Great Friends Weekend

This weekend I got to hang out with a different group of friends each night and it was so fun. Friday night I had some girlfriends over to my house for "Girls Night In". Anita, Lori, Brenda, Heather, and I enjoyed girl talk and sharing beauty tips. Then on Saturday I headed up to Madison to spend time with Sarah, Greg, Jeff, Charity, and Adam. We played a game, had a great dinner, and went out on the town. I headed home early Sunday morning to reunite with my family and go to church. Sunday night we had some friends over that we used to hang out with every weekend. Greg, Jonah, David, and David's new wife Rachel came over for pizza and we played Settlers for old time's sake.

Jadon's 4th Birthday

On his actual birthday, Jadon came downstairs to find some presents from his parents and grandparents. He got legos, clothes, and a 2-wheel bike. He had so much fun learning how to ride it and I had a blast watching him. He's so cute riding his big boy bike! The next day was his special day in preschool. He wore his crown, helped Mrs. Pitsch with calendar, and all the kids sang happy birthday. He's been loving all the special attention.

Jadon is wearing a special shirt my friend Lori made for his birthday. It has an attached cape and sash. With his safety gear on, he looked ready to battle the bad guys.

The kids liked the m&m's and I appreciated getting summer clothes for Jadon.

Here's Jadon holding the flag for the pledge.

Snack time!

Jadon's Superhero Birthday

Jadon turns 4 on Monday, so we had a party for him and his friends this Saturday. We played a Guess the Superhero game and the kids decorated Superhero costumes. Then we had snacks and headed outside to play a kryptonite relay race and superhero tag. After that, Jadon opened presents and we had cake and ice cream. The rest of the day we hung out and played with Jadon's new things. It was a special day and we love our birthday boy!

Jadon enjoyed learning how to ride his new scooter. I love the tongue hanging out for concentration!

Princess Banquet

Friday night, Deb, Amie, Kylie, Leah, and I went to a Princess of the King Banquet at our church. It was so fun to see everyone dressed up and I especially enjoyed watching Leah hold hands and play with Kylie. We had a nice dinner, played some table games, saw a skit, and then heard a speaker. During the talk, all the little girls went into a different room to make bracelets and learn how to dance. Leah came out of there twirling and running around. She had the time of her life.

Jones Gathering

On Sunday, Vicki and Keith had another Jones party at their house. We celebrated Amie's birthday and Cindy had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We enjoyed just hanging out and watching the Master's too.

Betty Sels' Party

Saturday night we went to Betty's 80th Birthday Party. We hung out with Jeff and Charity and other family members, had a nice dinner, and then played a Eucre tournament. Brian was the big winner. Afterwards we went out on the town with Brant, Amie, Dale, and Nancy. It was nice having Dale and Nancy back in town.

Morning in Dixon

On Saturday morning, Anita and I took our kids to downtown Dixon. We had a snack at the Baker St. Cafe, browsed the Next Picture Show art gallery, and then walked over to the Fire Station to see a mural that our friend Heather recently finished in their garage. It was very cool. We stopped by the bookstore and then walked along the updated riverfront. The weather was gorgeous and it was such a fun Saturday morning.

Easter Morning

The kids woke up and hunted for their baskets and eggs. Then we went to church. Afterwards the kids searched for more eggs in the backyard and we had a delicious ham dinner. What a great weekend!

Here's Rachel, Flint, Stephanie, and Claire.

Beauty and the Beast

On Saturday, my mom, Stephanie, Claire, Rachel, Jadon, and I headed downtown Chicago to see a live performance of Beauty and the Beast. The kids loved the train rides and taking taxis and we all enjoyed a nice lunch at the Atwood Cafe. The kids sat on our laps during the performance so they could see better. Jadon loved it, especially watching the Beast, Gaston, and the fight scenes. What a fun, memorable day! Thanks Mom!

The Feast

Friday night we went to my parent's house to kick off the Easter weekend festivities. The kids played so nicely together and my mom kept it really fun by having some new toys for them. My dad prepared quite the spread of fruit, cheese, bread, and other fun snacks. We all agreed that dinner doesn't get any better. That evening we colored eggs with the kids.

Eli's Motorcycle Party

Jadon's friend Eli turned 4 and had a fun party on Friday morning. The kids each brought a motorcycle and had show-n-tell. Then we played bingo with popcorn and ate other fun snacks. We had cake and Eli opened his presents. The kids played outside for a while and finished up with a pinata in the garage. Great party Lori!

What a cool cake!

Here's the birthday boy starting off show-n-tell.

Jadon loved hitting the pinata with all his might.

Leah enjoyed swinging, but wore herself out. Jadon and I thought it was pretty cute that she fell asleep on the way home holding her balloon.

Ahhh, Spring!

We were blessed with beautiful, warm days over Spring break, and Thursday was the best. It got up to 80 and even felt like summer. We opened up the sandbox and played quite a bit in the backyard. I've been dealing with an achilles injury in my left foot, which I reaggrevated last Sunday, so it's killing me that I can't get out and run.

Leah didn't like how the sand felt and would say "icky" every time she touched it, but hopefully she'll get used to it.

We had a little Monster Truck rally.

Here's a random shot of Leah in the jammies that jumpstarted her love for Spongebob.

Discovery Center with the Petersons

On Wednesday I took the kids to Clinton with Krista and her kids. We played at the Discovery Center for a couple hours, then had a picnic and played at a park down by the river. We all had fun and it was a beautiful day.

The kids all dressed up as Superman and Supergirl and then helped dress Krista as a clown.