Spring?!

Could it really be spring? It sure felt like it yesterday. It was great to get outside and play and even dig in the flower beds a little. Abby was a bit timid at first about being on her bike, but soon discovered it was quite a good ride if she started out on the driveway, she could go fast and end up on the grass. Of course, every girl needs her purse and mardi-gras beads for a good bike ride! She had so much fun playing. She said to me "Like running!" When we were finished she crashed on the couch for two hours. It is raining today, but we are feeling hopeful!

Happy Easter!

March is seriously too cold to properly celebrate this holiday in Indiana! The Saturday before Easter, several local Easter egg hunts were scheduled, but attendance was surely low due to the freezing rain, sleet, and snow we received! The sun did come out Easter morning, but only Rachel and Shawn were feeling well enough to get dressed in Easter clothes and go to church. We were, however, well enough for and egg hunt indoors and lots of candy!
Abby has the greatest morning hair and loves her new plush bunny (another "friend" for her ever-growing collection!)
Ian has decided that bionicles are the new thing. He was pretty excited about this one in his Easter basket.

Rachel is truly growing up much faster than I can believe! Two more months until she can go to Young Women. She's counting days!

Science Fair

Ian won a ribbon at his school's science fair this February and was invited to participate in the Regional Science Fair at the State Fairgrounds this March. He had fun being there (especially getting to hang out with some new friends and play gameboy instead of being in school). His project was a test to see which breakfast cereal had the most iron. The surprising front runner-Cookie Crisp! Either it's more iron packed than the box said, or it has some kind of mystery metal that sticks to magnets. Who knows?

Ian's Birthday

Happy 7th birthday to Ian! He had a great weekend of birthday celebration. On Saturday the 16th, Shawn took Ian and a friend to a nearby arcade/Chucky Cheese type place. They had a blast and won lots of tickets. Both came back with a prizes-whoopie cushions, and candy of course! I'm sure his friend's mom was thrilled.

We had pizza and cake on Saturday, but since Sunday was his real birthday, we had to celebrate again. Definitely a lot of chocolate cake. Shawn always makes a celebration special. This time we sang Happy Birthday in 3 languages: English, Spanish and ??Russian?? (No, no one in our family speaks Russian. We all just did our best impressions. Guess which was Ian's favorite?)

Ian is a true cowboy at heart and was excited to get a real cowboy sleeping bag, his own flint for starting fires, and a horse blanket for the saddle stand he and Shawn are building to go in his room.

Great shopping technique!

We had a shopping experience with Abby that we thought was amusing. Everytime we go to Blockbuster and wait in line to check out movies, she notices the conveniently placed toys--right at the checkout area. Her favorites lately have been the Shrek babies from the Shrek the Third movie. I've been talking her out of them for the last 3 months by helping her say "Bye,Bye" to the babies. (We really don't need any more plush toys at our house:)

This last weekend Shawn happened to be with us and noticed how lovingly she was holding one of the babies. She held it up for him to see and said, "Like it, buy it?" What father could refuse such a polite request from his little girl? She was so happy when he said yes, she walked right up to the counter, threw at the cashier and yelled "Buy it!' Clearly, shopping is in her genes!

Rachel wondered if the same sweet question might apply to the new ipod she is eyeing.--Probably not. :)

Merry Christmas

Here are some Christmas morning favorites! Ian lives in cowboy boots. He only chooses tennis shoes on gym days, so these new ones were a great surprise for him. Rachel has been thinking about this PS2 game for a long time and was really excited to find it under our tree. She and Ian spend free time nearly every afternoon rocking the house with their dance moves!

Abby is modeling several favorites in this shot. She is quite a fan of Dora the Explorer, so Dora p.j.s and Dora slippers were a hit with her! She loved her new trike-thanks Grandpa and Grandma! We were lucky to get a couple of strangely warm days in early January so she got to test it outside--I am in for a lot of walking this spring! :)



We spent a relaxing Christmas at home in Indiana this year. We really loved being able to sleep in-even the kids! Our usual schedule is so hectic, and family time seems limited. It was great just being together. Here is a photo from our Christmas card. Our kids are just so happy, it was a snap getting a great shot. (NOT) This only took about 25 tries!

Abby's 2nd Birthday

Abby had a great time helping prepare the cake for her birthday celebration--and clearly enjoyed eating it too! She wasn't so sure about candles this year. When we celebrated Shawn's birthday Dec. 21, Abby cried over the candles. (We think they must remind her of fireworks.) So for her cake, we just had frosting and Dora figures to decorate the top.
She seemed as if she was going to be a little timid opening gifts. After the first one was opened, she wanted to play for about an hour before she would open any others. We were up for a long night! By the second gift, she had it figured out, and by Christmas morning, she was a pro. She was able to open gifts December 23, 24, and 25, and after her nap on Christmas Day, woke up asking, "presents?" She was grateful for the packages that arrived after the date. It helped her ease down off of her high!