Just Chillin'

Mary and Christian have developed a deep love for Jordan and Mom's Kindle Fires, (which they call Ipads). Mary's favorite games are Pottery, My Boo, Candy Crush, and the virtual piano. 

Bracelets

Rainbow (or Crazy) Looms are super popular with girl's around Mary's age right now. They come with bags of little colored bands which you use your "loom" to weave into bracelets and other fun stuff. Mary loves learning new patterns and exchanging bracelets with friends. 

Festival of Trees

One of Mary's first recitals, at the Festival of Trees 2013. 

Santa Letter

This is Mary's Santa letter from Christmas 2013. 

Ryan

Meet Ryan, Mary's crush for quite a while now. These are super old photos, he's almost eleven now, but they'll still make good blackmail material later on. He's in Mary's spectrum class, and better yet he just moved across the street! 

JS Memorial Building Recital

Mary had become disenchanted with the piano, so Mom suggested that instead of dropping out of music lessons completely Mary should try a different instrument. Mary decided on the viola, and has loved it. These are pictures her very first concert at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

More Little Mermaid Photos

The Little Mermaid

 Finale and bows

 Sarah, Mary, Christian, Jordan, and Carrie Peid.

 Mary with Grandma and Grandpa, always so supportive of her in all that she does.

 Mary with her close friend Madison Adams (as one of Arial's "mer-sisters")

 Madison, Mary, Emi Wright, and Parlee Wright.

 Mary, Caelen Bean (as Ariel), and Emi Wright (as Sebastian). 

 Randy Morgan, Caelen Bean, Emi Wright, and Mary. 

 Mary with her good friend (and soccer teammate) Jessica Hadley (who played a chef). 

Mary had a wonderful time in the school play this year. Last year when her school did "Annie", Mary says she felt shy and nervous at auditions. This year, however, Mary was determined to be confident and do her very best. As a result, she was able to play the part of Flounder, a role she loved and shone in. Mary made many, many new friends, and the whole family became very familiar with "She's in Love," Mary's solo song in the play. Everyone worked very, very hard, and the play was super fun to watch!

1st Night in the Deep Blue Sea

Mary after a successful opening night in the school play "The Little Mermaid." She played the role of Flounder, and did an awesome job. She worked so hard, and had an amazing time. 

Train Park

As a treat one Saturday afternoon, Mommy took Mary and Christian to a little train park in Farmington, only open monthly in the summer. They had a blast riding a tiny train and pedal cars around the track. 

A Very Fancy Romance

The kids were feeling bored, so Lauren and Sarah directed a little play in the basement, making use of the old Halloween costumes hiding in the storage room. The play starred Grace (poor girl and narrator), Eva (servant), Christian (the dog, and a very unwilling one), Nora (the fine lady), and Mary (the musketeer). Lauren and Sarah just rounded up costumes and came up with the basic idea for the play, and then let the kids ad lib. This made the show all the funnier.

Valentines 2014

 The "Valentine Elf" strikes again!

To celebrate Valentines, Mary's class held an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party. Students were invited to dress up as their favorite character, and Mary decided on the Chesire cat. The party was a huge blast, with a tiny door the kids had to crawl through, croquet, "eat me" cakes, and even a Queen of Hearts (the parent volunteer in charge).

Fossil Hunting

Taking advantage of a school holiday, Dad decided to take the family hunting for crinoid fossils in the hills above the U of U. Everyone had a lot of fun looking for the spiral shells in the rock layers, despite the chilly wind and steep climb up. The most fun, however, was when Dad used a tile saw to cut through some of the larger fossils.