In Other News

We've been busy lately with Mead's arm in a cast - but other things have been going on too!

Laine is learning how to sew (minor mending, really) and she successfully fixed a hole in her socks.

We've enjoyed beautiful days at the park.

This was obviously taken before Mead's accident.

Normally I'm a staunch advocate of helmets, but Laine forgot hers at the house, and we only had a few minutes, so I let it go this time.  Thankfully she did great on the bike that day.

And Cole is loving his time at school - learning, playing, dressing up; he loves whatever they do!

Mead's broken arm

Last weekend we had friends over, kids were playing on the trampoline... and Mead fell off.  Initially I didn't think it was a big deal - tears are normal, not wanting to get back on the trampoline right away is normal.  But 20 minutes later when Mead was still holding her arm and sensitive to any kind of movement or touching, we decided we should take her in.

Several hours later, she had surgery to put 3 pins in to fix her broken bone (just above her elbow), and she and I ended up staying the night at the hospital for her to rest and recover.

She's been terrific about getting used to her cast, dealing with the activity restrictions she's been given, and generally not complaining about the whole thing.  I've been so pleased with how well she's handled it!

A few days after surgery we went back for her to get her cast tightened up, and she got to pick the color - pink camo!  Just two more weeks until the pins come out, and then she'll have a new cast for a few weeks.  Everything should be done before summer, though - just in time for swimming!

Easter Afternoon

Much delayed, here's some more Easter pictures.  We joined some friends from church for our Easter lunch, and our kids had a great time together.

A group photo before the egg hunt began.

The little kids looked for eggs on one side of the yard, while the big kids were on the other side.

Then they compared their finds once they were done.

It was a beautiful, relaxing afternoon together!

Happy Easter!

This past weekend was Easter weekend, and we enjoyed spending time with one another over the long weekend.

The kids dyed eggs - this year we used a "majestic" mix where the eggs went in bags instead of bowls.  It created shiny eggs with much less clean-up!

The girls joined Daddy at the sunrise service, so Cole and I had a quiet morning at home.  He looks so handsome!

Once we were all back together we attempted a family picture...

Cole was no longer in the mood.  Oh well.  We still enjoyed the morning worshipping the Risen Savior!

Soccer practice

Mead played soccer in the fall and has been asking when she can play again.

So I found a soccer program that is just practice (no games) for this spring.

Since they took younger kids, too, I signed up Cole for his first organized sport.

 Both of them have loved soccer, but I've been amazed at just how excited Cole has been.  He has a smile on his face for almost the whole practice each week!

It's so fun to watch the kids run around and enjoy playing soccer.

Jumpin' around

Now that the weather is a little warmer, our trampoline is getting some good use again.

My kids love jumping around, creating all kinds of games while they're out there.  One of the best investments we've made!

Playtime pics

While we were at Innsbrook we got to play at the beach one warm afternoon.

The kids loved digging in the sand,

looking for seashells,

and learning to skip rocks on the water.

And when the weather turned cooler, we had plenty of toys to play with inside.  The kids especially loved making various creations from the big bucket of Legos.

Once we got back to St. Louis we did fun things in town, including a trip to play indoor putt putt one afternoon.

I think we've all enjoyed spring break and having a slower pace and some extra time with one another.