Connor Prairie

The kids and I also visited Connor Prairie during E's spring break.  They had an animal encounters barn that was the highlight.  Basically, the kids would sprint through the period exhibits and then ask to go back to pet the farm animals.  The actors that played the various roles of each period in Connor Prairie freaked Gracie out, so she was usually the first requesting to go back to see the animals :)!

Gracie called this baby goat her best friend and gave it continuous headlock hugs

She was kind enough to let e pet the poor thing too

Pretending to be teachers

Moments that I want to freeze...

Paddling a canoe

Spring Break

The week the Evan was on Spring Break also happened to be the week that Bret was at his  company's headquarters.  SO, I tried to come up with LOTS of activities to keep the kids active and happy and keep me sane!  We spent the first part of the week at Grammy and Packaw's.

 we discovered new parks with some really cool playgrounds

 and of course swung on the swings

 we visited the zoo.  grammy and packaw took e and g to the zoo last month, and they discovered the butterflies!  evan was a huge fan, and he insisted that we visit the butterflies first.

 we also met up with some good friends!  evan and gracie adore shelby, and i have a feeling that gracie and shelby are going to be best buds as the get older.

 mesmerized by the flamingos!

 riding the carousel!  and proof that i do exist... at least one picture with the kids in 2014..CHECK!

when daddy came home, the weather was still cooperating, so we decided to spruce up the sandbox underneath the swing set in the backyard.  e and bret spent gracie's naptime cleaning it up and adding the sand.  both kids are HUGE fans.  they woke up the next morning and went straight outside to play. it was a wee bit chilly at 7am, but the toughed it out.  now that the weather is getting better, gracie and evan typically play in the sand or on the swing set while i'm making lunch and dinner.  and, its no surprise, that they have been PASSING out every night at bed!

 two dreams come true in one for e.  he got to wear shorts and a tshirt, AND he was able to bust out his new awesome sand toys!

Its SPRING...i think?

No one is more excited about warmer weather than these two kids. Evan still tells me EVERY SINGLE DAY that he wishes it was shorts and tshirt weather, but I think even he can see the light at the end of the tunnel now that we are consistently going out in light jackets, no jackets or even better a tshirt and pants!  When we woke up to a light dusting of snow and on and off snow flurries one day this week, I honestly thought I would have a couple of kiddos that shed a few tears.

warmer weather means that evan can spend time making good use of his new stomp rocket!  that think can go crazy high...of course, bret took a turn, and e thought it was almost as fun watching daddy make it go super high!

and gracie's obsession...the swing set!  she LOVES swinging...although she hasn't gotten on board with making it go herself yet.  she thoroughly enjoys a mommy pushing swing though!

the first weekend of august was the dpu track and field alumni meet...no the alum did not run (that would have been ugly on my part), but several of my former teammates did show up to cheer on the current team!  Evan LOVED watching the races and wanted to know all about each event...I'm not quite sure Gracie even knew that we were at a track meet.  a highlight for both kids was the empty indoor track and pole vault mats.  i really wish i would have counted laps for these two because i'm confident over the course of the afternoon each easily logged over a mile running around that track.  after the meet wrapped up, we had an obligatory trip to Marvs!  Evan enjoyed his GCB and cheese fries while gracie opted to just try and fill up on fries.  Needless to say, the kids were out within minutes of being strapped into the seats and both slept the entire way home and barely opened their eyes when we got home and transported them to their beds.

the following week, bret was out of town and e was on spring break, so the kids and i started our week at my parent's house where e dug out this little gem.  he proceeded to wear my old cross country jersey (desperately wanted to wear my spikes that he uncovered too) for the next couple of days.  he even managed to sneak it into the car to come home with us.

 helping with some gardening (or doing their best to destroy a pile of dirt)

Costa Rica!

Thanks to Ferguson Rewards (and a HUGE thanks to Bret for his hard work which makes it possible!), Bret and I journeyed to Costa Rica for a week.  We were gone over Evan's fifth birthday which may have caused me physical pain, but he spent the week and his birthday with Grammy and Packaw who spoiled him like crazy.  So, i'm pretty sure, both Evan and Gracie will ask us to take a trip every year on each of their birthdays.  I may not have a single picture of Bret and I from the trip, but I have loads of pretty pictures of the hotel and scenery!  We had perfect weather the entire time, and I even got to enjoy a spa day!  

Evan is FIVE!!!

I'm not sure how this happened, but somehow Evan is FIVE.  We have registered him for kindergarten and celebrated with a football birthday party!

 out of pure luck, I was able to convince the cake to form into the shape of a football!  the ends were the best part...mainly icing : )

 e was thrilled to have so many friends over to celebrate his big day!

 and, if he got tired, he had several people lined up to help open presents!

kids and parents alike were in awe of Grammy and Packaw's gift...a tool bench!!  Handmade with lots of love (and maybe a little blood, sweat and tears) by Packaw.

Sick Day Painting

What do you do when your kids aren't feeling so hot and because of that can't seem to get along?  Put them in the shower and the bath and let them paint of course!  It provided at least a few minutes of  peace for the kids and for ME!

so tired...she can't even sit up any more

March Bridal Shower

In March, I was able to help host a Bridal Shower for my cousin Dan and his fiancee Lauren.  I LOVE hosting showers for family!  They are so laid back and honestly, 90% of the guests become partial hostesses before, during and after the shower.  My aunts and cousins pitched in with making the food, helping with the decor and helping serve during the shower.  Really, I just had to make sure everything was in my house on that day and family helped make it happen!  My cousin Em, her kids and my aunt Jo even came the week before hand to help get everything ready.  Of course, we took some time to take the kids to the Children's Museum.  It was a lot of fun!

 cupcakes!  em made the chocolate seashells that went on top...it was a beach theme

 the mimosa bar was a huge hit.  we had three different kinds of sorbet, 4 different kinds of juice and 3 different kinds of berries.  everyone loved making up different tasty combos!

 the favors.  em made coconut salt scrub that left your hands wonderfully soft!  

dan and lauren really like playing all sorts of games, so we had our guests write notes of advice and well wishes on pieces to a jenga game

 the food was a huge hit with the little kids and the big kids ; )

we had four different types of quiches, two types of scones, salad, fruit and yogurt parfaits and of course white cake and chocolate cake cupcakes!