David's Birthday

David turned 10 on May 11! He's been looking forward to being double digits for a while. David is so fun on his birthday because he genuinely gets so excited when he opens his presents.

He really wanted a Robin Webkinz


He loves learning how to draw.

Here is one of his drawings:


He also got a bunch of different specimens to look at under his microscope.


He also requested to decorate his own cake - hey, works for me!


He is a great kid and we are so lucky to have him in our family.

Piano Recital

Rachel and David have been taking piano lessons here in Colorado since school started in the fall. Rachel has stopped and started a few times because of our moves - but they are both doing great. Here is the video of David performing his song:




And here is Rachel:




They both did a great job! We are so proud that they are learning how to play the piano.

David also tried out for the talent show at his elementary school. Over 40 kids tried out for 20 spots and David got selected. He played one of his piano pieces and he was fantastic! He was so proud that he made the talent show.

Family History Idea

My sisters had a great idea for a mother's day gift for our mom. It's a family group sheet made with silhouettes of each family member. First, I took a profile shot of each member of our family (and each individual family did the same). Like this:


Then my sister Sarah did her magic in Photoshop to turn it into a silhouette and this is the final project:



My mom loved it and it is a beautiful addition to a family history wall.

Emma's Birthday

My sweet little Emma turned 5 this year. She's still all about babies and stuffed animals. We had a fun family party to celebrate.

She finally got a Webkinz like her older siblings.
Emma drinks everything with a straw (she doesn't like getting her face wet). We go through straws like crazy and thought she would like her very own mug with a washable straw.

Opening another gift.

Emma with her baby and cow (even though she got a brand new baby she still prefers her old, hand-me-down, tattered one).

The princess barbie cake

Happy Birthday Emma!

Pinewood Derby

David loves participating in Cub Scouts - especially the pinewood derby. This year David designed his car. Dad helped by making the major cuts with the saw, but David carved, sanded, and painted most of it by himself. He ended up winning one of his races and had a great time. He also made a display for his car.

David at the Pack meeting

David's car

The display

I was pleased that all the boys seemed to have a great time whether they won or not. They all had so much fun racing their cars.

Science Fair

This year was David's first opportunity to participate in the Science fair. Big projects like these always require quite a bit of parental involvement so I felt like I had a big project to do as well. David loves science and wanted to do an experiment where he could also use his microscope. We decided to do a project on growing mold on different types of bread. I was so glad when it was over - all of that moldy bread had started to smell! Here is one of the most moldy specimens:

Here is David at the parent preview night:



David did a great job explaining his projects to the judges. He ended up getting 2nd place.

Way to go David!

Easter 2010

We had a nice Easter this year. Even though we didn't have snow (yay!), we opted to have an indoor egg hunt on Saturday. Here's a couple pictures of the kids finding their baskets and eggs.

Emma - she is proudly wearing her princess crown that she found in her basket.

Josh with his basket.

Rachel is counting her eggs.

David is hoping to find some more in the couch.

Church this year was our semi-annual conference where we watch talks on TV. So, the following Sunday I had the kids dress up in their new Easter clothes. Who wants to dress up when you get to stay home?


Rachel

Josh

David


Emma

My pretty girls

My handsome boys

The whole crew!

I'm so thankful for this time of year. We remember the Savior's Resurrection and it's the beginning of my favorite season - Spring! I love it when it starts to get warm again, the flowers come out, and everything comes to life again. Spring takes a while in Colorado - and we tend to get a lot of snow - but when it comes around, it's beautiful!

Temple Square

While in Utah we also made a visit to Temple Square. We visited the Temple grounds and visitor's center, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the Church Office Building (and we went up on the observation deck on the 26th floor), the Conference Center, and the Church History Museum. I didn't take a ton of pictures but it was fun showing the kids around.









In the Church History Museum they had a new exhibit on the Tabernacle. Here is a representation of the trusses:


They had some of the actual benches. I remember going there as a kid and how uncomfortable they were to sit on.


Here's David at the podium. Future general authority?


Looks like Josh has something important to say.


Another new exhibit was called "I am a Child of God". It is a place for kids to play and explore. The kids were excited they finally had something fun to do.

Rachel playing dress up:



David building a stain glass window:


Emma rocking a baby:


Here are the kids by a representation of the Angel Moroni - it tops temples around the world.


It was fun to see some Church History.