4-24-2010 Saturday - Temecula Valley Chorale Vocal Competition

Warning:
Mom's bragging rights about to begin...
Do not read if you are sick of this...
Noel and Holly both competed in this classical competition today. We left for Temecula at 7:30am and got home at 6:00pm tonight. Noel competed against 14 other middle schoolers. She did an awesome job and is really growing alot! Holly competed against 17 high shoolers. After a very long day, we got the great news!

Holly won 1st Place in her category!!! She did an amazing job - I won't post the song because it was the same one that she won 1st Place with last week too. But personally, I think she did it better this week and there were better acoustics which really shows off her voice! And she got another cash award too! So far this year she has won $2,850.00 in scholarship money! It's all going to her schooling at BYU! We are so proud of her!

4-23-2010 Friday - Triple Dates

Drew, Michael, and Louie had a triple date last night with 3 adorable girls - Danielle, Julianne, and Brittany. They made pizzas as couples but had certain obstacles while doing them. For instance, Drew couldn't use any fingers, Brittany was blind folded, and Louie had one hand tied behind him.

They had a fun night creating their masterpieces!

After dinner, they had a couples scavenger hunt and then played the game, "Spoons".
Cheap dates are always the funnest!!!

4-22-2010 Thursday - Holly's Locker

Last Thursday, we went to Mission's Open House and got to see Holly at work as an ASB officer. We also got to see her locker in ASB. They have a cabinet they share with another ASB officer. Holly share hers with Nic and he is the Technology Coordinator. Holly is the Performing Arts Commissioner.

They have the coolest lockers on campus - inside the ASB room, no locks, and they get to decorate it too! Just thought it would give people a chance to see Holly's world at Mission!

4-1-2010 thru 4-5-2010 Drew's General Conference!

I just got Drew's photos from his trip to General Conference, so I wanted to post a few of them. A little late, but better late than never...
Drew's friends in front of the Salt Lake Temple,
back left: Cody, Louis, Drew, Andrew, Casey, Tyler.

Cody and Louis working the area...

Stopping for fireworks at the Valley of Fire Indian Reservation.

Michelle got wind blown!

4-18-2010 Sunday - 1st In Rotary!!!

Holly won first place for Female Classical in the Southern California Rotary Club Voice Competition this weekend.
Her friend, Ryan Yoder, got first for Male Musical Theater.

Holly's friend and a student of Joan's also, Taylor Scappatura, won 2nd place in the Female Classical Category also.

Holly is a great example to her siblings.
They cheered her on too!
Congrats Holly!!!

This was Holly's first of two songs she sang.
It is called "The Trees On The Mountains" from the opera "Susannah".

4-16-2010 Friday - Youth Conference

Youth Conference for our stake was this weekend.
The theme was "Forever Strong".
Holly and Noel attended and really enjoyed it.
This was Holly's last year and Noel's first year.
I'm glad they got to go together at least once!
EFY John Bytheway and Major General Black spoke to them.
They went to the beach, the movies, had a dance, a service project, and lastly a testimony meeting on Sunday.

4-16-2010 Friday - Fangtastic Jogathon!!!

Luke and Shera had their school's jogathon today. The kids love this school fundraiser.
Luke ran the entire time!

The kids loved the water sprayer to help them cool off!

There is Shera rounding her 4th lap!

Shera ran a total of 15 laps!
Luke ran a total of 14 laps!
Awesome kids!!!

4-14-2010 Wednesday - Buzz Was Here!!!

Luke gave his oral book report today on his hero the astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. He had all of the 3 1/2 minute presentation memorized too! His Grandma Allred is friends with Buzz. And his Grandpa Starr helped to build Apollo 11.

Luke made this poster and the kids in his class loved it! Especially this particular photo. They all thought they saw Buzz's spaceship on that little spot! Too cute!!!

4-10-2010 Saturday - Allred Family Dinner

Last night, we met at Antonello's for Italian and celebrated my niece's Michele and Andrea's birthdays. We took this nice photo of Grams with her grand-daughters surrounding her.
Good food...
Good conversation...
Good times...

4-10-2010 Saturday - Louie's Baptism

Yesterday, Drew had the wonderful opportunity to baptize his friend, Louis Vasquez. They met in biology class last January and Drew invited him to church. Louis took the missionary discussions and chose to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is a super guy and it's been great to get to know him.
Congrats Louie!

4-2-2010 thru 4-7-2010 - Washington D.C.

Noel went on her 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. over
Spring Break!

Some of the sights included: The Air and Space Museum...

The Washington Memorial...

The White House...

The Supreme Court...
and all the cherry blossoms!
She had a wonderful trip!

4-2-2010 thru 4-9-2010 - Eastertime at the River!

We went to the river for General Conference and Easter Break. Drew went to General Conference and Noel went to her Washington D.C. 8th grade trip, so they came later in the week. We missed not having them on Easter Sunday. :(

Our colored Easter eggs...

Hunting for them the next morning...

The Water Wheel Easter Egg Hunt...

The scorpion Shera spotted that Jeff nearly stepped on...
(6 inches long and now on permanent display after a freezing cold nap...)

ATVing at sunset...

Shooting the paintball gun...

Boating on the Colorado River...

Grams and Drago came out to visit a couple of days...

Drago LOVED our favorite eatery - Crossroads Cafe - in Parker, Arizona...

Here are Luke, Shera, and Noel with the dogs on the river's edge...

4-2-2010 Friday - In Your Easter Bonnet :)

I couldn't help but post this of Jeff...

Last Friday, they had a little Easter celebration at work.
There was a contest of the best homemade Easter Bonnet.

So, I made this for Jeff out of odds and ends we had at home.
I glue gunned everything to a paper plate and tied a bow with a ribbon. Everybody got a kick out of it, and he may have won except he was a judge!

4-1-2010 Thursday - April Fool's?

We took a walk as a family yesterday afternoon and halfway down the block, Jeff got into this car randomly and the kids started freaking out! He told everyone the keys were in it and we should give it a try since we had been looking for a new SUV. Remember the accident last October?
They got in with some apprehension as Jeff took off!

April Fool's!!!
It's our new car - We got 'em!

4-1-2010 Thursday - General Conference or Bust!!!!

Weeeeeeerrre off to see the prophet, the wonderful prophet of all....
It's that time of year again my friends, when all the singles head up to SLC to hear the prophet's voice testify of the gospel.
The foursome: Casey, Cody, Louie, and Drew!
Thanks Papa and Grandma for putting up the kids over the weekend!

Cody and Louie have their signs all ready to show on the corners - scalping free tickets to General Conference!

Cody's...

Louie's...

3-31-2010 Wednesday - My Favorite Flowers...

I love flowers...
All flowers - some of my favorites are: Pansies, Morning Glories, Lavender Roses, Tulips, Daffodils, Bearded Iris, Lilacs, and Cherry Blossoms.
But my all time favorite is one that I can only enjoy for a couple precious weeks in the springtime, Wisteria.
I can't pinpoint one thing that I love so much about them.
I love all the different lavender shades that melt into one another on the cluster.
I love how freely they hang and sway in the breeze.
I love the gnarly twisted vines and wispy leaves that flutter like butterflies.
They are romantic.
They are soft.
They are fragile.
I only wish I could enjoy them year round...

3-27-2010 Saturday - This Old House...

Last Saturday, Jeff and I were in Santa Ana and visited my old neighborhood. I hadn't been there in ten years. I lived across from this street corner -
2201 N. Olive Lane.

Here's my house - where I used to climb the olive tree in front, ride my bike on the driveway, I shut the garage door on our car roof, our big plastic Santa Claus was lit up on the front porch, and I'd look out the living room window and wait for my dad to come home.
So many great memories...
I loved my childhood...

Then we went by Jeff's darling house in Costa Mesa. He moved from here when he was seven. He loved playing kickball in the front yard for family night, walking to school with his brothers and sisters, and catching frogs in the ditch at the end of the street.

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. The Wonder Years...

3-25-2010 Thursday - Little Red Riding Hood

You see the little tree on the right? Yep, that's my Lukey! He was the best tree in the woods!

Here are all Luke's "Tree Friends"! Actually, he was on stage almost the whole time, which was fun for him. The trees had their own song and dance and acted like trees the whole time too!

All the guys - after the show!
Luke's class and another 2nd grade class were lucky enough to be able to put on the musical "Red".