We had a wonderful weekend kicking off the camping season. We took our first trip of the year, to Defeated Creek campground on Cordell Hull Lake. The weather was BEAUTIFUL all day yesterday (just rained after it got dark), and we went with lots of friends, so the kids had plenty of playmates. Jake and Daddy went fishing all day, and mom and I watched the kids play on the playground forever. After lunch all the kids wanted to go “wading” (which ALWAYS turns into swimming), so we took them down to the beach. The water was about as warm as an ice cube, but of course none of them cared…..I don’t think kids feel temperature like adults do! 🙂 They played for hours in the sand and in the water, and they ALL slept like rocks that night! 

Jack and Drew became fast friends on this trip-they just played and played together with trucks and cars. 🙂

This was as close as I got to the water! 

After Jake and Daddy got back, Pappy and I took the kiddos fishing. They caught about 8-9 brim between them! It was a good fishing day. Highlight of Jack’s whole trip: getting to drive the boat all by himself! 🙂

Today we made the most of it before it was time to leave. It was a LOT colder outside today, so we spent a lot of time by the fire, watching the kiddos ride bikes and scooters and shoot bow and arrows. Highlight of the whole trip for Josie: getting to ride bikes around the campground with the big girls, WITHOUT any grown ups! She’s never gotten to do that before, and she felt so big. 🙂

This was a great trip-we are already ready to go again! 🙂

Dear Jack, 

This has been a big month for you! We went from playing in the snow, to full-blown spring mode. I’m not sure which you prefer, because as long as you can ride your bike, you are happy, and you rode your bike in the snow, and you ride your bike every day now. 🙂

This month….

• Mommy went to Dallas for 2 nights, and you spent all your time with Daddy. You were excited, because you LOVE having “Daddy days.” 

-You love spending the night with people now. This month you spent the night with Mee-Maw once, with Grammy and Pappy once, and with Nana once. You are so blessed to have so many awesome grandparents in your life!

• You had a really quick fever- it only lasted for about 6 hours, but then you had a cold for about a week and half. It didn’t slow you down, though!

-You, Josie, and I went to see the movie “Cinderella” with our friends from church, the Seavers. You love going to the big “movie theAeeter.” 

-We celebrated Easter with your cousins with our big annual egg hunt at our house-you had a BLAST searching for eggs, and comparing with Matthew. You actually know what you’re doing now. 🙂

-You looked so handsome in your bow-tie that Ta made you for Easter Sunday. You were proud to wear it. You are learning so much in your Sunday School class. You told me, and anyone else who would listen, all about the empty tomb, “Because God’s not dead, He’s alive!”

-You, Josie, and I were in a small wreck on the interstate. A tractor trailer truck changed lanes and bumped our car. Luckily no one was hurt at all, it was just a little scary! 

• We had a great Spring break. I tried on all your summer clothes from last year, and discovered you FINALLY had outgrown the summer clothes you wore for two years straight! So we did some Goodwill shopping to find you some shorts for summer. (You are still in mostly 2T shorts and 3T shirts-tiny, tiny squirt.) We also went to the zoo with your friend Isaac Henry! You love IH so much, and you two are the sweetest friends. 🙂 We went to the greenway twice for Mommy to jog, and you got to have stroller rides and play on the playground, two things that you love. 

-You help us BIG time in our garden. You love to haul things to the fire pit in your little wheelbarrow, and you and Josie shoveled and hauled a ton of dirt to our garden beds! You really love anything that involves being outside and getting dirty! 

-You also love to help me cook and set the table. You love helping me swap the laundry, and you are good at matching socks. 🙂 You can help put your laundry away, and you feed Bert all by yourself. You can clear your plate from the table, and know how to put your jacket, hat, and shoes away when you come in. You can pick out your own clothes and get dressed all by yourself. You are learning to make your bed. You are getting to be SUCH  a big boy! 

-You NEVER stop talking. You tell big stories, all the time, and are always pretending something. I just love your little voice, and I love the way you still mispronounce some of your words. One of my favorite things you said this month is, “My need to go to a quiet room to think. My being a grown-up.” 

-Other things you love: books, me “pat-patting” you before bed, all your sleeping buddies (bear named Fuzz ball, an otter named Donut, 2 dogs- one named Ice Cream, one named Brownie, a dolphin named Dolphie, a green star blanket, and blue frog blanket- your bed is getting full!), riding your bike, Bible stories on CD (you can’t go to bed without them!), swinging, Legos, monster trucks, cars, the snowboarding game on Daddy’s iPad, the movie Big Hero 6, anything the color green (or brown, or “tamaflauge), pretending we are “injas” (ninjas), playing “Mario walk” with Daddy, “joking” with people, and taking baths. 

-You have finally started eating, a LOT, on a consistent basis. I don’t know if it is Spring, or you are just finally hungry, but maybe it means you are going to have a growth spurt. 🙂

Little boy, you are the sweetest, most loving, funniest little boy I know. I love you to the moon and back! 

Love, 

Mommy

Today is my sweet Nana’s birthday. I have no clue what my life would look like without my Nana in it. She has always been such a vital part of my life, and I am so glad she is such a vital part of my kids’ lives, too. They love their Nana as much, if not more, than they love me and Jake, and that is JUST how it should be. 🙂 She spoils us all rotten-and when I say ALL, I mean the whole family! We all are so, so blessed to have our Nana in our lives. Happy Birthday, Nana!!! 

Well, we have been checking bucket items off our Spring break list every day. 🙂 The  one thing the kids always want to do on Spring break is to go to the zoo. So Wednesday we made that happen. We picked up Katie Ann on the way, and met Jack’s friend Isaac Henry there. We all had a great time-it was a perfect day to be at the zoo-not very crowded, and it didn’t rain at all, even thought they called for it in the forecast. 

Sweet IH-I love this kid. 

Jack’s favorite part- the alligators! 

I love all these crazy kids!

These two are such sweet friends.

And this is probably the reason I have procrastinated taking Jack’s four year old pictures… whenever you ask him to smile, or take a picture, he does this goofy-tucking-his-lip smile. I love this kid…… 🙂

So proud of this girl-last year she was deathly afraid of this net! This year, she was running down it. 

Another bucket list item- running every day. I have jogged every day except the zoo day, and I walked a lot that day, so I didn’t feel so bad. 🙂 Josie has been wanting to ride her bike on the greenway, so I took the kiddos, and Josie rode her bike and I pushed Jack in the stroller. He also rode his scooter a bit. Josie did so good riding- she rode every bit of the 3 miles, and probably could have kept going for several miles more! 🙂

Yesterday I got to pick up my newly repaired car-the guys at Ridgetop Collision Center did such awesome, FAST work! 

And I was so glad to have my car back!

Today I finally finished painting my shutters that I stared painting two years ago…..yes, you read that right-TWO years ago. I don’t procrastinate everything, but for some reason I just kept putting this particular task off for later. Pathetic, I know, but that’s real life. 

I always love Spring break, just because it is so nice to get random little tasks and chores done, run errands so easily, and just hang out at home. 🙂 It’s over too fast!