More of what we have been up to...

Here are some more pictures. It is funny to look at the pictures. In one set, everyone is wearing coats and then barefoot and the coats and then shorts.... That is how it has been here this spring.

Easter egg hunt at the local plant nursery. And as you can tell by the winter coats, it was freezing cold.

Made our Easter bunny cake. I put Abbe in charge of the decorating and she did an excellent job. Wesley LOVED it! He made my day! "Aunt Anera, (that's how he says my name - just like his dad did) you made a bunny cake!!!" he said with a great big smile.

Eian's buddy moved to Florida. :(
I think Eian is still a little lot lost without him. He was in Eian's class at school AND lived right down the street. We all miss him.

Abbe had another friend over.

Ummm....wait doesn't she he look familiar? Let's just say Abbe talked him into it. He makes a cute little girl though doesn't he? ;)


Eian is now playing soccer. This is the only picture I have right now. It has been FREEZING cold every game. When it warms up, I will get some better pictures.

We went on the spring salamander hunt.

4-H is starting.

We now have chicks. I will have do a separate post on that whole ..... thing.

What have we been up to lately?

Sorry it has been so very long. The winter blahs really got a hold of me! School has been intense with many special projects and portfolios due. People have been many kinds of sick around here too.

Ready for spring!

So, what have we been up to?

Well.....

Abbe had a birthday.

Abbe played basketball. (It was crazy hair day.)

Made a spring wreath (from Pinterest) hoping that it would make spring come. Huh. Did not happen!

Abbe had a friend over. As you can see, she fits right in. Sometimes, people ask if she and Abbe are sisters.

Blogger quit letting me put pictures on. :/
Just going to post this. So, another post should be coming soon.

Everyone sick....

Just spent all morning taking Abbe to the doctor, stopping at store to get essentials (more tissues, gatorade, juice, etc), and the pharmacy. Jason is going to the doctor this afternoon and Ruth is asleep on the couch. Nice, huh?

Eian and I have so far just had a touch of this nastiness, and hopefully THAT WILL BE ALL.

Have not been able to go anywhere to celebrate Abbe's birthday because everyone has been sick. She hasn't been feeling well for almost two weeks sooooo...

Here are some pictures from COSI. We went a couple of weeks ago. Last day to see the LEGO exhibit. Just a suggestion, DO NOT go on the last day to see the LEGO exhibit. Was so very crowded. Also, Eian's friend and neighbor stopped by as we were getting ready to go, so he went too. Four kids and me. Good thing Eian's friend is such a good boy! 'Cause Ruth was wound up. Sigh. Makes for a longer than usual day. Thank goodness this was the second time we had went. Here are photos from the first time.

Abbe in her cool new fedora

Eian and his buddy

Ruth's favorite part - dressing up in knight/horse costume and jousting

LEGO bricks made to look like stained glass.

Quiet....and misc.

After the rush of getting everybody up and out the door at 8:30 the past two mornings, I have a little bit of quiet time to myself!

Ruth has day camp at Alley Park this week. She is in nature and animal heaven! Yesterday, she got to go canoeing, geocaching, and made a fishing pole. She was stoked and tired! I love camp.

Abbe and Eian are on their second week of their second set of swim lessons this summer. Eian missed half of the first session with swimmers ear and some other sort of illness that is FINALLY gone.

Moxie, my friend Linda's dog, is with us for the whole week! She is so much fun. The puppy enthusiasm is great for a week. Then, we go back to 'old dog' time when she leaves. ;)

I have been making a sincere effort to get some sewing accomplished. Linda has really been pushing me - but that is what I really need. Someone to be accountable to.

Also, I have been trying some new recipes. Tired of buying granola bars and such when I know I can make them for much less and with better ingredients. Have tried 5 minute bread, coconut granola bars and pb/pretzel/choc chip bars. Jason has requested a "regular" granola bar - whatever that means.

Notes from taste testers:
1. Bread: too salty, perfect, not big enough, yummy
2. Coconut bars: AWESOME! Wonder what they would taste like baked? (note: only Eian and I like coconut!)
3. Pb/pretzel/choc chip bars: Mmmmmm, pretty good, can I have "regular ones"?

Sooooo, made a new batch of 5 minute bread with only 1 tbsp of salt, and am going to try to find "regular" granola bar recipe!

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Pictures by RUTH! Taken one beautiful day at Hargus Lake. We took the dogs and found a geocache. Good day.

My lovely vacation in Charleston

(I am just going to put some pictures of our vacation in - no particular order or place.)

We spent the first night of vacation with my dear friend Amy. We have been friends since we met at parent/baby swim class at the YMCA when Ruth was about six months old. Abbe took her first steps at Amy's house here in Circleville. Amy's first three boys are the same age as Ruth and Abbe. Her youngest will be in kindergarten this fall.

Amy's house looks like a decorator came in and did everything. That decorator would be Amy. She really has the 'touch' to make things look welcoming and lovely but also very comfortable at the same time. She has done this in every house I have seen her live in (here in Ohio, West Virginia and now Charleston, SC). I just don't have that same touch.

Of course, I don't think I took any pictures while we were at their house - I was really exhausted from the drive. Also, we spent that night talking until about 1 am - which is VERY LATE for this old lady.

The next day we went to our house by the beach. We had fun doing the beach thing some days and going into Charleston a couple of times.

The history of Charleston in AMAZING! Many on the houses were built in the late 1600's - yes that number is correct! I know in other countries that isn't really old but here in the USA it is. Jason and I were talking about how a house built in 1750 was really a new house compared to most.

I think the kids kind of got how old things truly were - at least I hope they did.

Jason and I really love history. We love to look and learn about it.

For anyone going to Charleston, the Charleston Museum is really cool. They have an AWESOME children's section. The kids were just telling Nana and Papa some of the stuff they learned there. I was impressed.

Right now they are having a rotating couture exhibit. WOW! Was it spectacular! But the seamstress in me would have loved to have seen the inside of the dresses and outfits too - not just how they look on a mannequin. How outfits are constructed is half of what makes them interesting to me.

Since it is almost midnight, I am going to wrap up. I will post more of our adventures later.

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Disclaimer: Jason took most of the photos in Charleston and I took most of the ones at the beach. I really didn't feel like carrying the big camera around Charleston. I know, LAME. But I think Jason did a pretty darn good job. Don't you?

Easter

The weekend before Easter, our church had their Easter egg hunt at a local plant nursery - Rhoads. This is the first year they had it there and it was a really pretty place to have it.

 I imagine they will be finding eggs all summer! I know I just found one in my flower bed last night.

My little brother was down for the weekend, so he and Dad brought Wesley! My kids were so excited that Wesley was there. Eian is really starting to get into having a little cousin. Finally.

Wesley seemed pretty pleased with his stash  - even though his dad tied the bag closed so he couldn't get to the candy. Bad Daddy!

Abbe and my 'little' brother trying to stomp each others feet.

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At our house, the Easter bunny came to our house on Saturday since Jason had to work on Sunday. The dogs were pretty excited to hunt for eggs too.

 This made for a much more relaxing Easter egg hunt and dinner and playing with the new things and eating too much candy and happier Mom and....

Everyone contributed to part of our Easter dinner. Jason and Abbe smoked ham and a pork roast, and did the vegies. Ruth made rolls with only a little bit of help from me. She did really well; I was impressed. Eian and I made homemade brownies for the first time. We have decided NO MORE BROWNIE MIX! They were awesome!

I am really thinking of asking the Easter bunny to do this every year. It really made getting up for Easter Sunday MUCH MUCH easier. We made it to the 8:15 am service!

Our church does not have child care for that service so everyone had to sit with me. They did pretty good - I only had to threaten to throw away their candy once.

I am sooo glad we went to that service though. We sang all of my favorite Easter hymns. They remind me of my Grandma - which makes me happy. She would play the piano and sing these hymns all the time. I miss her so much.

My friend, Linda, said, "So, you did secular Saturday and sacred Sunday too!" I guess we did!