Easter

The beginning of a new era...the golden egg!!! I have a friend and their family has a special golden egg.   I saw one at Target and just had to overpay for this big piece of gold plastic!  After the kids did their egg hunt we hid the golden egg and they worked together to find it and shared the prize inside...hold your breath...$2!!! 

Auggie did not hunt the eggs as the Easter Bunny must have known we had a puppy and put them out of her reach...what a smart bunny!

Grant actually did find it, but he was a very gracious sharer. 

At church with Ima and Pops.  Thank you Grant for not out-growing the awkward photo taking phase quickly!

The hunt at Ima and Pops.

We were lucky enough to get to share the egg hunt with Colin & Caleb!

We tried our best to have a normal day.  Kenny had passed away on Good Friday.  My parent's hosted lunch with a few extra out of town guests.  And it felt so good to just sit down as a big family and have a meal and have a normal conversation.  I think we all needed it and it was fun to be able to focus our attention on the kids and the eggs for a few hours before returning to our reality.

Spring Break 2015

Here is a quick recap of how spring break ended up looking. Despite the turn of events, we had a lot of people help us still make it a fun week for the kids.

We left Thursday after school to take the kids to Grizzy Jack's, a little indoor water park about an hour and half from the house.  They also had an indoor arcade which I thought was more fun than the water park.  Although I did discover that I have a fear of heights when I am responsible for moving my own body...yes I am fine to do a zip line, but an elevated obstacle rope course...no thanks!  I had to tap out and have Brandon take my place!  We learned that our family LOVES laser tag.

Loved the super slide!

I don't think going down on his tummy was the plan...I  think Daddy was still working his way down...potato sack issues!

Oh isn't this just the picture every mother wants of their 6 year old daughter!

Way to go Daddy! Mommy chickened out! 

What trip isn't complete without balloon sculptures? 

Grizzy Jacks was very tiring! I will forever hold this picture dear because there is such peace in this sleeping boy and an hour later we found that our lives would be turned upside down.  

I will skip of over Easter for the moment and continue on the spring break journey. The plan on Monday was for us all to go to the farm.  Ima and Johnny Pops ended up just taking the kids for us.  They ran around all day and breathed in some fresh country air!  On Tuesday I had a friend take them to Monkey Joe's and even though we own an inflatable bounce house, MJ's is always more fun!! On Wednesday I braved the ice rink with Elizabeth and Grant on my own.  I warned them that I was only one person and could only help one of them at a time.

Luckily, since it was EB's second time to skate she did really well (really well by her standards...she didn't fall) and didn't need to hang on to me.  Do you see the look on Grant's face? "I'm holding on for dear life, because if I let go I will certainly fall. Why did I think this would be fun" look.  He spent most of his time either holding my hand or skating between my legs, which he thought meant he could go limp noodle and I would basically just carry him.  FYI, I am no Katrina on the ice so that was fun.  My body was sore all over the next day! But we needed the time together and it was something they were really excited about when I told them the plan.  Lunch out afterwards made it good too!

Next up was bowling.  I am not sure either one of them broke 60 but hey we had a good time!

It was all good until the weather started to get a little nasty and tornado warnings and watches started popping up.  Immediately after frame 10 we high-tailed it home.  Elizabeth was upset that we left so fast.  Grant explained it was because we don't like thunder.  I chimed in with "the weather is changing, we are smart people, we are going to go home where we know we are safe and double check our storm shelter supplies." Now in hindsight I may have overreacted slightly and perhaps caused a little anxiety.  But to be completely honest being part of a an F4 tornado community we don't take these things lightly and in my defense I was not the only one.  Upon arrive home I instructed the children to take a pair of shoes down to our designated "storm shelter" part of the basement and I turned on the weather radio.  We were only under a watch.  I turn around and Elizabeth is making multiple trips to the basement with stuffed animals, books and her digi birds.  I tried to tell her it wasn't necessary but then I thought about what I told her after the tornado.  "Honey people lost everything, their stuffed animals, etc.... don't you want to share some of your things?" (flashback, she didn't really want to share, but eventually did).  So of course she would take her stuffed animals, it's what I told her she might lose!  I tried really hard to draw the line at the digi birds (something very replaceable) and the tears started and I handed her a laundry basket to help her!  Because crazy helps crazy! Brandon came home from work a little early, the storms were seeming to miss us.  We had just gotten the kids in bed and the weather radio alert for a tornado watch went off.  I got the kids out of bed and told Brandon we were going to the basement.  I am pretty sure he rolled his eyes, but obliged because he is a smart husband.  After about 5 minutes I insisted everyone be quiet so I could listen to the entire weather bulletin from start to finish.  That's when we discovered that I programmed the radio for Woodford county as well as our own county and that we were actually in the clear.  Back to bed kids!  Sorry honey, maybe I really am crazy about this weather!

Friday...I had taken Auggie to the vet on Monday and he asked me if I needed the name of a groomer. I think that was a subtle (or not so subtle) hint.  So Friday Auggie got her first haircut!  I can not even describe the fluffiness!  She didn't look like herself and I am very thankful that two days later her teddy bear look was starting to come back!

She doesn't looked thrilled with the fluff either!

Later that afternoon we visited the park by our old house and the kids insisted that Auggie try the slide.  She liked it as much as she did the bike ride!

Saturday we went to the Riverfront Museum and ended up meeting with good friends there and went out to lunch afterwards with them.  The kids had a blast and there was a lot of variety.

She built her own race car.

Kids of all ages enjoyed pushing around the special sprinkled sand

Sunday was our neighbors birthday party.  They rented a giant inflatable slide and Grant wins the award for the best toboggan!

And that was spring break.  We made the best of it and the kids stayed busy.  The only thing we really missed was Bicycle Safety Town because the weather just didn't cooperate.

Not Our Plan

I was really excited to blog about all of our fun activities over spring break.  Unfortunately, we were reminded that we are not in control.  On April 3, we unexpectedly lost Kenny Pops.  This comes just 18 months after losing Mimi.  When talking to the kids about it Elizabeth gently reminded me that we also lost Jack (our dog) not so long ago.  Needless to say we are still processing this change of events.

We buried Mimi and Pops together on April 16.  It was a very warm spring day and the cemetery reminds me of a beautiful park with rolling hills and pathways.  I look forward to being able to take the kids there someday.  We won't have the monument done until this summer.  The pastor from our church did the graveside service.  Many people got up and spoke, including a very brave husband and sister-in-law.  It was as perfect as a burial can be.  We had four gerber daisies in each of the grandkids favorite colors on the table (purple, pink, orange and green).

We hosted a Celebration of Life for Kenny afterwards at the same place we had lunch following Robin's service.  We tried our best to keep the mood light.  We had his playlist from his iPad playing and drinks and appetizers.  Our best efforts to avoid any type of receiving line forming paid off. It was a nice and relaxed, mingling atmosphere.  There were pictures and a few display tables for people to browse.  There was a place to share a memory of Kenny so we can make a memory book for the kids the way we did for Mimi.  Brandon had his best friends from both college and high school attend.  The kids were able to join us and celebrate too.  Overall, we were extremely pleased with the way the day played out.

There are a lot of emotions to work through and things that have to be handled, but we are taking things one day at a time.  The kids haven't asked too many questions.  They seem to be very accepting of the situation and because death is not unfamiliar territory to them I truly believe they comprehend.  I feel very blessed to be a part of this family.  The way Brandon and his sister work together and are able to talk things through is such a breath of fresh air. I am forever grateful for their strong relationship and smile to myself because I know it is the same for me and my brother.  It certainly doesn't take away the sting or the shock of the loss, but it is nice to know your sibling has your back and that you can rely on them for anything.  

Our family has had two wonderful people taken too early from us, but as Amber likes to tell Stella, the stars are like peepholes from heaven and they are always looking down on us.  Even in the daytime when we can't see the stars, they are still there, always keeping watch.

Fancy Nancy Live!!

There is a dinner theater not far from our home that does special children's productions throughout the year.  When my mom and I saw that Fancy Nancy was coming to the big stage we knew we had to get tickets.  We decided to take Grant, after all he does fall victim of FN bedtime stories on a regular basis!  A very rainy Saturday in April my mom and I loaded the kids up and headed north.  We stopped about an hour away from the theater to have lunch at a cute little restaurant that my parent's had visited before.  The kids had Belgain waffles with strawberries for lunch (and it had whipped cream!) so they were in heaven!  Afterwards we puts around in the next door gift shop killing some time.  We finally get on the road and it is about 12:15.  We figure we have an hour left to drive and doors probably open at 1:30, a half hour before the show...so we have plenty of time! What time do the doors open? I start digging through mom's purse to find the tickets only to discover that the doors open at 12:30...Really? An hour and a half before show time?  No, of course not, the show starts at 1:00pm NOT 2:00 PM!! "DRIVE SISTER!" were my exact words to my mom.  She wouldn't go over 80.  We were going to be late, no way around it.  So we drove 4 hours round trip, to catch 40 minutes of a 60 minute show.  One for the books!  The kids liked it and had to get all the actors autographs afterwards and thought it was a big time.  

This is what we spent our time doing in the gift shop!!

Fancy Nancy herself! 

Remember, it was a very rainy day!

Spring?

So we go from "Snow!" to "Spring?"  Nothing super exciting has really been happening, just a lot of the daily grind.  We recently switched internet providers and I am having a little difficulty getting everything synced up like before.

We are in a quiet activity lull.  Swimming is over until summer.  Grant didn't want to do spring soccer, until it was two weeks past sign up and then of course he asked me why I didn't sign him up for spring soccer!  Right now it is just gymnastics, Auggie and Brandon's crazy work schedule.  We are anxiously awaiting the warm sunny days.  We were given a bad tease and thought spring had sprung, and then snow was in the forecast again.  No snow ever came but it has been cloudy and chilly.  We are all ready for some Vitmain D from the sunshine!  I think next week we will be much happier campers.  The kids need to be outside burning off some energy.  We have hit a wall where they are really not enjoying each other's company's much (and that's being polite!).  Elizabeth is very bossy, Grant is very loud so you can imagine what it sounds like in our house when she tells him to do something he really doesn't care to do.  I am not going to lie, I have contemplated wearing ear plugs.

Meet Andi! Auggie's sister (previous litter)

Getting long legs!!

Our first run - she's going to get me ready for St.Jude!

She did not love this ride in the bike trailer...at all.  Grant's only job was to make sure that she stayed in.  Half a block up the street I can see her paws in my bike mirror.  He was trying to find a good tune on my phone and forget his job! 

She loved this ride even less!!

Elizabeth has been working hard on her reading.  Grant will be starting speech again to continue working on the sounds he struggles with.  I have been spending a lot of time training Auggie.  We are re-doing our master bedroom so that process is taking quite a bit of my attention.  But it should all be done before the kids are out of school and before we open the pool!  Brandon has had some travel, some evening engagements, but in general is just putting in a lot of hours.  We are all ready for spring break!  This year we are surprising the kids and taking them to waterpark for a quick getaway on Good Friday.  After we celebrate Easter we will have a surprise "stay cation" each day.  One day we are going down to the farm...it will be Auggie's first trip!  I think we may try ice skating one day, bicycle safety town if the weather cooperates, a museum, the zoo, etc... Fun in our own backyard!

 

Auggie is growing like crazy.  She is so much fun and has a great demeanor.  She obeys really well when there are no distractions, so we are working on behaving with distractions.  We still have some puppy biting, but it gets better each week.  She went on a short run with Elizabeth and me a few weeks ago and did pretty well.  We are still perfecting the leash walking...again a lot of distractions!  She starts puppy class at the end of April.  She loves when her sister Andi comes over to play and loves running with the big dogs next door, one day she might be able to keep up! Grant asked me last week if Auggie had stuffing inside of her!  She really does look like a teddy bear, but no stuffing, unless she has eaten some!

"Puppy" is still a favorite game to play, even though we have real one now!

The dive we have not yet perfected...but the strokes look good! Yes that is her, mid-air.

Grant's game of War while watching Lizzie swim has been perfected! 

Both front teeth gone! 

On the to-do list was clean out a few cabinets...check! 

Elizabeth and I at Beauty and the Beast - the bear was dressed as Belle. Great show! Great Xmas gift Auntie Amber! 

I guess they do sleep during a sleep-over

This was on a snow day, actually it was too icy to have school.  Swimsuits and goggles on and pretend like it's summer...with bubbles! 

Brandon and I met Bob Love (just goggle it!)

Elizabeth participated in Jump Rope for Heart and raised enough money to "pie" a teacher

Getting set for Aunt Sara's baby shower.

The Lego boat...it still floats!! 

It's still cold, but we are done with winter!! 

Frolic with the Fairies is a mother/daughter tea put on by the Jr. Women's League.  Elizabeth and I were invited to attend with one of Elizabeth's classmates.  They were kind enough to let us borrow an outfit and Ima just added an extra layer of "fluff" to lengthen it!  She even got her face painted, hair done and walked the runway.  

Julie K, famous children's musician performed and EB was first in line to get a picture with her after her show!  I wish I could find the picture of the two of them when EB was in her music class as a 9 month old! 

T-ball season is just around the corner.  Daddy is getting him all warmed up! 

This is my start to St. Patrick's Day.  A green pancake that is obviously in a shape of a shamrock.

And a little St. Paddy's Day parade fun.  The girl with the sunglasses in the background was certainly having fun as she was knocking the boys down to get candy...we thought we were in a family friendly section.  A few looks from the mothers and she got the drift and started sharing!

Next year Auggie and Andi are in the game!

And why not! No, who really wants green chicken !

"The leprechauns make me do it" shirt that was oh so appropriate for his behavior that day!

And moving on down the line....kitchen gadget drawers were cleaned out.  I am totally embarrassed to say how many whisks I own. 

The chicks are in at Big R! Auggie even went along to see them too! But I could not safely get her in the picture, as my son almost knocked down the display!

 The difference between boys and girls art....in this case fizzy art.  Yes it was 40 degrees outside and yes I made them put on a coat and socks (shoes were optional) and forced fresh air upon them and peace inside the house.

Grant 

Elizabeth (in his defense she did use cookie cutters)

 The difference in their dancing....

Crazy hat, shirt half on, won't stand still, running around like a wild man to Everything is Awesome 

Elizabeth striking a pose to Let it Go in a very dramatic rendition.