May

I can't believe we are already so near the end of May!  Here is a quick photo update.  We have been bowling,

 had some new hair dos (so she can have it in a bun for her dance recital),

 and had our recital!

Other than that, we have been plenty busy working on our gardens, playing outside and getting ready for the end of Lizzie's first year of pre-k!  The time is just flying by fast!

Happy Birthday Lizzie!

 Our baby is 5!  She picked out her fanciest dress and helped decorate the house before the party.  Here are the kids sitting in their favorite places, waiting for the party to start.

 The beautiful cake!

 She was so excited!  It was so much fun to watch her excitement.

 As a surprise, we had rigged up a pinata for after her presents were opened and cake was served.  She was so excited, she jumped up and down. All the kids took a turn.

 Then we played some t-ball.

Marty's Birthday!

We celebrated young Marty's birthday today!  Here Lizzie and Ryan are setting up for the party.

 Here is his fancy cake.

The birthday boy, party hat on, fresh from his nap.

 Sitting with Grampy.

 Blowing out the candles!

 Mimi helps with the presents.

 Daddy puts together the new tent!  Quite a process, but instant fun for all of the kids.

 Lizzie loves it!

 When the party started, there was little to no open water on the lake.  Before the party was over, this large space had opened up!  Spring is in the air!  I have it on good authority that we were swimming on April 17 last year and the dock in by the end of April.  That means the lake has 10 days to fully thaw and warm up considerably.  Or, more likely, this could be a May swimming start year instead.

 Headed down to take a look at the ice.  We are pretty strict about the water and ice with the kids, so it is always nice when we are both home to walk the kids to the water together.

 Birthday boy!

 Big sister, she did such a great job today, she is so desperate for her birthday to arrive, only a short wait now!

 The face she gave me when I asked for a silly face (this is one of my favorites and so in keeping with her character!)

 I asked Ryan to also make a silly face, I can't make myself post that one!

Here's to another great year!

April!

We have had a string of warmer days here (though not quite warm enough to lose the hats most days).  The snow is almost entirely gone and we have started enjoying more time outside!  Hooray!  We are ready to play!  The first thing we did was start bringing the summer toys outside.  Bubbles were first on the list!  Lizzie and Martin have come up with a game that they both like. She blows the bubbles and he tries to pop them.  

Easter day we headed south to visit Mimi and Timber.  Lizzie insisted on wearing her fancy white dress (which she is actually wearing now too, over her day clothes - she loves to dress fancy!) Aunt Kate bought Marty this cute top - perfect for Easter!

 With Mimi and Timber:

 Opening Easter baskets.

 Egg hunt!  This is the first year Martin has really been able to participate.  Great fun!  Both of the kids practiced hiding and finding eggs in the days leading up to this.  A great game - they don't even care if the eggs are empty!

 You can see it wasn't our warmest Easter, but not a bad day for March.

 Then we got on our play clothes and played bubbles!

Looking forward to another great day today - Marty is 2!  Hopefully pictures of his party to come soon!

March

Here are a few phone photos to share.  I have not been great about getting the camera out this month, I am working to remember the camera in April.

Make a wish!

Last month, our family had the honor of helping the make a wish foundation grant the wish of a 6 year old from Florida. The weather was perfect, likes snow globe! Here are a few shots from the day. It was great to see the community come together, volunteering time, food, etc.