Superhero Day!

So, it was National Super Hero Day on Monday. Didn't know such a thing existed, but why not? A friend told me that today you could take your children to Whataburger dressed up like a superhero and they could get a free kid's meal. While, the free stuff didn't stop there. They had face painting, a prize wheel, and a balloon artist. It worked out great for me because I didn't have to cook and the kids LOVED it. We pulled out Ian's Halloween costume from last year and the girls both wore their super hero capes. Ian was pretty excited about the free pair of sunglasses he won and the girls loved getting their faces painted.

 

Andy was running a bit late getting home from work tonight, so the kids went to mutual with me for a bit. The girls definitely got lots of attention because of their super cool painted faces. I'm going to have to keep my eyes out for this event next year. We're fans!

Shrine Circus

Last Friday we went to the Shrine Circus with the Mackays. Every year they come to the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, which isn't too far from us. Last year, I actually went on a field trip with Rachel to the circus. This year we decided to go as a family. It's definitely a lower budget circus, but the kids still love it. They've got animals, acrobats, and motorcycles. What more could they want??? We went expecting to pay to get in. I stood off to the side with the kids while Natalie and Andy went to buy tickets. A sweet Shrine Circus worker came up to the cute couple (Natalie and Andy) and offered them free tickets. They motioned over to me with the rest of the crew and he gave them enough for all of us to get in. So, we ended up not even having to pay. Shows you what a cute pregnant belly will do... ;) 

Rachel and Ian ready for the show to begin:

Audrey excited that the music has started:

Ian definitely enjoyed the show and was very excited the whole time:

The one picture I took of the actual show:

All five kiddos:

Our family:

The Mackays, minus Craig, who had to work that evening:

We definitely had a fun night. The weather was actually really nice. I was worried about it being too hot, but we had a bit of a breeze that helped out. We were a bit disappointed with where we sat. Most of the time the entertainers faced the other side of bleachers. Next time we go, we'll make sure to sit on that side. But there were benefits because it wasn't as crowded on our side, so the kids had plenty of room to wiggle around. Everyone enjoyed the show!

Audrey's Preschool Open House

Audrey's Preschool Open House was last night. We had so much fun attending the program that was put together for the parents and seeing her hard work displayed in her classroom. We have had such a positive experience at Methodist Day School. Audrey's LOVED it. She's grown so much this year and learned so much as well. She's definitely ready and excited for kindergarten in a few months... Here's Audrey ready to perform:

 

There are 4 classes of 4 year-olds at her preschool. They sang some really cute songs (obviously a jungle-theme). Audrey looks fabulous and the boy next to her will just make you giggle:

 

 

After the program, we all got to go tour around her classroom. Audrey had fun showing us the projects she has worked on this year. She's made a really good friend in another class, named Alicia. I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of them together. They have lots of fun together at recess and during Open Door time when they get to go do different activities in other classrooms. She really likes scheduling a "tea party" with Alicia. I'm glad she's made a good friend and hope she's able to next year in kindergarten as well...

Some of Audrey's creations:

Audrey's favorite day of school was the day they got to go on pony rides:

I'm so grateful for Audrey's positive experience she's had this year!

Easter Sunday

Above are the kiddos in their Easter best at the Houston temple. Rachel had a photo shoot there last Friday for her baptism pictures. After she was done, I made the kids get in their Easter outfits and took a few pictures. Ok, so I took a lot of pictures and got one decent one. It was hot and they just wanted to go meet Dad for lunch.

On Easter Sunday the kids woke up to their baskets full of goodies. They each got a few little trinkets and treats along with a swimsuit and a DVD. I think the girls were most excited about their EOS lip balm. The Easter bunny is so smart!

 

All three of them sporting their swimwear for this summer:

Ian already enjoying his chocolate bunny:

 

The kids then enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in our backyard:

We then made it to church on time, pretty good for a 9 am church start... :) 

That evening we had the Mackays and Bills over for Easter dinner. This has become a tradition and it's always lots of fun. The kids enjoy getting out some energy by playing with each other and the parents enjoy good conversation. I'm grateful for Allie who remembered to have us take a picture: 

Dyeing Easter Eggs

We dyed Easter eggs tonight and Dad was even home! This is a tradition that our kids love. Andy always thinks I let the kids do way too many, but we usually have pretty good luck with consuming all the hard boiled eggs within a week. It helps that we all like them...except Ian. And it wouldn't be as much fun if they just did 4 each. Growing up I remember my brothers and I each did a dozen; that's 5 dozen eggs. I have a feeling some got chucked at the end of the week, but eggs aren't that expensive... :)

Anyhow, here are the kiddos busy dyeing their eggs:

Being silly:

No more pictures, please!!!

We definitely had fun! Now everyone's very anxious to hunt for the eggs tomorrow morning...

Good Friday Fun

Today was a good day. A busy day, but a good day. Rachel had the day off from school. We drove up to the Houston temple in the morning to have some baptism pictures taken. We're anxious to see how they turned out!!!

And of course, the other two couldn't be left out of getting their pictures taken. Audrey really thought the plants behind this bench were really pretty, so she wanted me to take a picture:

I then I grabbed a picture of Ian as well:

Audrey, Ian, and I wandered around the temple grounds for a bit while Rachel was photographed.

After pictures we met Daddy for lunch and Ian enjoyed his first frosty:

After lunch, we headed home for Ian's nap. The girls were insist on "selling things". So, they got busy drawing pictures and making fortune tellers. Luckily we also had some homemade cookies to sell. We didn't get much business, so there was plenty of time to play... 

 

Luckily a neighborhood friend stopped by and bought all our cookies (thank you!) and then when Daddy got home from work he bought some pictures and fortune tellers:

I'm definitely going to be glad when the idea of "selling things" wears off... Andy decided to mow the lawn since he was home a bit earlier than usual and then we could have our Saturday to play! I love these pictures of Ian and Andy. A picture can say a thousand words. I'll keep it brief, but these pictures say: "I look up to my daddy so much and I'm so lucky to have the daddy I do. He's going to teach me how to be a hard worker and so many other things that I need to know. I want to be just like him some day."

 

Spring Dance Recital

Audrey chose to take another semester of dance classes. Once again, she had Miss Kristen and did ballet and tap. She LOVES Miss Kristen and loves going to dance. I was a bit disappointed this semester with how big her class was, but we just got lucky last time... And then an actual recital with costumes didn't occur, due to some scheduling conflicts at the YMCA. Kind of a bummer. The parents were invited in the last 20 minutes of their last class and they performed the dances they had been working on. Audrey was disappointed about not getting a dance costume, but overall she was fine with it. We'll see if we do dance at the YMCA again. If Audrey wants to, we will, because I want her to have fun and enjoy it. This is for her! She still got to put make up on though, so she was pretty stoked about that. :)

My cute dancer before the performances:

 

Ballet performance:

Tap performance:

Receiving a certificate of completion:

Her entire class:

A picture with Miss Kristen:

Easter Egg Hunt

Our church held their Easter egg hunt a week early this year. Things were done a bit differently than past years. Most of the eggs were empty. Some had trinkets and candy. The kids then all got a bag of candy at the end. It worked. I think my kids would have enjoyed having the candy in their eggs more, but that's just what they're used to. It was still exciting for them, because they did have the anticipation of a trinket possibly being in the egg. This was also the first year Ian really got into (I don't think he was walking quite yet last year), so it was fun to see his excitement. And he definitely gathered the most eggs, since he had the least amount of competition in his age group. Ian quickly figured out that a lot of the eggs were empty. So, he would shake the egg first and if it didn't make any sound, he'd put it back down. :) The kids definitely enjoy this Easter egg hunt every year!