April 2025

The month of April was packed!

We kicked it off with Sheri's District Track Meet. She finished her season strong. She did have some shin splints but was able to improve her times.

We also enjoyed General Conference.

On April 9th our ward youth held a Seder Meal to understand and commemorate the Passover. This was an activity that Sheri had requested as class president. I spent considerable time creating a written program for this evening.  The Bishop and his wife were at the head table and led the meal. The YW leaders did a tremendous job decorating and making amazing food. I made the charoset. The YW leaders also helped with various parts of the ceremony such as washing of hands, playing the music I had selected, bringing food, and cleaning up at the end.  I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful experience for these youth!  For me the symbolism of our Savior runs deeply through this tradition and it was a testimony for me of how much the Lord loves His people and will ultimately deliver us!

On Saturday, April 12th Sheri went to Prom with Ty and she met up with her friends beforehand for pictures.  Here she is getting ready with Marianne and me (her hair stylist.) Also, I helped decorate for the prom on the morning of.

Here are some of the photos we took with the group.

I loved helping her pick out shoes, helping her order his boutonniere, fixing her hair, taking pictures (though many of these are from Ty), decorating, and all the other little things that made this day beautiful! It was a lovely full moon night and I know they enjoyed a fabulous dinner as well. What a great memory for her!

The following weekend we decided to go to Colorado for Easter and Emma's bridal shower. It was lovely to be with family and celebrate with Emma! We love Brookes and are so happy for them! Hannah did a beautiful job hosting the shower!

Meanwhile the guys (Matt, Scott, and Christian) had a "bro" day. 

On this trip we also go to see Mary perform in her play. She was great!

Easter with the family was the beautiful!

Annie did such a lovely job of hosting dinner and the egg hunt!

Truly, time with our family and focusing on our Savior brings joy!

Back at home on Monday, Sheri was inducted to the National Honor's Society which requires high grades, leadership, and service.

These two girls have the highest GPAs in their grade. 

This is Sheri's favorite teacher, Mrs. Sherman.

Later in the week Sheri had a Spring band concert where she had a solo and was also honored as a Texas Music Scholar. 

This week she also performed in her Cleopatra Dance show.

 Also, Eve finished her junior year at BYU and came home for a break before her summer internship. Yay!

Finally, Sheri had a flute recital with her teacher where she performed her flute pieces that she has been diligently preparing for Solo & Ensemble. Her pieces are tough and she has worked hard to polish and memorize them! We are grateful to Melissa Cardenas for her guidance and support!

In the middle of the week Christian had a percussion concert. He did awesome!

At his full concert he earned an outstanding soloist award. We were excited to see all the talent he is developing in percussion!

Here are some other fun pictures from the month to give a flavor of what we have been up to.

Matt did his best to protect the early blossoms on his fruit trees when it got too cold. We aren't sure if they helped or hurt with the amount of wind that probably knocked most of the blossoms off. Ha ha!

We are enjoying signs of spring, thanks to Matthew!

We are trying to use the rabbits to keep the dandelions down. :)

Here Sheri is getting a pedicure to help her rough dancer feet before prom.

Sheri loves smoothies and time with Marianne!

Eve was a great help to Matt in the yard! We have also begun early planting. Note the lettuce and spinach growing.

Christian sang in the youth choir for the Stake Easter Musical Celebration.

Between all the fun things we did this month, I also arranged family doctor visits (Christian broke his toe), I substitute taught, hosted a baking group, attended Stake YW meetings, led and attended JustServe meetings, attended community organizational meetings (Transformation Park, Family Support Services, etc.), continued my personal community service, donated blood, attended the temple, and led the Global Youth Service Day activity. In addition to the daily activities of home and personal upkeep, it is no wonder that I get behind on my blog sometimes. Ha ha! It is just a busy season, and somehow the Lord helps me get all the most important things done.

Here are some photos from Global Youth Service Day. We made 12 blankets to be donated to the Ronald MacDonald House. The blankets will go to families whose children are in the hospital. Blankets bring comfort to the children and help them feel remembered as they go through their difficult time in the hospital. We also assembled 80 To-Go snack bags for the Salvation Army, to be given to homeless who come and need food to sustain them. 30 volunteers participated!

Here are some of Eve's highlights from the month.

She turned 21 years old! What a great milestone! 

To celebrate Eve hosted a "tea party" with friends and had a lovely time!

She also shopped with Matt and got her first car! This car is a necessity now that she will be away from school for her internship in Montana for the summer. A vehicle always brings a great feeling of independence as well as responsibility!

This month Eve also got to help with a service project at the temple, 

and host the cousins for a dinner and game night.

With all the end of semester finals, and packing, she also finished her work in the soil science lab and was able to spend time with friends.

I will miss these cute pics of her in her lab coat!

She flew home after leaving her things with Patty and enjoyed some time with family for a few weeks.

Here is our cute duck.

Meanwhile in Brazil Sterling continues to serve. Here are some fun photos.

Apparently Sterling had the winning answer at this conference.

Sterling has really enjoyed Sao Sebastian as well as his mission president. We are grateful that the Lord is watching out for our missionaries and that Sterling is learning and growing.

We are grateful for a full and abundant month!