POLISH FEST

The kids and I went to Polish Fest with my mom while Chris was at a golf outing.

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

The kids enjoyed a Hawiian Shave Ice while they waited for Uncle Bill and Becky to get to the grounds.A nice refreshing treat on a hot summer day.We had lots of fun listening to the music and watching the Polish dancers.

Logan found the perfect spot to listen to some music.Caitlin getting ready to try her dinner.

She really enjoyed the Dill Pickle Soup.

Logan liked the Pierogis.

Shannon was very pleased to find Polish ham served in a sandwich.
She wasn't a big fan of the soup.

Before we left for the evening, we let the kids splash around on the splash pad.

They had a great time.

Shannon managed to stay fairly dry even when she went right into the middle.

Logan didn't even attempt to stay dry.
He made numerous runs right through the water spouts.

A wonderful way to spend the afternoon and learn about our heritage :)

A BUSY SPRING

This spring cetainly proved to be an extremely busy time for us.

Caitlin and Shannon both played soccer.

Yes, that is Cait's tongue hanging out. I worry she's going to bite it off sometimes.

Our niece Becky graduated from nursing school.

We had such a good time at her party and are so proud.

She already has a job and has joined the fun of the "grown up" world.

Shannon and her classmates graduated from the DARE program.

Caitlin celebrated her first communion. The service was beautiful and she looked so pretty.

Caitlin has such a fun personality...showing off her delicious cake. Logan started Little League and loves it (well once we get there at least)

He is his father's son - a sports fanatic.

It was so much fun watching the little ones.

No tee was needed by the end of the season. He consistently hit off the pitching machine. There was a little time to relax.

The kids enjoyed the hot tub.

A nice shot with mom on Mother's Day :)

Our life is definitely full and sometimes feels overwhelmingly busy.

BUT...we wouldn't trade these special times for anything!

HAPPY EASTER

The kids were up bright and early Easter morning.

Well, not Shannon, who in her "preteen" self was not too thrilled about getting up early:)

The Easter Bunny left each an empty bucket and a note for how many eggs to find.

The eggs were cleverly hidden throughout the house.

Logan found one of his in the basket on the fireplace.

Then it was time to search for baskets.
Cait's was high up on the curio cabinet. Logan's was hanging from the shower head, and a more cheerful Shannon found hers in a kitchen cabinet.
The Easter Bunny was pretty generous!

A wonderful Easter picture!

AN "EGG-CELLENT" TIME!

We finished our Easter preparations by coloring eggs and making pink, Easter cupcakes.

Logan waited patiently for his egg to dye.

Although, he liked to dye each egg multiple times in different colors.

Caitlin checked to see if this egg was just right.

We used an egg dye that included an oil that went into the dye to help make swirls on the eggs. The colors weren't especially bright but the designs were cool.

Shannon getting ready to check on her egg.The finished products...now who is going to eat all those eggs????
Then it was on to the cupcakes.
The pink frosting was very "springy" and very tasty!

A pastry chef in the making? She does love watching all the cooking shows especially the cake decorating contests. Caitlin was a speed decorator. She was on her third cupcake before anyone else had finished their first :)

Lots of sprinkles added the finishing touches!
We were ready for Easter!

QUIET TIME

Normally our house is full of activity and usually lots of noise.
Whether the kids are playing nicely together or bickering as kids sometimes do, there is always something going on.

I've come to really appreciate the quiet time in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our lives.

We bought The Princess and The Frog and Logan and Caitlin watched the ENTIRE movie laying together on the couch :)

The kids got new Webkinz for Easter and quietly shared the laptop until all 3 animals were loaded onto each account.

Last Saturday I was working in another room and found all 3 kids and the dog sound asleep in the family room. Cait and Logan were snuggled together on the chair.

Shannon and Hercules were all curled up on the couch.

Hercules is a big baby and loves to sit right with you. He loves to be right next to you.

I love the quiet times!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Chris recently celebrated his birthday.

The kids made him this gigantic birthday card.

It was really cute. The kids love going to the Dollar Store to get gifts for special occassions.

Logan is really into the dog statues they have at the store.

Everyone who has had a birthday recently has received dog statues.

I have 2 very adorable dogs sitting on my desk at work.

Chris was just as lucky and got his own dogs to decorate his desk.

Logan was very proud and very excited about his gift.

We had Chris's parents and my mom and uncle over for pizza and cake.

The silly girls helped wish their dad a very happy birthday :)

AN AFTERNOON AT THE DOMES

The show dome at The Domes currently features large scale model trains.

Caitlin and Logan have classmates whose parent's collect and run model trains as a hobby.

We visited the Domes to see their trains and the beautiful plants.The Dome is set up with an old west landscape and the trains run through it.There was even an Amtrak train.

Caitlin got to control it and did an awesome job pulling it up to the train station.My mom liked how these azalea stems were braided so the plants would look like mini trees.

Grandma, Shannon, and Logan watching the fish in the tropical dome.Many beautiful picture spots.

The colors were amazing.

The kids making a wish.

They also wondered if anyone ever cleans out the money :)

Chris and the kids.