Our "Small" Group

Seven or eight years ago, Dan and I signed up for a small group at church when Parkview was doing a series on The Purpose Driven Life. We got assigned to a group on the east side of town that a newlywed couple were leading. Little did we know that Ajay and Lindsey would become some our dearest friends. Our group has changed over the years. We've seen people come and go, our consistency has fluctuated a bit, and we have added a bunch of kids. We currently get together from time to time to hang out, let the kids play and encourage each other through our friendships. Most recently, we enjoyed a cookout at Morrison Park.

Sylvia has been working hard at the monkey bars. She made it all the way across while we were at the park. I had to convince her to take a break so she'd be able to show daddy when he got there.

Final TTh Special Day

Sylvia had her final Special Day at preschool last month on Blue Day. Grandma watched the boys so I could stay at preschool during centers.  What a joy it is to play with my daughter and her friends.

Singing the weather song with Mrs. Fink.

Helping Mrs. Fink wtih the calendar activities.

Counting the gumballs all the way up to 20.

Dressing the girl for the weather.

Building gears with Parker.

At Mrs. Berend's art table with Casey and Graham.

Stamping her name at Mrs. Potter's fine motor table.

Working on a puzzle with the Emily C. and Emily P.

At the light table with Graham, Makenzie and Emily C.

Doing some writing with Samantha.

Helping Mrs. Fink with the question of the day.

Moving to the music with Elizabeth, Graham, Carleigh, Emily C. and Mrs. Potter.

Showing her Ariel ring to her classmates.

Sylvia brought her little, little beads, two Toy Story pictures she'd colored and an Ariel ring for share time.

Ending the day by singing "Oh it's time to say goodbye to all our friends" with Mrs. Fink, Elizabeth and Graham.

Blue Day

Sylvia's blue picture for the preschool color book.

Singing The Blue Song with her class. This may be her best singing yet on a color day. Papa and Granny were there to watch.

Carousel

We've been eating Chick-fil-a on an almost weekly basis with our friends, Emily, Parker and Macy. Sylvia frequently asks if we can ride the carousel and I've told her there is no way mommy can do it without another grown-up to help. When we went to Chick-fil-a with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of weeks ago, Sylvia was quick to notice that we had help and would be able to ride the carousel. The kids were all very happy and I think Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed it too.Thanks for dinner and a carousel ride Grandma and Grandpa.

Easter

We attended Easter service at The River with Nana and Papa. Eric and Drake hung out with Nana in the nursery. Sylvia and I went to the children's service after the music. Each year, The River does a big egg hunt which Sylvia was very excited about. Both kids got quite a few eggs and enjoyed finding out what was inside.

We headed home for lunch after church. Before giving the kids their Easter baskets we read What Is Easter? and The Easter Story. Sylvia and Eric checked out their Easter baskets and enjoyed a peep.

A second egg hunt followed by Easter dinner took place at Grandma and Grandpa's. They hid 150 eggs for only 4 grandchildren to find. There were plenty to go around!

We also celebrated birthdays while together.

When do the Easter eggs dye?

I recently hung a classroom type calendar at Sylvia's level so she could begin keeping track of when holidays and special events take place. She loves to ask what day it is and count to the next big event. As Easter approached, she was excited to eat peeps and dye eggs. She even asked me, "When do the Easter eggs dye?" I forgot to buy an egg dye kit this year, so I checked online and found out you can use food coloring. We went that route and probably will again in the future.

The kids got the eggs ready with crayons and stickers.

Waiting for the eggs to change colors was the hardest part. You may notice I am holding Eric back from sticking his hands in the cup.

These are my favorites!

to and from Joplin...

We took our first road trip as a family of five to Joplin, MO last month. Dan's grandma passed away and we attended the funeral and spent the weekend with extended family. Although it was a long ride, I was impressed with how well our kids did. We made a longer stop in DesMoines on our way south and Kansas City as we headed home to break up the trip. Most of our time in Missouri was spent corralling the kids so I don't have any pictures from our actual destination.

DesMoines Art Museum



Jacob Loose Memorial Park in Kansas City.