Bunny Update

...and then there was one.

Gus-Gus.

Jon named him.

We all love him.

We look for him faithfully when Moose is out.

And today we let him in the house

while Jon mowed grass.

Evan wanted to carry him around in his easter basket.

The kids are still gentle with him.

We sure are going to miss him when he grows up and leaves home!

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Bunny Update

I honestly thought it would be

longer before I would have to post this.

But alas, Moose slipped under my radar

and got into the nest.

Four remain.

And I had to rescue one this morning,

thus putting my scent on them.

I got an email from a friend saying that momma

would probably come back anyway.

I hope she's right

cause I decided to let the kids see them and pet them today!

They are cute and active

with wide open eyes.

And the kids were so gentle!

I was pretty impressed!

So for now, I guess we'll keep a more careful watch.

On Moose...

AND

the kids.

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Bubble Baths

I'm a little ashamed to say

that this is my kids' first bubble bath experience.

Evan and Haven are both prone to get eczema

(like their mommy)

so the doctors are always telling me to cut down

on the amount of soap I use on their skin.

So I thought one bubble bath wouldn't hurt.

I had a glorious idea in my mind what it would be like.

Fun.

Giggles.

Great pictures.

But instead,

I was met with crabbiness.

Stubbornness.

And a sheer refusal to look at my camera at the same time.

Sigh.

It quickly turned into a

good idea gone bad.

Maybe next time will be better.

I just need to make sure Daddy is there to help with the laughs

so I'm free to take the pictures.

:)

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Fun in the Sand

Ah. Finally a nice cloudy

but not rainy

day to take some pictures

of the kids playing in the sand box.

It's really fun to watch them play

and see their imaginations going wild.

My son likes to put a stick in the top of his "castle."

Who taught him that?

But it makes us smile.

Haven mostly likes to knock down all of Evan's castles,

let the sand run through her fingers,

and bury her toes so she can find them again.

These days aren't going to last forever.

So I'm going to enjoy them while I can. :)

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Sand Box Fun

Grandma and Grandpa Tindall

got the kids a sandbox for Easter.

They love playing in it!

But I learned the hard way

that we need to ration time in it.

Their poor bathtub still has grains of sand in it...

no matter how hard I clean it!

At least they are having fun

and getting along!

I just couldn't resist this butt shot.

It screamed out to me to be tranformed

to an old-photo-style black and white.

Hopefully we'll post more pictures soon.

After playing on a cloudy day

when I can get better pictures. :)

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A Helping Hand

The other morning my phone rang while I was feeding Haven her yogurt.

If you know my daughter, you know how much she LOVES her yogurt.

She was not happy that I left her to get the phone.

She threw a fit.

Then I heard, "I'll help you baby Haven!"

..."Say please!"

I had to grab my camera.

I love my kids!

(by the way, Haven just started signing please.

Less than a week after she learned the sign,

she started SAYING it...the girl learns fast!) :)

Evan made sure she said please before EACH bite!

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Enjoying the fire...

Willow trees are beautiful, right?

I used to think so.

Until I had six of them in my back yard.

Every time we have a storm, they drop hundreds of whispy branches.

I have to pick them up.

They have to go somewhere, right?

So we put them to use as kindling in our "new" fire pit.

The kids loved snuggling next to each other...for a little while anyway.

At least it made for a couple of cute pictures.

...if only they were smiling... :)

Sitting next to the fire with my husband takes me back to our college days,

sitting next to the fire at Whispering Pines.

Ah, the memories.

So while I don't appreciate the work our willows give us,

I do love sitting next to my family next to the fire.

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Faith's Easter Family Event

Tonight we had the opportunity to attend Faith's Easter Family Event. The kids got to sing some songs, watch daddy and Steve in a skit, make a craft, play some games, and enjoy a snack. It was a full night of fun and fellowship with our friends!

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DRUMS!

My son has been beating the drums since he was smaller than a year old. We used to bring straws to church so he could pound out the rhythm as we sang. He's gotten (and broken) almost every "kid drum" imaginable (the hard-plastic little tikes drum is about the only one he didn't destroy from too much playing!). He has quite the reputation at church too! That's how we were blessed. A dear family from church is finishing their basement. They had to make room. So they offered us their drum set. And by drum set, I mean the whole sha-bang. Evan is one happy dude!

Most people roll their eyes when I tell them that Evan got drums, as though I should be annoyed by the constant banging and loud noises. I'm NOT. in the least! I LOVE hearing him play. He's respectful and so far obedient. He hands over the drum sticks when he's done and has to ask for them before he can play. He shares with his sister. He sings praises to Jesus. He's got the beat. And it's all music to my ears.

I'm pretty sure he's gonna grow up to be a worship leader of some sort. I keep hearing him sing "1,2,3,4...Hallelujah, how awesome is the Lord most high!...one more time guys! sing Hallelujah!" It's hilarious. And wonderful. You should hear it for yourself! I'll try to catch him sometime...it's quite amazing!

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Our visit with the B Family

Since we took some vacation days to make the trip to WI for Grandma Wales' 80th birthday party, we made some time to visit our dear friends. The kids and I visited them in November, shortly after their beautiful daughter Phoebe was born, but we missed our yearly near-Christmas time together. So we had some catching up to do! :) It was fun to exchange Christmas gifts. Jon gave Phil a Marquette jersey that he won (Phil's a big fan...so I'm sure he'll be wearing it come March Madness!), I gave Phil and Bethany a digital collection of their photo session from November, and Lily and Phoebe got a breakfast and lunch set of felt food that I made for them. Jon and I got the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook! (hooray!) and the kids got the Leap Frog's Letter Factory video (which is a MUST HAVE item for all you toddler moms out there! Evan learned his letter sounds in less than 2 weeks! amazing!!!). Bethany also surprised Haven with a mini birthday celebration...delicious rainbow cupcakes and a big purple ball for a gift! The kids had fun playing together. Haven really wished she was a little older and better on her feet. She just chased Evan and Lily the whole time! :) Maybe next year this time Phoebe will be walking too!

Jon was such a dear husband to watch the kids for a while so Bethany and I could catch up. I do so treasure our times together. It seems as if God made us especially with the other in mind. I am so thankful that she and her beautiful family are in my life! :)

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Birthday Pancakes

We're starting a new tradition this year: chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakes for the birthday kid!

Haven got hers a little early since we'll be driving to Wisconsin on her actual birthday. She LOVED them (no big surprise since she's been eating pancakes since she was about 7 months old...) But she also surprised us by demanding to eat them with a fork! She's growing up so quickly!...

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