Wisconsin Dells

Last weekend we headed off to our annual Wisconsin Dells stay at the Wilderness Lodge with our friends, the Lindners and the Khans. We had a great time at all three of the massive indoor waterparks.  Since my kids are still pretty young, they mostly hung out in the water play areas, and Nolan enjoyed some of the smaller slides.  Livi wasn't too sure of all the noise, but really loved to splash around when the big kids came to play with her.  It was fun to see how well all of the kids (there were nine of them!) got along.  I especially loved how the older kids helped to look after our little ones.  The girls were always doting on Livi, and Cassidy was such a good big buddy to Nolan - holding his hand, playing with him, and trying to show him the ropes when he got nervous.  

We did have a bit of a scare as we were heading back to our condo on the first day.  We were all walking together in a herd, when I noticed Nolan was staring off into space, not paying any attention to where he was going.  I could see the pool up ahead, and I knew what was going to happen long before it did.  I called out his name several times, but he didn't hear me.  With his head still in the clouds, he walked straight into the pool and sunk toward the bottom.  I waited a second for him to kick and come up, but it was almost like he laid down there and was not coming up.  With my shoes, coverup, and bag in tow, I jumped into the pool and pulled my baby up from the bottom.  It took him a few minutes before he could breathe deeply again.  I, of course, was horrified that this happened, but was so grateful that I was right there and could help him.  He didn't seem overly worked up about it, but later that day he told me, "Thank you for saving me, Mommy....or should I say, my hero."  Seriously, kid.  Melt, my heart.

Aside from that scare, our trip was lots of fun.  All of the kids really enjoyed swimming and playing at the arcade, and the adults had a great time staying up late, playing a few games, and laughing together.  It's so great to have friends that our whole family can enjoy!

Jack, Meela, Cassidy, Kamryn, Lucy, Olivia, Deakon, Isaac, Nolan

Home Depot

The other day Eric and I needed to pick up a few things from Home Depot, and we let the kids ride in one of those gigantic, obnoxious, germ-laden carts with steering wheels in order to make it through our errand...This is a rare treat and they couldn't have been happier!

Swings

It has been so fun to watch this beautiful girl transition from a baby into a toddler. She is becoming more and more independent by the day, and wants to try EVERYTHING her brother does, including these swings.  Look at her cute little face! <3

Cah-Cah

Olivia loves to wear glasses, particularly sunglasses.  She calls them "cah-cah" and gets the sassiest attitude when she's wearing them.  I can't get enough.

She also started saying, "too," as a response to us when we say "I love you."  As in, I love you, too.  It's so precious to see her develop her own sweet lingo - the imperfections are so memorable and adorable!

Easter

Easter is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I love that it celebrates the new life that comes with springtime; I love the joyful, festival music at Church; and I LOVE the yummy brunch food.  We started our celebration weekend with an Easter egg hunt at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Rick's house.  We had to dodge the raindrops, but both of the kids did a great job finding their many eggs and they had a great time.  Deb and Rick have been hosting the egg hunt since Eric was a kid, so it's cool to have this second generation enjoy the tradition.  

Easter morning was an early one.  Nolan was up at 4:30, ready to find the goodies left by the Easter Bunny.  It took him forever to find his basket (unsurprisingly.....the kid can't find anything), but was delighted to find some candy, a new game, and some Spiderman bubbles.  Livi woke up a little later and found her basket, filled with some candy, a dolly, and some puppy bubbles.  After a quick breakfast, Mom and I headed off to church to prepare the music for the Easter service.  This year, we were lucky enough to have two trumpets and a trombone join our congregational hymns.  The choir also sang, and Mom joined the sopranos.  I now have much more appreciation for the stress our parish music director was under during the big church festivals.  It is a marathon to select and plan all the music, coordinate and rehearse with all the instrumentalists, prepare the choir, and play piano for the entirety of the service, paying close attention to the timing of each hymn based on the number of people in attendance.  Everything went beautifully, but it sure takes a lot of energy!

When we got home, it was time to get everything prepared for our brunch.  Eric and I love cooking for this meal, and we go all out....roast lamb with rosemary pesto, glazed ham, cheesy hashbrowns, caesar salad, orange vanilla glazed fruit, asparagus with eggs, and of course, eggs in a basket.  Eric started this tradition the first time we hosted Easter a few years ago, but this year I think we finally perfected the recipe, thanks to the Pioneer Woman.  We baked potatoes first, and then grated them into the muffin tins instead of using frozen hashbrowns.  It made all the difference in the world, and they were actually yummy this year!

Mom and I made the best lamb cake yet.  It turned out perfectly and the lemon poppyseed cake itself was moist and flavorful.  Best of all, the day was full of hilarious stories and the joy of spending time with our loved ones.  We are grateful for the love of our family, and the wondrous love of our Living Savior.  Alleluia. He is Risen.

Gumby?

My son has got to be one of the most flexible beings on the planet... He can put his feet behind his head with ease and get himself into positions that would make Gumby think twice!  

party hat

Her only solace in this unjust world (I wouldn't let her drink my coffee) is wearing this birthday hat that has been rolling around on the floor of the van for the last two weeks.

sunshine.......and snow

Spring has sprung! (Or so we thought!)  After basking in the sunshine the past few days, a big thunderstorm rolled in on Sunday night, leaving us with hail and rumbling skies. Twenty four hours later, we woke up to this - about 6 inches of fluffy white snow!  I was less than thrilled about having to shovel the front sidewalk again, and even less happy about having to scrape my car.  Ah, the joys of spring in the Northwoods....

Planting Seeds

I managed to put off my frantic need to plant seeds in the spring for a little longer this year!  Usually I'm jumping the gun in February or March!  Nolan and I spent some time this morning planting tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, jalapenos, habaneros, serranos, pumpkins, and watermelon for summer garden.  I can't wait until the weather is warm and sunny and we can start the work outside!

Fashionista

Nolan picked out his own outfit today for when we went shopping at Kohl's.  The birthday hat was leftover from his cousin Charlie's party on Saturday.  This kid is one of a kind.

Backyard

Over the past few weeks, the weather has been getting nicer and we've been enjoying spending some time outside in the fresh air.  Both kids have really been excited about riding their bikes, and Nolan is getting pretty handy on riding his in the alley.  

Dino-Livi going to town on her bike!

This weekend was 60 degrees and we celebrated the sunshine by roasting hotdogs over a backyard campfire.  It's always exciting when the days get longer and the sun is out.  I know I definitely have more energy!  Spring is in the air!

Puppy love

These two are so sweet.