they said yes to the dress

Elle's first Easter was two weeks after she was born. She had to miss church because I was in the hospital for an appendectomy, but that's another story.

Chris took it upon himself though to get her first Easter dress and has done so ever since. He has also done this for Reese. He decided girls should always have one dress from their daddy. Last year they added to this tradition by making a shopping trip together to pick them out. Tonight they went shopping for this year's dresses. I hope this is a tradition that they cherish and hold special in their hearts. Tune in Easter Sunday for the finished look!

  

days with reese

This school year I've been able to spend M, W, and F mornings with just Reese. This has been a special time for us to play and just focus on her. Especially since she'll have her baby boy to contend with soon. She's actually a lot more into babies than Elle ever was and even put a doll up her shirt so she had a baby in her tummy too. She's a girlie girl, and loves shoes of all kinds and jewelry. She's a good helper with chores, and it's been nice to just have one to run errands with if we need. She's getting so big lately!         

a.r.t. In elle's class

Today I taught an art lesson to Elle's second grade class. They don't have an art teacher at Chisholm so they have a curriculum they use that's brings in parents 4 or 5 times a year to teach a lesson. The teachers then have a special plan time together. All of the lessons focus on an artist. Today I taught about Henri Matisse and we specifically focused on his painting "Goldfish."

 

I found this wonderful interactive website called Matisse for kids and was able to use this to introduce Matisse and what his artwork was famous for. Here's the link:  https://artbma.org/flash/F_conekids.swf

After learning that Matisse loved bright colors that are complementary, and patterns, line, and form the class made a goldfish of their own. We used tissue paper instead of paint. This helped to talk about how later in life Matisse had difficulty painting and would make collages with paper.

Then we finished up with color goldfish crackers for a snack!

The mom who was supposed to be my helper couldn't make it so I asked our sitter, Ally, to come and help. It's good practice for her since she's a teacher candidate at OC, and Elle loved having her come!

 

 

 

 

Reese found the lesson so entertaining!

It was a good experience overall, and I got to know some of her classmates better. Probably the funniest part was how many of Elle's friends came up to her and said how much Reese looks just like her.

current state of the house

We've had to rearrange a bit upstairs to make room for baby brother. Or Reese's "Baby Boy" as she's been calling him. She'll pat my tummy and say "you've got my baby boy in your tummy."

Anyway, Reese got a new bed that Chris made like the two other loft beds. That wouldn't fit in the room that the girls shared, so they've moved to the spare bedroom. We were going to slide the crib into Todd's room, but it wouldn't fit with his bed and dresser so they're moving to what the girl's room was. The boys room is now the spare/guest room.

You know those tile puzzles where you can't move one piece before you move another? That's what it's been like. One tile, or piece at a time. Below are some pics of the mess we've gotten ourselves into. It's now moved around more, but there's still work to do. I will post final pictures soon I hope!

Reese's new bed:

   

in the past 6 months...

A lot has happened since that trip to the cabin in the last post. The biggest thing is that we're having another baby due June 19th!

If you look close you can see the profile of Baby Boy! Todd is so excited to have a brother. He's been very sweet praying for him, and asking to be the first one to hold him. He can't wait to share a room, but we'll see once the baby's actually here. Now it's just time to find a one syllable, double letter name. Stay tuned!

colorado 2016

First thing first, we sold the Waco house on our way out of the state.

Then we hit the road for Colorado.

Some of the kids favorite activities were digging in the dirt, driving the jeep, playing on their beds behind the curtains in the cabin, and climbing kid mountain. Elle was so proud of herself for getting to the "princess chair" by herself. That's the part of the mountain that Aunt Elaine would play on when she was a little girl. Todd was so brave and went all the way to the top by himself. Reese got some time to drive the jeep this year too. She'll be ready to go next year.

We took the kids up to the top of the reservoir and to the flumes to show them what their Great-Grandad helped design, and the reason we get to enjoy the cabin each year.

We went on a couple of little hikes. We've got to condition them so nothing too long.

We celebrated the 4th with the annual parade. This year Chris, Elle and Todd rode on the fire truck. They loved getting all the candy too! Chris also got a chance to preach at church on Sunday. He did a wonderful job!

legos all day

Summer 2016 will be known as the summer of legos. If we're home, all the kids do from the time they get up until they go to bed is play legos. They mix and match from each other's stash, and even discovered that the little legos will connect to the Duplos to make more creations. It's been a great activity on long car trips. We discovered a cheaper and more fun activity was to go to the Lego Store and fill up a cup with whatever colors and shapes they want. I treasure these times of their shared interests... but not stepping on the legos that don't get put away.