BIG News!!!

I'm going to be a grandma!

Josh and Leigh are expecting a little one April 20, 2019!

We couldn't be more thrilled for them!!!

Sara has been working on lots of art assignments for school. Last week she had to draw a self portrait for her drawing class. She has only tried to a draw a life like portrait once before this. This is her first self portrait. She drew it in less than an hour.

She has also been working on these flowers for her color class. It's not finished yet, but it is coming along beautifully!

Papa came over to help us replace the water shut off valves under a couple of sinks. He taught Andrew how to do it. They always have a wonderful time working together. I love that they are such great buddies!

Grammy came too!

That night Freddy helped Sara do pull ups. It was a good work out for both of them and pretty hilarious to watch!

 Wednesday, Sara went to the opera Marie de Buenos Aries at the Herberger Theater. She went with her new school friends, Sebastian Damiani and Lucas Miles. They are both music majors and are in her piano class. I have several classes with them as well. She had a wonderful time and they are both really sweet, intelligent, talented gentlemen. They talked for several hours after the opera and had a wonderful time. I think we will be seeing more of these guys and other music majors. There is a really great group of young people in the program. 

The theater lights are pretty harsh, so they didn't get a great picture for me, but at least they got one.

Sara, Sebastian and Lucas

Thursdays are always one of our favorite days of the week. We love going to choir practice! It's a long drive, but we always have fun along the way and then rehearsals are absolutely soul filling. I love all these kids with all my heart!

Andrew, Josh, Freddy, Daniel, Josh and Noah 

We went to the temple again after rehearsal. The Gilbert will be closed for the next month, so it was crazy busy that night. It was wonderful to see so many kids filling the baptistry chapel.

After the temple, we met Josh Jensen and Miles at the park and played sand volleyball and talked until  almost 11 pm. 

Friday night, Rich and I went to my parents house for date night. We talked for a long time. 

Then Rich fell asleep, so my parents and I played casino and hearts. We were waiting for Sara to come back from her date so we could take her home with us. Rich woke up before Sara got back.

She had been out with Sebastian. He took her out for sushi at a place called Ra, in Tempe. Then he took her to hear The Phoenix Chorale perform at a church out there. They had a wonderful evening out together. When they got back they talked for a while outside and then came in and sang to us. They sang a Jason Mraz song and Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

 Sebastian played the ukulele and sang the melodies while Sara harmonized. It was beautiful! Then we all talked until 1:40 am before he left and we drove home.

Saturday morning, Laney and Susanna went to Tracey Kennedy's house to help her decorate for Halloween. She was impressed with the girls ideas and how sweet they were working together. They adore Tracey!

She let them take a couple of decorations home to decorate in their bedroom. They were thrilled!

Sammy came over to play midday Saturday. Sara spent the morning cutting and dying hair. She had one non-family member client and then 4 brothers that wanted hair cuts. Freddy had her dye his hair purple. Even though I like his natural color better, it's fun and turned out a nice purple. 

Freddy had work and Drew went out with his girlfriend Lauryn Burr and her family for the evening. Sara had tons of homework and I went to the Phoenix Chorale concert with my mom. Rich, Sam and Daniel played some video games and the girls watched them. It was a great Saturday!

  

I love the kids in my Sunday School class! We have great conversations and discussions about the gospel. They are really a great group of kids!

Freddy, Brianna Watkins, Kiowa Miller, Meghann Fleming, Jace Gertge

Rachel Mounteer, Noah Fechter, Andrew, Josh Jordan, Sara Magill and Freddy, again.

WE ALGER!!!

 Leigh's parents traveled to Idaho to visit them. I know Leigh especially was happy to see them and to show her folks her around Rexburg. They all had a great time!

They went to the apple orchards. Some of Leigh's cousins joined them.

This week at home has been crazy as usual. I love being in school and I love being a mom. Sometimes it is a bit overwhelming trying to do them both well. Being a mom will always win on important things, but my kids are learning that I can be with them and do homework at the same time. They are hearing lots of classical choral music and seeing nerdy music theory YouTube videos. It's fun to share new things with them.

Sunday night, I slept over at my parents house so that Sara could take the car and sleep at Sam's house. She wanted to wake up on the other side of town so she wouldn't have so far to drive Monday morning for her state board cosmetology practical test. She felt good about her test and we are waiting for the results. 

My mom took me to school Monday morning. It was strange being at school without Sara. I enjoy seeing her around campus during the day and in the math class we have together. My mom brought me back to her house after school and I cut her hair. She was threatening to cut it herself if I didn't do it. It turned out really cute! It looked even cuter in person.

Thursday, Josh Jensen sent me a text saying he wanted us all to meet him at the temple before choir practice. The kids were all in school already, so we dashed texts back and forth with everyone and worked it out. Sara and Laney couldn't go since choir starts earlier for them. They were bummed to miss out. However, the boys loved going to the temple and then to choir! It was an awesome evening for them.

 Josh Jensen knows how much I love pictures, so he took a few for me. I love all these guys!

Josh Jensen, Daniel, Andrew, Noah Fechter, Josh Jordan and Miles Spencer

The kid's choir friend, Livvy Bentley, made this. This how she remembers the pronunciation of our last name. I liked it!

Friday evening we had a bunch of choir kids over, mostly from our side of town. It's nice to have so many MCO kids in Surprise now! Josh Jensen and Ammon Andreason drove from Queen Creek and Gilbert to join us. We had homemade mac 'n' cheese, Italian sodas and peanut butter brownies. 

Freddy and Ammon

Ammon said we had to take this picture for Tim. He loves reading Tim's emails every week!

Daniel, Isabelle Hunsaker and Rachel Smith

Laney, Josh Jensen and Sara

Morgan came with Noah

Andrew, Susanna and Lauryn Burr

We talked, played games and DANCED! It was a wonderful evening with some of my very favorite people!

No one wanted to get up Saturday morning. We were all wiped out from partying. Sara and I did homework all day, the kids did chores and then they were off in the evening with friends. I was so tired!! I went to bed early, well, early for me.

Also this week, Sara made a couple of bookmarks for a friend's birthday gift. She painted both with watercolors. She wrote scriptures on the back to go with her art. They turned out so beautifully!

Here are the backsides.

Blackbeard

Sunday evening, Sam brought his girlfriend, Tes, over to meet the family. We ate Thai curry for dinner and then played Jungle Uno and Signs. It was a ton of fun. Tes is absolutely delightful! She fit right in, from the moment she walked in the door. 

Sam and Andrew were being hilarious, bantering and brawling a bit.

So much fun!

Elder Dano came by Monday evening to say goodbye. He is being transferred to Maryvale. 

We will miss him!

Thursday, after choir, Susanna went with the Bakers to Deseret Book's book signing with Sarah Eden. She is a friend from my childhood and was able to share some stories with Susanna about our families doing things together. Susanna was thrilled to have met a REAL author.

While Susie was with the Bakers, I took Sara, Andrew, Daniel and Laney to the Gilbert temple to do baptisms with some of their choir friends. It has been a wonderful blessing to have such amazing friends from choir. I love that they have that extra dose of the Spirit and testimony each Thursday at choir. And it was even more wonderful to go to the house of the Lord right after rehearsal. Seeing these beautiful, worthy kids, all in white, sitting in a row under a beautiful mural of the Savior teaching His people, was almost overwhelming. It was truly a glimpse of heaven.

Sara, Andrew, Josh Jensen, Laney and Daniel

Andrew, Daniel, Laney, Mason Brooks, Livvy Bentley, Josh, Wes Brooks and Sara

Saturday morning, Sara prepped for her up coming state board test for cosmetology. She sorted, packaged and double checked everything so she is ready for Monday morning. 

She is going to do great!

Saturday evening, Dad, Sara, Freddy and I drove out to East Mesa to attend a gathering of the cast of Blackbeard the Musical. It is the 10 year anniversary and to celebrate they went through the show performing the songs and dialog in a very casual and intimate setting. They only had close friends and family in attendance. About 25 people. Sammy and Josh Jensen met us there, as well as Gavin and Cadie with there kids.

 They are such incredibly talented performers. Even after 10 years and no rehearsal they  were amazing. It was fun to be in on some of the funny things from behind the scenes and to see them laugh and be silly as they went through the script. It was awesome!

Can't name them all

Jen Griffith, ?,?,?,?, Jordon  and Kaitlyn Blooth, Rob Gardner, Tyler and Linsey Maxson, Mark Kleinman, I don't know the two in the front either.

Sunday was the primary program in sacrament meeting. Susanna did a great job. She spoke at the very beginning and introduced the theme. She had it memorized and spoke clearly and eloquently. It was a sweet program. The bishopric sang the counter part in A Child's Prayer against a choir of all the children. It was SO precious!

This is Andrew as he prepared his after church bean burritos. Such a cutie!

This afternoon, Daniel received his patriarchal blessing. Our Patriarch is Tommy Smith. It was a beautiful experience. He is a remarkable young man. I am so proud of him!

Gram and Papa came over for a Sunday visit. Andrew photo bombed in front of the pic.

I love these people!!!

Aren't they cuties?!!

Laney and Susanna have had fun playing together this afternoon. They made some moon sand and then made a crystal ball. They had a ton of fun. I love when they get along!

Beauties!