Band In The Making

Kynlee participated in her year end Violin Recital. She has worked hard to have her pieces memorized and ready. I have also been working hard to learn to play the mandolin. After getting a few pointers, it is coming very slowly. Memorizing chords and strumming are things my brain is not used to. Only practice will make it better. I always loved the fact that my Dad could accompany me on my fiddle songs, so it is my goal to be able to do the same with Kynlee, and so far she loves it too. We are definitely a band in the making...so fun!

Kynlee's first piece was "Allegretto " by Suzuki. Then she played her first fiddle piece, "Bile Them Cabbage Down". I was excited to assist in accompanying her on my Grandpa's mandolin. It added a nice country sound!

Both teacher and Mom were proud of our little violinist!

Two Wheelin' Fun

When the snow melted, I promised Kenzie that I would teach her how to ride her bike with no training wheels. The time has long come, so we headed up to the basketball court where it is nice and flat. I learned with my other girls that it's easier for them to catch on quickly with the littlest bikes. I jogged behind her and held on with one hand, but it wasn't long before Kenzie got the hang of it! It was so fun to watch her face light up when she realized she could do it all by herself! Way to go Kenzie...Mom is so proud of you!

What a cutie!

Look at her go!

BYU Ballroom Performance

Kynlee and I joined some other moms and daughters for the BYU Ballroom Dance Company "Encore" performance at the Marriott Center. I have never been, but after hearing lots of good feedback from others that go yearly, I knew that it would be something that Kynlee would enjoy. It was very entertaining! The dancing and costumes were amazing! Ballroom dancing is a big deal here in Utah. They offer it on the High School level. I will be very proud of Kynlee if it is something she eventually decides to do.

It was wonderful to spend the evening with Kynlee! We will definitely be making this a tradition!
This was at the end when all the dancers were on stage...quite the site! Kynlee and I loved all of the girls' dresses! They danced to lots of different kinds of music. A lot of the routines were funny, and one of our favorites was when there was a black light and they all glowed in the dark while they danced.

We got frozen yogurt afterwards...what a yummy treat!

"Egg"ster Fun

I am so grateful for this Easter season! I love remembering and talking about the life of Jesus Christ. We were so blessed to have General Conference this weekend...it really set the tone. I am thankful for a living prophet, President Monson, and other General Authorities who lead and guide us. What great messages we heard! The kids also enjoyed the regular Easter activities.

The kids had a lot of fun coloring their dozen eggs! I was surprised at how creative some of them turned out!

Believe it or not, this was what we woke up to Easter morning! Are we being teased, or what?

The kids quickly emptied their treat filled Easter baskets to make room for the big egg hunt. The Easter Bunny followed tradition and hid throughout the house all 48 colored Easter eggs.

Once the eggs the Easter Bunny hid were found, each of the kids took turns hiding them for the others to find. Matt and I thought we had some pretty cool hiding places...we didn't fool them for too long!:)

We enjoyed the company of loved ones at our yummy Easter feast. Love the sillyness!

Donna made some cute little goodies!

The kids loved finding plastic eggs filled with treats and surprises with all the cousins!

Cute cousins!

The cousins with Aunt Marie.

We were excited to get a suprise visit from Aunt Marie. She is a Medic serving in Iraq. We are all so proud of her! Kynlee wanted to show her off and invited her to come talk to her 5th grade class. The kids had some great questions for her to answer. Thanks so much for visiting Marie...we love you!