Spring Break Getaway

This week is spring break for the kids, and we decided to go away for a couple days to enjoy some family time together.

A couple in the church loaned us their house at Innsbrook, MO (about an hour from St. Louis), and we had a great time relaxing and doing things with one another.

The girls loved the bunk beds they slept in, and we all took several golf cart rides around the community.

Penny and the kids fished from the back yard, and we played a family game of soccer one afternoon.

It was a nice time to get away and have no agenda for a few days.

We're so thankful for opportunities like this to spend time together and enjoy new places.

Snow fort

We finally got a "good" snow in St. Louis - enough to sled and play in.

Just a few days prior to this snow I was at Target and noticed their Sno-Cylinders clearanced out for less than a dollar each.  So I grabbed three and we put them to good use in the snow.

We had a great time building our fort - we did it in a couple shifts.

The final product was really cool, and we enjoyed playing in it the next day, too, before it started to melt.  Until next time...

Reading together

I haven't been great about taking pictures lately, but I pulled out the camera the other day when Cole and Mead were "reading" to each other.  They both had a book and took turns telling each other what the story was about.  Mead is just beginning to learn how to read, and it's been fun watching her practice her new skills!

Playing in the Rain

We haven't had a lot of snow this winter, but we have had a lot of rain.

The other day the kids just had to get out and play in it - they looked so cute, and they had a great time!

Here's Cole and his best buddy at their Valentine's Day party.  I told her mom that this could be their engagement picture - they're so cute!

Airband 2015

Each year in the winter the kids' school has "Airband," where the students pick songs, and create dances, lip syncs, etc. to go along with it.

This year Laine was in a group that did "So Long Farewell" from The Sound of Music.

And Mead was with other kindergarten girls who sang "Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath."

Cole is still too young to participate, and he is surprisingly shy, so I don't know when/if he'll make it up on stage.  For now he's content just sitting in the aisle and watching.

All the girls borrowed dresses that one of the moms had saved from when she was a little girl.  Pretty amazing - they all looked so cute!

Mead had such a fun time doing her song - her gregarious personality totally shined.  What a fun opportunity for them!

100th Day Celebration

I don't remember doing this as a kid, but nowadays, celebrating the 100th day of school is a REALLY big deal for kindergarteners.  It has to do with the math curriculum - counting up to 100, counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, learning days of the week, months of the year, seasons, etc.

So all year long the kids look forward to the 100th day of school, and at our school they have to make a 100th day project.

Knowing this would be coming up, Mead (and I) decided to show off the Perler Bead collection that has been accumulating around our house over the past few years.

At the beginning of the year we were already up to about 70 Perler Bead creations, so we "only" had to add about 30 more.  Honestly, this is really one of Laine's favorite things to do, so most of the really ornate ones had already been made by her from years past.

The whole family pitched in the make the remaining 30 pieces - it was kind of fun to see the different ideas that everyone came up with, including a Perler Bead Pac-Man that Penny made.

Mead had a great time showing off her 100 Perler Bead pieces, and the rest of us had a good time coming to visit the classroom and see all the other 100 day projects her friends did too.

Father/Daughter Dance

This past weekend was the Father/Daughter dance at the girls' school.

This is the third year Penny has taken at least one of the girls, and every year they enjoy it a little more.

The girls love hanging out with their friends, but this year they also made sure to dance with Daddy too!

And I love the crazy pictures they bring home from the photo booth.

Cole, not wanting to be overshadowed with the girly-ness of the evening, decided to bare his chest and be manly.  So silly!