Grandma and Papa Time

Mike got to visit some ministry partners in the Netherlands and Belgium, so Grandma and Papa came to town to keep me and the kids company. They got to come along for a lot of our activities, and it was just fun to have them here.

They got to watch the kids' soccer game, and then we all went out for celebratory frozen yogurt. It was the last night of Relay Boys, so Papa took Eli and Aiden to help them finish up their bird feeders.

The kids got lots of Grandma and Papa time while I got to attend Bible study and various meetings, and I am grateful for the extra help during the week while Mike was gone. Unfortunately I ended up with a cold, so I missed out on a trip to the zoo, but the kids had a blast with Grandma and Papa! They were excited to see the new baby elephant, and they all came home with new stuffies :)

The rest of the week was filled with playing games, reading books, and eating yummy foods. We loved our time with Grandma and Papa and are looking forward to seeing this again early this summer!

{iPhone Rewind} :: April

We got a new expansion pack for Carcassonne, and everyone was excited to dive in! :)

Maddie and I got to visit the Goat Farm again this year, and we had such a fun time with the sweet babies!

Love spending time with my girl

"Look, Mom. I'm a robot!"

The boys have been making bird feeders at Relay Boys

They have also been LOVING playing Laser Tag at Relay Boys :)

The kids were so helpful and decided to clean up all their bikes/balls/outside toys in the garage! I was so impressed :)

White House crafts in anticipation of our White House tour!

Braiding Maddie's hair

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

Our little fox friend was hanging out in the cul-de-sac again

Aiden was SO excited to get a watch. He asked, and asked, and asked for one...and then he waited, and waited, and waited for it to arrive {all 2 days of Amazon Prime shipping haha}. 

Wisdom from Grandma made it to Mike's sermon :)

Quick snapshot from the soccer sidelines

When you take a ball to the face and take it like a champ until you walk off the field and just need a Mama snuggle for a minute

White House Tour

We had the opportunity to take a tour of the White House today! We recently learned about its construction and first tenants in history, so I reached out to our congressman to schedule a tour.

There was a lot of construction, since the former East Wing was demolished this past October, in anticipation of the President's plans for a new ballroom. Our tour included the North Portico, the Entrance hall, East Room, the Blue Room, Green Room, Red Room, and the State Dining Room.

We also visited The People's House to learn more of the history of the White House and more about the parts that we didn't get to tour. It was really interactive, and the kids enjoyed pretending to sit behind the replica Resolute Desk :)

It was a fun morning, and we really enjoyed walking through the halls of history! 

Easter 2026

He is risen!

For Easter this year, Mrs. Rita {our Children's Director at church} gave us an egg-dying kit {along with some other fun Easter goodies}, so on Saturday we got to test it out. I'm not sure if the kids were more excited to dye the eggs or eat the hard-boiled eggs haha. 

Sunday was a long, full day {especially for Mike}. This year, the church had the sunrise service and 3 Easter services, and Mike was preaching. We are still doing Easter baskets for the kids, and they were excited to run downstairs to find the goodies waiting for them. They each got a chocolate bunny, a craft/creative item, a new book {or coloring books in Maddie's case}, and new Yoto cards. They also got a LEGO-compatible Resurrection Set from Bible Bricks to share.

We loved getting to worship and celebrate with our church family. We had family worship {so no Sunday School this week}, and it was great to have all the kids and families in the service together with all of our visitors as well. 

A quick photo before church...because I never know if we will be able to get one AT church ;)

I sure love them...and they're growing too fast...

We were able to get a family photo after all!

The rest of the day was spent resting, playing board games, and crafting with their new kits :)

We are so thankful for Jesus, and for the hope we have because He walked out of the tomb. 

Because He lives,

I can face tomorrow!

Because He lives,

All fear is gone.

Because I know

He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!