Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends!

Zoo Lights

We did a lot of fun holiday things this weekend. We went to the Macy's Parade, Tree Lighting, and Zoo Lights. We also saw Breaking Dawn and Hugo. Both movies were really good so go see them if you haven't already!

P.S. I updated by book recommendations for the holiday season so be sure to check them out (right sidebar).

I got glasses!

These are my new glasses. I just got them this week.

Last Dance

We had our last Friday Night Dance Class this weekend. Click here to see more photos.

Only 3 days of school this week because it's the end of the 1st Quarter!

Fun Times with Friends

My friend Maya made this collage of me, her, Chelsea and Jake when we were hanging out last Thursday.

Me & Michael C.

I got to meet Michael Costello from Project Runway Season 8 this weekend! He was at Portland Fashion Week. So were Seth Aaron and Jay Sario from Season 7.

Click here to see more photos. I got all their autographs.

Also, Seth talked to Ruby and me about the new line of clothes he is designing for Earthtec using fabrics that are made from recycled plastic bottles. It's really cool.

Happy #6!

My twin cousins, Jadyn and Ashley, are celebrating their #6 birthdays this week! This is a picture of them.

My new cousin Alia is 6 too - 6 days!

Greek Festival

Today we went to the Greek Festival. Here are a few photos.

I love Loukoumades! They are little donuts cover with honey sauce.

Welcome Alia!

I have a new baby cousin! Her name is Alia, and she was just born today in Indiana. Now I have 7 cousins in all - 5 girls and 2 boys!

I met Mondo!

A couple of weeks ago, I got to meet Mondo, my favorite designer from last season's Project Runway. He was at Macy's during Portland Fashion Week.

Dance Class

This is a photo from our Friday Night Dance Class. I also want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ruby Belle!

Major Fun!!

Mermaid Beach just won a MAJOR FUN award! Click here to read about it.

Thank you Major Fun!

Also, I am going to be doing another game signing on September 18 at Rainy Day Games.

School Day!

This is me and Jake on the last night of summer vacation eating gelato. Summer went too fast! See you at school!

Game Signing

I had my first game signing for Mermaid Beach last week at Other Worlds Games in Hillsdale. It was really fun! Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Click here for some photos.

Camping

We went camping this weekend at Timothy Lake. It was really fun!

Fun with Sarah!

My friend Sarah from Oklahoma has been staying with us for the past week, and it has been super fun! This is a picture of us at Sauvie Island for a concert.

And this is what we looked like when we first met, which was when I was born!

PANCAKES!

On Sunday we went to a pancake breakfast in Hillsdale. It was fun we went inside a firetruck and played with all the head gear. I was a super awesome fire women. Sad thing no pictures but, we have one of us and friends sitting next to a cow! Super cool.

Sunshine Pantry

Here are some pictures of me and my friends volunteering at the Sunshine Pantry for the National Charity League (NCL). We decorated barrels for collecting food donations, and we restocked their food pantry with soup, beans and other canned foods.

Sew Cool!

I finished sewing camp today. During the 3 days I made P.J.'s, a bag, and toiletry bag.

It was super fun, and next time I'm going to make a teddy bear. Also, next week will be busy so keep checking in! Our friend Sarah is coming to visit!

Click here to see sewing photos.

Faces With Braces!

If you or someone else you know has braces on their faces, post a picture on my blog!
Because you should show your braces with pride!

Braces!

I got braces this week!

I also got a sewing "double." Her name is Valerie and she's exactly my size! As you can see, she's also a Timbers fan!




Guess what else!... My game, Mermaid Beach is now in stock at Gamewright. It should be available in stores any day. Click here to go to Gamewright's Blog. They just posted a story about me and Mermaid Beach. There's even a contest you can enter to win a copy of my game. All you have to do is leave a comment on Gamewright's blog about your favorite beach.

The End of the Keys

This is my Dad and I at the smallest post office in the U.S.A. Click here to see photos of our stop in Ochopee, as we were driving across the southern tip of Florida. We finished our time in the Florida Keys, so we drove back to Marco Island. Along the way, we saw 41 alligators! They were swimming in a canal that ran along side the road we were on.

One of the best parts of our time in the Keys was getting to swim with dolphins.
It was super cool to play with the dolphins. We got to do hand shakes, dorsal rides, commands, and see them do lots and lots of tricks. Click here to see photos. To see video, click here.

Another really fun thing we did in the Keys was go snorkeling. Click here to see video from our snorkeling trips. I saw a shark, tons of minnows, and lots of cool fish.

Florida Keys

This week we have been in the Florida Keys. We have gone snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, and went down to Key West one day. Soon we are going to swim with dolphins at the dolphin research center, then go the turtle hospital. Then we will go back to Marco Island for a week, then come back home to Portland. So here are some pictures and videos of Key West and snorkeling. And here are some pictures of where we are staying in Key Largo.

Sorry I haven't had internet in a while so I haven't been able to post.
I'll have pictures and more stuff up soon. We re having a great time and hopefully we will get internet soon.

Ruby Belle

This post is dedicated to Ruby!
Hi, Ruby I miss you so much, and I can't wait to see you!
Love ya!
Xoxo
Emily

Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Museum

Hi from Florida! Yesterday we visited the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford Museum in Ft. Myers. You can click here to see photos.

This is a picture of me looking for shells. The beach at Marco Island has a lot of cool shells. We have also found more than 40 sand dollars so far!

Summer Vacation

When I go on my summer vacation to Florida I will be posting frequently so you can see what I'm up to!

Today is the last day of school!

Finally the year has come to an end. I'm happy, but also I'm sad because I won't see some of my good friends till next year. However it's mostly happy!

Flower Power!

Last weekend we took a hike, and I took the camera and took all these pictures of flowers! Here they are... hope you enjoy them!

Who's Behind the Wheel?

Last Friday (6/3) Drew got to leave school early and go to the D.M.V where he got his drivers permit. So when ever we go somewhere he always calls "driver" instead of "shotgun".
Its been really cool to have him driving us around (also, he is not half bad at the whole thing)!

My Birthday!

Hi, my birthday is in 3 days (May 12th) and so if you want send me a happy birthday email at
1999ede@gmail.com just like that no caps so have a good week and remember it's mine and my twin brothers birthday!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Hope the Easter Bunny visited your house, too. Click here for photos from our day.

Lacrosse Game

This picture is from my lacrosse game on Saturday. Click here for more.

Sun is comin!

Wow! Portland has changed to a kinda sunny place!

We have mostly sunny days this week, but still a little cold. Over the weekend I lost my lacrosse game, but I'm not sad. Also, we hung out with friends, and that was fun! Now it's my Dad's birthday, and we are eating ice cream cake on the deck around the fire-pit! Outside in the cold sun!

Happy Birthday to Dad! Happy Spring to all!

Birthdays!

Jenny S. (devil duck) on the 1st
Maya F. (friend) on the 4th
Uncle John (my uncle) on the 7th
Tim H. (our good friend in OK) on the 8th
Henry P. (friend) on the 8th
Cousin Liam on the 10th
Cousin Scott on the 10th
Pat (my dad!) on the 19th
Aunt Jan on the 20th
Audrey K. (friend) on the 26th
Ellen R. (mom friend) on the 27th
So Happy Birthday to all of these special people!
Have a very special day!

This photo is from my first lacrosse game last weekend. Here is a quiz:

1.Who invented lacrosse?
2.What do you call a lacrosse stick?
3. What is the fastest growing sport in the US?






Answers:
1. Native Americans
2. crosse
3. Lacrosse!

New segment!

Every month I will do a special post for the "birthdays of the Month"! Your birthday will be on my blog so everyone knows when your big day is. So email me and your get a special post! You can also tell me if you don't want your name or age to be put on the post, but if you don't ask me then I'll automatically put that information on. If you do ask me I'll put the date so everybody knows there is someone out there with a birthday.

Drew: the best big brother!

Happy 15th Birthday Drew! Drew is turning 15, and we are going to the DMV so he can get his drivers' learning permit. He is the best big brother and has lots of experience.

Here are some photos of Drew through the years. As you will see, he has grown A LOT! He started as 18" and he is now 6'1"! Also, he has always loved anything related to the water - swimming, fishing, sailing and more.

Have a great day, Drew!

Blowing Bubbles

We took a trip to Salem to visit the Oregon State Capital. Drew got to be a page for the legislature, while Jake and I went to the Children's Museum. They have a really cool bubble room there. We also went to a place call the Mission Mill where they used to make wool fabric back in the early 1900s. Also we took the tower tour to the top of the Capital. On top there is a gold statue of a pioneer. To get there you climb up 122 stairs. You can click here to see photos.


How to Make Your Own Bubble Mix:

1/2 cup of dish washing liquid (Dawn or Joy)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of sugar

Mix well and add a few drops of food coloring if you want to have colored bubbles.

Spring Break

It's Spring Break, and it has started off to a good start.

We had a super fun time at the Aquatic Park on Monday. It is a fun place to go, especially if you like water slides.

This is a photo album of our trip.

We are going to State!

Go Devil Ducks! We got 1st place at the Regional DI Tournament yesterday so we get to go to State in April!

Congratulations to Chopsticks and the Fiverbolts and TNT too.

Mermaid Beach!

My game Mermaid Beach comes out this spring/summer! However, this month (February) my game was shown at the New York Toy Fair, and I hope it was successful. I'm super exited to have my game finally coming out and hopefully everyone will get a copy! Mermaid Beach is a really fun game that anybody will enjoy. You can email or comment if you would like more information about my game.
Click here to see what Gamewright says about it on their game blog. Scroll to the bottom of their post and you'll see Mermaid Beach, but check out all their other cool games too!

New! New! New!

Last week on Thursday, I got a super cute hair cut! Well, hopefully you think its cute? I got inspired to do this do, by Sara! Sara is our friend who lives in Oklahoma. Where my family used to live. She has a hair cut almost just like mine. She is a great friend, even though she is in high school. So here is a picture of my new hair! Comment on how much you like it.

Quotes of the Day!

Inspired by Ruby Belle... Here are my quotes for the day. These are from a book called "Today I Will" by one of my favorite authors and his wife: Jerry & Eileen Spinelli.

"It's always better to be an original than an imitation."

-By Frank Keating, from his book, Theodore (Roosevelt)

"To me, the labels that people gave each other - or themselves - were like invisible name tags. Once you started to "wear" one, everyone was free to make assumptions about who you are."

-By Aisha Muharrar, from the book, More Than A Label

"It isn't walls and furniture that makes a home. It's the family."

- By Natalie Savage Carlson, from the book, The Family Under the Bridge

"I have heard of a land where the imagination has no fences; where what is dreamed one night is accomplished the next day."

- By Joyce Carol Thomas, from I Have Heard of a Land

"Tis a good life!"

- By Elizabeth George Speare, from The Witch of Blackbird


I think that all these quotes show that "life is only once", and that if we copy someone or push someone away we have to live with that being our choice. For the rest of our live we have to live with "acting" cool for no one reason. The only the reason was that our friends were there, when really friends should now who you who you are. So start taking that giant risk, that some people think is death. The risk of being yourself.

Curling!

Most people curl their hair, but since I'm a little different I curled on ice. Yes, I went curling like in the Winter Olympics. We went to a curling open house at Lloyd Center. It was super fun! It looks kinda of weird on T.V. because mostly you think "Wow! They won, but wait what just happened?" Really curling is a complicated sport (on ice). First, you must put on "grips" which help you not slip on the ice. Then you go on one side of the ice in your "sheet" (the column which you play in). After you get down in a crouch and put a slide under your foot. A slide makes you able to slide on the ice. Then you get a balance tool and a rock then you push off and throw the rock! Next two or three people come and sweep on the ice which makes the rock go farther and straighter. After you must get it in the "home" (the goal). Finally, after the game is over then you see which color rock (out of red or blue) is closest to the middle of the "home" and that team wins! Last night we won! It was really fun and you can even do a junior camp for three weeks in March one afternoon a week. So here is a link to the website if you want to check it out. Also here are some awesome pictures that my talented Mom took!

Little Me!

Everyone was once a baby, toddler, preschooler, and finally a big kid! Well, now you're probably a teen.

Click here to see some SUPER cute pictures of me (and brothers) growing up! There are costumes, Halloweens, play, and many more little moments! So comment on what you think.

The Neighborhood House

Yesterday I went to the Neighborhood House. The Neighborhood House is a place where people in need come to get food, drinks, toiletries, and anything you really need. So, we helped with re-packaging granola bars into big bags and each bag would go to a family. Some other jobs were re-packaging rice, and beans, or putting food donations onto the shelves. It's really fun, and it feels good that you know you helped some families! I think it's really cool, and you can help out on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month during their family volunteer nights! Here is a link: Neighborhood House. So come and help out any time you're free!

Hey guys! I hope you know that "you"-as a follower- can ask me anything that you would like to hear about on my blog. So please ask me anything that you would to hear about!
Thank You!

P.S. To become a follower scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the FOLLOW button and it will ask you some small questions and then you are a follower!

Sky High!

We went to Sky High yesterday with some friends. It was super fun. We jumped til we dropped! Here are some photos.

Hey Guys! You can feed the fish or play with them! Click on there tank or move your mouse around and they will move to it!

#1 My first post!

Hi everybody,

I started a blog! Soon I will be posting about fun things to when bored, books to read, good games to play, fun places to go, cool art projects, easy fun ways to make your style on top, good places to shop for less, and more!

Also once I really get this going you - as a follower - can comment on what other fun things you would like to hear about!