GRANDMA'S HALLOWEEN PARTY

Last night we had grandma's annual Halloween Party.

 

According to Maija the party was WICKED!

 

Lots of good food, fun games and good company.

 

These are the best parties ever.

 

We missed Markus who was in California in the Marching Band competition, but what can I say...the party must go on.

 

 

Niko and Kai playing the Halloween Bingo

 

 

Maija

 

 

 

Kai and Maija with their dessert creations

 

 

 

Niko in his a Angry Bird - Hawkeye costume

 

 

Maija with her cousin

 

 

Kai checking out his Halloween candy bag from grandmother

 

 

Maija with her massive candy pile

 

 

 

 

FOOTBALL AND BAND NIGHT

Foothill High had a football game last Thursday night,

and two local middle schools joined the Foothill marching band to cheer

our football team to victory.

 

And victory it was...the score was something around 40 - 17.

 

And the music was phenomenal with around 550 kids in the band!

 

Kai playing trombone.

 

Markus somewhere there with his trumpet.

BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL

We have quite a morning routine.

 

Markus gets up around 5:15, and I make him usually a smoothis and eggs (omelette, egg burrito, or scrambled eggs), and then he leaves few minutes before 6 am to get to early morning seminary before school starts.

 

Kai will wake up around 6:30, and he usually has pancakes with syrup and a strawberry-orange-banana smoothie, before rushing to his school around 7:35.

 

Maija and Niko get up around 7:30 and their breakfast of choice is either cereal or waffles, and then it is off to school for them as well.

 

So if you are in mood for eggs, pancakes, waffles or smoothies...our house is a place to be in any given morning.

 

 

FRIENDS

Today I feel grateful for all the wonderful people I have met, and will meet throughout my life.

 

I read an article recently from the October 2012 Ensign Magazine titled

Good Things Keep on Coming

 

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/10/good-things-keep-on-coming?lang=eng

 

My favorite paragraph said:

 

"Sitting quietly, surrounded by people I loved,

I knew that even though some good things must naturally come to an end and that there would undoubtedly be many hard things in the future,

the good things would keep on coming.

And they always would—as long as I let them.

Even as those I love moved on,

voids would be filled with new and amazing people and experiences

I had never even imagined."

 

And so tonight I want to thank everybody who has shared some happy times and some sad times with me.  My life has been and continues to be wonderful because of the family, friends, and even acquaintances,

crossing paths with me. 

 

 This is for you

 

I VOTED

This is not a first time I have voted since becoming a citizen of United States,

 

but this is the first time

I felt a special tug in my heart when I pushed the button "Cast Your Vote".

 

This time around I feel so strongly about the candidate I am voting for.

Voting made me feel so powerful.

 

I can make a difference with my vote, (especially living in a swing state, where every vote counts)

 

It made me feel grateful to be living in a free country,

 

in a country where I can voice my opinion,

 

where I can be friends with people who have an opposing opinion.

 

I will always be a Finn in my heart, but there is also room to be a proud American.

NIKO ON LEGOS

I made legos!

Episode 2 i make weird little alien!

Okie... its a guy playing piano thats about to get killed by a solder with a spear!

 

ps.I think the warrior is from my lord of the rings playset   O_O

 

 

SERVICE DAY

Yesterday our local church (lds church) held a day of service. 

We got up early, ate some breakfast with our family and headed to the service location to meet with other members from our congregation. 

We helped some struggling home owners to clean up their yards. 

 

It felt good to be working side by side with our family and friends, doing good, meeting some nice, greatful people along the way. 

Nothing unites families and friends quite like working hard together for a good cause.

 

Maija

 

Markus

 

Kai

 

Jason

 

P.S. Niko did some work but decided that it was quite tireing, and snuck into a car to take a rest...

MAIJA'S HOT SPOTS: MY HOME

I like my house because it always has some action, because so many boys are usually taking it over with screaming, fighting, and attacking one another.

I always tell my mom not to give them sweets! Especially Niko, he always takes control of our house. My other brother, Kai is very crazy!

Now I don’t even know why this is one of my Henderson Hot Spots.

My other brother, Markus is sometimes mean but mostly nice.

When I do my homework it is always loud and crazy.

Once I was doing my homework and all of a sudden it starts to get all crazy down stairs and I wanted to see what was going on but I had to stay and do my homework. By the time I was done with my homework the craziness was gone so I never knew what was going on.

 

 

This photo was taken several years ago in our backyard

 

MAIJA'S HOT SPOTS: FROZEN YOGURT

I like this place so much because it has so many different kinds of ice cream and you can put all different kinds of candy to put on your ice cream.

There is also an arcade in the back and you don’t even need to pay to play it!!

But for some reason nobody is in that room so much.

My favorite ice cream is the blue cotton candy because it tastes like cotton candy but even better!!!

I also like to put at least 1 or 2 fruits and berries to stay strong.

I also put a lot of candy such as gummy warms, sprinkles, m & m’s, and of course crunched up Oreos mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!

That is why this is one of my hot spots!

 

 

MAIJA'S HOT SPOTS: HIDDEN FALLS PARK

I like this place, because it has the most interesting to be in the playground it is so cool! There are rock climbing and tire swinging!  Well, I am not sure about the tire swinging though. 

I went to a  birthday party there once and we walked up a big, big, big mountain.  It was so hot that we threw water balloons at each other!!! We were nice and cool then. We also walked up a humongous mountain so that got us all worn out again.

The food was great!

The playground was really fun! My favorite thing there is a little ………… well it’s a little hard to explain but it does make you really dizzy.

That is why this is one of my Henderson hot spots!!!

 

 

MAIJA'S HOT SPOTS: HORSEBACK RIDING TEACHER'S HOUSE

I like this place because one of my best friends lives there. 

 

My teacher is very nice and we are also best friends. 

We have so much in common. 

 

The horse I ride on every day is named Piggy.  You can call her Piglet.  She looks so beautiful.  Piggy has a sparkling coat and a fabulous main!

She sometimes gets really worn out and she tries to trot back to her friend, Maggie but I mostly get a hold of her so I can have more time to ride piggy but sometimes she gets really angry and I try to pull her but she just won’t budge.

 That is why this is my Henderson hot spot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are couple of bonus pictures from the Wild West; 

Markus having a leisurely afternoon with his good friend, Maddie.

 

 

 

 

 P.S. Just in case you are wondering..Maija is wearing part of her Halloween costume in the beginning...Tiger hair band.  Maddie has her Marching Band Drill Team make up on from earlier practise.