Okay, I'm taking a break from church work and before we head out for a baseball game thought I'd update our family blog, since it's been a while! Spring is sooo wonderful after a snowy winter and it seems like life ramps up really quickly again. Jacob is pictured here at "Take your kids to work day" at Novell with Lynn. He was thrilled to sit in an actual airplane during lunch.
School finishes this week and our kids are very happy, especially Elise who has feels like she's been in the fast lane all year long! Junior year was, in a word..... hectic. She won the silver medal again this year for the National Latin Exam and just bid farewell this week to her Latin 2 textbook hoping to never see it again. ;) haha. Teaching piano has been a great experience for her, she has 16 students (whom she loves) and now feels bad having to turn families away! She is a wonderful teacher and her reputation has spread through word of mouth. She also offers to go to her students homes to teach, which is very attractive to busy moms! She loves it because all her students are in our stake and live close.
Jacob just finished a great season of soccer and is in the middle of little league- cutest thing ever! Lots of fun times, a great time in our lives. Jacob turned eight on May 7th and it's hard to believe how fast the time has passed since he was given to us. What a gift he has been for our family. He will be baptized this weekend and we are all excited for him to make this first important covenant. You can always find Jacob with his nose in a book. Some of his favorites are Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (I lost count how many times he has read them) and Fablehaven, Harry Potter etc..
Spring brought flowers and yard work, which is never ending but so lovely after a snowy start to spring! These are the times I wish would pass a little more slowly, so we can enjoy every moment. Lynn and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary which was very memorable! Lynn celebrated 20 years with Novell Inc. Hard to believe-- and we are thankful he's survived all those layoff's over the years!
Elise ran her campain for Student Body Officer in March and then headed out of town for Orchestra tour... so her nice Dad helped her with her posters through a lot of texting and picture sending... and nice Mom with the stapling of a million little campaign items! She finished up when she got home though. Elise was elected and is very excited. They are an impressive group of kids and already busy and engaged. I know she'll make good memories!
The Parable of the Ten Virgins Musical was the theme for our Relief Society Birthday commemoration. It was a wonderful night put on by our fantastic enrichment committee. The food was incredible as was the setting. The music was very beautiful and we all remembered our lines and managed our solos without fainting--barely... ;) There is something intimidating about a microphone, am I right?
Fun times with some of the cousins at Disney on Ice. Pictured above (mom, Jacob, Luke, Ty, Chad) 
Peter Pan is my all time favorite Disney movie. I think it's because I loved Barrie's book so much as a little girl. The story is always magical to me and has never lost anything! You just have to love Tink! I remember watching her flying as a child (I didn't realize she was on a cable) through Disneyland during the firework show. It was amazing to me! I also remember watching the fireworks from Disney and eating popcycles on our lawn during summer nights when we lived in Orange County. Those are fun memories!
Pictured: Luke, Ty, Naomi, Seth, Isabelle, Jacob
Jacob and Isabelle watching the show. Isabelle reminds me so much of Chad as a baby, so did Jacob though! Jacob's favorite parts were Lion King, Little Mermaid and Peter Pan. Everyone missed our out of state cousins!
First of all, what a gorgeous temple, wow. We loved all the mill work and art inside. It was really wonderful to take Jacob (Elise and her crazy schedule couldn't come.) We missed her, but she did get to see our Mt. Timpanogos Temple before it's dedication. This was Jacob's first open house and with pamphlet in hand, he took a great interest in it! 
What a great evening! We need to do it more often. Grilled Steak & Portobello Mushroom Fajitas were on the menu. Everyone brought yummy sides. It was so fun to catch up and visit. Afterward we headed over across the street to the Gibson's home for great desserts with other couples. Someone commented it looked like adult trick or treating with everyone out in the neighborhood carrying their pots and dishes of delicious food to each other's homes. Thanks Kinsers for organizing! (Pictured: Bishop & Christie Hoopes, Lynn, Mark & Joelle Asplund, Stephanie & Jody Rookstool)
