Alli's Senior Prom

Alli's senior prom was Saturday night.

Being the obnoxious mother that I am I took several pictures of Alli waiting for her date...

 

Sitting

Texting

Yelling

Here she is pinning the boutonnière on her date Karac.  

They are really good friends and Alli said she knew she would have a great night because he is so much fun.

On the front porch

And here is Cord taking his turn being the obnoxious parent...

The high schools around here still have a promenade. So each senior is introduced with their date and they walk down the courthouse steps to the cheers and flashing cameras of the parents.

Here is Alli and Karac making their way down the steps.

It was super fun to watch!

Here Alli is with two of her really good friends (The girl in the middle - Emma will be Alli's roommate next year at USU).

Alli said she had a great night.  It's hard to believe she will be graduating in a month!

Happy Birthday Elder Udall!

We got to see Mitchell today! We knew he was serving somewhere in Salt Lake, but we didn't know where. After getting his last email though, finding him was pretty easy. All those Tongan names made it quick work for Aki and Lindy--it only took one phone call to locate him. So, since today is his birthday, we gave him a little surprise visit.

Both his companions came straight from Tonga so they are learning English, and doing pretty well. They've both been out one year. The taller one is from Aki's same island and played rugby with Aki's little brother. They had fun talking with Aki. They told him (in Tongan) that Mitchell is loosening up--laughing more and starting to tease them back a little.

Ame and Nina both made Mitchell the cutest birthday cards. They loved seeing their missionary cousin.

Aki stopped by a Tongan restaurant and picked up food for the elders. A hunk of fish, some curry, some turkey tail and tapioca root . . . Mitchell's taste buds are getting a work out! :) For dessert we made him his favorite--brownies.

Mitchell is doing great--he's enjoying being a missionary and is having good experiences. Te queremos Elder Udall!

Easter in Springville

 Since we couldn't make it to Bountiful to hunt eggs with the "cool Udalls" Cord and I threw together a hunt for our kids in the yard.

Will just found one in the rain spout

Barry spying an easy one in the screen

 Cord hid some in the wood pile for fun

And in the tree 

Here is Alli after she found the egg in the flag post. She just loves having her picture taken on an Easter egg hunt! Almost as much as...

I forgot to take pictures of the kids baskets this year but as I was downloading pictures tonight i noticed that one of the kids took a picture of "the parent's basket" you'll notice coconut m&m's for Cord and diet Coke for me! :)

Like Lindy said, this Easter was especially meaningful and we spent some time reflecting on the true meaning of Easter.  We cried and talked about Camie and how we miss her-- but how lucky we are to know that we will see her again. We are grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Her are the kids before church.  Squinting in the sun.  It was a beautiful day!

We send our love to all of you from Springville!!

Easter Sunday

As you all know, Easter for us this year was definitely more significant and applicable than perhaps we have felt in years past. I really did view it as a celebration. I was able to have a nice conversation with my kids, in regards to the recent passing of Grandma Gwen and Aunt Camie, about the death and resurrection of Christ and what that means for us. I couldn't help but laugh, though, when Ame earnestly asked: "Mom, since I'm going to have a perfect body, does that mean I'll get to wear a bikini?" Oh, dear...a clearer explanation of "perfect body" was provided. Again, Camie's illness provided a good teaching moment, and I'm grateful for that.

Aki was working today, so I was flying solo. I completely didn't realize that it was Fast Sunday, so was proud that I actually was on top of things enough to provide Easter "brunch" for my kids and give them their Easter baskets, and only when I provided treats to my Primary class and the kids protested did I realize that I might have a few parents upset at me. Oh, well.

HAPPY EASTER! WE LOVE YOU!

Easter Saturday

Matt and Symonie hosted an Easter egg coloring session and hunt for the little ones. We missed Cord & Heidi's punkins!

Who can get enough of this little guy?

Or this little squawker?

Matt explains the finer points of the wax crayon.

The professionals

Lunch! (While Uncle Matt/Dad hid the eggs around the yard)

And they're off...

The kids had such a great time, even though all that candy was gone in no time flat. Thanks, Harrises, for the invite.

Spring Break hike

While I was working this week, our kids were off on Spring Break. Luckily, Aki also had some days off, so he took them on a few outings. One day they enjoyed a tour of the Kennecott Copper Mine, and another they went for a picnic and hike on the backside of the Oquirrh mountains.

Makai asked to be the photographer, and he got some nice shots!

Up the hill we go.

Back down we go

Enjoying a picnic at a nearby park

Here's a beautiful parting shot for you, captured by Ame (which she is very proud of)