Hannah's Birthday!

Can't believe my Hannah is 17!
As is our family tradition, for the 17th birthday, we buy a fancy dress and go out for a fancy dinner of their choosing. It has to be something new and can't be a chain restaurant.
Hannah wanted to try sushi, so we picked a Japanese restaurant that did both sushi and hibachi. She chose a fancy dress that would double as a Christmas dress. Finding a dress that was modest, suitable and not too expensive was quite the feat. Hannah was a trooper and we had fun shopping together.
The restaurant was excellent and we had a great waitress who explained and recommend things for us to try. Sam even ate raw fish! (He called it "bait"!)

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Sweet Sixteen

Hannah turns sixteen in a few days. We celebrated her birthday today with a Mad Hatter Tea Party!

Mrs. Hauta made the cake. It was delicious AND cute!

Lauren and Cora

Seamus

Andrew

The Hauta's

Nathalie and her signature eyes-crossed-tongue-sticking-out face.

Catching Up With Photos

Nathalie's last night at home before leaving for college: a marathon game of Risk

The morning we drove Nat to Bob Jones University.

Our visit to Antietam Battlefield

Sam and Rachel at Antietam Battlefield

Rachel and Samantha unwillingly pose for a  photo.

The Connecticut monument at Antietam Battlefield

My birthday

I love this picture of Sam.

Hannah

Rachel

Big E 4-H Showmanship competition

Abby's last time competing as a 4-H'er

Abby's showmanship goat: Raclette. This goat exemplifies everything that can be wrong (conformation-wise) with a dairy goat, and yet in the breed class at this show, the ADGA judge placed her first in her age category. I almost (ALMOST!) offered the judge my glasses. The next day, with a different ADGA judge, she placed dead last, where she should be. 

Now that Abby is no longer in 4-H, Raclette has been sold to a dairy farm in Bloomfield, where she can live out her days having babies and making milk; never to grace a show ring again!

4-H Showmanship

Final awards ceremony

4-H Milk-out competition winners

4-H Showmanship winners

4-H Herdsmanship winner for Connecticut and Overall for the second year in a row! Yay Abby!

4-H Herdsmanship winners by state.

4-H Judging competition winners. Abby did really well with second place in the senior division.

Scavenger hunt winners: Albert and Rachael

Samantha's birthday cake made by Hannah.