Winter Scenes

A December snowstorm that dumped 4 inches in a couple of hours.

Ben making snow angels

How much snow we have now and have had for 3 weeks.

Somewhere is this snowbank is my cell phone.

As the thermometer dips into the single digits for the high in Idaho Falls, I have to remind myself how beautiful winter wonderlands can be. This winter has been the snowiest and coldest. We've had a foot of snow since December 24 and I don't think it's going to melt soon. Because I'm not a winter-sport person, I have a tendency to complain about the drab winter days, but then I remind myself of the holidays, the fireplace, and time spent indoors with my family playing games, eating popcorn, watching movies, and how good hot chocolate tastes and feels after being outside for awhile.

Todd and his family know how to enjoy the snow!

A winter from the past.

Pumpkin Carving

It is a long standing tradition in the Fager Family to carve pumpkins just before Halloween. The hunt for just the right pumpkin is the first step. It has to have a flat face and be able to stand upright without tipping over. Vance found the perfect ones at Sam's club this year.

Next is to select the desired pattern. (We do cheat and use a 1.99 kit.) I am one that usually goes for the easiest patterns. Vance, Ben and David like the moderate to difficult ones. Vance took my easy one so I could take pictures. Besides that, he is MUCH better than I am at carving.

Then the comes the cleaning out of the pumpkin. I must admit this is the least favorite and messy step for all of us. The cleaner and thinner the inside, the easier it is.

Making the dot-to-dot pattern and carving is next. This is the tricky part and it needs a patient and steady hand. It is too much like sewing for me - following a pattern and directions, plus I want it done in 15 minutes. We turned on church music (it was Sunday) and enjoyed the process. The boys completed their masterpieces in about 1 hour and 30 minutes start to finished. I was the cheerleader and cleaner.

The finished product! Vance carved "Boofus" , David "Prowler", and Ben "The Haunted House"

Halloween Memories

Acapella Choir Concert

David had a concert last night and it was excellent. His group sang 5 songs and I recorded 2 of them until my memory card was full. He really likes singing in choir and has come a million miles in his ability to read and sing music. These are not easy songs and David knew his part well (he practiced them at home). He sings bass 1 which is the higher part, many times he is singing in tenor range. The men are often split into 4 or 5 parts.

I loved seeing all the kids dressed in tuxedos and black formals. Sit back and enjoy the concert; both videos take about 5 minutes total. (May have to click a couple of times to activate, but it works!)

Can't wait for the Christmas Concert!

Tennis Match

Here is a clip of David's recent tennis match.

Karaoke

"Duuuust in the wind" A-mer-i-can Wo-maaan, stay a-way from me -ee"

Ben got the garb for an x-box karaoke game and we have had more fun singing, laughing and competing. Both David and I were laughing so hard we cried watching Vance sing "Start Me Up"

David's Weekend

David had quite the weekend, he had a tennis tournament Friday and Saturday, admist homecoming activities. He won a 3-set match against Sugar-Salem's #1 seed that put him in a bracket to play Skyline High Schools #1 ranked player.

It was a combination of the good, the bad, and the ugly. His first match was a little ugly as he should have easily won in 2 sets.

The good part was David played brilliantly against Skyline's player, who has trained all summer with a professional, but he felt bad he lost, as every point was hard fought for either player.

Saturday night was the homecoming dance. He has to rent a tuxedo for the year ($100) for acapella choir, so he got that a little early to use for the dance. He asked Chelsea Cook, a junior at IF by making up a crossword puzzle, the solution had certain letters circled, which unscrambled spelled David's name.

About David

David is a senior and glad for the last year of high school. He is taking the typical senior schedule of Economics, American Government, and Senior English. Fun classes this trimester are acapella choir and weight lifting. Choir at IF is big and there are over 100 kids. They all wear tuxes and formals. The choir is quite good. David sings bass 1 or baritone although he has quite a good range. The first concert is a couple of weeks.



David really likes weight lifting and will have that class a couple trimesters. He has put on a few pounds since the beginning of school all in his upper body. I had to almost pull teeth to get this picture, you're lucky to see it.





Speaking of teeth. After 3 and a half years, David will get his braces off hopefully in 2 months. We are holding off on senior pictures until spring, nicer weather and braceless teeth.



David is also big into tennis. He will play in a tournament in a couple of weeks, I'll get some pictures and a video. He plays in the Men's 18-division which is a very competitive bracket. He did play in a few tournaments this summer and won consolation (3rd) in singles. That will make his USTA rating go up!



He worked for the city this summer on weed control (carrying a 30 lb pack all day and walking miles) and putting in a sprinkler system. He worked from 6 AM to 2 PM. My favorite picture of him this summer was with Katie at EFY. He wasn't in her company, but had a great time in spite of cryptosporidium. (He got that the day before he left and had to tough it out a few days.)