Easter Blessings 2014

This year we spent Easter at home. We woke up Easter Sunday, had breakfast, and headed off to church. It turned out to be a gorgeous day of warm weather and partly cloudy skies. In the afternoon Papa Ron and Grandma Claudia stopped over to deliver some Easter goodies, and have an egg hunt.

Arizona Adventure 2014

We just returned from our sunny adventure in Arizona. Randy, Blake, Bennett, and I all headed southwest for 5 days of relaxation. Marlee stayed home with a sitter, as she is getting a bit too wiggly for the 3.5 hour plane ride. We had many adventures while we were on our trip. Here are just a few of the things we did- * We spent lots and LOTS of time in the outdoor pool. * While Randy was in meetings, the boys and I went to the Goldfield Ghost Town. There we went on a mine tour, made our way through the Mystery Shack, and went on a train ride around the town. Blake and Bennett are pictured below with the Superstition Mountains in the background. Also, they took a "silly" photo with the new friends that they made at the conference we attended. * We went to Butterfly Wonderland where we got to see 1,000s of butterflies flying around us. Some even wanted to land on us! * We went to a Brewers Spring Training game where we sat right behind the dugout, got 3 baseballs thrown to us, and even got a Brewers player's autograph! * Spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Gronos who are wintering in AZ. * We ate some yummy treats like ice cream! *The view of the Camelback Mountains (which Blake insisted on hiking to the top of despite what his worrisome mother said) was spectacular! We had such a fabulous vacation, and we can't wait to go back to Arizona again!

Mother's Love Program

Bennett and his classmates invited all of the moms in for a Mother's Love program this last week at school. They presented each mom with a crown and a puzzle that they made that said "I Love You to Pieces." They also sang us some songs, like "Skid-a-ma-rink-a-dink-a-dink!"It was a very cute little concert that sure made us moms feel extra LOVED!

100 Days Smarter

Blake celebrated his 100th day of school last week. Each student was supposed to dress like they were 100 years old. Blake had his character down pat.

How We Beat the Winter Blues

This year has been a doozy for getting outside and burning some of that little boy energy. We have had several days off of school due to the frigid temperatures. When you have rambunctious boys in the house, you have to find something for them to do, or a mom could really go crazy! Here is what we did to beat the winter blues: When you can't go outside to play in the snow, why not bring the snow inside? Thanks for the idea Stephanie! The boys had fun digging for their cars and driving them through the snow. Blake also really enjoyed painting the snow with his watercolors. They made a "cabin" fort under the kitchen table. They completed the inside of the cabin with only the necessities, like pictures, a rock, and pretzels! Hopefully this cold snap will come to an end soon so that we can get back outside and enjoy the Wisconsin winter weather!

First Visit from the Tooth Fairy

We had our first visit from the tooth fairy a few nights ago! Blake lost his first tooth, and was he ever excited! His tooth had been loose for a while, and we could already see the new tooth behind the old one. I thought he would have lost his first tooth a lot sooner considering he had his first tooth at 4.5 months! We are sure there will be more toothless smiles in the very near future, as the other bottom tooth is also loose!

Blake Turns 6!

Inquisitive, creative, silly, sweet, caring, adventurous. These six words describe our now six year old, Blake Marcus! He was so excited when I told him that he would now have to use both hands when showing how old he is. We love you lots, Blakers! Happy birthday! Blake had a fun morning celebrating at the YMCA in Eau Claire with a few of his kindergarten buddies. They went swimming, played basketball, and then ate a birthday lunch at Culver's complete with custard! Randy also thought this was an adventurous day, as the car battery died upon getting ready to leave the YMCA. Not fun when you have 4 hungry boys who are tired and ready to eat. Luckily, on of dad's that came along to help out had jumper cables in his car and they charged up the battery. In the evening we had a family birthday celebration with Grandma Claudia and Papa Ron. We ate cake and ice cream and Blake opened his gifts. It was a busy and exciting day! We hope you had a fun birthday Blake!