are some pictures of her opening presents, the cake, and a video of some of the Rock Stars :)

She had lots of fun partying and now is ready for bed! Thank goodness you only turn 12 once :)

Happy 12th Birthday Sari!!!

Today is Sari's 12th birthday! It is so hard for me to believe that she is 12 already. The number 12 birthday is big for us because it means that Sari now gets to participate in all of the youth activities in Young Women's instead of being in primary with all of the children. It's a little scary for me to let her go be with all of the big girls but I know she will do well. This post is a tribute to Sari :)

Sari came to this world 2 weeks early weighing in at a teeny 5lbs 13ozs. I had been very sick throughout my entire pregnancy with her and her low birth weight was a result of that. That didn't hold her down though, she quickly began gaining weight and by her 2 month checkup was already in the 95th percentile in weight and height. Sari was the sweetest little baby. I didn't realize how good she was until Ashlie came along :) I learned very quickly how well tempered Sari had been. She developed a stranger phobia very early (about 4 months old) and wouldn't let hardly anyone near her except Craig and I, my parents, and my sister. (We had moved to California by then.) That only lasted a few months and then she began to be a little more pleasant with strangers.

Sari grew, and grew, and grew some more :) Sari has always been big for her age and because of that many people expected her to act older (including us at times). We would have to remind ourselves, she is only 2 or 3 or whatever, we can't expect her to act like a 5 or 6 year old even though she looks that big. Sari was always happy and loved to watch tv. Her favorites were Barney and Teletubbies. Ugh!!! We got soooo tired of those shows! For her 2nd birthday we even hired Barney himself to come to the party and she loved that.

Sari is an excellent student in school. Her teachers have always raved about her and how good she does and how sweet she is. We recently found out that her Science Fair Project was selected to be judged in the County Science Fair in one week. We are very pleased that she worked so hard and did such a good job to be chosen. There were only 3 projects selected from her school to go. She is a kind friend and loves to please others. She has always been a leader with her peers looking up to her. Sari is a great example to follow and helps keep us on the straight and narrow. She always makes good choices and is kind to others.

Sari's hobbies include horse back riding, reading, swimming, playing Rock Band, and watching tv. We recently got her started in riding lessons which she dearly loves. She also plays the piano (she's in her 5th year) and is doing great. We love to listen to her play.

If we were to pick one word to describe Sari it would be "sweet". Sari is a sweetheart and we are so blessed to have her in our family. Of course she is the typical pre-teen girl with her typical attitude, but we wouldn't trade her for the world. We love having her in our home and love the spirit she carries with her. We love to give her kisses and hugs and call her Sari-bo-Bari or Banana Fana, which she is liking less and less :( Can you guess where her nickname came from??? Sari Sari bo bari, banana fana fo fairi, me mi mo mari, Sari!!! That is our most favorite theme song of our family :)

So our Sari is 12 and has already ditched us for the Young Women's! She was invited to attend the snow trip that just so happened to land on her birthday :) What a lucky girl! So she should be home pretty soon, just in time to shower and get ready for a Rockin' party (we're doing RockBand). So to our Sari, we love you and are so happy you are part of our family :) Happy 12th Birthday!

Awards Assembly

Last Friday I went to the girls awards assemblies. Ashlie got her award for being more self motivated to get her assignments turned in both during class and at home. Ashlie has always been an excellent student but this year she is in a 3rd-4th combo and she is a 3rd grader, so she has had to be a lot more self motivated to get her assignments completed and that has taken some discipline on her part. She is doing great in school and loves her teacher. Sari was recognized as Student of the Month. In some school they have 2 or 3 per month from each class so that each child gets an opportunity to be student of the month, but at Mineral King only 1 child per class is selected so it really is an honor to be chosen as Student of the Month. Sari got to go to breakfast with her teacher and the other 5th & 6th grade Student of the Month's on Friday morning before school started. She also was recognized at the assembly for her Science Fair Project and received a 2nd place Ribbon. Her project was on "How Much Lemon Juice Do I Need to Keep 5 Apple Slices From Turning Brown". She worked very hard on her project and as a result it has been selected to compete in the Tulare County Science Fair! We are very proud of her and her hard work. The Science Fair is in a couple of weeks so we'll post pictures of the project and awards for all to see. We are very proud of both of our girls and their dedication to education and learning.