April Bits & Pieces

A little glimpse into our month through pictures...

Snow in April...it's how it goes.  I love this little red barn that I can see from our back window--it's a lovely pop of color against the white snow!

How I adore flowers from my darling little boys?  They may be weeds to other people, but to me they are the most beautiful flowers in the world!

Buddies.

She got a cookie for being a good shopper, and when I let her choose one, she picked the biggest, pinkest one she could find!

Emma's hair before...

And after!!  

Miss Sassafrass.

 

She was so tired when we got home from church, that she just laid on the floor and went to sleep. I didn't have the heart to move her!

The boys were in special kindergarten musical called "Motion in the Ocean".  Jack was a lobster, and Henry was a shark.  It was adorable!!  All the costumes were so clever, and everything was so well done. The kids did a great job! The evening performance went really well, but the next day at the school performance, Jack fainted!  He just fell straight forward onto the floor, was scooped up by the gym teacher, and rushed to the nurse's office.  When Rick went to get him, his feet were being rubbed, he had a drink, and the nurse was sitting by him holding his hand.  Needless to say, he was being well taken care of! Fortunately, despite a bump on the head, he was fine.  The principal and his teacher both called to check up on him later that evening...we are so lucky to have such a great school!

Miss Kate...she will climb anything and everything!

Summer = Sidewalk chalk

Miss Caroline kills me.  She won't get her hair done unless someone holds her hand, and every single person in the house volunteers to do it.  Rick does it most mornings, but all the kids are ready and willing.

These kids...I love them!

April brought a few nice days...at least nice enough to head to the park!

Caroline was so excited to see how big she was at her well check!  95th+ percentile for height, 20th for weight.  Tall and skinny!

Waiting to be seen...

An April Adventure

You never know what April is going to bring.  It could be rain, snow, or sunny days.  Sometimes it's all three!  Fortunately, we had some really nice days, including a day we had off of school.  We decided to take advantage of the weather and go on an adventure to Glen Park. It's the most amazing place--a big waterfall and park right in the middle of town! The waterfall goes into a river that has hiking trails next to it, and we decided to explore the path.  The kids were in heaven, and even though the water was cold, it didn't stop them from dipping their toes, and Henry and Kate from getting all the way in!

We're always so grateful for a few nice days sprinkled throughout the spring!

Birthday Girls

How can this be?  My girls are TEN?!?!?!  I don't know how it happened, pretty much overnight in my opinion, but they are growing up. Both of them are lovely, sweet, funny, happy, smart, and have lots of interests.  I am so enjoying them grow up, even though it's very bittersweet.

Rick was gone on their birthday morning, but I worked to make it really special, even though they were sad he was going to miss it.  I got up super early to go get birthday donuts, and Henry woke up, so he went with me. He was thrilled--it's his favorite place!  When we walked in, he took a deep breath and said "I'm so happy".  After donuts, the girls were off to school, and I sent them with birthday treats for their class.

After school there was homework and piano lessons, but after that we went to dinner at our favorite Mexican place, and Rick joined us there after his flight home!  Happy day!  After a yummy dinner, we came back home for cake & ice cream and presents--the girls' favorite part. :)

KATE:

Miss Kate is one ball of energy! She loves to be moving all the time--climbing, jumping, running, playing.  She plays every sport she can, with her favorites being volleyball and track.  She's so smart, but hates sitting still at school--she wishes there was a lot more gym class and recess! She is learning how to play the piano, and even though it isn't her favorite thing (she hates sitting still), she's learning and making great progress. Baking has recently become one of her favorite things, and every day she asks to make cookies or brownies.  They're really good, but not so good for my waistline!  She's a great helper at home, is super social and loves playing with her friends, and is a happy girl.  We love Kate!

EMMA:

Her nickname "the librarian" has stuck. She LOVES to read, and she always a stack of books at the end of her bed. She reads late into the night with her reading light, and just can't devour them fast enough.  Ballet and violin are her two of her favorite things, and she's doing really well at both.  Art and writing stories are two of her other passions, and I love getting pictures tucked under my pillow at night.  She loves math and science, and even brings home extra challenge work from her teacher.  She's great with Caroline, and is always willing to play babies or house with her.  She also likes to bake, and help in the kitchen.  Her best friend is Lauryn, and they love being together. She's funny, smart, and a wonderful girl.  We love Emma! 

Happy Birthday, darling girls!!  

S'mores Saturday

Every weekend we head out to the property to check on the progress, go adventuring, have a campfire, and make S'mores.  It's been dubbed "S'mores Saturday", and it's quickly become one of our favorite things!  

Spring Violin Recital

Emma's violin teacher has two recitals a year--a fall solo recital, and a spring group recital.  I love them both, but there is something really special about the group recital.  My very favorite is the last piece, where every student, from the youngest to the oldest, gets on stage and plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", and a few other pieces. The older students play harmony, and it is spectacular.  Brings tears to my eyes every time!

Emma was super excited because she had learned so many new songs in the past year that she was able to play every single song that her group played. Last year she had just started, and was only able to play one song, so it was a huge progression.  Eloisa asked me to take the official pictures for the concert, and I had a fun time capturing not only the groups, but some candid moments as well.

Rick was on kid duty, and try as they might, it was REALLY hard for the littles to sit still.  The recital was held in an historic building in downtown Buffalo, and it's so beautiful, but SO creaky!  Every move the kids made drew attention, so Rick took them out right after Emma's group played. It was a good thing. :)

It was a fabulous recital...way to go, Emma!

Conference Weekend

General Conference weekend is always really relaxing, and so fun. Anytime I can stay in my pajamas for most of the time, I'm a happy girl!  Highlights included heading over to the McAffees' house for brunch before watching the morning session, and making cinnamon rolls, which has become our own conference tradition.  We even found a great GF recipe, which made Emma super excited!

Can't wait for October!!

SaveSave

Spring Break 2016

We stayed close to home for Spring Break this year.  Rick was traveling the first half of the week, and all of our extra funds are going towards the house.  Then the flu hit, and the majority of the week was spent at home with sick kids. Fun, right?  Finally at the end of the week everyone was well, and we were able to go do a few fun things.  We went to Niagara Falls, bowling, ate out, went shopping, to the library for new books, had movie nights, and made lots of treats.  It was just fun to have a few days off from school and all the activities, and just relax!

The Keplers came to New York for spring break, and we were able to meet them in Rochester for dinner. It was so fun to see Michigan friends, and we talked for hours. We could have talked even more! It was the perfect ending to our spring break!