Family Photos {Traut Familly}

I was able to take some really fun pictures of a really fun family this week, I love being able to do this! Check them out at my photo blog! Also, I only have three more slots available at the introductory price, so if you're interested call quick! Once those are filled, prices will go up to $85 per session.

Weekend at the Lake

Kevin's parent's had been talking for years about getting a house on Lake Travis...well in February, they finally bit the bullet and got one. It's on the lake, and it's small and old, but hey, it's on the lake. The boys have been going up there for over a month trying to fix it up and make it more comfortable for everyone to use this summer.

I had been wanting to go up and see it and take a little vacation, and this past weekend we finally did. The weather was amazing, and the girls LOVED it! We were able to BBQ alot, enjoy conference, and put up some swings for the kids to enjoy while we were there. What's better than swinging with Lake Travis as the backdrop?

So, as always, I took way too many pictures, but what can I say, the subjects as always are beautiful, and who doesn't love some fun pictures of the lake?

The girls just loved hanging out outside and playing whatever their little imaginations could come up with.


She really wanted to go down to the water, but actually did a pretty good job listening to us and stayed put.

Showing off her imaginatin. I think she was either flying or swimming, probably swimming though.

They loved having a picnic outside for lunch.

We dyed easter eggs while we were there. Lexie kept smelling the cups, and I have no idea why, cause they smelled like vinegar.

Halli on one of the "swings" Kevin and his dad put up.

Seriously, does it get better than that? That massive house on the other side of the lake is 'Mattress Mac's' compound. If you're not from houston you have no idea who he is, but he owns a huge furniture store here.

The girls loved being able to hang out with grandpa for the weekend. He even got up with them one morning so I could go back to bed....we love grandparents!:)

Grandpa putting the finishing touches on the swing.

Kevin and his dad trying to figure out where to put the ropes for the swings, and trying to get the knots tied good and tight.

This was kinda funny. They were trying to get the ladder up to the branch to tie the ropes, but it just wasn't long enough. They sure struggled with that for awhile before they just gave up and used a rock to throw the rope over the branch.

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One of the best parts of this trip was that we were able to have Kevin around for the whole weekend, with nothing to interrupt us. Between work, real estate, and his calling at church, oh, and march madness, can't forget that, we have been missing him lately.

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He is an amazing dad, and spent the weekend playing with his girls. They loved having him around. He taught them how to fish, took them out to the boat dock all the time, cause that's where they wanted to hang out, and just plain old spent time with them. They are so lucky to have such a wonderful dad!

I love this photo of him fishing, well actually, he was trying to fix the fishing pole, but he's still so handsome!

The sun set's right over the water and it's beautiful. I think when we're up there, we'll be spending lots of evenings watching that gorgeous sunset!

We love these three little beauties, even if they do keep us way too busy chasing them around! We can't wait to head up there again, and just sit back and relax. Maybe next time we'll even have the boat up there, that will be fun!

Easter

Easter was a little busy this year. We started the morning up in Austin, on Lake Travis, more on that later. We headed back home around noon, and had just enough time after we got back to bake a cake, change our clothes, and unpack the car.

We headed over to the Grandparents house, had a delish dinner, played with our cousins, and headed outside for lots of pictures and an easter egg hunt, always the favorite for the kids.


Halli asked us to hide some harder for her this year, so she bypassed all the easy eggs, and in the end was a little disappointed that she didn't get as many as the other kids. Oh well, she was fine with it eventually and that's life, right?


Peyton and Lexie did a great job during the easter egg hunt, and I'm suprised that Lexie is as into it as she is. Of course, she knows there is candy in the eggs, so I suppose that's why.

So, lots of photos ahead, although I did try to condense some of them so there weren't so many, but there's still quite a few. Enjoy!

All 10 grandkids, minus baby Colt who was inside asleep.

Sweet Lexie, getting into the hunt!

Peyton had this egg in her basket, and after opening it, brought it to me and told me it wasn't candy. I said sorry, and she threw it on the ground. Some of the other girls walked by it and no one would pick it up cause it wasn't candy inside. Funny Kids!

Sweet Peyton, Love this photos, not really the tongue, but she's cute anyways!
Gotta love this girl!

She doesn't like to pose for pictures anymore, but she's still beautiful!

lovely Halli

Love this girl!

All of our beautiful daughters, kinda happy after the easter egg hunt. Lexie REALLY wanted to eat her candy, so she wasn't too happy to sit there, but she did good anyways. We had a wonderful easter, and loved spending the day with our family.

Little Bookworm

I know Halli is a great reader, and I know that she REALLY loves to read, but I guess I just didn't realize how good at it she was getting. A few moms in my ward, and old ward, have daughters around the same age, and one of them suggested we do a mommy/daughter book club.

Our most recent meeting was last saturday and we were supposed to have read 'The Boxcar Children', I was a little behind and hadn't gotten the book, and Kevin was going to be gone all day with the Young Men, so I wasn't planning on going. Well, Nicole convinced me to come anyway, and she had the book I could borrow. Only problem was, we didn't get the book till 7pm on friday night, and the meeting was at noon the next day.

Well, Halli is one amazing little girl, and she read her little heart out that night. Apparently she kept waking up throughout the night to read, at least that's what she says. She finished the book right after we got to Nicole's house the next day. I couldn't believe that she actually finished it, but boy am I proud of that little bookworm!

I LOVED to read too, and still do when I have the time, so it is a wonderful thing to see this same love instilled in her, and I hope the other girls get it too. There is just something about being lost in a good book, I hope she continues to love it and keeps on reading!



I guess I should have known early on that she REALLY loved to read, here she is, no more than 18 months old, and she loved her books way back then too! Yes, we put her chair in the crib, with her stuffed dog, and all her books. I have no idea why we did that, but apparently she loved it so who cares!

I just love you Halli and I LOVE being able to watch you learn and grow into your own amazing little person. You're awesome!

Fun Run

Today me and the little girlies were able to head over to the elementary school to watch Halli do her 'fun run' for school. They got to run around their little track for 20 minutes doing little obstacle courses along the way.

It's really not too big of a deal, but any excuse we can get to visit her up at the school, we'll take! My friend Nicole got these pictures of Halli for me, cause I didn't take my camera. Thanks Nicole!

I decided that Halli is really a sprinter at heart, takes after her mom. She would run her little heart out as fast as she could for the straight-a-way, then she'd need to walk around the curve, and then she'd take off again as fast as she could.

She is one amazing girl, we'll have to see if she really will take after me and go the track route, it would be fun if she did! Although, at this point I think Kevin's got her brainwashed.:)

An Enduring Legacy

When our new ward at church was created, I was released from the primary and called as the 'Relief Society Meeting Coordinator', which is the new way of saying the enrichment leader. Our first meeting that we got to put together as a commitee was the big RS birthday celebration.

Thanks to the amazing women on the committee, and a few late nights before the event, (cause I'm a major procrastinator), we had an amazing night. The program was awesome, and really dealt with the history of the relief society, where it all started, and how as an organization of women we are strong, and able to do what we are asked and commanded to do.

We based the evening off the talk "The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society", by Elder Eyring. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read it and get a renewed sense of the purpose of Relief Society and the impact that we are able to have on those around us. It really leaves you with a feeling, "GO WOMEN!", this is an amazing organization and we are so blessed to be a part of it.

One of the women on the committee edited Elder Eyrings talk a little, added some music and some beautiful images, and made a little video we watched for part of the program and the spirit in the room during that presentation was so strong. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of how that night came together. Although, don't get me wrong, I got to deal with the more "shallow" aspect of decorating the room, which I loved, but it would have been nothing without the program.

I didn't really take too many pictures of the room that night, but here are a couple that I did take.

The centerpieces. I wanted something classy, that didn't look cheap, but was. Thank goodness for the women who loaned me all their Kleenex boxes so I'd have something to wrap for the tables.

I also put together a little dessert table, to compliment our DELICIOUS cake that was made by another sister on the committee. It really was so good! But I made these bags to go with the theme of the evening, so people would hopefully eat/take home all the dessert so I wouldn't be left with any.

This is the view of the whole room. It really looked wonderful, thanks in huge part to my mom who shipped all those beautiful table clothes to me. I had quite a few women tell me that I could rent them out for weddings....hmm, just might take them up on that. You don't need them back any time soon, do ya mom?

Also, I took the pictures before it was all said and done cause we had women bring china for the tables and it looked amazing with all the tables set and there was some really beautiful china! I don't have any, but it made me want to get some.

I had a wonderful, and exhausting evening. I really loved being a part of it, but at the same time I'm very grateful that all the meetings won't be dinners. It's a whole lotta work!

Scattern Sunshine

Here is my latest digital scrapbook kit. I'm SO excited spring is here, this winter has been too long and cold. Yes, I'm a wimp, but that's what living in Houston will do to ya!:) Check it out at Taffy Apple Designs, and you can download for free!