Coates Family

A few self-portraits

Janna — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:06:37 +0000

Nothing exciting, just a few pics I snapped recently (for the sake of a new post)

Girl’s Day at the Ballet

Janna — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:18:16 +0000

We had a girl’s day on Saturday. Nathan’s mom (aka Grandma Coates) and I took Chloe to see the Cinderella ballet. You aren’t allowed to take pictures during the performance so here are a few from before. It was a fun afternoon.

Valentine’s Day

Janna — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:59:50 +0000

Our annual tradition is to have a red meal for Valentine’s Day. This year we had spaghetti with heart-shaped Parmesan bread and then finished it off with this yummy Jello dessert I found the directions for in Family Fun.

Snow

Janna — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:48:10 +0000

We have had a lot of snow recently. These are some pictures taken over the last few weeks. Chloe and Luke really like the snow (and yes, Luke is wearing his sister’s old snow pants). Levi really doesn’t want to be left out but the snow and getting dressed to be out in the snow are not his favorite (as you can see in some of the pictures). One day we took the kids over to a nearby school that has a large hill. They really loved sledding there.

Bathroom Remodel

Janna — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:05:46 +0000

Because I know you all care so much about our bathroom! Here are some before, during, and after pictures from our renovation. A big THANK YOU to Dave Oliver of Oliver Tile of Ohio and Kirk Vincent of Vincent Plumbing for their work to help this happen. (You might have to let the show load the pictures first and then go back and watch it all…otherwise the pictures may fade in and out too fast for you the first time through.)

Upwards

Janna — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:21:57 +0000

Chloe was excited to finally be old enough to participate in Upwards basketball this year. Nathan is one of the coaches for her team. They practice once a week and play one game each Saturday. It’s a great learning experience…no score is kept and everyone gets equal playing time. Even since her first game three weeks ago she has made lots of improvement. She is great at dribbling, is starting to be more assertive going after the ball, and this past Saturday she even made her first basket during the game.

Trains with Grandpa Goose

Janna — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:42:55 +0000

Grandpa always sets up a train around the Christmas tree. The kids LOVED it and spent much time being entertained with it.

Sledding

Janna — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:54:08 +0000

Chloe the pianist

Janna — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:09:15 +0000

A while back Chloe began to show an interest in playing the piano. Nathan’s dad just happens to be a great piano player! So in September Chloe began going to Grandpa’s house once a week for piano lessons. Then she and Mommy practice every day at home, too. She was very excited this winter to learn a few Christmas songs on the piano. She learned to play Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Away in the Manger, Joy to the World, and part of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. It was so neat to get to hear her play her concert at various familiy gatherings this Christmas season. Thank you to Grandpa Coates!

A little catching up is in order….

Janna — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:00:03 +0000

So, with the holidays, traveling, bathroom remodeling, etc., updating the blog has been low on my list. I have, however, been taking many pictures all month and I’ve finally gotten around to editing them. So for the next week or so, expect updated pictures every other day or so until we get up to speed.

We’ll start with Luke’s Preschool Christmas Program. It lasted all of four minutes and Luke, while he knew the words to every song, stood for the entire time with his hands in his pockets looking around and occasionally smiling. At one point, the kids were supposed to point at the audience while singing “We wish you a Merry Christmas”…for this number, Luke managed to wiggle one finger out of his pocket long enough for a point-like gesture, but then it went right back into hiding. What a cute little guy!