Prom

Hannah went to her first Prom this year. It was an LDS Prom (put on every year, and located at different church buildings each year) which can be attended in lieu of or in addition to a local high school prom. She was asked to go with a young man in our ward, and they went as a group with many other friends. It was held in Monterey, CA and the theme was A Night at the Oscars. She had a fun time. Derek and I spent the evening in the area since we drove our van full of 5 couples to and from the dance. Here are some pictures before and during the dance.

Preston and Hannah

 Hannah and Preston with two other couples they were going with

Hannah and some girl friends who came over before the dance to get ready

 the girls posing

 Hannah with Bethany (who did not want to smile)

 at the dance, taking pictures with props

Easter

This year the girls decided they wanted to join with some church friends at a park for their Easter Egg Hunt. In years past we've done it in our own yard. While the older kids went climbing and rapelling with Dad on the Saturday before Easter, I took Bethany, Katelyn, Laurel and Samantha to the park for the hunt.We had a potluck lunch before hand and some playing, and then the Easter Egg Hunt began. I spent most of my time with Bethany, who needed some guidance. Once she got her basket filled, she didn't need any help at all.

 Bethany has learned to love the surprises inside Easter eggs

 Samantha enjoying the hunt

 Laurel with a mouthful of candy after gathering eggs.

Katelyn, Bethany, and a friend

All of the kids enjoyed some fun gifts from Grandma Taylor on Saturday as well. Sunday they received a basket with "spiritual" Easter gifts(books, cd, dvd)  for to help them celebrate Easter. We also enjoyed a wonderful ham and potato dinner with the elder missionaries as our guests.

April Birthdays

We've now hit the time of  year when the kids birthdays begin (April to October) and I watch them keep growing up. It's so fun to see the older (and hopefully wiser) each year, but I also wish I could hold on to their little selves forever.

Jamie started it off with her birthday early in the month. She turned 11. Jamie is a lovely girl with a beautiful smile. She has a lot of energy for life and is quite confident in her ability to do many things. She loves reading, playing and listening to music, acting, outdoor activities of all kinds and spending time with family and friends.
It's true she doesn't care for chores and certain foods, but she is a happy, adventurous girl who is a lot of fun to have in our family!

Red velvet cake and ice cream for her birthday. Yum!

Adam's birthday came a week after Jamie's. He turned 15. Of any of the kids, I think he will win for most growth in the past year. He added some inches in height, some deepness in his voice and a lot more appetite. Also a good amount of maturing.  Adam continues to enjoy computer related anything, but is also into reading, scout outings, and playing with his sisters. He even has little "brothers" who love to spend time with him programming the NXT robot or shooting nerf guns. He has been working on his Eagle scout project and hopes to finish that soon. He's our one and only boy and we're glad he's in our family!

 Strawberry cake and dark chocolate frosting. Mom's favorite too!

Adam enjoying a birthday gift--remote control helicopter. He loves it. His other favorite gift was a large bog of Fruit Loops! (food is always a winner with him)