Matthew and the Volcano

Evelyn did a project for the school science fair when she was in first grade. Ever since then, Matthew has talked about how he wanted to make a volcano for the science fair when he got to school. He was so excited when talk of this year's science fair started, and he was ready to build his volcano and blow stuff up! With the help of his awesome daddy and the rest of us, he pulled it off and did a great job!

Doug made the cage and the plan was for Matthew to paper mache the volcano together

For some reason, tho, he just did NOT want to do it. He was really fussy and whiny about it, so Evelyn and I just went ahead and did it. We had fun at least!

Matthew wanted to be in a picture with the final product. :) To his defense, he woke up a few hours after going to bed with a high fever. That probaby explains some of the fussiness. Poor buddy. Thankfully it was short lived.

After the paper mache was set, it was time to paint! Matthew had SO much fun with this part, and did quite a good job, too, with only a little help from daddy!

Then it was time for explosives....sort of! Doug used saw dust and an air compressor to simulate an eruption. Matthew thought it was brilliant and was happy to help as much as he could!

Doug filmed Matthew talking about and "setting off" the volcano and then edited it to make a looping video to run on the tablet at the science fair itself.

My boy at the fair. His "booth" got a lot of attention and was a fan favorite for the entire science fair. We are so proud of him for all of the work he put into his project and for learning lots and having fun along the way!!

First Baseball Game

Last night was the first baseball practice for Matthew's team, and today was the first game! The kids don't even have their uniforms yet but were still ready to play

My sweet boy....

These two have been friends since birth!

My boy had a big hit on his very first at-bat!

Ready in the outfield!

Matthew already seems to have improved since last year. We are excited to watch him play and grow more as the season goes on!

Baseball Starts!

It's baseball season again... and Matthew could NOT be happier! Once again we are playing with our buddies from church thru Westview Little League (we will move to Murrayhill LL next year). The first practice was tonight and it went well. The kids are adorable and ready to play in their first game!

Good friends are the best friends to play ball with!

Let's play ball!! :)

A Fun Afternoon

So.... our Spring Break (last week) was marred by Evelyn being super sick (she actually had mono.. poor baby! We thought it was strep throat (her strep test came back positive but the doc thinks that was secondary) but it was worse than that. Thankfully she is better!) and the weather being not super great. This week, of course, was beautiful! I asked the kids if they wanted to take a day off from school and do something fun (like go to the beach, etc) but they both said NO! They didn't want to miss school. Crazy kids...although I think it's great that they love school and know it is important! So instead we headed out after school today to Commenwealth Park to walk, see the ducks and play.

A Starbucks stop was certainly in order!

Those are baby ducks with their momma...so cute!

I love these two!

Evelyn's reaction to almost getting pooped on by a duck! :)

Lots of playground time was had!

My sometimes pensive little man...

On the way home the kids said it was the best afternoon ever! I love this time with them and being out in this lovely weather!

Evelyn Gets Braces!

We have known for a while now that Evelyn would most likely need some orthodontic work to help get her teeth straight. In February her dentist felt like it was time to get a consult and start planning for it. The orthodontist said that even tho Evelyn still has plenty of baby teeth yet to lose, it was time to work on what she could while the rest of her mouth grows. She had concerns about Evelyn's front teeth in particular and their safety as they protrude out farther than her nose. It was decided to start on "Phase 1" now, which involved braces just on the top front teeth. Once she looses the rest of here baby teeth, we will start "Phase 2".

Today was the day to start!

I may be bias, but I think she is beautiful! Just a couple of shots of her "pre-braces!"

Matthew asked me to put these pics of him in this post to show his teeth. Silly boy!

On our way into Dr. Walker's office. She was a little anxious but also trying to take it all in stride.

An hour later, it was done! She was very brave and did a great job!

After a milkshake and some ibuprofen, she ate a soft dinner and headed to bed, a little sore and feeling "weird"! I totally remember that feeling! Here's to a good start to our orthodontic adventure!

Easter 2016

It's been a while since I have posted... January 26th...yikes! I can assure you that there wasn't any monunmentous event that has been missed. 

Easter!! My favorite holiday of the year, celebrating my salvation and Christ's resurrection! I hosted again this year... I think it's going to officially be "mine" now..yay! Even though it can be a lot of work to host 20 some people, I love it and am happy to open my home to celebrate!

It was a little chilly and my kids weren't exactly thrilled to go outside to get their pictures taken. Here are the best ones...

Love these two!

The cousins are always fun to be around and they enjoy having a table to themselves.

I didn't get a photo of the table or main course fare this year, but I did get a shot of the desserts. I made a carrot cake and a super yummy berry trifle that was a huge hit. 

The day wouldn't be complete with out a cousin egg hunt. 

Thankful for a lovely day with my amazing family. Happy Easter!