Easter

Today, we got up, did Easter baskets and went to church for a great Easter Service (you can listen here if you want to). Afterwards we picked up some crickets and went to PaPa and MiMi's for Easter lunch with them and Aunt Katey. It was a feast, which is the norm at MiMi's! And then fishing (the reason for the crickets). The weather was beautiful. It was a wonderful day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

“It means, said Aslan, that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who has committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

-The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

 

 

I know this isn't the traditional Easter picture, but Aunt Katey just got a great shot!

 

Little League at the Big Leagues

Saturday night was Little League Night with the Huntsville Stars. All the Little League Teams in Huntsville were invited to be in a parade at the beginning of the game, and they got to run on the field a little bit later. Five of the Tball boys went, and they looked TINY on that big field! We stayed for part of the game, Thomas and Mae were WAY more interested in the cheese pizza, nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, snow cones (which always makes me think of THIS) , etc. Mae only made it through a couple of innings and Thomas, a tiny bit longer (we took two cars!), but it was great weather to be out watching baseball! The Stars were behind when we left, but came back and beat the Birmingham Barons 4-3!

Parading.

 

Did I mention TINY!

 

Sharing a snow cone, after Thomas dumped his on the ground.

 

 

Dying Eggs

I had great plans to dye eggs with Thomas and Mae on Friday, which is Thomas's day off from school. Sadly, I got the stomach bug, which included a fever, chills, and things you don't want to read about on the blog! I consequently spent the day in bed while MiMi graciously watched the kids at her house. Thankfully it was a 24 hour bug, and I felt much better after a LONG night of sleep Friday night.

Saturday afternoon I was able to do the eggs with the kids. I didn't think when I put the dye in those tall cups. The little (pointless) thing that they give you to get the eggs out of the cup wasn't long enough, so the kids used their hands. This was WAY more fun for them, and they both had one hand that was a funny color when we were finished. We only had a few cracked eggs, and a few spots on the table, and the kids loved it all!

 

 

 

 

Easter Program

Here's a short video of their program that I took on my phone. I know, horrible quality.

Easter Program

Thomas had his Easter program at school this morning. The kids were supposed to dress either in their parents' clothes, or like a grownup. They sang a bunch of Easter songs, and then got to do an Easter Egg Hunt and and Easter party. It was a sugar-high kind of day. Thomas told me yesterday when I picked him up, "Mom, we don't even have to do any work tomorrow!"

 

 

 

 

The Essence

We went to a birthday party yesterday for our friends who have three kids with the same birthday. (Yes, you read that right!) While we were there our friend Tripp was taking pictures. He got these of Thomas and Mae, and I feel like they really capture The Essence of who they are. ESPECIALLY the ones of Thomas!

Thomas's Freeze-O-Rama

The thing about an April birthday, is that the weather is a bit of a toss up. It could be hot, it could be rainy, or, as was the case this year, it could be cold VERY windy! The storms that blew through the Southeast on Friday made it about 55, with probably 30 mph winds on Saturday at party time. All the adults froze, and none of the drinks we brought were used. The kids had a great time. Thomas didn't mind that there had to be a human shield around his cake, and that the candles had to be lit three times. Or that the balloons, kept blowing off the tables. He and the other kids just ran around like kids do, and kept very warm!

 

Thomas is FIVE!

We can't believe our boy is five years old! He is growing and changing into such a great little boy. He is VERY silly, and loves to make people laugh. Thankfully sometimes he is actually funny. He always has an opinion, and one thing we work on pretty regularly is arguing. He is very sweet to Mae most of the time, and is in general a sweet boy! He had the stomach bug for the first time last week, and he was basically silent for two days. Although we sometimes get tired of his constant talking and question, I was SO thankful to see that twinkle come back into his eye on Tuesday night, and hear a few silly statments before bed.

He still loves balls more than anything, but also really likes dart guns and remote control cars. He also loves playing the Wii, computer games, or "Angry Birds" on Brax's phone (which is a rare treat!).

I know it sounds cheesy, but we're so glad he's in our life. He makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes with all his questions!

Here are pictures from his birthday breakfast. He requested cinnamon rolls and pig bacon (I tried to pull a fast one on him once and give him turkey bacon. He specifies now, whenever he asks for bacon).

 

Gram's Visit

Gram came to visit last week. It was a very quiet because Thomas (and then Brax) had the stomach bug. It was the first time for our family, and it really wasn't an awful case, but it was nice to have Gram here for the days at home. We had a very restful visit, and went almost nowhere. Mom and I did have time to repaint the furniture on my front porch, and recover the pillows. A little facelift!

Planting marigolds.

 

Science experiments.

 

Making cookies, and playing on Gram's iPhone.

 

FIRST T-Ball Game

Thomas had his first t-ball game today. It was as adorable as I expected really! Everyone hits every inning and they don't keep score. The boys just look so little out there! But, they did a great job, and I was so proud of Thomas for paying attention the whole game. He played third base and then catcher. And Brax did a great job coaching. He was so patient with the boys, and just seems to know what to do!

I'm so glad that I got a babysitter (it was in the MIDDLE of Mae's nap) and really got to enjoy watching the whole game with MiMi and PaPa.

Opening Ceremonies

Our park has an Opening Ceremony for baseball season. All the baseball and softball teams come at 9:00 on the first morning of the season. It was fun to see all the different teams parading onto the field. Someone sang the National Anthem, our mayor spoke, and they introduced all the teams. Thomas's friend, Lake is at our park also, and we're looking forward to running into he and his family from time to time!

Can you tell it was early in the morning?!?


Announcing the Padres!


Thomas and Lake


Thomas and Coach!

Friend Over

The other day Thomas's friend Hayes came home from school with him. (Seriously, how cute are they!?!?!) It was really the first time that Thomas had had a friend come over without it being a "playdate." They had SO much fun! They jumped on the trampoline, played soccer, wrestled, played "Don't Break the Ice," ate cookies, played basketball. In general, had an all around boyish sort of time! We're so thankful for this friendship!