Trip to Twin Falls

Last week we had the opportunity to travel to Twin Falls for a couple of days to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Tonya, in the Twin Falls temple.  I was Tonya's Young Women President and we developed a close relationship in the years that I served in that capacity so it meant so much to me to receive an invite to her wedding.  It was in the middle of the week so we had to take Emma and Samantha out of school for two days but we decided to go for it since we didn't go anywhere for Spring Break.  Our drive there was pretty uneventful (thank goodness) so in the hotel, Mark took the older two girls to the swimming pool to play and burn energy so Clara and I hunkered down in our room and I let her watch Baby Einstein videos on my Kindle.  She was VERY focused on her video and I thought it was too cute!

Clara just LOVES Baby Einstein and it has been such a life saver for me to keep her occupied when I need to get other things accomplished!

On Thursday morning we went to the temple.  Tonya's younger sister watched our girls for us so Mark and I could go in and be at the ceremony.  Afterwards, while we were waiting for Tonya to emerge, we took a few pictures on the lovely grounds.  It was a beautiful, spring day and it was just so nice being there.

Emma and Samantha were thrilled to see Tonya in her wedding dress....they always loved her, too.  Afterwards, Samantha said, "I feel really emotional now and I don't know why!"  ha ha ha 

It was a special experience for us and a fun family trip!  I am so grateful that I could be there!

Random Sampler...

Our entertainment center in our living room has little cabinets on each side and a couple of days ago, this is what Mark discovered......she needed a little bit of help getting out.  It was reminiscant of the days when Emma was this age and she used to do the same thing!

Mark and I have decided to enroll in Bountiful Baskets.  Yesterday was our first time picking up our produce and we were very pleased.  We had so many yummy things and we figured that it is cheaper than buying all of this at our local grocery store.  We are hooked and are looking forward to ordering regularly!  Next time we will order breads and maybe some granola, too!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

'Tis the Easter season and with that comes the annual coloring of the eggs.  Even Clara tried to get in on the spirit and she and I did a couple of eggs together.  She had lots of fun trying to do what her big sisters did.

Daddy was a good helper, too.

Easter morning dawned pretty chilly actually so the girls went outside to hunt for Easter eggs with coats on.  Clara was LOVING being outside and she was very happy to carry around her own basket......so adorable.

Emma and Samantha are good sports and helped their baby sister find some eggs for herself.  They walked around with her and pointed out the eggs to pick up.

She really had a good time and all the girls were loaded up with candy and eggs and sweet things.....

 They also each received a new Easter dress for Church and all three girls were beautiful.

How blessed we are to have such a special family and even though we did alot of Easter bunny activities, we are so thankful for the Gospel and what this holiday represents for us.

The Noble Gnarbles!

This past week was the Spring Concert for the Union County Children's Choir that Emma and Samantha participate in.  It was an adorable program about a little fish who lives at the bottom of the ocean and is trying her best to get to the top.  Emma and Samantha played little fishies who may or may not have helped the Gnarble reach her goal.

Here they are with their face paint pretending to be little fishies.... Samantha was a Gnarble and Emma was a Blyfish.

They both had speaking parts and also sang beautifully.  We love seeing them perform and that they have such a fun time doing it!

Clara.....

Last week we enjoyed some beautiful, spring weather and we tried to spend as much time outside as possible.  Since the temperatures were in the SIXTIES we took an evening and went to the park after dinner.  I put Clara in this wonderful swing and she had a ball going back and forth.  She just loved every minute of it so I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of her big smile!

In typical La Grande fashion, we are back to cold temperatures this week with snow flurries all day today.  Plus, Clara now has a cold.  We sure hope that spring comes back to us soon because this little gal LOVES being outside!

Spring Music Program

Each spring the fourth and fifth graders put on a spring concert and this year the theme was Cowboy.  They sang old cowboy songs and did a little dancing along with it. 

The kids were asked to put together a cowboy costume to wear and we thought that Emma looked adorable!

They have been practicing their songs for several months and back in February a few kids were asked to learn some guitar chords to play along when the children sing.  Emma was so excited to do it - she brought a guitar home and worked on it in her bedroom and looked at online tutorials.  She even went to some after school practices.  I snuck up and took a picture of her playing during her concert.

We are so impressed with her willingness to try new things and learn anything she can!  She sky is the limit for Emma!

School Accomplishments

The past several weeks have been really busy for our family.  Emma and Samantha have become quite accomplished in their school activities for which we are very proud!  They have both been recognized as of late for their hard work and academic achievements!  Several months ago I posted about Emma's invitation to join the Oregon Battle of the Books.  She worked hard and read more than a dozen recommended books and each Monday they had competitions.  Unfortunately her team didn't win but she was able to be recognized in front of the school as being a participant.

Here she is with her little friend MacKenzie at lunch....

After the competitions were over the kids were invited to a special breakfast at the school - all you can eat pancakes and waffles!  What a treat for her.  It's pretty special that only 16 kids out of the fourth and fifth grade were asked to participate in the program so we are so proud of Emma!

The elementary school has a "Math Facts Hall of Fame."  The different classrooms set certain standards in mathematics that the kids work at accomplishing.  When they meet their goal, their picture is taken and posted on the Hall of Fame.  Both Emma and Sam met their goal and were awarded these certificates.  Now each week when I go volunteer I stop and look at their pictures in the hallway.  Emma had to memorize her multiplication tables up to the number 11 and Samantha had to pass a test as well.  What smarty pants they are!

This week was the annual school "Da Vanci Fair."  It is a fair that the children are allowed to submit art and science projects for display.  Tonight we went to look at their projects and see what all of the other children submitted as well.  I love how excited they get when it comes to learning about art and science - it's so great!  Samantha did a self portrait of herself and listed different attributes that start with each letter of her name.

She also did some apple art....

This piece of Emma's art she called "radical art."

And this was a wonderful water color picture she made.

Samantha spent several weeks researching frogs and toads.  She had to learn about their habitats, what they eat, where they live, etc.  Then she wrote out her research and drew a large picture.  She worked really hard on it and she received a yellow ribbon.

Also.... last week a handful of students from the entire school were selected to participate in the State of Oregon spelling test.  Only two from the second grade were asked and two from Emma's class.  Both girls were invited and they took their test on Friday.  While they didn't win the spelling test, it was quite an honor that they were chosen and recognized for their abilities!  We are sure proud of our girls and wonder where they get all of their smarts!!!

Basketball

For the past several weeks Emma has been participating in after-school basketball.  The fourth and fifth graders learn how to play and then get to have games against the other elementary schools in the area.  We weren't sure that Emma would be interested in basketball but she decided she wanted to try it out.  She had a few team practices and then the games began.  Emma did really well but she wanted her dad to take her up to the church gym to do a little extra practicing on the weekend and work on a few specific skills.

While Mark and Emma did some drills, Samantha and I shot some baskets at the other end of the court and played HORSE.  Unfortunately, the game did not go in Sam's favor so we decided it was best to just play and shoot around. 

Even Clara got in on the action!  She had a fabulous time just running her little heart out all over the gym.  She was exhausted by the time we left.  She would run a few steps and then stop and walk, then she would try to run a little more, but she would have to stop and walk again.  It was adorable!

Yesterday was Emma's last game.  For those of you who know Emma - you know that she loves to read, play on the computer, and hang out in her room.  Running has never been a favorite activity of hers.  However, we were so impressed with her skills!  She got better and better with each game and would be more and more excited about her progress.

She is a great hustler, she made a basket or two, stole the ball, blocked shots, rebounded, and even knocked a couple of girls over in the process.  Of course, we told her to be more careful but secretly Mark and I were high-fiving each other at how aggressive she was on the court!

She really had a good team with wonderful coaches who came over from the University to help out.  They were so nice and encouraging.  Plus, they had goody bags and treats for the girls after the game which was a huge PLUS!

I think Emma has found a sport that she really loves and so we will keep practicing and get ready for next year!  Way to go Emma!

Another year..... Another birthday

Well, January 21st rolled around again which meant that we got to celebrate my birthday.  I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of getting another year older but my family and friends made it a special weekend for me.  I have a special group of girlfriends who I adore.  They took me out to dinner and we spent hours talking and visiting and laughing.  It was loads of fun.  We even got stuck in the snow that night and had to push the van out.  What a site we were!

On Monday, Mark and the kids brought me breakfast in bed, took me out to lunch, and made me a nice dinner and dessert at the end of the day.  I guess getting one year older wasn't entirely bad.....

Mini Mounties - 2013

Every January the girls participate in the Mini Mounties Dance and Cheer clinic at Eastern Oregon University.  They get to spend a day learning a choreographed dance and a few cheers which is great fun.  Then they get to perform what they have learned at the EOU Basketball game that night.  They get a free T-shirt and lunch and the parents get tickets to come to the game to see the kids strut their stuff!

Emma and Samantha always look forward to participating.  This is the girls before heading out to the stadium - they put their pom-poms in their hair to be extra festive.

It was a wonderful performance and I love seeing their excitement in doing something that they love to do.  They were able to spend the day with their little friends who participated as well and they are already looking forward to next year!