Easter

We were up bright and early with the sun on Easter Sunday. The weather was chilly and I needed to bring Graydon some gloves to warm up his fingers as he played his saxophone with our church band. They played outside the church in the dark before the sunrise service. They also played in the cemetery when we walked out there for the later part of the sunrise service. 

I feel so proud listening to him play and am so happy he’s found something he enjoys and feels passionate about. 

Of course, I made sure to get an Easter photo of these three. 

And when we are all dressed up, I must get a family photo. 

After church, we did our annual egg hunt. I love that the kids still get excited about this! 

They probably get excited because these are the prizes. 

We hid 108 eggs this year, so each of them could find 36 eggs. They get pretty competitive about this and all ran off in different directions as soon as they heard the word, “Go!”

Bella is a really fast hunter. She found her 36 eggs pretty quickly. She then hunted for more to help the boys. 

We looked and looked, but it seemed we could not find that last egg. Then we had the kids recount their eggs and it turned out that Graydon had accidentally miscounted and had one extra. Curtis picked one of Graydon’s eggs and, to Graydon’s relief, that egg only had candy in it. 

The eggs all contained candy and some had strips of paper that either said 50 cents or $1. However, one egg had a slip of paper for chocolate bunny and golden egg with $5 inside. Curtis was the winner of that egg this year! 

After the egg hunt, they still had baskets to look for. Again, Bella was very fast at finding her basket. It was hidden in the basement inside a suitcase. It only took her a few minutes to find it. 

The boys took a bit longer and ended up needing some “hotter/colder” clues. Curtis eventually found his hidden inside some bags in the upper part of the hallway closet. 

Graydon’s was hiding in the garage freezer. 

Later on, we enjoyed an Easter meal of ham, cheesy potatoes, carrots, rolls, and sparkling grape juice. And those leftovers were enjoyed well into the week! 

Graydon and Curtis's Confirmation

Graydon and Curtis confirmed their faith on Palm Sunday, April 10th. The day before, the whole group gathered to plant a tree in the church yard that was donated by a church family. 

One of the confirmation requirements is for each child to write a confirmation statement that basically states what they believe about Jesus, why they are ready to confirm their faith, and how they plan to participate in church life going forward. Getting up to speak in front of so many people can be very intimidating, but both boys did fantastic. 

It’s pretty special that our kids get to be led through confirmation by their dad. 

Our two handsome boys! 

Papa and Gaga were also able to come down and join us. 

Here is the whole confirmation class! 

Curtis's Basketball Banquet

Curtis's basketball season wrapped up in March. He loves the sport of basketball and was SO happy to be on this team. He's hoping to play again in junior high. Until then, he will settle for shooting baskets in the driveway. 

Marching On

The first day of March was a big day for a certain girl in our household. . . Bella got her driver's license!

For the sake of posterity, we took a picture of her in front of the gas price for that day. These prices already seemed really high to us. Little did we know that, less than a week later, they would be up to $4.29!

About a week before Bella was scheduled to get her license, Andy brought our old van to Honda to get a full look over - to be sure it was in safe condition for Bella to drive. Everything was tuned up, oil was changed, and tires were rotated. The van was driving good. Fast forward to a couple days later, we went to start it up and nothing. It would not start. It was not the battery. Upon closer inspection, Andy saw some broken wires. It appears a mouse got in and chewed them up. At first, Andy thought he'd make the repair himself. 

Then he saw this!

That was very discouraging. Andy was able to schedule it in to an auto place that specializes in electrical/wiring. We were preparing ourselves for a big price tag (we saw quotes online for $1,000-$1,500 for this repair). Fortunately, we spent less than $250! 

A few days after getting her license, Bella finally had her own vehicle to drive (even if it is an old minivan). 

On the evening that she got her license, she also had her basketball banquet. Three awards for Bella! Two JV awards and one Varsity award. 

The boys had their spring band concert. We got a good view of Graydon for his performance, but Curtis was in the back and we couldn't really see him. And I forgot to get a picture of the boys afterward. I'm off my game. 

This app gives me some peace of mind when Bella is out driving. 

We enjoyed a nice, long spring break. We were out of school for two weeks! While we were spending more time at home, I decided to purchase some old Nintendo games for our Wii. We got Dr. Mario and Super Mario 3. I'm not huge into video games, but these ones I find super fun. 

I've been spending a lot of time crocheting. I find it very relaxing - especially when I have a big project that is very repetitive. My current project is a cardigan. I don't mind sitting in silence, but also enjoy listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook. 

Graydon was next to me on the couch one late Spring Break morning. I looked over and saw that he had fallen asleep so I decided to take a picture.  

An hour or so later, Andy was in the living room and he saw Graydon sleeping so he decided to take a picture. Then he sent it to our family group text. 

He followed it up with this beard addition. 

Graydon edited the beard to more his liking. 

Then Curtis got in on it and drew teeth and bad breath. 

Curtis was having fun, so he did another one. 

I was struggling with my artwork, so I just added a saxophone emoji. 

Then I turned him into a dog. 

Bella made him bald!

It's March Madness time, so we each decided to fill in brackets. With Kentucky and Baylor losing so early on, it really messed up the left side of my bracket. I'm currently in last place in our household. 

The second week of spring break, I drove up to WI to help with some child care and spend time with family. My parents are the primary childcare providers of my two nephews, Branko (18 months) and Bennett (14 months). My mom, grandma, and aunts rented a house on the beach in South Carolina so I came up to help my dad with the boys. 

Here is Bennett eating his lunch alongside two very eager and expectant doggies. 

I came to help, but my dad had a really good handle on everything. These boys (and dogs) love Grandpa!

Back at home, Curtis has been helping out more and more in the kitchen. The night before, I taught him how to make chili. This night, he learned how to roast a chicken! I wish I would have taken an after picture. It was a perfect, golden roast! 

Andy turned 42 this past week! We bought him some gift cards to some of his favorite lunch spots and a few candles for his office. We also had a delicious dinner at Amazing Joe's and topped it off with homemade ice cream cake. Our entertainment for the evening was more college basketball.

Graydon played 'Happy Birthday' on his tenor sax. 

And then he made good use out of the massage chair. 

I chaperoned a 5th and 6th grade dance last night at school. This was the first dance we've had since COVID. These kids had a great time together and it made my heart so happy to see and hear all the laughter, joy, and fun that was had. If you'll notice, Curtis got a conga line going!