A New Driver in the House

Cute Brooke passed her permit test.

As we were waiting for her permit to be printed, Brooke mentioned that only 50% pass their test the first time. After sharing this tidbit of information, a girl came out and excitedly hugged her mom. Brooke shared that this girl had taken the test five times...FIVE TIMES!!! Am I supposed to let my baby drive on the same streets?? Five times!!

A poor little lady standing in front of us couldn't pass the eye test. But, in hopes to help her get her license, they moved her along to someone else to see if they could help her. SHE CAN'T SEE!!! Brooke on the road with her too?

I was secretly hoping she wouldn't pass the darn test. She missed only one question. No luck there.

I have to admit this is not fun anymore, girls going to junior high, girls in high school, girls driving, girls leaving home. I know it's the plan but I don't like the plan sometimes.

Clean Dorm Rooms Make Me Sad

I know! Crazy! But these pictures make me so, so sad. (I remember moving her in just a few short months ago.) (And then I remember seeing it just a few weeks ago...it wasn't clean then.)

I am very grateful for the wonderful experience Haley has had at BYU. She was truly blessed with so many wonderful new friends and experiences. I hate to see it end for her.

But we're glad she's coming home!

Jake and Michael were her wonderful home teachers. These guys really took care of these girls from priesthood blessings, to flowers at midnight, to paint fights.

Thanks for taking care of her BYU! See you next fall.

C.S. Lewis

Our institute teacher gave us this quote today:

"Our leisure, even our play, is a matter of serious concern. [That is because] there is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan."

Young Women Camp Part II

Tonight was camp kick-off. Yay!

Here's my baby, getting ready to head to Lomia. I'm so grateful, after a period of four years, to be going back. I can't wait to be with my (second set) of girlies!

My favorite picture!

Gilbert Golden Scholar I

Brookie was recognized today at Highland High School for being a Gilbert Golden Scholar. This award is earned when a student achieves a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or better by the end of the school year.

We are so proud of her.

Pictured is her friend Ellie who also received the award.

Here they are eight years ago!

We are so grateful for good friends.

Photos Run Amok

Apparently grandpa thinks I'm lazy because I haven't updated lately. Nice.

Here are some pictures taken at Christmas when Rylee was home. Not sure what the heck they were doing, just being themselves I guess. : )

I love it when everyone is home.

The Carlings...and the Carlings

These are our favorite Carlings (sans Elder Carling and Sister Carling) ! : )

We had such a fun visit when they came to Arizona after Christmas. We sure love these guys.

We of course had to take our picture in front of our lovely Gilbert Arizona Temple where families, including these lovely people, can be together forever!

Seminary Scripture Mastery Centurion

As of Monday, April 15th the Carling family now has three Seminary Scripture Mastery Centurions. 

Each year seminary students are challenged to memorize 25 scripture mastery scriptures for the book they are studying that year. This year, for example, the students are studying New Testament and so are highly encouraged to memorize the 25 scriptures the church feels are important to memorize. (I remember doing this myself as a seminary student.)

I'm not sure if this is unique to our state but Arizona seminary students are challenged to memorize all 100 scriptures and be able to write them down in less than 10 minutes in order to earn the title of Centurion. In doing so, Sister Morris (seminary secretary), takes their picture where it hangs on the halls of the seminary building. The youth are then treated, at the end of the year, to a steak dinner.

Monday, Brooke was able to do this in under seven minutes...three minutes to spare!

In a few weeks you'll see her Centurion picture here (this one is too cute so it will take its place until then):

Rylee and Haley have both earned this amazing and honorable award. Here are their pictures that hung on the walls of the Highland High School Seminary building.

Cute Rylee.

Cute Haley.

I'm so, so proud of my girls. They were never pressured or cajoled into doing this. It is something they did entirely on their own. I couldn't be more happy and proud of them!

Star Gazing and Scriptures

Last night for Family Home Evening we planted our garden.

And because it was so nice outside we read our family scriptures on the patio.

Scary faces...

Happy faces...

And because it was so nice outside...again...we star gazed with a cool app Steve has on his nifty phone.

All in all a great Family Home Evening!

The Ever Popular AIMS Testing week

All elementary school aged children have mixed feelings when it comes to yearly AIMS testing (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards).

First, they feel dread that it's AIMS week. They've been preparing all year and most especially the weeks leading up to AIMS. Very stressful for these young-uns.

Second, they feel excited! No homework during AIMS testing. Yay!

Third, they feel hungry and tired. Letters and emails come home telling the mothers of the home that they not only need to have their lovely children in bed on time each night (something we try to do anyway but with soccer and piano and violin, etc. etc. it can be tricky) but that they also need to feed their children a well balanced breakfast EACH morning!

Heavens, this is stressful for moms, forget the kids!

So, Andie said she wanted pancakes for breakfast one morning. Being the dutiful mother that I am, I woke up extra early this morning to make my AIMS-testing daughter breakfast.

Fortunately, Brooke's Food Network magazine came in the nick of time and it happened to have a wonderful recipe for pancakes. Not sure how healthy but...

After making the pancakes, you add strawberries that you let sit all night in a brown sugar mix. You then add a dallop of freshly whipped whipping cream.

Then of course sprinkle more brown sugar on top...why not?

It was just real yummy. We actually all sat down together as a family and ate breakfast.

I guess AIMS week isn't that bad after all.

National Siblings Day

Yesterday was National Siblings Day...I guess. I've never heard of such a thing.

I love all of my girls and I'm grateful they have each other. After this weekend together I know they enjoy being together.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the siblings in our family:

Utah! Saturday

Saturday, such a special day...no, it wasn't the day we got ready for Sunday. At least not this week. We piled into the car to head to the Conference Center to watch Rylee sing in the Saturday session of General Conference! What a treat!

To be honest, I cried through each of her songs because this has always been a dream of hers. At least, she says, until she starts singing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It was an amazing and wonderful experience!

After conference, as we were waiting for our little singer, Haley heard her name being called and we saw this guy, a good friend from Arizona, Elder Biggs, who is waiting for his visa to serve in the Argentina mission.

It was so fun to run into him! These two have been friends since Junior High!

Then on the way to the car, Brooke took out her camera and started shooting.

It was such a fun day and such a great way for Rylee to end her singing career at BYU.

Below is the Deveraux Mansion, the place where Steve and I held our wedding reception almost 24 years ago.

We ended the day taking Steve to Italian Village for a pizza bender (an early birthday dinner) after which he left to attend the Priesthood session with his dad.

Meanwhile, I got to take Haley and Lexie and Nea and the rest of the family to dinner at Cafe Rio. Love her roommates! (This is not Cafe Rio but I forgot to take pictures of the cuties when we were there!)

What a great day!

Soccer and Sunsets

This is our view from the soccer fields:

Andie and her soccer team, lucky girls!

Utah! Friday

Friday we woke up to rain, something Rylee said she ordered just for us! We went on a small shopping spree and then toured the BYU Museum of Art, waiting for Haley to finish her 12:00 class.

After meeting up with Haley we left for Burger Supreme, another Utah favorite! We met up with these boys for lunch:

Haley's good friend Jeff Chapman is serving a mission in Honduras, these are his brothers Kyle and Bug (Ryan). It was so fun to hang out with them! And eat fry sauce of course!!

Later that night, we watched as Rylee sang in her last ever Women's Chorus concert. It was amazing and so fun! Their last song was "Hey Jude." The choir handed out glow sticks to everyone and as they sang we all waved our glow sticks!

Friday ended with ice cream at Iceberg:

Good times!