Party!

Last Saturday we invited our ward over for a party to say farewell to our good friends, the Randall's. He has been a member of the bishopric and a lot of people were very sad to see them leave. So we decided we should have a party! My friend Amanda and I hosted the party and I believe everyone had a great time. People really seemed to like the house and backyard--which made us very happy. They still have a long way to go but we've made so much progress! Below are pictures inside and out (most taken before there was too big of a crowd). The kids especially seemed to enjoy the playground and the rubber mulch!

Before party:
During party:
Abby kept requesting to see the new Disney movie, Tangled again, so I took her last Thursday. It is still at the cheap theater, so that was great. Here she is before it started. This time she was quite afraid of the villain of the show and at one point I had to take her out because she was crying. I felt so bad for her. But she still wants to see it again!
A piece of good news: our LDS Services caseworker called today and our clearances from the other states FINALLY came through. We sent them in October so it took a long time. Our caseworker will be up on Wednesday morning to do our final home inspection and then we should be back up on the website--at long last!
Here are 2 videos. The first is a walk through just as the party started and the second is Sunday night. I directed a stake Women's Choir Sunday evening for the first time--and they will be excellent! I love directing stake choirs! When I came home Abby and Matt had played with a sword left by Abby's friend Caleb and a sword Matt created out of pvc pipe! Abby was so funny I had to film her!

Provo Girls (Spoof on Katie Perry's California Gurls)

Here is a funny little video that makes fun of the odd dating culture in Provo, Utah.

Backyard Progression

Our backyard is really coming along and I love to look out the window and see grass. Below are pictures. The awning did not get finished today (bummer) on account of the rain. We hope it is finished tomorrow as we are having a rather large party on Saturday afternoon and definitely need the outdoor space!

Starting to lay sod.
Sod help--Dallin (after his piano lesson) and our neighbor Steve. Thanks guys!
Sod completed, awning beginning.
Awning going up.
Check out the rubber mulch.
Here are a few extra pictures.
Abby and Mommy before gymnastics.
Abby at gymnastics--look, she can sit still!
Abby before swimming.
Abby getting a floaty during her swim lesson (she was the only one there on time).
Here is a funny Abby video that includes swimming (Tuesday) and crazy dancing and gymnastics (Wednesday night).

Cement and Fun With "Nanny"

We have a cement patio! How exciting! It looks really good although it is getting horribly rained on as I type. Last night we had the craziest wind storm--couldn't sleep most of the night. But it is leveling our dirt quite nicely, so we will be ready for grass this week! We are hosting a big party for a family in our ward that is sadly moving. We love the Randall's and decided to help host a farewell party for them--hence the quick moving on the backyard. Our patio goes up this week, grass will go in and people will be able to be inside and outside. I cannot believe I have space enough to invited the ward over to my house--so awesome! So if you are in the Monica Ward, please feel free to stop by from 2-4 on Saturday, March 26th to say farewell to the wonderful Randall family.

Here is the cement process:

I already posted that our friend Natalie from Arizona surprised Abby on Tuesday night. We had some fun adventures for the next 3 days! We couldn't do anything too expensive since our funds are dedicated to finishing the backyard so we just had fun together, ran errands, worked in the yard, etc. But we always have fun together.
Funny faces, funny poses.
Flying high.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Our fortunes from Panda Express lunch at the mall.
"What's that?"
Taco Bell lunch.
Our trip to Lowe's--check out the sweet ride!
Be warned: we put our guests to work! (putting out mulch)
Farewell to Natalie.
Saturday after Natalie left Abby and I went to a bridal shower for Reagan Rasmussen. We made wedding dresses out of toilet paper (bride is on the right). The cake was beautiful.
Later Saturday we made a quick Costco run to see if they had something for the backyard. Abby wanted to wear things from her Grandma's. Grandma Karen gave her the jacket and Grandma Barbara gave her the boots. Thanks Grandma's! We love you.
My Ward Choir sang today and they are quite amazing. We sang "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" with 2 flutes. I am always impressed by the spirit they bring and they way they sound with such limited rehearsal!
Abby after Church.
Matt and Abby taking a quick Sunday nap before the missionaries come for dinner---so sweet.

What a day!

Yesterday was quite the day! 3 great things happened. First, Abby had gymnastics and even flipped over the bar all by herself--see the video at the end of the post. She also took her first swimming lesson! She loves to swim and every week she would go over to the pool after gymnastics and want to take lessons. This week I talked to the front office and they said she could do a trial day to see how it goes and then enroll for the remaining 4 weeks of the term if she wants to. She absolutely loved it and did not want to leave.

Abby before gymnastics.
Later that day our friend from Arizona, Natalie arrived. It is her spring break from ASU and she ended up being able to come at the last minute. I did not tell Abby and so Natalie completely surprised her. You can see from the pictures that they were very excited to see each other. Now we get to play for a few days!
The last great event of the day was a complete surprise! I went to play for a voice lesson at Cal State University, Bakersfield because juries were today. After the lesson the choir director at the university approached me and said, "Hello Dr. Garrett." I said hello and then he asked if I would be willing to help him with something. I wondered what it could be. Then he asked if I would be willing to teach a class at the university! I was so excited! It is a music appreciation on-line course, which is perfect because Abby is the number 1 priority! I will definitely miss the direct interaction with students since it is on-line, but this is a perfect set up right now. I have to move on everything very quickly though because the start date is March 28th! Yikes! As I left his office he said, "Welcome to the faculty." Needless to say, I was pretty excited! I drove straight home and told Matt. He was very excited also.
I am constantly amazed at the opportunities I am given. I am very, very blessed.