bird watching

Today I filled up the bird feeder that Scott's parents gave us for Christmas and took the National Audubon Society book off the shelf and put it on the ottoman in the living room.

I hung the feeder on a branch right outside the dining room window. Now we are just waiting for the birds to find it!

spring wild flowers

The wild flowers are blooming in the woods. I always look forward to the little bouquets Elle puts together for me each spring. This year she added in a little moss. So sweet.

13.1

Way to go running the half marathon this morning Scott!

pics from yesterday

We so enjoyed our almost 80 degree day yesterday. The long winters here in Minnesota make us really savor the warm days. Scott and I were talking about that last night while we sat on the porch for awhile after the kids were tucked into bed.

We had a picnic on a blanket in the yard at lunchtime. Then Ava did a little Super Girl flying.


Thomas did some fishing. He almost caught his first fish of the year and he said it was 'a really big one'. :) It got away right as he was pulling it by the dock. When I got up this morning Thomas was already up, had all of his schoolwork done that he can do on his own and was reading his Kids Gone Fishin' book. He's out there now trying to catch one as I type this.

Elle had fun riding bikes and playing with her friend Kate who lives just down the street.

beautiful day

Open water (the ice went out yesterday!), blue skies and sunshine is what we are enjoying today! I've got more pictures on the camera to put up here but it'll have to wait till later. I need to get back outside. I've got plants coming up that need uncovered!

ava's pet fish, darby

We got Ava a pet fish this afternoon. I really wish I would've thought to bring the video camera with me to the store. She was SO excited about it! It was really cute. She named it Darby right away and wants to keep feeding it. I'm going to have to hide it's food way out of her reach!

Thomas always goes running for the phone when we play this. :)

never a dull moment in this house

Except during Ava's naptime!

This is what Ava did to entertain herself while I was in the shower this morning. After she spent some time sitting on her bed for awhile she came up to me, took my face in her little hands and said, 'I'm sorry. That was not a great idea.'

setting the table

Tonight while we were getting dinner ready Ava decided to help set the table, all on her own!

She first got out the glasses from the drawer and started filling them up with water.

Then she got out the place mats. Each one had to have the pear design facing the right way. She's got a little of her mama in her! :)

Then she put everyone's glass of water at their spot. Such a good little helper!

You may have noticed she is wearing this dress in several of my posts. I got it for her last month and it's one of her favorites. She wants to wear it right away as soon as it is washed. She loves that it has pockets. She keeps all of the little treasures that she finds in them.

happenings around our home

Here are some of the happenings around our home this week -

• There isn't a need for a diaper drawer anymore at our house! Miss Ava is a big girl now! This is big news, as some of you will know.
  
  
• Last weekend Elle went to see the new Hannah Montana movie with our neighbor girls, Taylor and Mackayla. They were so sweet to ask her. Of course, she loved it! Mackayla started teaching Elle the Hoedown Throwdown and I think I've heard the song 50 times this week while she's been practicing it. Even Ava can 'Pop It, Lock It, Polka Dot It, Countrify then Hip Hop It!'
  
  
• Thomas ran a fever for 3 days this week but is finally feeling back to normal today. He was so bummed because we've had gorgeous weather here this week. Temps in the 60's!
  

• Most afternoons we have been taking our reading for history outside and soaking in the sun while we read of World War II. If you happen to be studying this with your kids or plan to in the future you have to be sure to read Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop. Thomas and Elle begged me to keep reading it and said it was one of the best stories they have ever heard. We are now reading Shadow of His Hand. It is the story of a girl named Anita Dittman who lived through the Holocaust. Last November we were actually able to go and hear her give her testimony to a group of area homeschoolers. I blogged about it here. We weren't studying WWII at the time but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to hear her speak. Shadow of His Hand is adapted from Anita's autobiography Trapped in Hitler's Hell, for younger age readers. I love being able to teach history with a perspective that shows God's faithfulness.
  

Well, that's our week in a nutshell. Hope you all have a great weekend!

happy easter!

Today our Easter Sunday involved -

A little egg dying.

A little egg hunting.

Lots of pictures.

The traditional treasure hunt.

And too much candy!

birthday girl

Ava had a fun day yesterday celebrating her 3rd birthday. She especially loved her cake. The girl who often babysits for us made it for her. She did such a great job on it!




This morning she said, 'Guess whose birthday it is?!' When we told her that it wasn't her birthday again today she said 'Oh, man!'

break

Rather than just not posting, I thought I'd let you know that I am taking a break from blogging for the rest of the week. I'll be back next week with some pictures of the birthday girl (Ava turns 3 on Saturday!) and the annual Easter egg hunt! Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

my little fashionistas

Yesterday after church Elle and I went out to lunch together and then did some shopping. She has been wanting a pair of converse sneakers for awhile now and it was no surprised that she picked out pink ones. Of course, we couldn't resist getting Ava a matching pair as well. They sported them all around the house yesterday and this morning Elle dressed her and Ava similar, including rolling up their pants. Then they both put on their pink sneakers.

Here is a little photo shoot we did after lunch. I especially love the first picture and the way Ava is looking up at Elle. She loves her big sister!

snowmen

Thomas and Elle wanted me to let you know that they've updated their blogs. They spent hours playing outside yesterday. Click here to see Elle's adorable snowman and here to see Thomas's 'amazing' snowman.

i can't make this stuff up

Tonight while I was getting a snack ready for the kids Ava kept saying 'I want some! I want some!' Wanting her to say please I said, 'What's the magic word?' Her answer - 'Hocus Pocus!'

That girl is hilarious! She recently watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse where Goofy was a magician, so she really thought that Hocus Pocus was the magic word I was looking for.

snow cream

What do you do when April brings a bunch of snow? Make snow ice cream!

First gather 8 cups of fresh, clean snow. (I did this myself. I've saw the snow my kids have happily ate off the ground and it isn't always fresh and clean!) Then pour in one can of sweetened condensed milk and one teaspoon of vanilla.

Take turns stirring it up.

It surprisingly tastes like real homemade ice cream!

The kids loved it and asked for seconds.

Good to the last drop!

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.

is it really april?

This is not an April Fool's joke! This is spring in Minnesota! We got a few inches of snow yesterday and more during the night. We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous scene. Of course, I'd rather have the sun shining and everything starting to turn green again but I can't help but enjoy the beauty outside my windows. It's the perfect snow for building snowmen and snow forts. Thomas and Elle are outside playing in it right now. I promised them I'd let them take a really long 'recess' if they got their math, grammar and spelling done first. I don't think they've ever got it done so quickly!