Dallas Trip

On April 16th Elizabeth and I departed for a quick trip to Dallas for a choir contest she was in. She chose not to go on the choir spring trip this year but her director asked her if she could go just for the competition. (She didn't want to pay around $500 for a 3 day trip.)
We decided to make it a fun trip for just the two of us. We left Thursday after she got out of school and headed north. The drive there was fun, but long. (around 5 hours)We got to enjoy an awesome Texas Thunderstorm on the way there. The lightning was incredible! We have so many trees here that we never get to appreciate the lightening. We stayed at my wonderful Aunt Teresa's home. I didn't realize how much I missed her until we spent time with her! (She's one of my Dad's younger sisters!) I have so many memories of her growing up and just love her!

We woke up on Friday and drove to Dallas to meet up with the choir. (My Aunt lives in Arlington which is between Dallas and Ft. Worth - Home of Six Flags) We arrived during another rain shower only to find out that the chorale women had had to perform early and we had missed it. Bummer!! They had wanted the chorale to perform early also but Mr. Carter requested that they wait for Elizabeth who was on her way. So, we arrived before they were to go warm up. It ended up being very emotional for Elizabeth and some of the other Seniors. It was their last competition/performance together. All I can say is that that was one of the most incredible performances I have ever heard! The sound that came from that group was incredible! I had tears in my eyes myself. It was flawless! They won sweepstakes and then won Best overall choir! (They got a HUGE trophy!) It was so worth the trip!

After the performance I was able to snap a few pictures. This is Elizabeth and Chantel. Chantel lives down the street from us and they have become really good friends this year. Mr. Carter makes all the girls pull their hair back into tight buns for the stage effect. (I'm not a fan of the look myself!)

Elizabeth and Jon - He had already changed out of his tux.

After we left the choir we decided to find the Dallas Temple. It was further than I thought it was, but it was nice to go and walk on the grounds with Elizabeth. It's amazing how much the trees have grown since Darin and I were married there! It was beautiful and so peaceful!

We finally headed back to Aunt Teresa's house where she had a yummy dinner waiting for us! We decided later to go shopping for prom shoes at DSW where Elizabeth just kept cracking up. She would try on shoes and Aunt Teresa would let her know if they were sexy enough! It was funny! We then went to Cheesecake Factory and indulged in some yummy cheesecake. Saturday morning we got up and went to my cousin James home and spent time with his family. They are awesome! His wife and I hit it off quickly and I can't wait till we can go visit again! (Hopefully this summer!)

We had to end our visit too soon. We had such a great trip and enjoyed getting reconnected with family.

We had to rush home to make it in time for our Ward talent/skit night. It was a long drive! The next few pictures show how bored Elizabeth got! She got a little camera happy!

We had such a fun trip! I think Elizabeth liked being the "only child" for a few days!

Katy 3rd Ward Talent and Skit Night

On Saturday, April 18th the Katy 3rd Ward held a Talent and Skit Night! What a wonderful evening it was! We have a HUGE ward and an incredibly talented ward! We had everything from piano solos, magic acts, scout skits, musical solos, a youth band, family skits, and on and on. It was great! Here are just a few of my favorites!

This is our Bishopric along with our Stake Patriarch. They did a funny Dr. Seuss skit.
These children are the Johnson children. What an incredibly talented family! The little boy in the front was so cute! He was all over the place just making everyone yell and cheer! They did a mixture of oldies but goodies.

This was by far my favorite of the night! The Katy 3rd Ward Rap! Eyn worked with Bachelor Johnson and some of his family and with Braeton Quierante for a few weeks getting this ready and what an amazing job they did! Eyn had a total blast doing it and he did great! I couldn't believe that my "quiet" child was up on the stage belting it out and doing loving it! It was so much fun to watch him on stage!

They spent several days perfecting the rap and even had their own voices doing their back up vocals! Bachelor has all the equipment and actually has written and produced some of his own music. It was great! Elizabeth and I had spent the few days prior to this in Dallas (post coming soon) and rushed back home just to be at this show. I'm so glad we made it!

I had to post this next picture of these two little boys. They are Peter and James. We have known them since Peter was little. (He's Trent's age) They are both autistic. It was several years before Peter even spoke. Elizabeth watches them a lot during the summer and has become very close to them and their mom. She's like her summer assistant. Well, Peter got up on the stage and sang a song and danced around the stage and did a wonderful job! I was so proud of him! We have watched them grow and the challenges they have and to see them on the stage doing this was incredible! Way to go boys!

Easter

I love Easter! I love everything about Easter!

Each year we try hard to talk about the real meaning of Easter with our children quite a bit. I want them to know their Saviour and understand all He did for each of us. It's hard because the "world" commercializes Easter just like they do Christmas and it seems like all they are excited about is the fact that the Easter Bunny is coming to our house! I do love having the Easter bunny visit each year, I just hope they understand why we have Easter.

This is Amberly organizing the contents of her basket. We found the cutest dress for her! She looked adorable in it! Here's Trent also organizing his basket treasures. I don't know why the Easter Bunny seems to overdue it on the candy each year!

Elizabeth and Eyn seemed to be avoiding the camera!

The night before Easter Darin and I attended a Semi-formal birthday party for someone he works with. We had a great time there. It was hard to be gone that evening because I usually like to spend time as a family discussing what was happening during Christ's time then. I can't imagine the sadness the disciples and his friends must have been feeling due to Christs' death. The joy they must have felt on that wonderful day when that discovered that he no longer remained in the tomb but had risen! What joy must had filled their hearts! What joy fills mine as I think of His Great Love for ME and that I too along with my family will be resurrected and live together again as a family forever. What joy fills my heart as I think of my loved ones who have passed on already. I miss them terribly, but I know that I will again be with them someday and that they continue to live and progress where they are. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father and for his son Jesus Christ! I know they Live! What a glorious blessing it is to know these things!

Katy Carnival

On the Friday night before Easter we took Amberly and Trent with us to go look for shoes at Katy Mills Mall. When we drove up we saw a big carnival in part of the parking lot. (Elizabeth was at work and Eyn was over at a friends house) We surprised Amberly and Trent and stopped at the carnival. Talk about childhood memories! Darin and I both have bad memories of nausea at the last "cheap" carnival we went to. We let Trent and Amberly each pick a few rides to ride considering we didn't have very long to stay. (4 tickets per ride, $1 per ticket. Expensive!) Well, we had a lot of fun and Amberly and Trent really enjoyed themselves.

Trent really wanted to ride the "Scary" rides, and that is exactly what he did! He always looked a little apprehensive before getting on the ride, but he loved them! I loved his facial expressions when the ride first started to go. We really thought he was turning green a few times!

Amberly absolutely loved this Ferris wheel! She said she could see everything so high!
This next picture is what Amberly looked like after she rode the next ride.

Trent really wanted to ride this ride and Amberly didn't think it looked that scary. I guess she was wrong! Every time it came around we could hardly see her because she was as low down in the seat as she could get! It was funny because the ride would come to a near stop and then start up again. I don't think she ever thought it was going to end! When she got off she practically ran into Darin's arms and didn't want to let go for a little while. I don't think she'll be getting back on one of those again!

Spring Time in Texas

On Friday we went on our yearly search of the bluebonnets drive. I love the wildflowers every year and love to take pictures in them. This year we have had a hard time finding a time to go see them. We had a short window of opportunity on Friday (between Trent's Scout Hike and Elizabeth having to be to work) so we hopped in the van and took off. We saw many fields of blue, but not like we have seen in the past. I know we haven't had much rain so far this year, so they aren't out in abundance. But they are sooo beautiful! I know that my children don't particularly enjoy this excursion each year, but I'm happy that put up with it and try and put on a smile for me!

Trent beautiful Bluebonnets
Amberly was walking among the bluebonnets when I caught this shot of her. I loved how the breeze was blowing her hair and dress.
Dad having fun as usual! (It is Easter time!)

Elizabeth

Eyn

Darin

This is where I would have put my picture if I liked it. But as you can tell, it is empty. Being that this is My blog I choose not to add my own picture. :)

I love bluebonnets! It is one of my favorite parts of spring in Texas!

Spring Break - Lunch with Dad at Williams Tower Falls

We had a great spring break this year! I think we all needed the break! Each day I really tried to at least do something special. It wasn't always grand, but we did something to get out and have fun!

We decided one day to go and eat lunch with Darin. He works close to the Galleria area so we picked up Subway and went over to the Williams Tower Falls. It was wonderful!! The weather was perfect to be outside and the cool breeze from the falls felt great! I always have to take pictures (which not everyone appreciates, but they do endure it well at times!). Everyone enjoyed climbing up to be high beside the falls. (A little too high for my liking!)Story behind this picture - Eyn didn't really want to climb to the top of this. But, he did it to make mom happy. Everyone else had to jump up, sit down, get up, jump up, sit down... all the way to the top. These steps were wet, so... wet steps cause wet bums if your having to sit down. So.. Eyn looked at it and leap frogged up the entire thing and didn't get wet at all! Long legs are good for many thing!!
Having fun!

I was really disappointed in this picture. Someone offered to take our picture and the auto focus button accidentally got pushed. It would have been a great shot of all of us together!

We had a great time visiting Darin for lunch and I think he had a great break from work! He was quite jealous of our week off! Luckily he had that Friday off so he could play with us too!

I had to have this one last picture before we left the park.

Rodeo Day!

Every spring Houston goes Rodeo crazy! Houston hosts the largest livestock show and rodeo during March and the entire area is in a buzz over it! Our kindergarten had a Rodeo Round-up so they spent the morning doing cowboy games and had sooo much fun!! The entire school was able to dress up that day too. Trent was given a special treat for dressing up. We keep hoping to go to the large rodeo in Houston, but we always fail to go. Bummer! We will get there! They have awesome concerts every night. Elizabeth has been able to go a few times with friends.

Cowboy Trent Cowgirl Amberly
Amberly had this picture taken during her kindergarten rodeo. She had so much fun! They got to rope a cow and had a tortilla throw just to name a few of the fun activities they did.

T.M.E.A

The Seven Lakes High School Chorale Women received the highest honor that can be bestowed on a high school choir in the State of Texas. They were named the 2009 State Performance Choir by the Texas Music Educators Association. This amazing honor is equivalent to going to the state championship in a team sport. A panel of judges heard over 100 CDs and chose the Seven Lakes Chorale Women to perform at the 2009 TMEA Convention in San Antonio. Elizabeth has been an active part of the Top choir since her freshman year. It is an incredible accomplishment. They were able to travel to San Antonio in March to perform. I can not even describe the amount of work these girls and their directors have put into this this year. It has been exhausting for all of them, yet so rewarding. Their directors, Shannon Carter and Julia Cooper, have made it a wonderful experience for each of the girls. The sound that comes out of this choir is amazing! I have been brought to tears many times while listening to them. I asked Elizabeth the other day what she was going to miss about high school and she said Choir. She has loved it. Especially this year. The bond of unity this group has is wonderful to be a part of. Congratulations on a great year!

Chorale Women in the Rotunda

Chorale Women in the formal performing dresses. They look beautiful!
We feel incredibly blessed to be part of such a wonderful organization!

Pinewood Derby

During March our scouts held their annual Pinewood Derby. It is always an exciting evening for all the boys and their families. This year marks Trent's last derby since he will soon be 11 and moving into Boy Scouts. It will be strange not going to cub scouts anymore.

Trent and Darin did a great job on the car! It's amazing how quickly it came together and how good they've gotten at it!

Building the Car-The wheels are always the hardest part!Last minute touch-ups at the church before the race. They waited to put the weights on until we arrived to make sure they got the correct weight.
The race - They got to race their cars on each track so everyone raced 3 times.

Car parade- Each boy walked around the track holding up their cars for everyone to see. Each boy then received their awards. Way to go Trent! You did great!!

D.A.R.E Graduation

All the 5th graders in our school district have the honor of being part of the DARE program. It is a wonderful program led by one of the Katy ISD police officers. It is more than just about drug prevention, it teaches about making good decisions that will help them grow up to be healthy, safe and secure. Each one of our children so far has been a part of the program. I think it's a great program and I'm thankful that the schools offer it here.

Trent and the officer who led their group this year. He was great!

Trent posing with his certificate and a picture of the DARE mascot.
All the 5th graders singing the DARE song. I love this song!
Eyn and Amberly enjoying the program.
Trent receiving his certificate of completion. The teacher in the middle back is his homeroom teacher Mrs. Gutierrez. She is awesome!
DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. I love the song the kids sing which teaches what they learn in the program. In the song it says DARE stands for:

D - I won't do Drugs

A - Won't have an attitude

R - I will RESPECT myself

E - I will EDUCATE

It's a great program where the kids all take a pledge saying that they will remain drug free and to help others not fall in the trap of making those wrong choices.

100th Day of School

Catching up:

On February 10th the Kindergarten celebrated the 100th day of school. One of the fun things they got to do was dress up as if they were 100 years old today. They had a parade throughout the school for the older grades. It was a fun day at school doing fun activities around the number 100! Amberly wore an old shawl that my grandmother had made for me when I was little, some long pearls that belonged to her Grandma, her hair was pulled up and back and just looked cute!

We love our school! They are always doing fun and exciting things to make learning great!

District Champions!

Eyn's Basketball team won the District Championship! What a great season they had! He had to work extra hard this year to come back after breaking his elbow over the summer, but he did great and we're extremely proud of him! At the end of the last game the head coach came out and asked all the parents to remain sitting for a minute because the players had a special recognition to make. He then told us it was parent recognition night and that they wanted to show their appreciation to each of their parents for their support during such a great season. Each one of players then came out carrying orange roses (school colors are orange and blue) and letters. They presented each mother with a rose and each father with a letter they had written to them. It was very touching moment watching these young men present them to their parents and then hugging and kissing them. Eyn was attacked as he not only hugged his mom and dad but got a "hugful" from Amberly, Trent and Elizabeth. One of those "moments" that stick forever!

Eyn also just completed a 6 week teachers/priests Stake basketball tournament. He was awesome! It was so much fun to watch those boys at church play! You see a different side to them when they are on the court and don't have the pressure of their coaches. Eyn loved this tournament and I think is sad it's over except for the fact that most of their games started at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Gotta love it!