Happy 15th Birthday Jessica!!!!

Jessica's birthday was on April 7th. I cannot believe that I have a daughter who is 15! Ahhh! Where has all of the time gone? She is so excited to get her driving permit. (scream....faint) Seriously, I let her pull into the driveway once and I nearly had a heart attack!

Jessica is such a great gal. She tries so hard to be so good. She is such a loyal, stable friend to many. She excels at the piano and texting. Hmmm...it must have something to do with her fingers. Jess is also a great student. I am very proud of her. She also just finished reading The Book of Mormon all on her own. It took her three months. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old. Here are some pictures of Jessica's birthday party.

Working Together!

Last Saturday our whole family worked in the yard together. It really was a lot of fun, thanks to Brock. He is pretty creative when it comes to motivating our kids to work. Brock and I raked the majority of the yard, creating about 40 small piles of leaves. This may not sound like much, but believe me, it was a lot of work. Try not to pay attention to our poor lawn. It has problems. Mostly, too many trees shading it all year around. We are trying to improve it!

Brock then partnered us all up. I was with Matthew, Brock was with Ben, and Jessica and Lauren worked together. He said ready...set...go.. and we had to bag 10 piles of leaves as fast as we could. It was pretty competitive. Jessica and Lauren were moving faster than I've ever seen them move. The race was on. Matthew wasn't very happy with me when I left him to go get the camera. It's important to me to document our family working together. Many of you know how hard it is to get your own kids to work. This was a memory worth capturing.

After we finished all the raking and bagging, we played badminton. It was so much fun! I nearly beat Brock. I tried so hard to win! We will defintely have a re-match.

Spring Break

We had such a nice Spring Break. The weather was perfect for a hike. One day we took off with the Morgenegg family and explored Ijams Nature Preserve. These are some pictures from our fun day!

Homemade Gift!

I was so happy to go to the mail box the other day and find a little package for me. My beautiful sister-in-law, Ashley, sent me a homemade gift. I played the "pay it forward" game on her blog and she made me the cutest little pin cushion I have ever seen! Thanks Ashley! You made my day! I can't wait to send you your homemade gift. You were really fast! I will make no promises when mine will get to you, but I do know what I am going to send to you...and to Kristy! There is still one spot open on my post for a homemade gift from me. Don't all jump at once. I know more of you are dying to play.

American Idol

This is a post for all of you American Idol fans. I was so grossed out by Adam's performance tonight! Ugh! He reminds me of a drag queen. The black nail polish and the make-up has got to go. He broke all of the rules by changing up "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. I really hope that this is not the person America picks this year.

I do really like Danny, Kris, Matt G, Megan, Alexis, and Allison. I especially loved Kris's performance of "To Make You Feel My Love." That song is so beautiful. I first heard from a singer named Adele. Megan's quirkiness is great! I loved her performance tonight. I'd like to know what some of you think. Most of all, I want to know who your favorites are. I won't hold it against you if you like Adam. It seems like he has a lot of fans.

Talent Show!

Yesterday was our annual talent show at the church. All of the kids were so cute and performed very well. Matthew played two songs on the recorder. He is so excited to be able to play an instrument.He loves to practice. I enjoy it when he goes into the sunroom and closes the door to practice. Just joking! I'm really proud of him!

Benjamin danced.I was so surprised that Ben would ham it up and dance for a crowd.I thought it was so cute! Thanks to Brock who helped him. Brock was in the back holding up cue cards for Ben.This is my first time posting a video. I hope it works! Enjoy!

Short Hair Again!

I debated about posting a picture of myself with my new haircut. I feel like a dork. It's really hard to take your own picture. Here is a side view of my new haircut. I feel so much better! It's so liberating! I was so sick of my long hair. Straightening it all of the time was really bringing me down. Jessica begged me to grow it out, and I did. Now I'm back to what is easiest for me to manage. Yay!