Easter

 We had such a fun filled day on Easter. We started out nice and early and had another scavenger hunt that led us all around the house and even outside this year. Each kid's basket was hidden in our new truck in the shed. I made all of the cinnamon rolls to go along with the egg casserole at the breakfast at church so we had to head out pretty early to help with that. After church we headed to Billtown to Aunt Diane's house for a yummy lunch of homemade chicken and noodles. We had an egg hunt where each kid had to find a certain number of colored eggs. Bryce had to find the yellow ones, Ali had to find the pink ones, and Blaine had to find the green ones. We then headed to Altona to Uncle Keith and Aunt Jean Ann's house for another egg hunt and yummy dessert. The kids got so much candy and goodies and it was nice to have a normal year again although it was very chilly! 

State Tournament

 We spent the weekend of March 12th in Champaign for the high school boys state tournament. The kids always love to stay at a hotel and it was pretty cool to be in Assembly Hall or I guess it is called The State Farm Center now. They insisted that we sit all the way at the very top. We enjoyed Monical's Pizza and even got to swim in the hotel pool. 

Ali Kay Turns 5!

 Ali Kay turned 5 on January 20th. She will be starting Kindergarten in August and currently goes to Mamaw's school. She has some pretty great buddies there like Vada, Clara, and Callen. She also gets to play with the school kids when they get off the bus including her brothers. Our sweet little girl isn't so little anymore. In fact, she is so smart and so advanced for her age. She can count, can recognize some letters and produce their sounds. She can rhyme, cut, write her name, and color like a pro. She can follow along with a variety of directed drawings and her imagination is incredible. She cracks us up with her witty comebacks and sassy responses. She is still obsessed with stuffies and has too many to count. Her and Blaine are the best of buddies and can spend hours playing in the basement or in their rooms. She prefers to play inside but she loves swinging, riding her bike, and playing in the big front yard. She loves to read books and munch on anything chocolate. Every night as part of our bedtime routine we say our prayer, sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then say our affirmations. "You are smart. You are kind. You are important. You can do hard things. You are beautiful. You are strong. You are gorgeous. You are colorful. You are loved by God. You are a child of God. You are special." And then she rubs my cheek. It is such a special moment that I share with my girl every single night. She sure is the light of our family and we are so blessed for another year of loving her!