Spring Break

Swimming, play dates, parks, oh my! This year, we stayed home for spring break which proved to be lovely. The first couple days were quiet at home due to a little belly sickness of Anna and Luke. But once everyone was well, we had a lovely time.
On Tuesday, we went shopping for a pretty little dogwood tree and some azaleas. I dug a total of 18 holes in the ground that day (could've made a golf course) and could barely move that night.

The kids had fun helping me dig but were mostly interested in the worms!!!


On Wednesday, Luke went to a friend's house while Anna had a friend over to our house. That afternoon, we met Ryan at Willow Springs park for some lunch. Anna played with a friend from church,
and Luke made a new pal. (But he's not in any pictures.)

Caroline loved the fact that she was big enough do everything herself.

On Thursday, Anna and Luke both had friends over to play. Anna and her friend played with their American Girl dolls and had a birthday party for her friend's doll.


Luke and his bud loved the trampoline and yummy ice cream cones.

That evening, we went to the library. Luke went to a story/craft time.
Anna read to a dog. Yeah, they actually have a program where children can read to a therapy dog. Sounds kinda crazy unless you're seven. Then it sounds really cool.

On Friday, we went to Rita's for free Italian ice day. Yummy!!

Then we headed to Freedom Hall pool for a refreshing dip.
We love goggles.

And kickboards (Luke calls it his speedo. I haven't had the heart to tell him what most people are referring to when they talk about their speedos.)

We also love peeing in the pool. I know, because I was holding her when the water temp rose about 15 degrees.

On Saturday, Ryan was on a trip with the youth group, so the kids and I took one final trip to Bay's Mt.

We had a picnic.

And we listened to a funny guy tell us about this cool owl.

Did I mention that the owl was cool?

It was a week of activity bliss.
And now we return to our regularly scheduled lives, already in progress.

the big 0 - 6

I'm just a hair late posting news of Luke turning six. Just a month and a half or so, no big deal. He's the middle child. No one really gives a hoot anyway, right? Just kidding. Luke is a super duper sweetheart. Recently, he likes to say "Mom, I don't like you. I don't even love you. I love, love, love, love, love, love you infinity!"

Here's the birthday boy with his new bike. Sadly, my camera was misplaced during his party, so this is all I have to offer. He was excited to get to stay home on his birthday. (It was a snow day.) He had lots of fun at his party and is very proud to be a big six year old. BTW, see those dark brown cabinets in the background. Say adios, 'cuz their currently being transformed to a lovely white.

Budding Author

I love noticing little things about the kids that make each one unique.

Here's a taste of Anna:
Anna will never leave me alone without asking "Mommy, will you be lonely?"
She cries at least three times a day.
She LOVES school.
She is very cautious while riding her bike and will rarely let off the brake.
She gets white milk in the cafeteria because it's healthier even though she likes chocolate better.
She reads her Bible at night with a flash light under the covers.
She writes long, creative stories but can't spell worth a lick.
She adores one on one time with family members and asks for it frequently.
She loves every extracurricular activity she has tried even if she's not particularly good at it.
She'll eat anything.

And now Luke:
Luke never wears underwear. Honestly, the next time you see him, I dare you to check.
He gets very scared by movies that would not scare most kids. (Last year's VBS video, for example.)
He is tender hearted and compassionate but doesn't show it in public.
He screams bloody murder at the thought of feeling pain.
He's as smart as a whip. Ask him any perfect square root you can think of and he'll figure it in 5 seconds or less. No joke.
Luke is dumbfounded by the thought of getting white milk when chocolate is within reach and Mom's nowhere to be seen.
He goes top speed on his bike and scooter until he collapses from exhaustion.
He is ever so slightly arrogant.
He just turned six and still sucks his thumb.
He loves to make people laugh. He makes up jokes and occasionally comes up with one that is funny.
He's very concerned for Caroline's safety and will scream if she does anything dangerous.

Here's Caroline:
She asks "What's that?" no less than 1 trillion times each day.
She holds her own with big brother and sister and sometimes even bullies them.
She likes to sing, and oh, this is the sweetest sound ever.
Next to "What's that?" her next favorite phrase is "I hungy." She eats A LOT.
She loves to sit in someone's lap and read the same books over and over.
She likes to know where everyone is. "Anna home?" "Daddy go?" "Oh, ok."
She goes to sleep holding her favorite blanket and sucking her thumb.
She loves hairs. She'll pull one off the hairbrush, wrap it around her fingers, then stroke it while she sucks her thumb. Yes, that is weird.
And the reason for the photos above: Caroline loves to lie on the floor and write. She holds the pencil perfectly and scribbles away.