General conference, the (second) best Sunday of April!
Goodness, it's hard not to turn every event this year into the last, but this was, most likely, Leah's last regular general conference weekend with our family.
Laney, of course, slept through it, but right by Leah this time.
Everyone's favorite Russell M. Nelson!
We (I) have been obsessed with borrowing puzzles from the library all winter and spring long. This one is the same puzzle that Adam and Grace worked on on one of their first dates!
Another round with Gwenny the neighbor cat!
Emma masterfully helped me repair the Roman blinds from my room. She was so good at it, she's hired for all future repairs!
Adam scraped together the final hours of his freshman year Silver Cord hours. He and Noah spent a few hours cleaning up winter garbage from the neighborhood!
I can't resist a patriotic concert!
Scrappy pup!
Snuggled up muffin cup! (Sometimes I can picture what this bed will look like, empty, in the fall, and my heart crumples up to the size of a Craisin.)
Practicing life skills!
All I ever want to do in April is take out the kayaks and see the line of red bud trees on the far side of the lake up close. I was so happy and shocked when I came home to a date with Jason one April afternoon!
He knows how to make me smile.
One of my favorite days in April is the Iowa Religious Freedom Day. This year it was held in the capitol building.
Noah is learning how to use pomade. It's a bit of a process.
Someone loves you!
Emma rocked her roles in Dramatizers! We love the Stilwell stage.
Adam did a fantastic job at the solo/ensemble festival, even with his mustache mishap.
There's the mustache!
Leah received a practically perfect score on her orchestra solo performance.
Hello spring!
This crazy afternoon was the Challenge of the Books celebration with Noah!
There is grass on the roof of the DSM library - my favorite ritual this year was driving Noah to DSM Youth Symphony, then walking down four flights of stairs and over to the next building to pick up a book or complete a podcast, then back to the fifth floor of the Temple for Performing Arts to meet up with my friend for a 30-minute chat!
What a gorgeous practice room!
I think this is Noah's happy place.
Noah held his own as the only 5th grader in 6th grade orchestra this year!
Music is my favorite.
Especially when it's made in groups!
One random day my computer was attached by clone troopers!
These silly shopping buddies of mine.
Jazz band is always a delight!
I loved listening to Adam and the Southwood Singers in a workshop in Council Bluffs.
More trash collecting!
These funny glasses...
We saw Star Wars Episode III in the theater!
A lunch date with Leah!
A slipper formal for Emma!
Sometimes Laney is so ridiculous.
We all enjoyed Adam's first high school spring musical - Anything Goes!
A gentleman always wears a coat so he can loan it to his lady.
I can't help myself.
I drove Emma to a stake dance in Ankeny!
And then treated myself!
And then reminded myself how much we loved our first house, and why it wasn't all that hard to move off the street.
I taught a stake Relief Society workshop on the worth of women!
And we made it to the temple!
And that wasn't even all of April!
