Easter

Today we got to sleep in a little, Steve didn't have meetings and I actually slept until 8:00! We were the first two up so we turned on Music and the Spoken Word and enjoyed a quiet half hour.

Then we got to work making breakfast. Actually, Steve got to work last night making our french toast casserole that has to sit overnight. It's yummy!

Then the girls woke up, looked for Easter eggs and we sat down to a delicious breakfast! We have decided we kind of like having church at 1:00.

Coloring Eggs

Last night we colored Easter eggs. It's weird only have two around to color eggs!

Steve and Andie got creative with their colors. Andie even made a Batman and Wonder Woman egg. She loves her super heroes!

(Fox News is on in the background : ))

Super hero eggs:

Wonder Woman is the red egg, Batman the blue. The striped egg is lending support.

Friends

We love it when friends come over to "hang out." I'm not allowed to say "play" anymore.

Friends also know that when they come over we like for them to take their shoes off. Lighter carpet wasn't the brightest choice we made.

So last night, after the Young Women broadcast, Brooke had Makenna Hicks come over. I just thought it was funny when I walked upstairs to see what was going on that I noticed this:

One little, single, solitary shoe. I just thought it was so funny. But here's why there is only one, single, solitary shoe:

Makenna had foot surgery over Spring Break. Each day of Spring Break, Brooke would take her little book of "fun facts" to Makenna's house and keep Makenna company by "hanging out" and reading her two fun facts a day.

These girls have been friends since kindergarten. Love it! Love friends!

Women's Chorus

Rylee's Women's Chorus instructor, Sister Applonie, approached Rylee yesterday and asked her to be Vice President of the group next year.

Unfortunately, Rylee will have no time her final year at BYU (after four very successful years) to take Choir. This year she served as section leader for a "gaggle of girls" who loved her and called her their WC Momma.

She's so cute in her sparkly dress!

Singing at the Cougars basketball game.

I can remember well as we were driving to Lake Powell (sans Rylee who was in the first weeks of her freshman year at BYU) I got a call on my cell phone from an excited freshman who said with a voice full of sheer joy that she had made all the cuts to become a member of Women's Chorus. It was very emotional for me to think that my own daughter would be performing and would become fully integrated into my alma mater! I was so proud!

And as I chaperoned a Highland High School choir field trip for Brooke:

It made me so grateful for the opportunities our girls have to become and do all they want to become and do!

Rylee's former high school choir director, Steve Hickman, told me this very day of the field trip, that he and Ms. Scholz had received a very nice and heartfelt email from Rylee expressing her gratitude for them in making it possible for her to excel in her choir endeavors in college.

Math

Usually when my girls walk in the door from school I'll ask how they are, tell them I missed them and then ask, "So what was new and exciting today at school?"

Insert chirping crickets here.

So imagine my surprise when the other night before bed (notice not when I asked the all important question) Andie came into my room and said, "Oh by the way, Mr. Carroll (her math ALP teacher) wrote the names of the kids with the highest math grades on the board, and I'm first with 99%. Goodnight."

I called her back and congratulated her. Having the highest grade in honors math is quite an accomplishment I told her. She kind of blushed but didn't seem to think it was a big deal. I asked her if I could come in and take a picture of it for the blog (love the blog, MAKES me take more pictures). She of course said no.

However, Mr. Carroll said yes.

What you don't see is the note she left me in red at the bottom of this, telling me that she needed me to order her yearbook.

So although math homework frequently brings her to tears, she (and Steve) must be doing something right!

Brooke (Orchestra Spring Tour 2013)

Brooke had fun on her first ever Orchestra Spring Tour, the first of many to come for this talented violinist. (Among all the pictures you'll see, Brooke is the only freshman. She's one of four freshman in her Sinfonia orchestra.)

What was fun for me (since I didn't get to go this year) is seeing her in her element with all of her friends. A girl in our ward once said to me (at one of Brooke's track meets) that everyone likes Brooke.

So this is Brooke's day to be "blogged." Enjoy!

This is one of Brooke's new best friends, her name is Brooklyn Law and affectionately known to me as Brookie Lou Lou.

The girls in their concert gear.

Windy day in CA! Brooklyn and Tenery's niece, Lindsay Mask.

Brooke and new friend Kylie Brady.

More cute girls!

And some cute boys!

Brooklyn and Charlee Merrill.

The gang.

Not sure who this cute boy is but Brooke found someone taller than her!

Bailey Christensen.

She had a great time!

I Love to See the Temple

We are excited about the temple being built only five miles from our house! We see the Gilbert Arizona Temple on our way to soccer each week and it has been so fun to see the progress being made on it.

This picture was taken when our Stake Presidency asked each family in the stake to take a picture before groundbreaking and then evaluate where we were when the temple is finally dedicated (thanks Kym for the picture!).

Here is our family at the temple groundbreaking:

During Ward Conferences, each of the youth and primary were asked to take a rock and write how they were going to build themselves as the temple was built. My good friend Becky Mousser was blessed to be able to see these rocks placed in the foundation of the temple right where the baptismal font will be placed. Our children will be a part of the Gilbert Temple forever! Just a neat blessing to be able to do that.

Andie's rock.

Brooke's rock.

Haley's rock. (Rylee was at BYU, sorry Ry!)

Here they are placed in the foundation of the temple. So, so neat!

Here we are watching Moroni being placed atop the temple:

These pictures were taken as part of a Young Women/Activity day activity:

Where Brooke and Andie are standing now is where our family stood to take pictures up above. Lots of progress!

We love to see the temple! And we love to see it being built!

You can also find a picture of our amazing primary with our hard hats on in the April 2013 issue of The Friend (page 6). We have been focusing on building ourselves as we watch the building of the temple.

We are so lucky!

Rylee

Yesterday we drove to Andie's soccer game with some friends. On the way, my friend was asking me how Rylee and Haley were doing at BYU. I told her about Haley and her experiences there (see former post, this is not about Haley : ) ).

I told her how Rylee plays the violin, the piano, the organ and can sing her little heart out. I told her how Rylee could listen to or pick up a piece of music and play it instantly.

I told her her how we were driving up to Utah in the next week and a half to attend Rylee's last BYU choir concert, something that makes not only Rylee sad but me as well. And how the day after that, we were attending the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference to hear Rylee sing there. Wow! What an honor!

Rylee has been attending BYU for four years and I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She remains busy with school, work, choir (as well serving as section leader) and serving in her Relief Society Presidency.

I am grateful that she is taking good care of her little (age-wise mind you) sister and that they enjoy doing things together like attending devotionals and going to dinner.

I am grateful for how much Rylee loves the scriptures. I'm amazed when I try to teach something from the scriptures how she is so wise and knowledgeable about them herself.

I am grateful for the happy voice I hear on the other end of the line almost every day she walks home from school.

I never have to worry that Rylee, when she is trying to solve a problem or figure out what her next step is in life, prays and receives answers to her prayers.

I love her smile and her wit and her writing! I love this picture of her (Andie doesn't look thrilled) but this is how I picture Rylee whenever I think of her.

But see the entry for March 21st (below) for one of my most favorite pictures of her, I love her excitement!
She's just real cute!!

Love Notes

After several hours and days of weeding, it's finally done...until next week of course when more will pop up in their place. And even though the date of this post is today, Sunday, this all took place yesterday of course!

Steve was busy emptying our swimming pool and getting it summer ready.

That didn't stop Andie, however, from taking  a quick swim (still a bit too cold!) I had to send this picture to Kym because she had just sent me a picture of Colorado with the caption, "Let it snow!" I couldn't resist.

Yesterday after a rough game of soccer for Andie (she was knocked down several times) we returned home to eat our "buy one get one free" from Chipotle for all soccer players who wore their jerseys into the restaurant. Andie looked a little worse for the wear but gathered the strength to get her free meal!

When I finally made it upstairs for the night (weeding takes a lot out of you!) I saw these love notes on all of our beds (except for Rylee and Haley's which will need to be mailed):

Each of our girls, over the years, have left notes like this for Steve and me and each other. I am grateful for girls who are considerate and who really do love each other and their parents.

Tomorrow's post: Rylee!