It's so fun being home with this little man! I don't think I'll ever regret my decision to go to part-time this year. It's been a struggle financially, but we have been very blessed! Once again God proves that if I move forward in faith He has prepared the way for me.

 
 
 

 

 

look who got her hair cut!

She's cute either way, but it was time for a fresh cut! Now summer can bring on all of its craziness and she'll be ready, or at least her hair will😊.
 

 

Easter 2016

Happy Easter from our home to yours! The kids loved their Easter baskets, and they loved the Easter egg hunt with the neighborhood kids after church. 

Here are my three cuties ready for church on Easter Sunday!

And here are their Easter baskets.

The neighborhood kids enjoying the spoils of their egg hunt.

And even though we love the Easter bunny, we know this holiday is really about the Lamb of God, not the Easter bunny. My girls know that the eggs we decorate, hide, and enjoy represent the newness of life offered through the Atonement, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! And because He is Risen, so too can we! Happy Easter, the most blessed holiday of all!

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Washington DC with the kiddos

Call me brave, adventurous, or stupid, but I decided Spring Break was the perfect time to take my girls into DC.  I wanted to create a special memory with my kids and do something with them they'd always remember. The last time we took the kids into the city they were both too young to remember it, but now they're both old enough to at least remember bits and pieces of something like that, if not all of it. Shaun worked all week though, and my dad has been in the hospital (more to come on that in a future post), so it was just going to be me, the Lone Ranger, with two little girls who think of rules as mere suggestions, and, oh yes, throngs of thousands of other tourists descending upon public transit and the national mall during the height of Cherry Blossom season. Again, crazy or brave? I'll let you decide, but most likely a little of both. 

I had Ella who was always stopping to check out a sign, a plaque, or the pebbles on the road, and Amelia who thought we should be jogging through the city and was always ten paces ahead. It was like hearding cats I tell you, but I had mentally prepared for that, so all in all it was a very good day. We checked out the Washington monument, road the carousel in front of the Smythsonian, got ice cream, and went to the Natural Science museum. We took in the IMAX movie because it looked fascinating on the National Parks, but also because I was exhausted, so sitting for 45 minutes sounded like a good thing. We also road the metro so that was lots of fun for them, although a little unnerving for me because it's not a process I'm very comfortable with, much less helping my children with (adding money to your card is a bit of a nightmare we learned). But I think I achieved my goal... We created a memory. Let's just hope it was a positive one for them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Break

Winter has finally come to an end, and as usual around late March, we are ready to come out of our own hybernation of sorts. The days are getting longer, the temps are getting warmer. We are trying to get more Vitamin D and enjoy playing outside with neighbors and friends.

We've also been working on fixing up our yard, planting flowers, spreading mulch, and I have to say it's looking really nice!

This time of year we really enjoy using our deck! This weekend was the perfect weekend to spend some quality time out there.

Our front yard, small though it may be, is coming along nicely too. 

And the kids? Well they are just happy to be riding bikes and playing in the sun! And we're pretty happy to be doing that too.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

The Struggle is Real

The face he makes when I put his juice in a sippy cup and not a bottle. The struggle is real folks. 

But he sure is cute.

 
 

 

sweet Valentine

This handsome guy spoiled me with flowers and chocolate covered strawberries, plus a date night last night. I hope everyone is enjoying time with the people they love today!

 

 

best buddies: 1st and 100th day of school

These two are inseparable, and they're pretty adorable too. Amelia and Liam, 1st and 100th day of school!

 

 

Grandpa C comes to town

We always love visits with grandma and grandpa C. This visit was no exception, other than it just wasn't long enough. We missed Grandma terribly, but we take what we can get when family lives so far away. Grandpa packed a lot in to his short stay. He helped Shaun fix the van, did home repairs, and helped us celebrate Ella's birthday and baptism in style!

We started off his visit with breakfast at IHOP. The girls love any excuse to go out to breakfast, and a visit from grandpa was just the right reason to celebrate!

Alex had his first chocolate milk. I don't think he put the bottle down until he sucked it dry. That's good stuff!

Then for dinner we met up with nana and papa at Foster's Grill, where Ella enjoyed birthday cake and good food.

After dinner it was time for ice skating! It was the girls first time on the ice! I had baby duty, but Shaun and his dad did a great job with the girls. Ella did really well for her first time!

 

And after all this fun what more could you ask for? Well the next day Ella got baptized, so that was the icing on the cake!