What's That?

Snow? Yes, we woke up to it snowing outside this morning and came home to the white stuff on the ground. The kids were actually excited. Emma said snow was beautiful and fun. She said you can do so much in snow. She also mentioned I should not have taken off my snow tires yet (I agreed to that one!) She really wanted to have a snowball fight so I obliged. I threw snowballs and took pictures to capture the moment.

She was all over the yard checking out all the snow.

At one point she even tried to lay in it to make a snow angel. She decided it was too wet though and that was it! Hopefully it will be gone tomorrow...it is cold outside so maybe it will stay. Can you believe just 2 days ago the kids were playing outside without coats? This has been the longest winter!

Happy Easter

We started off doing Easter pictures but only the girls were up for it. They were playing pretty hard in the yard this morning so I didn't do the pretty dresses this year. Do you like Olivia's new hair cut? I took the girls to get their hair cut yesterday before soccer. Olivia wanted it to touch her shoulders. It was in the middle of her back. I LOVE it! She does too. Emma actually got hers cut to just below the shoulders but wanted it in a bun this morning.

We finally got Marcus to come over to attempt a picture. However, as you can see, he wasn't happy about it.

Marcus produced a lot of tears throughout this process. The girls thought they would try to cheer him up with a kiss.

I think it worked! Is that a little smile I see? Hope you are all having a Happy Easter!

Bird Nest Cake

I saw this idea for a bird nest Easter cake on the MSN homepage. It doesn't look exactly like the one online, it has our own little additions. The girls really wanted sprinkles so I let them sprinkle away. It turned out pretty cute overall and was a lot of fun to make.

Eggs, eggs and more eggs

Last Sunday we dyed eggs in preparation for Easter. The kids each got some cups with color and 6 eggs. We bought the girls a set that had chalk so they could draw on the eggs. I did provide spoons in each cup to try to avoid too much of a mess.

Olivia decided using her hands was easier though. It resulted in very colorful hands which had her worried for a short time. Luckily a long bath took the color right out.

Emma preferred the spoons therefore avoiding the colorful hands.

Marcus got a sports themed package which required soaking the eggs and some shrinking paper in hot water. Daddy helped Marcus with his. Marcus was amazed at how it worked.

Pretty cool Marcus! It's a basketball!

We decorated 18 eggs total that night and then they all got 6 more each today at daycare. So we've got a LOT of eggs! YUMMY!!!

Another Bunny Picture

Look what we did this morning! The kids did great once again! Tonight we'll be decorating eggs and then we'll be ready for next weekend!

Soccer

The girls started soccer today. Aren't they cute?

Marcus was a natural; unfortunately he is too young to play so he had to sit on the sideline.

They started off by doing basic drills. These kids are ages 4 and 5 and first timers so the first 40 minutes is like a clinic.

They got to do agility work too. Jump Emma!

Olivia jumps pretty high too!

Marcus did try to join in a few times. He so wanted to play!

The kids set up cones and knocked them down; they could only use their feet...no hands!

They knocked down cones with their balls too. Emma was a pro from the start.

Olivia got to demonstrate a drill with the coach as her partner. She did a great job. She was a very good listener.

Marcus decided to try some somersaults on the sidelines...he even had a crazy dance to go with them...I didn't get it on film though...maybe next time.

The last 15 minutes is a scrimmage. The girls both landed on the purple team today. I'm not sure, but I think I may have just caught Emma flirting a little...we need to watch her :-)

Game on! Olivia leads the pack with the ball.

Emma lead the pack a lot with the ball. She got right in there. For a girl who was afraid to play, she sure wasn't shy once she got there. I had a feeling that is how it would go.

Go Emma!

Go Olivia!

They were both so happy out there and did awesome! We were very proud.

They never gave up, they kept up with the pack the entire scrimmage.

Then it was time to stretch so our muscles don't get sore. That is coach Taylor leading the way. He grew up in Brazil and has played a lot of soccer so he knows what he's doing...he was AWESOME!

Then in the circle for a little chant.

And we're done! Until next Saturday...the girls asked if we could go again tomorrow. The next 6 Saturdays will be filled with soccer. They loved it and can't wait for more.

Proposal

Raymond and Jen announced "cake time"! The kids couldn't be more excited!

A nervous Raymond started by saying thanks to everyone for coming and we all interrupted him by singing "Happy Birthday" to him and Jen. Raymond was trying to get us to stop while Jen was trying to hide and run away. Little did she know what was ahead...

We stopped singing and Raymond said "This is what I was trying to do" as he pulled a little black box out of his pocket.

Then he knelt down on one knee and asked her to marry him. It was perfect! In front of all their close friends and family. We were all cheering and choked up too.

Of course she said "YES"! It was so cute...Emma ran up to me and said "Now Uncle Raymond and Jennifer are married!" Priceless.

Congratulations Jen and Raymond! We are all looking forward to your wedding! Emma said it's like you're already married because that party was just like a wedding. It was a ton of fun and we are so glad to have shared that wonderful moment with the two of you!

Birthday Party Time

We went to a joint birthday party for Raymond and Jennifer on Saturday. Raymond's birthday is the 6th and Jen's is the 9th. The girls made them a special treat at Grami's (see Grami's post for close up pictures). They were very excited to show off the treats.

The party got an exciting start with the cows across the road getting out. We had a lot of experienced men there to come to the rescue. It took them no time to lock the cows back in their field. Good job boys!

It was a beautiful day. The kids played outside most of the afternoon and night. There was lots to do and explore.

The kids spent a lot of time in the woods looking for animals. They made new friends and explored as much as they could.

The party was at an old schoolhouse across the road from Raymond's parents. We've gone to several parties here so it's becoming a familiar place for all of us. Marcus was in his element. He was covered in dirt from head to toe right from the start.

Raymond's nieces were at the party too. Here are Emma and Addison eating dinner together. They hit it off right away. Don't they looked like little adults having a casual conversation. It was so sweet.

There was a little area with colors and color books that kept the kids occupied part of the time.

And a piano right behind the color table for the kids to entertain us.

Elle was a pro by the end of the night. Nice work Elle!

Addison, Emma, Haley, Olivia and Marcus had a complete blast together. Such good memories!