Easter 2017

This year Easter fell at the end of Spring Break, so after the National Zoo and a wonderful trip to visit friends in Roanoke, we had a nice weekend dying Easter eggs and doing Easter egg hunts. And somewhere in all of these fun traditions we are trying to teach our children about the love their Savior has for them. That really, this is the most important holiday of all, for we celebrate the atoning sacrifice of Christ, his death, and Resurrection. He loves! How wonderful that is.

Alex really enjoyed dying Easter eggs. 

So did the girls.

They turned out so pretty.

The kids enjoyed their Easter baskets this year.

The girls got purses from their grandma C and Alex got a cute hat and ukulele.

We tried to stay away from candy although what's an Easter basket without a chocolate bunny?

Then we were off to church. This was the best I could get folks.

After church (which was obviously the most important part of the day)we were ready for our Easter egg hunt. 

We enjoyed a nice dinner with nana and papa after our hunt. It was a beautiful holiday spent with special people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Spring Break: Roanoke Here We Come!

My good friend, Kristin, and her family moved to Roanoke about a year ago and she has been asking us to come visit for a while. I figured this Spring Break seemed like a good time to take her up on her invitation. I was a little nervous taking all three kids on a road trip by myself, but they were excellent! The trip was a lot smoother than I imagined. Three hours in the car I guess is a bit easier than 6-7 to the beach, plus my kids are growing up and maturing. Anyway, we had a really nice time. The girls enjoyed playing with Kristin's kids who are similar in age. Kristin has four kids so we had seven between the two of us, but that didn't keep us from having a good time. It was chaotic and loud, but never boring. 

My sweet friend, Kristin, and her little Elizabeth, now five months old. This is the only pic we got of the two of us.

Our first night there we drove up the mountain to see the Roanoke Star, the largest man made star that lights up every night on the mountain overlooking Roanoke. I was also born in Roanoke and my paternal grandparents lived in Roanoke so it was a little like coming home. It was so beautiful!

The next day we enjoyed being tourists in cute little Roanoke. Not a big city by any means, but that made it easier to take the kids around.

Ella loved this guitar art. 

We also ate really huge pizza at Benny's. 

We went through the lobby of hotel Roanoke and toured downtown some more, getting ice cream along the way.

You can see hotel Roanoke in the background from this city rooftop.

We also died Easter Eggs while we were there. The kids loved that more than any site seeing we did. 

We also just enjoyed hanging out with our friends. At their home, at Chick Fila. The girls were obsessed with Ben and Peter's Lego collection. 

We really did have a lot of fun in the few days we were there. Then it was time to 
head home to enjoy Easter weekend with Shaun and the family. Another post shortly to come on our lovely Easter. But we are grateful for wonderful friendships that make life so fun and full of adventure, like my dear friend Kristin and her family. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

You Crazy Animals!

Spring Break 2017 was pretty fun. I thought it would be fun to try the zoo this year. I didn't think I could wrangle three kids by myself but I invited my parents along for a fun filled, albeit exhausting, day! Alex was excited to see the elephants, Amelia the tigers, and Ella the zebras. I was hoping I'd finally get to see the giant panda. I'm happy to report that none of us left disappointed. Here are some pics from our day at the National Zoo.

Flamingos!

My panda. 

Ella trying to sketch one of the animals.

My crazy animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Many Faces of Handsome

The many faces of handsome are all the same face to me. This face. Is it not just heart melting?!?

So what is this hunk up to these days? Well he is always trying to keep up with his big sisters. He loves all balls for every sport and he seems pretty coordinated too. If it's up to him you'll find him outside playing soccer or throwing the basketball. But he also loves to cuddle and he snuggles up to his momma on a regular basis. The only other thing he feels quite so intensely about is food. "Foo Fil-a" is his favorite (Chick Fila), but he also knows where they sell donuts and he's very quick to point it out if we happen to drive by. He loves dancing, singing, and just being an all around love bug boy. He recently got off the bottle 🍼... hooray! And he's showing some interest in the potty but for now still prefers pooping by the window, but gets mad if you come into the room because obviously a boy needs his privacy to poop in his diaper. He talks all of the time and with each stage that comes and goes I get a little sad thinking this is the last time we will go through this, but also it's very fun to see him grow. So bittersweet I suppose is what they call that feeling. And a reminder to enjoy him in every stage. His big sisters adore him and he is truly a delight in our family.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Shaun turns 35!

My young and devilish husband recently turned 35 and I forgot to document it... for shame! Actually, he probably doesn't care. He doesn't love birthdays as much as I do, but few adults do love birthdays as much as me. We had a simple family celebration on his birthday and that weekend we had a date night. So nothing as fancy as going out of town for the weekend, but a step up from going to the mall on our anniversary. And really, as much as I love celebrating, it really is about just spending time with the people you love. That's what this Birthday was all about.

Obligatory family cake photo!

Date night at Firebirds, our new favorite restaurant.

So happy birthday to my best friend and the love of my life. You keep me young at heart, and that's not just because you're three years younger than me. You make me laugh and you are the perfect yin to my yang.
 

 

Budding Musicians and other talents

Now that Shaun's career has taken off, it seemed like the right time to start thinking about music lessons for the girls. We inherited a free piano last year and we finally got around to having someone come out and tune it. Amelia started piano lessons about a month ago and she's doing a great job. Ella on the other hand has been drawn to the guitar, so she started taking lessons about a month ago as well. Now our home is alive with the sound of music... always... no seriously, always. Okay, so it can get a little crazy at times, but I seriously love to see them learning and developing talents. There's nothing that brings me greater joy. Shaun has been learning along with Ella so sometimes they practice together. We were given Shaun's guitar by a friend who was moving and we are currently renting Ella's guitar. 

I still need to get a photo of Amelia at the piano, but I'm happy to report that they are both thrilled to be doing different instruments. The same can be said with their other hobbies. Amelia is quite athletic and enjoys running, basketball and soccer. Soccer season has recently started back up and she's thrilled. She also joined the running club at school. 

And here's a picture from her first soccer game.

Ella took the picture so we got more field than we did Amelia but that's okay. 

And when it comes to sports our Ella is quite talented as well, but she's more of a solo sport person. She's been horse back riding since the fall and is progressing nicely with her lessons. I think being with the horses is also therapeutic for her to some extent. Too bad her mother doesn't really know a thing about horses, but I did go with her to her last lesson (papa has been taking her up until now), and it was great to see her on Dottie, the horse she typically rides. 

I guess you could say I'm very proud of these guys. Not to mention they are both on the honor roll at school, and Amelia received a couple of other accolades including receiving the "heart of kindness " award in her class, which makes me proudest of all. I tell them more than anything I want them to 

1. work hard 

And

2. Be kind
 I often feel like I'm completely messing up as a mom, but some moments I feel like all of these life lessons are starting to sink in, and these two are becoming beautiful and lovely young ladies. At least some of the time. And I'll take sometimes. 

Amelia with Liam during her award ceremony 3rd nine weeks.

 

 
 

 

 
 

Winter's Last Hoorah!

We've had a relatively mild winter this year. Most of February temperatures stayed in the 60's and even 70's. I'm not complaining either. I could get really used to mild winters. Maybe a move south is in my future one day. But that being said, the kids were getting sad that we weren't going to have any snow at all. Luckily, a late March storm brought their dreams of sledding to a reality, if only for a day. 

Our one and only winter hoorah! It was fun while it lasted. Now bring on Spring I say!