Kalahari Waterpark...Year 6!

A day celebrating friends, a day in BG, and sweetness of life...

House Needs...Jeff the Handyman

Oh man....Jeff has had to put it in overdrive. He said himself the he has filled his quota for fix it's for a year.  The disposal broke twice, he fixed 2sets of blinds that wouldn't open and close, the washing machine was a HUGE project that required a ton of help from Jerry Hill.  Pictured is the directions they had to follow....a few coins, wrappers, hair ties, and a lot of sludge later, it's working like a charm...I know he hates this type of stuff but he keeps an attitude like a champ!

Alexa drew this picture of a house...thought it fit right in. And that at the top is me trying to make more order out of disorder in the mud room with adorable chalkboard signs.

Easter, Field Trip, Retreat and Other Fun

Easter was a great time with beautiful weather. Grandma and Grandpa came to town along with Aunt Christy and Gracie. We had a fire outside, an Easter egg hunt at church, and a delicious dinner thanks to all my mother in-law's help. We celebrated aunt Christy's 40th birthday too. 

A few days after Easter, we went on a field trip to the Johnston Farm that was built in the early 1800s. It is located in Piqua. We learned so many interesting things. Mr. Johnston had a wealthy mother who came here from Europe. She had inherited money from her ancestors who were Huegonots.  Mr. Johnston farms his land, works for the government in overseeing Indian trade, and later was part of the group that oversaw the canal being built through This part of Ohio. It ran through his land. That was no mistake! They have since dug out the canal again and made a replica of the canalboat.  We got to take a ride on it just like they used to do when they transported goods. A horse and a mule pulled us up the canal and back.  It was so cool.

The day after the field trip, was the women's retreat for Hillside Chapel. It was so much fun, and such a rich time with the women.   Our theme was Breathe. Wait. Receive. Rest.  Kings Domain was beautiful and it was the best weather of the season so far.

Some other things that have happened lately...Colin deciding to dress just like Daddy the day before the retreat.  Alexa tried her hand at the harmonica. Analiese and Alexa got themselves all cozy watching Chrissa, An American Girl movie. Analiese and I went for a walk and then watched a storm roll in tonight.

Saturday, April 12-a trip to Boonshoft

Colin had a birthday party at Boonshoft. His friend Isaac was having a science birthday. So Alexa, Analiese, and I, played at the museum while we waited for Collin. Then Colin (aka Spider-Man) joined us. The kids love the pizza shop, they dug for fossils, played at the water table, and the big tower, and of course, walked through the zoo. The otters were really fun as usual.

Testing and Shower and Cleaning, Oh My!

Today the kids finished up 2 days of standardized testing.  Great job, kiddos! DQ was in order so off we went. 

Cleaning the mud room and the storage room was a priority this week.  I usually wait until after school ends, but I felt I had to do it now so I could really focus on finishing up the school year without that distraction.  My happy place truly is being organized! I am such a nut!  Notice the glass on the floor.  Another one bites the dust!

Bridal Shower for Sarah and Carrie! Such a fun time and a chance to shower them with encouragement.  Catch Phrase, Quelf, and lots of laughter. Fun time with such amazing girls!

An Unusual Day

I wish I had remembered my iPad when I left the house this morning. No pictures from the day but what a day it was. We dropped Brandon, Analiese, and Colin off at standardized testing. Alexa had really wanted to spend the day with me, and go out on a date. My plan, was to clean the storage room, but I knew she would be pretty disappointed. I could clean the storage room any other time. So off we went. We started with a trip to Sam's Club, to find me a planner. No success. We then went to Walmart and found one there. We also got her some fun summer dresses. She liked that a lot. She enjoyed looking at the clothes, purses, belts, and headbands. She kept trying things on and asking me how she looked. Of course she was too cute. After too much time there, we had to go to a few other places. She knew we had to run some errands. However, we then went to Party City, where she loves to get 15 pieces of candy for one dollar. Believe it or not this is a favorite spot for my dates with the kids. She was so cute with her little basket and counting pieces of candy. We were ready for lunch. We went to Panera bread and she had what she felt was the best Mac and Cheese ever. She was thrilled to see that it came with a yogurt tube too. We headed to the mall next. At JCPenney she was quick to check out the manequins. She hates when they have no head so she was excited that most of them have heads. She made a huge declaration as we entered the store about it and I saw a few people chuckle. She later ended up posing with manequins and trying to act like one.  It was adorable. The next store was Macy's. She wanted to try all the make up at the Clinique counter on herself. We did go to Claire's and restocked her stick  on earrings. I had the revelation that they'll stay on better if I use a little bit of crazy glue. It does work but today, I actually glued my fingers together and called Jeff in a calm, but definite panic. Anyway, the next stop had to be Ritters. She wanted to go there for sure on our date. By the time we finished up there, it was time to go get the kids. Just imagine, her with a little party city basket, eating her macaroni and cheese, standing next to manequins, eating delicious ice cream, and my fingers glued together. Those are the pictures that would best describe our day. She had some great quotes today too. She said, "Mom, do you wish that you didn't have to boys who were so disappropriate?".  "My mac & cheese is so creamy and warm and delicious. It is the best I've ever had."  "When you come to Panera Bread with your friends do they want you to always pay for them?" She insisted on praying for our food and did it loud and proud. I think everyone heard it. It was a fun day. I am glad I didn't clean the storage room.