Reader boy!

We were proud of our little boy today.  He chose a book from the library that he had chosen before and had tried to read.  This week, he got to the point where he could read all the words in it completely on his own--even the tough ones.  He read it to me at breakfast, and I told him I thought his class would probably like that book, and maybe he could read it to them.  

So, he asked his teacher when he got to school, and she had him read the book to her and then the class.  He was so excited about getting to sit in the teacher's chair and share with his class.

"Tornado"

This stylin' dude is part Clone Trooper, part Batman, part Caeden, and part Super You!  Today he goes by the name "Tornado!"  He is pretty good at bubble wrap stomping!

Project Completed

I am so happy, blessed, and relieved to say that ALL of my many crochet projects for the Haiti relief offering are now completed and delivered!  Ahh, it feels so good to be completed!  I admit, my hands hurt, and I am pretty tired of crocheting!  But, I am so glad I was able to do this, and pray that every bit of the money given has gone or will go to greatly assist in Haiti.

These are my last two projects.  This baby afghan is for the sister of a lady who goes to our church--her first girl.  It was a pretty simple blanket to make, but I had some frustrations due to my lack of pay close enough attention to the pattern at the start, and also the color variations in yarn.  I was really glad to finish it up!

This was my last doily, and I think maybe my favorite of the bunch.  I like this lettering, and the picot border always evens things out nicely.  This is also for a friend at church.  It was really quick to make, and took me less than 2 days.  (It would have only taken one, if my hands hadn't been cramping.)

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to do this project, and also thankful the Lord gave me the ability to finish!

Bike Ridin' Season

We've been having near-record high temperatures here lately, and it's teasing us into thinking maybe Summer has arrived and completely skipped Spring.  The kids want to play outside all evening long.  They've been riding their bikes up and down and up and down and up and down our little sidewalk.

Sylvia is riding really well and confidently now.  She outgrew her first bike, so Annah's first is now hers.

And Daddy bought Annah a new 20" bike today!

We're loving every minute of Spring! It always makes us so thankful!

Fun with Friends

The girls each had a friend over this afternoon.

Isabella and Sylvia had fun playing ball outside with Jeremy.

Annah and Michaela played some MarioKart Wii.

Actually, all the kids took turns playing MarioKart before supper.  

(Jeremy brought home a big stack of Papa Murphy's pizza's!!)

Then we took all the kids to see the high school's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.  It's such a cute show; we all loved it!

Ah, yes, that masked man is Caeden.  He had seen a play about superheroes at school today, and didn't take the mask off all night!

Basketball Games

Annah and Sylvia both had their final basketball games this evening.  It's been a very positive experience for them, and they were sad for b-ball to come to an end so soon.

They loved going to practice and learning!

Annah said she liked the games more than the practices.

She learned a lot about the game!

And, she became a good defensive player--even against taller/older players.

Sylvia said her favorite part of basketball was getting to play with her friends.

She also said, "Mama, I am going to play basketball every year!"

She learned how to get that ball through the hoop!

Here she is waving at me during the middle of the game.  

Okay, so she may not have won MVP if they'd awarded it. ;)

The coaches were so great about giving each player opportunities to play different positions, and stopping play to explain what mistakes were made and how to do things right and by the rules.  

They were so patient and wonderful!

Here's Sylvia taking the ball down the court!

Passing to a team member...

Each girl received a Lady Mustangs t-shirt, a basketball and a backpack bag in their school colors!  

The girls were so excited and surprised!

They had to test out their new balls with a couple shots right away.

We have another reason to add to the list of why we love our school so much!  

Basketball was a great experience for the Lopshire girls!

Easter Sunday 2010

The best and most important day of any year--Easter Day!  We were glad to be able to go to church and worship our risen Lord, Jesus!

Caeden was disappointed not to find a basket from the Easter Bunny this morning before church.  I didn't want the kids going to church thinking or talking about what was in their Easter basket, and not listening at church.

Of course, Miss Sandi brought Krispy Kremes for the kids who are there early before church.  She always brings some cream filled ones specifically for Caeden.

After church there were 3 egg hunts.  Caeden got to participate in the second one, the one for preschoolers.

He picked up a lot of eggs!!

Annah and Sylvia and their friend Jillian waited for the egg hunt to start...

...and then got to work!

Annah's basket was quickly overflowing.  There were literally thousands of eggs to be collected.

Daddy felt bad that Sylvia didn't have a pretty Easter basket, but rather an ice cream bucket--until realizing it held a lot of eggs!

Caeden found the "WINNER!" paper in one of his eggs!

He was ecstatic to win a big stuffed duck and a gallon of goldfish crackers!
All day, he kept saying, "I can't believe I won!"

We had no chance for a perfectly posed family Easter picture.  When we got home and all the pretty hair was already mussed, it was quite windy, Daddy had to unpack groceries from the car, and the kids were holding all their winnings.
Still, the girls cupcake outfits Gram made them were adorable; they received many compliments at church.
(And people have learned by now not to ask if Mommy made them; they know it was Gram!)

Upon going inside, the kids discovered the Easter Bunny had brought a basket for them while we were at church.  (Or really, when Mommy was the last one to leave the house on the way to church.)
They were really, really excited to find Marshmallow Peeps, plastic eggs with jelly beans, Reece's peanut butter eggs, pencil erasers, a Psalty CD, a Wii game, and a Disney DVD!

And, light-up yoyo's!

We had a nice lunch, I took a nap, and Jeremy continued teaching the girls how to play Monopoly.  (They'd started a game the night before.)  Then they played SkipBo and Bunco, while Caeden tested out the new Deca Sports 2 Wii game and discovered he's pretty good at Kendo.  This evening we all watched The Princess and the Frog together. 

I'm so thankful for memorable days together as a family.  We are blessed!

All Day at Home!

It feels like it's been a while since we had a day where all 5 of us were home together with nowhere to go, but today was such a day!  I love days like that!

The kids and I dyed Easter eggs.  (They had done them at Gram's house over Spring Break too, but we didn't get any pictures.  And, of course, Krampa sent extra eggs from his chickens home with us.) 
The kids like being surprised when I decorate the eggs with white crayon and they can't see the design until the eggs come out of the dye. 

Jeremy brought the tulips home for us yesterday when I sent him to the store.  He's a thoughtful guy.

We really enjoyed this beautiful Spring day!

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The girls excitedly spent the afternoon planning an Easter party in their room.  At 4:30 we all were welcomed with a formal introduction into the party.  There was an egg hunt (limit 5 eggs per person), and prizes.  Inside some eggs were handwritten scripture excerpts from the Easter story.  Annah spent a lot of time looking them up, and writing them out!

Inside the closet was a cross walk--like a cake walk, 

but instead of a cake for a prize it was a cross/Easter theme.

The music for the cross walk came from the lid to the girls musical teapot.  

If you were standing on the number Sylvia drew when the music stopped, 

you got to choose a prize from the prize pile on the rocking chair.

Daddy always find some way to be the life-of-the-party.  Such an attention seeker! 

Annah and Sylvia love to spend time planning parties and welcoming us into their room for fun.  Caeden was incredibly excited every time he won something and got to choose a prize!

5 Green & Speckled Frogs

Caeden learned another fun song at school this week...!

 And it's so cute, I had him sing it again...

Driveway Gravel

A massive dump truck pulled into our driveway today and dumped about 28,040 pounds of gravel in two big piles!  The kids were excited to watch the dumping, and couldn't wait to help spread the gravel over the driveway.

And they had fun playing on the piles too.

Our neighbor kids joined in the fun, and also helped with the work.

Jeremy and the kids got it ALL spread today--by hand, with only shovels, buckets, and the neighbor's wheelbarrow. 

It's great to have gravel there again though--instead of mud and puddles.  Yay!