Yes, Natalie went to not 1, not 2 but 3 proms! Normally I would say this many proms is just straight-up ridiculous. But when I considered the fact that these kids have had to let go of so many normal high school festivities during covid, it all seemed reasonable to me.

This was a much smaller group and Natalie had a blast with Joel, Ava and Lucas.

These photo booth pics matched the same poses they used at Homecoming in the fall.

The day after Natalie’s Senior Recital, we hosted another recital for her students along with Katrina’s. 17 students total keep these girls busy and fulfilled! The chapel was full of families ready to cheer on their students. Bonus was that there were enough treats left over from the day before that we didn’t have to make a thing! My favorite part of the event was when the girls stood up before each student and shared just a little bit about what they enjoy about that child.

Teaching piano lessons has been the perfect job for my kids. They can create their schedules based around their activities, don’t have to ask for time off when the need arises, plus they make a decent hourly wage for a teenager. These girls are so blessed to have so many families who have trusted them with their children. It takes a certain amount of faith to see what will happen with a teenager and at times is largely an experiment. I am hopeful we will host many more piano lessons at our house over the years. All this experience has left Natalie wanting more and she is considering a degree in music education at BYU.

Natalie’s Senior Recital was a wonderful success! It was a fabulous night that encapsulated a TON of hard work and years of preparation. She was surrounded by friends and family who love her. I am so thankful all that music inside of her had a space to be shared. Ridiculously proud of her! Thanks be to God for her remarkable teachers and her innate talents.

We were very thankful that our friend, Mike Sinclair, went to the tremendous effort to record the recital. If you listen to the piano portion, skip ahead a few minutes to when Natalie begins playing.

Kinda sad that it took considerably longer than it should have to discover our mistake here. We eventually fixed it.

Our friend Madeline has an amazing side business making cakes, candies and delicious things. She came early to work her magic. And it seriously was magic!

My sweet little baby, all grown up!

Natalie made these programs, which were a nice touch. I loved having explanations of each piece and what they meant to her. Front side was for her piano music and back side was for her cello stuff.

I wish I’d taken a photo of Katrina and Natalie playing their Carmen duet together. It was a great opener!

The amazing Marigaie turned pages for Natalie while she played piano. I think it was comforting for Natalie to have her nearby.

After a brief break, the girls got set up for the string portion of the night. I was delighted that Natalie included her sisters in this number. Dad too! A bit of a stretch for him but with some advanced notice it was totally do-able.

Ethan is another cello player Natalie heard play several months back. It was really sweet of him to learn a Vivaldi cello duet with Natalie. Ethan is super talented, and it was a joy to hear them together.

I accompanied on 3 of the cello pieces. It was a monumental amount of work but thankfully I accumulated it over many years and not all at once. I will sincerely miss playing for Natalie. Lots of happy memories doing this together!

Katrina was a sweetheart- played twice with Natalie, was the work crew moving music stands and chairs, and then she turned pages for me while I played. Love the support she gave her big sis.

I’m so glad that our parents came over for the occasion. They could have listened to a recording later, but it wouldn’t have been nearly the same. Live music is just something that can’t be replicated. I know it’s a bit of a sacrifice for them to come all the way over here but I’m just glad that it’s possible for them to make a quick trip over. It meant a lot to Natalie, but it also meant a lot to Bryan and I! Our dads were there too, hanging out behind the scenes.

I am still smiling thinking of what a great night it was!

Church Prom was perhaps the most documented event in the history of Natalie’s life. Here is a mere sampling of the sparkly and shiny night!

At the last minute, Natalie heard that there were extra tickets to prom. The church sponsored the event on an Argossy cruise ship in Seattle and everyone was required to have a ticket, so having extras was kind of unexpected and not easily known until the last minute. So, the wheels in Natalie’s head started spinning and she began thinking about how much fun it would be to have her cousins come over from Spokane and Ephrata. Within a day, she had texted Lexi, Maren, and their moms to get permission. She had some dresses that they could use. Then she even thought of some boys she knew who didn’t have dates and convinced them to go on blind dates. I think Natalie lives in the wrong culture. You hear of modern Indian matchmakers, and I think Natalie would be a good candidate for that job!

Katrina was a little bummed to not be old enough to attend but took a pic with the crew before they headed to dinner.

Natalie was asked to the dance by Mason. We love Mason and love that these 2 are friends and have danced together at PBD for many years.

Somewhere along the way, the wanna-be-cowgirl inside Natalie agreed to pose with cowboy hats for the occasion. Mason’s sis let Natalie borrow hers. Pretty cute, I must say.

Could these 3 girls be any more beautiful? Gosh I love that they made this memory happen! Special thanks to our friend, Hannah Anderson for many of these pictures. The really good ones are all Hannah’s.

Nick H. dances with Natalie, so we affectionately referred to him as Dance Nick.

We know Nick R. from church so we referred to him as Church Nick. So thankful for all the Nicks in our lives.

This crew was blessed to have a delicious dinner in the Maner’s backyard. Erin Gee did most of the food and it was very tasty and very gourmet. They are so incredibly spoiled to have this lavish spread, but mostly to have each other.

Here are some pictures taken on the Pier in Seattle and on the boat.

After the dance, the girls came home and hung out with Katrina until the wee hours of the next morning. I just went to bed and told them to have fun!

With so many festivities being cancelled the past few years because of Covid, I am extra grateful that this got to happen at all. To have Natalie with her cousins made it extra special and I’m sure they’ll remember it forever. Great kids, great memories, great leaders for making it all happen.

And let’s not forget the fact that the weather was breath-takingly beautiful, especially considering the dismal May we’ve had otherwise in Seattle. So much to be happy about!

Two unrelated events but not enough pics for a whole Mother’s Day post so they’re getting grouped together!

Bryan and the girls made us a yummy waffle breakfast- my fav.

Love going to church with my cute girlies.

Nattys gave the most beautiful talk. I hope I remember it always. I was glad Bryan was with us that day so he could hear too.

After church we had a little picnic at the cemetery. It wasn’t supposed to necessarily be a warm day, but we had the sun just long enough for me to have a nap on the grass by Mara’s grave. That probably sounds like a weird thing to do, unless you are a bereaved mother- then it makes perfect sense. It was lovely.

We took a little stroll through the cemetery and Sadie took this cool picture.

While the others made dinner for us, I got to chat with my fav missionary all by myself. Love this kid! Love that he made me a mom and that we have a good relationship now. He makes me proud.

The girls did a “spa” for me at home.

Rubbing mom’s feet is a risky move. Katrina must truly love me.

Then the girls decided to try on my old HS formal dresses. Why do I even have these still? Probably for moments like this where we can all laugh together.

Another gift worth mentioning is the girls played “I Often Go Walking” on their strings for me. The perfect Mother’s Day gift!

Fast forward a few weeks to Memorial Day weekend. We were very happy to go to Ephrata since we hadn’t been since Christmastime. We were not able to leave until Sunday after church but the girls didn’t have school on Tues so we were able to stay a few days anyway. It was a good way to avoid the typical travel days and traffic.

Katrina has been planning for several weeks to spend some special time with Grandpa Adams as she received her Patriarchal Blessing. It was a very sweet, happy experience to be part of this rite of passage with Katrina. I am thankful for the wonderful things she has in store in her future and glad Grandpa Adams got to be the Lord’s mouthpiece. She is such an impressive girl.

Memorial Day in Ephrata pretty goes the same way every year. Meet at the cemetery at 10 and see loads of family! Max called smack in the middle of the family gatherings so he was able to talk to lots of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

I thought it only appropriate to take this photo of Max at the grave of the man he’s named after, Max Hammond.

Grandma and Grandpa Bair

Cousin Liam

Grammy D and Grandpa Bill

We officially got to meet baby Hazel face to face. Lots more Hazel snuggles later on that day!

Grandma and Grandpa Adams

Then we were able to go visit Aunt Alice in her new home. She has a brand new, beautiful space just down the road from Roger and Nadine. She moved from SLC many months ago, had some health struggles, waited for the home to be ready and is now getting used to her new surroundings. Nadine and Roger have helped her so much and we hope she settles in and enjoys having family nearby.

Then it was time for proper Hazel snuggles and introductions. What a gorgeous, loved, special and darling baby girl! We clearly love her already.

Leisha is a goddess and made this absolutely beautiful pinwheel/butterfly berry pie. Almost too gorgeous to eat, though I assure you it got eaten!

After having lunch with the Adamses, we had dinner with the Bairs. Talk about packing it in with the food!

Aunt Alli worked hours upon hours to create this gorgeous blanket for Natalie as a graduation gift. So amazing!

Cousins are the best!

Lyra sent me home with this awesome family portrait she created. It’s front and center on our fridge!

Monday night I should have taken a picture as Bryan and I were able to pay a visit to Gina and Roy. We love them so much and send so much love as they are in the middle of painful, difficult and impossible decisions. Glad I was able to go on a walk with Gina. Love her so much!

On Tuesday, Bryan took the girls over to Stu and Gel’s to see Leo and Kya (Eva was at school). They had just returned to town and so we hadn’t previously seen them. The girls adored the baby kittens. Not sure the kitties look entirely comfortable in their arms, but the girls tried their best. There may have been some scratches involved.

Little Kya is such a dollie. She’s getting so big and walking all over the place now.

Glad for a little jaunt over the mountains and the chance to see so many people we love so much!