Here She Is... Miss Activity Days...

Our ward had its first "Activity Days Pageant" last night. All the activity days girls (girls ages 8 - 11) were involved. They had an "evening gown" section (the girls all were in modest church dresses), a talent section (Ciera and another girl played the piano, one girl sang, one did ballet, and one did a karate weapons display), and a question and answer section (they asked the parents questions about their daughters and then they asked the girls questions that tested their standards and morals). All of the girls got awards at the end of the evening and were given a crown, a sash, and flowers. We are so proud of Ciera and all that she has accomplished! Love you Ciera!

Happy Birthday Dear Brooke

Today is my little Brooke Anne's 5th birthday. I can hardly believe that she is getting so big. She will start Kindergarten in the fall, she has loose teeth, and she is getting that "big girl" look. She is not a little girl anymore... sniff, sniff, sigh. We love our Brooke. She is such a joy to have in our family. Her smile lights up the room. Happy Birthday my little sweetheart!

Brooke requested a Cinderella cake. It was not my best job, but I think she liked it!
Ciera and Chloe made a sign for Brooke. They did a great job! Brooke is lucky to have such thoughtful sisters. They must love her a lot!

Is that a new kitchen?

This weekend, we painted our kitchen. It had been in need of a new coat of paint since we moved in, and with our remodeling (cutting off the bar part of the counter), it was in dire need of some new paint. I went and bought the paint on Friday, and we painted this weekend. It turned out great!
Before, it was all off-white...

Now it is chocolate brown and beige...

We love how it turned out!

Sweet Treats

For Valentine's Day, I made my family chocolate mousse in chocolate dessert cups. They turned out FANTASTIC! I felt like such a professional as I was making them... it was so fun! They looked cute and tasted even better. I think I will make this a Valentine's Day tradition!

Go Green!

Ciera and Chloe have been motivated to clean up the earth this week. They were walking home from school and saw an "oil spill" on the street. (I am sure it was a small spot of oil... I haven't heard any news of an oil spill in the area...) They promptly got out the markers, crayons and paper, and made 15 signs that they want to post all over the neighborhood and their school telling people the importance of going green. I thought I would share a couple of my favorites.


These first two are straight to the point, and their art is cute...
I love this one... Save the endangered blue bird...
This one is my favorite. Pollution is harmful to us all... EVEN HORSES. I love my little tree-hugging girls!

iLove

At Young Women's last night, we made a Valentine's craft that I found on the internet a couple of weeks ago. It is a fake iPod made from a box of conversation heart candy. I thought they were so cute... and the girls liked making them too. They are super easy. I was able to print the cutouts for the front with songs pre-printed on them, or you can choose your own song titles to print on the front. They have Hershey's Kisses for the ear buds. If you want to know how to make this super cute craft, let me know!