Going Fishin'

 The big boys each received a new fishing pole in their Easter basket last Sunday morning. And since then, they have been BEGGING to use them. Shane told the boys that if they helped him out around the house (without complaining) with the yard work and such, he would take them fishing Saturday afternoon. 

The kids worked really hard, and after each of their tasks were complete, we loaded up the fishing gear and headed to the lake, as promised.

It was such a BEAUTIFUL spring like evening, and just the perfect night to spend at the park. 

The little ones enjoyed running around and playing, while the big boys sat patiently on the bank waiting for their first bite.  

And while we waited for a catch, the kids and I enjoyed watching this sweet mama goose and her three babies. 

The babies were soooo precious as they followed their mama around everywhere she went.

 

Kind of like another little girl I know;)

After a good hour or so of waiting with out a single bite...

 AND just before we were about to give up...

We made a CATCH!

By the end of the night our crew had caught

ONE...TWO...THREE fish!!!

The kids were thrilled and are already asking when we can go fishing again;)

HEY... if it's a way to get them to do their chores with out arguing or complaining, I guess we'll be spending lots of evenings lakeside;) 

And that's totally okay by me;)

Celebrating Easter...and Hudson's B-day

 What a BEAUTIFUL day we had celebrating our RISEN Lord and Savior. Easter is such a SPECIAL day and (more than anything else) I want my kids to grasp that Easter is not just another ordinary holiday.  

Sunday was not just your typical Sunday. 

 No...It was Resurrection Sunday...the day we celebrate sin and death being conquered on the cross. 

The day we celebrate the empty tomb.  

 JESUS is ALIVE! 

Alive FOREVERMORE!!!!

What HOPE, what JOY, what PEACE this brings! 

We woke the kids up early on Easter morning, because we were attending the first of two Easter services at our church. Church normally starts at 9:45am for us, but this Sunday, the service began at 9:00am. I was teaching in Sophie and Hudson's classroom during the first service, and needed to be in the room by 8:30am.  Needless to say, we had an extra early start to our beautiful Easter Sunday. 

After getting dressed, the kids couldn't wait to head downstairs to find their Easter baskets. 

 They were so excited to see each of their baskets full to the brim with lots of little goodies and trinkets. 

So FUN!

After a quick "bunny bum" pancake breakfast (thanks Pinterest!), we headed out the door for church!

 I spent Sunday morning in Sophie and Hudson's classroom. They have the sweetest class ever and it was so much fun teaching these little ones all about Easter

They were so attentive as I told them the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection!

 After church, we quickly headed home to get ready to host our family for Easter brunch.

  And at this get together, we were not only celebrating Resurrection Sunday, 

but our sweet Hudson's birthday as well. 

That made this day doubly sweet

 and a double BLESSING!

Of course, the high light of the entire day was probably the "egg"citing Easter egg hunt!

Riley was the lucky one who found the egg with $5.00 hidden inside. 

He was SUPER excited!!!!

(I love this boys precious grin. He's missing a total for FOUR teeth right now, so his smile is just too cute!)

What a wonderful, fun-filled day it was celebrating our RISEN Lord 

AND our precious Hudson's 5th birthday!

Just keep swimming...

On our final day of being on our own, the three little ones and I went swimming at the YMCA. We met Sophie's BFF, Zoe, and her sweet family, there too.

 My kids absolutely LOVE to swim, and even though they have never had a formal lesson, they have all become pretty proficient little swimmers.

And since Hudson is now a BIG five year old, he was quite determined to earn his yellow band during this trip to the pool. In order get this band, you have to take a test with the lifeguard. You must swim 15 yards unassisted, float on your tummy, and also float on your back. 

 Earning your yellow necklace is a BIG deal because it means you can finally go down the...WATER SLIDE!!!!

WHOOP WHOOP!!!

 Hudson PASSED HIS TEST with flying colors,

 and is now the proud owner of a YELLOW BAND!!!

GO HUD!!!!

Hudson is FIVE!

Yesterday, this precious boy of mine turned F--I--V--E!!!

 YES...FIVE!!!

And let me tell you, I don't think there has ever, EVER been anyone more excited about turning a year older than Hudson was.

It wasn't the cake,  the presents, or the party he was anticipating. 

No, it was the fact that he was FINALLY going to be the same age as Sophie;)

He actually put on his pajama's at 3 o'clock the day before his birthday and ASKED if he could go to bed. When I asked him why, he told me he just wanted to go to sleep so he could wake up in the morning and be five like Soph.

Bless his sweet little heart;)

And even though our little family wasn't all together (the bigs are in Michigan AND Shane's in Florida this week) to celebrate, I think Hudson's day was special none-the-less!

I seriously CANNOT think of a sweeter way for Hudson to spend the day than with his

cousins. These six little ones are a handful, for sure, but they LOVE each other so much, and are the absolute BEST of FRIENDS!  

They giggle, they run, they play, they chat, they hug, they quarrel, and, yes, they can cause some major drama;)

But one thing is for sure, they ALWAYS have a BLAST being together;)

Yesterday, we spent the entire day with our cousins at Dan Nicholas Park. 

This little park is just over an hour away from our house, but totally worth the drive. 

With train rides, a carousel, mini zoo, raptor center, and gem mine...this place is a "must do" on our spring break list every year. 

Not to mention that all of the above is SUPER DUPER cheap too.

Like only a dollar (or less) per ticket--per kid.

Super CHEAP and SUPER fun.

It's a win---win!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, but the weather was a bit on the cool side. 

  I think the cooler temps kept people away though, because we basically had the entire park to ourselves. 

It was AWESOME!

After a full day at the park, we waved goodbye to our cousins and then headed to Hudson's FAVORITE restaurant for dinner.

Our precious friends, the Robinson's met us at Mario's Pizza and helped us celebrate Hudson's birthday over dinner and dessert. 

 What a SWEET way to end a great day!

And this birthday boy can rest assured, because Sophie has already graciously volunteered to teach him all he needs to know about what it's like to be FIVE;)

He'll be learning from the best!

Spring Break, part 1

It's been really different not having the BIG boys home this week. The littles have kept me busy, for sure, but I really miss my sweet boys!!

 They are having a BLAST though, and judging from all the pictures and texts I've received, they may NEVER want to come home! 

They've enjoyed a visit to the chocolate factory, miniature golf, a Tigers game, and even saw SNOW!!! Not to mention the endless amounts of ping-pong, card games, and board games they've played.

And according to my grandpa, Riley has been crowned the the monopoly CHAMP this week;)

 

 Saturday, I ran in the Charlotte Racefest Half-Marathon! It was a beautiful race and the weather was just PERFECT! My finishing time was 1:52, which was a new record for me.  My goal was to finish it in under two hours, and thanks to my wonderful training partners, I was able to do it;) I LOVE these ladies sooo much and am so thankful for their friendship! We've covered a LOT of miles together!!!!!!

Monday morning, this sweet girl had her Kindergarten check-up. She was very anxious about it, but did GREAT. Everything looks good and she is now officially ready for school. 

Poor thing had to get TWO shots though, but it was nothing that a "peeps" dunkin' donut couldn't make better!

 After donuts, we met my sister and her gang at the park. It was such a gorgeous day, we just had to get out and enjoy it!

 These sweet cousins just LOVE each other, and I'm so thankful for this week, where being together is what it's all about!

Playin' Hooky

On Friday, I decided to let the BIG boys kick off their spring break a day early. 

 Since they are spending their week off traveling to Michigan with my parents, I really wanted to squeeze in a day of fun with them before they left. 

 I allowed them to play hooky from school on Friday, but didn't let them in on my little plan:)

I wanted them to totally be surprised. 

 They slept in on Friday morning, so when they woke up to the sunshine pouring in through their bedroom window, they were quite confused. 

 Riley was convinced it was Saturday...and Corban thought we somehow overslept.

I let them flounder just a bit before telling them the news.

 When they finally found out that they didn't have to go to school that day, they were ecstatic! 

 So instead of school....we spent the entire day together at Discovery Place! 

We had the BEST time ever...and it was such a fun way to kick start our break.

Well, the BIG boys are on their way to Michigan now, and so the littles and I are on our own this week. It'll be really quiet different not having the boys around, but I have no doubt that the little ones will keep me entertained.
 

Not too mention that a certain little boy will turn the big FIVE this week.

And...he's just a little excited to once again be the same age as his sister;)

Five months out of the year Sophie and Hudson are the same age.

AND the other seven months...

well--those are spent contemplating HOW and WHEN he will be the same age as his sister again. 

Well...this is the week he finally catches her, 

and he is counting down the days/hours/minutes/seconds;)

Sophie's Egg Hunt

 On Wednesday morning, while the other kids were in school, Hudson and I joined Sophie for her class picnic and Easter egg hunt.

Hudson has really missed Sophie this year while she's been at school, so he couldn't wait to spend the morning with her and her friends at the egg hunt.

 The weather was beautiful and it was the perfect day for an outside SPRING party.

The kids had so much fun hunting for all the hidden eggs and couldn't wait to open each one up and find the treasure inside. 

Sophie has been blessed with two of the sweetest teachers EVER this year. I can't believe the year is almost over though, and in just a few short months she will be on her way to KINDERGARTEN!!!!