game day

they were so excited to wear their jerseys for the first time in a game, but not the sweatshirts so much. (mason's sweatshirt is tucked into his pants giving him an unfortunate bulge.)

mason loves being coached by daddy

maddux smiles the whole time he plays.

mason is doing much better with coach pitch than we were expecting. he is quite the little batter!

the siblings manage to keep themselves busy too.

baseball season is so fun. i don't mind sitting outside where the other kids can play too. love.

food truck rally

some friends were launching a food truck business and hosted a "food truck rally" at their party center to kick things off. to say it was a success would be an understatement! we got there about an hour after it started and one of the nine trucks had already sold out. we waited in line for close to two hours at our friends' truck. it was a little cold, but the live music was fun and it made for a pleasant evening outside. and the food was yummy! love.

brigade send off

the girls have a beautiful graduation ceremony, but the boys launch bottle rockets! 

mason thought it was so awesome. he enjoyed his first year of brigade very much and learned so much - scripture, friendship, wood working, camping, etc. we can't wait for next year! love.

our hatchlings

it is time to say good-bye to our easter hatchlings from grandma. they were huge and the kids loved playing with them in the bathtub (not while bathing). thanks, grandma! love.

just the best

daddy's new ride

daddy has driven the same car for almost 14 years. it no longer has air conditioner, all of the doors don't lock, he has to wedge his wallet under the gas tank release lever and use a credit card to pry open the door each time he gets gas, the check engine light was indicating an expensive fix and he still planned to drive it until madelyn was old enough to inherit it! i told him that it was time. the repairs cost more than the car is currently worth.

so today he picked up his new car - a toyota highlander! a huge change from his corolla. he wanted to look at something a little smaller, but i reminded him that we will have large children, with friends and gear. 

he took us all for a quick spin around the cul du sac. we all approve!

and i feel better knowing that he has a reliable car for the extra driving he has been doing for work lately. we love daddy and am so happy that he did this for himself. love.

official looking

surprise, it's cold again! mason was looking pretty official in some gear gifted to us by a neighbor. (he is wearing daddy's college baseball socks too!)

the boys were given their team jerseys and hats today! maddux is on the "bees" and mason is on the "rattlers." they were both very excited to get their new hats. love.

chayil graduation

"who can fin a woman of chayil? she is worth more than precious rubies." proverbs 31:10

we just love the wednesday night programs at our church. madelyn is in "chayil" and mason started the boys program "brigade" this year. the girls do a whole graduation ceremony at the end of the year. tonight madelyn graduated from 3rd to 4th grades. third grade was "green" - the created vessel.

each grade level does a song or skit sharing what they learned this year.

we love our girl and the woman she is becoming. love.

chayil song

now is the time to show the world

what a girl and a woman of God can be

with the love in our hearts for others and Jesus 

a spirit of purity

made a decision to live for Him and we give what

we have to our mighty King

with a joy in our hearts that Jesus can give

that makes us stand and sing

let the light of Your love

fill me with Your beauty

let the wisdom from above

make me strong for my Lord

help me learn, help me sing

praise to you, Jesus

take my heart, take it all

i give you everything

park time

the littles and i were able to spend a lovely afternoon at the park today. the boys were delighted to know that they still remembered how to do some of their favorite things. we love park season! love.

"i want big broccoli!"

this might be my favorite tantrum of all time - manning demanding "big broccoli" after finishing his dinner. love.

viking victory run 2016

although it just snowed last weekend, today is forecast to hit 90+! many of the runners were commenting on how they haven't gotten to run in hot weather yet this year. and there was not a cloud to be seen! we slathered up the sunscreen (and i still got an awkward capri burn on the backs of my calves). 

matt was running both races with the kids - mason and maddux for the one mile and then madelyn for the 5k. because he is amazing.

unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for matt, the kids couldn't handle the heat. mason walked a little with a cramp so the mile was a little slow going.

the boys were still trilled with their medals.

once the boys crossed the finish line i gathered them up and hustled over to work traffic control on the 5k route with the elementary school pto. 

we were optimistic about madelyn's race. she has been participating in the "girls on the run" after school and running twice a week. she wasn't excited about the 5k at all. i didn't get to see them start or finish, but it sounds like i saw how it went - madelyn cried and walked.

in her defense, it was very hot and she wasn't feeling her best. and she finished. matt didn't mind that she walked too much because it meant he wasn't going to be crippled tomorrow since he hasn't had time to run in a very, very long time.

the race was at an all time high with over 2,000 runners this year! we love that we get to do this race every year and support the local schools. love.

warm enough?

the kids thought that it was "so hot" out during baseball that they felt the need to get the slip and slide out. i did not agree with their weather interpretation, but i didn't have to put on my bathing suit. 

as you can see, the kids had a great time and didn't mind that they were freezing. love.

play ball!

today the big boys took to the field. mason choose to play up to "coach pitch" (the cut off is after season is over) which adds to the time we have to spend at the field but we love being outside. maddux took the field first with his t-ball team and smiled the entire time.

and then it was mason's turn. matt is helping coach and the other "head coach" is very intense. it might be a long season.

mason loved it though. we will see how it all plays out. love.

the best reading material

madelyn has an active imagination and sometimes that makes it difficult for her to fall asleep. we have worked with her on praying her fears away at night for a few years but now that she reads so well we have been encouraging her to read her bible at night for comfort. i found her like this when i woke her up for school this morning.

an even better perk? she shares the scriptures that meant the most to her and has even started to keep a notebook where she writes them down to use in the future. we love seeing her heart for God and seeking her comfort from Him. love.

preschool zoo playdate

the boys and i were heading to the zoo and i had the idea to see if any of their friends from preschool wanted to join us. to my surprise, every single friend was available and we had a decent sized group!

it was a beautiful day and the kids were pretty excited to be there together. love.

get outside

in an effort to make us get outside everyday, the boys and i have taken to the trail everyday after lunch. some days there are tears and we don't get very far, but we have fresh air and i don't need a nap after lunch. win, win.

on our way home we stopped at the neighborhood park and maddux insisted on this video.

when we got back, maddux made this "heart" and asked me to send it to his friend's mom. so sweet.

love.

around the world - japan

the pre-k class does an around the world unit for the end of the school year. this picture of maddux' paper japanese doll was taken by his teacher. i just love the shot of his gelled hair. love.

buy stock in hair gel

because maddux is fixing his own hair! i told him that he needed to fix his hair if he didn't want it to be short. his solution is gel. lots and lots of gel. but look how cute he is! love.

another day, another injury for madelyn

madelyn clearly gets her coordination from me. this time, she tripped on her own feet in the hallway and landed on her face and hurt her wrist. the school nurse and i are becoming fast friends. 

she is completely fine and more embarrassed than anything. her wrist/hand has a little bump that we will keep an eye on but mostly it looks like only bruises. love.

more snow!

what is happening here? snow. in april. crazy stuff. love.

another BIG haircut

it was time. i was starting to feel a little 'sister wife-y' because it was getting SO long. 

i was able to donate 14 inches and lost maybe 16 by the time the cut was finished. this time i donated to wigs for kids which happens to be located in ohio. i spend so much time growing it that i try to research which organization would be the best choice.

i was able to make my appointment while the boys were at preschool. i did tell the kids that i was going to cut and donate my hair. the little boys were not very excited. manning just wanted me to still "look like elsa." maddux was so upset when i told them about the haircut that i almost reconsidered. his reaction after school was pretty much the same:

oh well. at least i like it! love.