Easter 2011

 So the activity at the church started out great...all smiles...good times....good friends....Since it was raining, they had to do the hunt indoors. You can imagine the stampede.

 Jane was a casualty of the chaos! She fell flat on her face. Me, being a good mom, documented her hunt so we can all laugh later..hee hee.

 She just couldn't stop crying, so didn't have time to get any eggs.

 Then her dad cheered her up...see, she has ONE good parent.

 Rachel convinced me she was still young enough to participate in the hunt. She was really sweet and shared her treats with Jane.

 Jane is concentrating really hard to get her eggs just right. She likes to be very specific when it comes to any kind of art.

 I made Tommy do the eggs with us. His egg reads..."Eggs are stinky" Now that's not a really good attitude is it? He said he would only do one, but then got into it...

 Michael is all pumped for his action at the hunt.

Bella was one of the "hiders" (if you can even call her that...they just threw the eggs on the floor)

Spring Break Trip to Texas

We piled in the van...one more time...and headed off to Texas! Joe and Laura hosted us all for a couple of days. And we were treated with Texas Sized Hospitality. Joe fixed us crepes one morning, and this delicious brisket later that day. Dave, Joe and the kiddies went to an airplane hanger to check out some sweet planes, and they went bowling which I hear was a blast. Laura and I were having our own party, doing some yoga and a photo shoot for their precious little new baby, Tillman.

Joe looks pretty good in his apron. Bella was dared to snack on some raw fat, but she just couldn't quite get up the nerve. Look at this little bundle of sweetness. He hardly made a peep the whole time we were there.

This ended up being one of my favorite photos. I love Laura's hands all wrapped around him. This is how we rolled on our down time, but we also had a scripture challenge, talent show, pizza night, movie time, plays put on, and lots of cousin fun.

Yes, Jane is a natural, but she's going to have to practice on her cousins... The three boys, Danny, Michael, and Wil. They had a little TOO much fun together.

Yes, we are so proud of them.

The girls were outnumbered this time!

We had a great visit with Joe and Laura and their beautiful kids. I really enjoyed getting to know their kids better. They are such a joy to be around. Hopefully, we will hook up again soon this summer, even though we will miss Joe off on his assignment.

I Thought We didn't live in Wisconsin Anymore =)

So, there were two really big snows this winter. The first one had 2-3 inches. We got out the sleds and the snow gear and made the most of it. The Arkansas people here swore this was all we would see at a time...
The second snow was 2 feet!! We had about a week off of school which was absolutely pure fun.

Tommy and his friend slept in this igloo one night. After all this snow, it is hard to believe it was all melted within 3-4 days.

Shortly after the snow, it was 60 degrees out...in February! We made the most of it. The above photo is our backyard looking up at the house. We live on quite the slant.

We couldn't believe we were eating outside during the winter and feeling 'hot'.

Here's Michael trying to sled down our backyard hill. It was slow-go.

Jane and Abby had SO much fun together. It was so cold this day. I made Mark go outside with the girls. I took this photo from the warmth of my house. I don't go out if I don't need to.

Christmas in Arkansas

And the stockings were hung...

Christmas morning was so fun. The kids lined up on the stairs, as always, at 7am.

Michael had to check out the damper to make sure Santa could come down the chimney.

We had such a fun time at Christmas in Wisconsin, that I was worried it wouldn't be the same here in Arkansas...I don't know why. But each year seems to get better. We did some caroling, Secret Santa-ing, Nativity program, Christmas Adam party (Christmas Eve Eve), but best of all, we had some family with us. Having Mark and Ashley and their kids around was so fun. They joined us on Christmas Eve for the making of cookies, almond in the pudding, and the Christmas story. It was good times.

Here they all are in their new PJs.

This year, I made salsa for our friends. I thought they looked like little shephards...my kids thought it looked like throw-up in a jar. They keep me humble.

Jane now wakes up every morning asking where the presents are and if it is Christmas...

Michael Turns 7

Michael turned 7. I can't believe it. Only one more year until he is baptized.
He had three girlfriends...which doesn't bother him a bit.

Michael is in first grade this year. He is so full of energy and fun. He still loves to dress up. Lately, his favorites are Confederate or Union soilder, Indiana Jones, or any Star Wars guy. (As you can see, he is Batman above, but he says he's getting a little too old for superheros...)

Michael is a really good reader. He can't stand to be alone, so if there are no friends to play with, he will gather as many of his action figures to play with. His favorites are army guys and Star Wars guys. He is my first to fall asleep and first to wake up. He is always happy and eager to please.

He loves to eat pancakes more than anything.

Michael plays so well with Jane. He is a great big brother.

He also lets Mom hug and kiss him as much as she wants.

My Baby Turns Three

I really didn't want to blog this year about Jane's birthday. Last year I totally ignored her birthday...didn't even make a cake. I'm so sad she's getting so big. We are all loving her so much! Bella and Rachel made this sweet 'Dora the Explorer Adventure' party for Jane and her cousin, Abby.

Bella was the witch...

They had to protect their backbacks from Michael the Swiper.

And then finished with cake and presents. Happy Birthday, Janey!!

Jane loves to sing songs (ABCs, Snowman, Popcorn, Jingle Bells, Twinkle Twinkle)

Going to church

Going to the gym

Playing with cousin Abby

Reading books

Watching Dora, Diego, Disney Princess movies

Dressing up

Changes her outfit at least 3 times a day

Wrestling with Tommy

Teasing Michael

Brushing Mom's hair

Everytime I do her hair, she tells me which Princess she wants it like.

Christmas Concert

This is Rachel at her Choir Concert. The photos are actually of the Veterans Day concert which was absolutely fabulous. I swear I cannot make it through a Veterans Day without bawling at least once. And you know how I am with parades and patriotic themes....So watching my little girl sing patriotic songs and watching the Veterans in the audience stand up is a tear jerker.

Rachel had a little solo which she nailed. She didn't even look nervous.

The school that the girls go to is the old high school, so it is a really neat old building that looks like a castle. The Christmas Concert was absolutely fabulous. It was not made to be politically correct. It was called a Christmas Concert and they sang Christmas songs.
Loved it!