What's Happening Around Here

Time sure flies with a baby and 2 busy boys. We had a great Easter a few weeks ago. Leah made it through her first church service (slept the whole time), but missed out on the Easter Egg hunt-hopefully she'll be up and moving a bit this time next year.

Leah's first Eater picture. Her Easter dress only lasted about 30 minutes before she dirtied it, Fortunately she had another somewhat dressy outfit to put on as a back up.

I can't believe how big these 2 boys are getting.

Luke participated in our annual neighborhood egg hunt (Ryan had a soccer game).

Ryan had a blast hunting for eggs in our backyard. Both boys were excited that I hid the eggs in much more difficult places this year - they needed some help at times to find them all.

Leah's first Easter basket.

Greg is so good about dying Easter eggs with the boys each year. I'm glad to not have to mess with this tradition.

As far as Ryan and Luke are concerned, no family picture is complete without a silly face pose.

Leah's 2 month old picture. She is such a fun baby - laid back and happy most of the time.

She also loves her bath - it's like a mini spa day.

I could take a million pictures of these 3 together.

Leah has the best 2 brothers. They are so good with her and love to entertain her and keep her happy.

Ryan is so ready to be able to pick his sister up and carry her around the house. He really wants her to sleep in her own bed at night and be the one to hear her wake up so he can bring her to me to eat in the middle of the night. Her neck is getting stronger every day, so hopefully he will be able to pick her up soon.

Luke is so good at talking to and singing to Leah. Here he is playing peek-a-boo with her. He has also mastered the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I adore this little girl - she is such a doll.

Other things going on:

Luke was selected to participate in a school art show. His teacher liked how he chose to create a very unique instrument piece - the rest of his classmates all made a saxophone or trumpet - Luke chose a lyre, because he loves Greek mythology (more like obsessed with all things Greek).

Ryan was in a play this past week. He played the role of DogBoy (a superhero). He did such a great job-I'm proud of how willing he is to try new things and put himself out there.

We also played a 3 day game of Monopoly. I don't think I've every played an entire game of Monopoly before. Greg was the first to go out when he had to go out of town, Luke was the first to declare bankruptcy, and Ryan's strategy of buying Park Place and Boardwalk and loading them up with houses and hotels almost paid off for him. He was very disappointed when I ended up cleaning him out when he landed on my properties.

Leah has started to talk. She has also really turned on the smiles in the past week. You can tell that she wants to talk more and is trying so hard to get the words out. We love her sweet little voice.

Spring Break Road Trip

Leah survived her first road trip with flying colors. We headed to Lubbock for Spring Break in order to meet some family. It was also a good time for us to visit - once the summer starts, we tend to be busy with the swim team an other activities for most of the summer. What normally takes us about 8 hours, only took us about 10 with a baby. Leah did great. She didn't really cry except for about the last 15 minutes going to Lubbock and coming home. We stopped twice to feed her and she slept the rest of the way. Ryan and Luke are pros at this trip, so there are never any problems with them other than the iPad battery not lasting long enough.

Olivia was very excited to meet her youngest cousin - she is the oldest of the grandkids so it is neat to these two together-they are 12 years apart.

Jacob was great with Leah. I wasn't sure how he would react, but he was so eager to meet her.

Once the cousins had made their introductions, the 4 older ones took off and quickly bonded again and created their own crazy games. The weather was nice and they spent most of the week playing outside riding scooters and bikes. It is so nice to have them all at this age where they can roam free outside with minimal supervision and adult interference. There are always conflicts, but they've gotten so much better and settling things among themselves.

Conny had planned to visit us and meet Leah, but she got very sick right before Leah was born - she ended up burning through all of her time off and really should stay close to home and continue to get better for awhile. I think she's excited to have a second niece, we've been surrounded mostly by crazy boys.

Another reason for our trip was to introduce Leah to her Great Aunt Jane and Great Uncle Charlie. They have both been a big part of my family growing up and they've always been very supportive and loving in all things. Leah's middle name is in honor of Jane-I hope she will develop Jane's selfless and loving nature.

Jane has many great qualities - one of them being an excellent cook and a chicken fried steak expert. She knows that is my favorite and had us all over one night for dinner. The day before, I spent time with Jane while she taught me how to make MeeMaw rolls (my grandmother's recipe). The dinner was excellent!

My dad came along for the lesson and spent part of the time sleeping with Leah.

We have visited the pottery place during many visits to Lubbock. I like to make mementos with my kids' foot/handprints - so this time was Leah's turn. She was not happy to have her feet painted with purple paint. The other kids had a great time painting their own creations - Grandad joined in the fun, too.

Overall, it was a great trip. I loved spending time with my family and introducing Leah to the beauty of Lubbock (which would be the people, not the scenery).

 Leah continues to make her case as the world's greatest baby.She is laid back and is usually fine with going along with anything.