Elizabeth Senior Prom 2009

Senior Prom... Wow!! What a wonderfully busy week we had getting Elizabeth ready for Prom. Just a little history... Elizabeth was first asked to prom by a young man she works with and has known since grade school. She told me he had asked her but she wasn't excited at all. She acted confused and hesitant. A few days later she said she had told him no because she just didn't feel good about it and honestly didn't trust him. She said she would rather go without a date in a group than with him. Well, a week or so later Elizabeth came home from school literally floating! She had been asked to prom by Jon D. who she has been good friends with since their freshman year. He had approached her after choir and gave her some flowers and asked her to prom. She was so incredibly happy! So.. the planning began. Luckily Elizabeth and a friend had went in January to find prom dresses. Talk about prepared! (I'm glad that she did! It made it that less stressful!) The week before prom was incredibly busy! We had last minute fittings, we had to find the perfect shoes, we went and had her nails done, had to buy a few personal items, and on and on and on!! On the day of prom we went to pick up Jon's boutonniere to find out they had messed up the order. But, due to their mistake they gave her a more expensive one for the same price and it was beautiful!!

We decided to splurge and went to Wen Chic Salon and Spa to have Elizabeth's hair and make-up done. They did a fantastic job! I had a few teary moments as I sat and watched my beautiful daughter grow up before my eyes! We were of course running late from the salon and came home to find Daddy Darin and Jon having a deep conversation in the living room. :) They had enough time waiting for Elizabeth that they even played some Wii! They may have had to wait for a while, but the results were worth it!
Our Gorgeous Daughter when she first made her entrance. Jon's remark was Gorgeous and Darin could only say Wow. It was awesome!

We went outside to take a few quick pictures. Amberly wanted to take a picture with her Kindergarten Huskies to share with her class on Monday! (They loved them! Her teacher talked to me a few days later and raved about how beautiful they looked and how excited Amberly was to brag about them!)

Elizabeth and Jon then left to go to his house where they ate dinner with their entire group. His mom had made dinner for 20! Darin and I went over to take pictures too! It was fun watching all the excitement! (Jon and his mom made a killer chocolate cake! I've got to get that recipe!)
We went out in the backyard for some more pictures!

Too bad Jon isn't looking at the camera in this one! It's my favorite picture of Elizabeth!

Quick shot with part of the group before leaving for prom.

Elizabeth and Jon posing in front of the limo. Quick limo story - after prom they called the limo driver to tell him they were ready to be picked up. They were suppose to wait only a few minutes and ended up waiting around an hour and fifteen minutes. Not happy! Then they got in the limo to find liquor in it, shot glasses, and it was spilled on some of the seats. Not happy at all! Well, when they got back to Jon's house the dad who had set up the limo met them and really griped out the driver. We found out a few days later that we would be getting a full refund for it! (it cost nearly $2000 for the night)

Elizabeth in front of the limo.

Jon holding the door for Elizabeth at the limo.

Being silly in the limo on the way to the dance.

At the dance - this group are all original members of the Concert Choir from their freshman year. Being that it was the first year of the high school it was the top choir.

More about the dance - Elizabeth had the time of her life! She said Jon had her constantly with him and he was whisking her around "showing her off" to everyone. He kept telling her and everyone else how beautiful she was! She truly felt like a princess!

After the dance the group went back to Jon's to change clothes and then Head to project Prom. Project Prom is a lock-in event they hold at the Dave and Busters in Houston. (it's a separate purchased ticket!) They drove to the high school and boarded buses which safely took them to the event. It's a safe alternative for after prom activities! They are "locked in" until 6 a.m. They had an amazing assortment of activities and food for them to enjoy. They each had to wear the project prom t-shirts while there. They also had incredible prizes! Computers, TVs, dorm refrigerators, airline tickets, gift cards, etc, etc, etc.. Elizabeth actually won a digital photo frame that she really wanted for her dorm room next year! They had the parents make posters of their students which were all displayed there.

One of the agreements Elizabeth made with us before letting her go to project prom was that she had to go to church with us when she got home. The other girls and her all wore their dresses to church and looked beautiful! Elizabeth had so many compliments on her dress! It was funny watching her and some of the others during sacrament meeting. She could not keep her eyes open and her head bopping up and down was hilarious! I finally told her to scoot closer to me and she slept on my shoulder.

When we got home from church Elizabeth instantly sat down in her new chair she got at project prom and fell to sleep. She still had her purse on her arm! She slept in that position for nearly 3 hours and then went to bed and we didn't see her again until Monday morning! She was exhausted!

So, I guess you can say that Prom was a huge success! For days after she said she was in

Prom LaLa Land! Next big thing is graduation... It's going too quickly!

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!!