April 2016

Our first notable event in April was General Conference.  We were happy to have the Owens come for a visit.  It was the perfect blend of relaxation and fun when they came.  We were also happy to have new couches and a new TV for our downstairs family room!  It made watching General Conference so comfortable!

We also enjoyed playing cards, sampling root beer, having a traditional Easter dinner, and dart gun wars.  Interestingly, it was snowing while it was sunny one day.

We loved having the Owens come and can't wait to see them again this summer!

The following week was Eve's birthday.  On her special day we had waffles for breakfast and cupcakes in the evening.  We celebrated her birthday with a friend party later in the month, but I will include pictures here.

We had games, pizza, cake, presents, and watched Peter Pan from 2003.  It was a lot of fun!

This has been a landmark year for Eve since she moves into Young Women's.  All the weekday activities and church friends she has made have really made life fun.  She has also been uplifted by the lessons and good friends around her.  It has been fun to she her mature into a young woman.  She definitely doesn't seem like a little girl anymore!  She seems to be gaining a greater understanding of the world around her and is developing poise and confidence.  What a fun transition to watch.


The first weekend in April we went with the Fackrells to Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati.  It was a lot of fun!

Isn't their new baby adorable?

We also enjoyed games, going to dinner, shopping at Jungle Jims and IKEA, and visiting Loveland Castle (Chateau Laroche).

This is a short description of the castle:  "Harry Andrews' labor of love, Chateau Laroche is a medieval castle replica found along the bank of the Little Miami River. Built of bricks, cement blocks made from milk carton molds and a lot of stone from the river, it took over 50 years to complete. It took 2,600 sacks of cement, 32,000 quart milk cartons for concrete bricks and 56,000 pail-fulls of stone. 'Chateau Laroche was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower. It was their knightly zeal for honor, valor and manly purity that lifted mankind out of the moral midnight of the dark ages, and started it towards a gray dawn of human hope.' "

By the end of the weekend the kids were pretty tired out!

The following weekend I went to Colorado to spend a weekend with my sisters and other family members.  It is always hard to leave my family, especially when they are so sweet!  This is Christian one morning who snuggled in the bed next to my treadmill while I exercised.

I wanted them to feel cared for while I was gone, so I copied an idea that my mom had when I was young.  I made little bags for each person to open each day I was gone.

I flew out Friday, April 15th.  Jen picked me up and we met Annie, Mom, Hannah, and Emma for breakfast in Castle Rock.  Talking and catching up is the BEST!  Then we went to a cute shop that had tons of crafted items.  Here are a few examples.

Having time to browse and relax was a treat!  We also went to the shopping outlets and found some cute purses.  Then we went to get pedicures/manicures (wish I had gotten a pic).  It was all very pampering!  In the evening we went to the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant that I've always wanted to try.  It was a fun dining experience!

That day baby Eleanor wasn't feeling well because she had a stomach flu.  That night Hannah got it!

The next morning we enjoyed a makeup class with a friend.  It was a lot of interesting and helpful tips.  Then everyone joined us at Jen's house and we had a  delicious breakfast and each got to share about a book that we had read recently.  I found this an insightful experience!

That evening we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then Emma, Cat, Aaron and I went makeup shopping.  I never get to focus on this kind of stuff, so it was a lot of fun for me.  That evening Joseph and Jen got the stomach bug.  The next morning I was feeling unsettled as well from the stomach bug and just decided to rest and not eat anything.  It was a perfect Sunday for resting because we were able to listen to Stake Conference at Jen's house in our PJs.  In the evening I went to my parents' house so that I could visit with my dad and be ready for the airport in the morning.  Cat and Aaron came by and we had fun talking.    I also enjoyed reading.  My dad was able to take me to the airport the next morning and I was feeling 90% better.  After I left, my mom and Aaron also got the stomach bug. What a contagious virus, especially with all our efforts to sanitize and wash hands!

All in all, it was a great trip for me.  I loved being with my family and getting some time for perspective.

Back at home I enjoyed my sweet/crazy kids, planting my garden, more spring flowers, and being with Matthew again!  Home is SWEET!

The rest of April included the regular dance lessons, soccer, school, piano, and scouts. Eve and I enjoyed hearing the Boston Brass at a school concert!  What a month full of fun!
 

March 2016

March was a fun and warmer month, a nice change from the cold, wintry months.

The kids enjoyed the Chapman school carnival.

Sheri was a cute Brownie selling Girl Scout Cookies.  She was confident and positive in her approach, and sweet and grateful to all who came by.

Seeing this snuggling always warms my heart!

For St. Patrick's Day I played the Leprechaun and hid clues which added up to the final clue -directions to the treasure.  It was fun to watch the kids puzzle the clues out.

Sterling looks like a crazy Leprechaun himself here!

On the 21st Jen, Scott, and Joseph came to visit us for Spring Break.  It was a wonderful Treat!

On Tuesday the 22nd we went to German Village and learned about the German history of Columbus.  We went to the Book Loft (an amazing book store with endless room and tons of fun books to look at), Katzinger's Deli (awesome pastrami sandwiches, but the pickles are not good) for lunch and Schmitz for giant cream puffs.  Then we spent some time at a park playing before heading home.

 I love Scott's face in this photo! Great for a German guy at the pub!

On Wednesday we went up to Kirtland, OH to see the church history sights.

Scott was so thoughtful and offered to take most of the kids in his car so that Jen and I could talk!  The kids loved Scott.  He was so great at connecting with them, taking interest in them, and enjoying their playful natures!  Jen and I relished our time to talk, of course!

In Kirtland we were able to see homes as they might have been in the early days of the restored church.  We also enjoyed the Newel K. Whitney store, the sawmill, the ashery, and the Visitor's Center.  The saints were industrious and faithful.  I am inspired by their examples and love hearing about the revelations that were received in this place!

Jennifer and I were also able to get in on the last tour of the Kirtland Temple.  We enjoyed learning about this building and especially enjoyed singing The Spirit of God which I was able to accompany for everyone.

Unfortunately Matt had to work this day (his birthday) because he had an important customer coming in to his plant.  So that evening we celebrated with Matt.  We had ribs, asparagus and other good things.  We of course had cake.  We also enjoyed sampling his root beer collection that he received from a coworker.

I am so grateful for Matt.  He is hard working, handsome, loyal, supportive, and smart.  I love him!

On Thursday Jen and Scott went to the Longaberger factory while I took the kids swimming at the rec center.  In the afternoon we dyed Easter eggs and the kids played Risk.  We loved having so much uninterrupted time with the Robinsons.  It was like a 5 day party/sleep over for the us.

Friday was Joseph's birthday.  We let him pick the activities and he chose well!  We went to see the new Star Wars movie.  We all enjoyed it, but Christian especially caught the vision.  He loves anything Star Wars now.
For lunch we went to Chipotle and then came home to enjoy the outside world at our house.  We are glad we got a break from all the rain.  As you can see there are many new signs of Spring!

We also had an Easter egg hunt in the evening.  It was a blast with Joe!

Then after that we were able to celebrate Joe's birthday with a bunny cake!

Joe has grown up so much!  The kids loved playing with him and having him all to themselves!  We are happy that he has been having so many exciting opportunities in his life with school musicals and choir!  He is in such a fun time of life!  We were so happy to have him and celebrate with him on his birthday.   We were sorry to see the Robinsons leave on Saturday but look forward to seeing them again in June!  We were grateful for all their efforts to come see us!

The following Sunday was Easter.

 We enjoyed church and thinking about the resurrection.  We are grateful for the hope we receive through Christ!   We are grateful for His tender mercies each day!  We are blessed by His love and grateful for His atonement!   He is our Light and our Life!