Easter Eggs!

Last Saturday, the Wellers had their third annual (see also here) Easter egg hunt. It's always a great time for the adults and kids alike.

Paige was not as excited to see the Easter bunny as Matt was.

She ended up calming down and keeping her eye on him the rest of the time. I think she was more interested in him than the eggs.

She did a little hunting with Grandpa.

Miles and Brooke were pretty into it.

Helping his little sister.

I think the highlight of Brooke's morning was finding a golden egg.

This group of kids has grown exponentially the past couple years. (I'm tempted to use a hashtag and the word "blessed" here, but I won't...so just know that's how I feel.)

Afterward, the kids checked out their loot inside. Paige had fun playing with baby Emma.

Thanks for another morning of great memories, Wellers!

Fun Babysitters and a Birthday

A couple of weeks ago, Uncle Will and Aunt Jamie watched the kids for us for the morning.

The went to get donuts (apparently Paige was NOT pleased about only getting a munchkin) and then strolled around the pet store.

Brooke now wants a fish and Miles wants a baby mouse. I told Brooke we can talk about a fish when she's responsible enough to keep her room clean for four weeks. Judging by how she takes after her dad in the area of organization, I wouldn't be surprised if that discussion never happens.

The kids seemed to have a great time and we really appreciate the help!

Grammie Deb and Grandpa got back from Florida a few days later. Debbie had a new pair of shoes shipped to our house and tried them on, which prompted all the kids to put on their boots.

We also had family dinner for Grammie Deb's birthday this past week. Aunt Jamie and the little girls were matching, so we tried to get a picture.

Of course the kids convinced Will and Jamie to play a couple of games with them.

And what birthday celebration would be complete without cake and ice cream?

Happy birthday, Grammie Deb!

Mattoon

A few weeks ago, we drove down and Tim and Krissi drove up to Mattoon for Saturday and part of Sunday. It was a lot of fun, but also a little chaotic, hence the poor photo selection and quality. I wanted to document the visit, though, so bare with me. We started with lunch at one of the 3 restaurants (kidding, but not really) in their town.

The kids spent a lot to time dressing up, chasing each other, and doing performances.

We finished the night Saturday with s'mores, which my kids are still talking about.

It was so great to spend time with family and see the kids play. Thanks to the Westras for opening their home to the chaos!

Our Tremendous Tiger!

Brooke's been enjoying kindergarten thus far and while I have some communication with the teacher, we don't get a ton of updates and I'd just assumed that no news was good news.

It turns out it was great news. The week before we left for St. Louis, we got a letter from Brooke's principal congratulating her on being selected for a "Tremendous Tiger" award. It went on to explain that each teacher picked one student and that the students were selected for exemplifying the values of the school and academic achievement.

We weren't sure how often this happened, so while we were very proud of her, we didn't think a lot of it. (And I'll be honest, Brooke has her fair share of meltdowns at home and there are several things that we're really trying to work with her on, so we weren't completely confident that school was going that much more smoothly.) There was a breakfast reception the next week and the principal explained a little more about the award. It turns out that this is only done once per trimester, meaning that Brooke is the second of only three kids in her class this year to get the award. Each student's name was called and they were applauded and shook the principal's hand.

They also got their picture taken to be hung on the bulletin board later.

When we talked to Brooke's teacher, Mrs. Bicker, after the ceremony, she told us (and Brooke) how deserving she was to receive the award. She said that she is always kind to everyone and that she knows that Brooke can work well and cooperate with anyone she pairs her with. She said that she's a hard worker. She also complemented her academics and said, "She's basically the perfect kindergartner." As you can imagine, I got more than a little emotional several times that morning. I'm so proud of my big girl - of her hard work and cooperation, but most of all, her kindness. I pray, pray, pray that continues to be one of the main attributes used to describe her.

She's setting the bar high for these two. They were just happy to get cinnamon rolls afterward.

Keep up the good work, Brookie! We are SO proud of you!

Soccer, Valentines, Etc...

I don't have a whole lot of random pictures from the last week or so as the stomach flu wreaked havoc on our house. Brooke was the sole survivor (God-willing). It started on our drive back from St. Louis when we had to make three stops due to poor Paige's vomiting. This was her the next day. No fun - although I didn't mind the cuddles.

She was back to her trouble-making self by the next day.

This was after a recent venture into my closet. I'm kind of hoping her fashionista tendencies continue.

She just turned 22 months and is officially walking all the time. It makes her seem so much older. She's also saying more words. I can tell that it's hard and frustrating for her, but she's really trying and is so proud when something comes out clearly. She's a lot of work (i.e.,  multiple ventures getting things out of the toilet, full-on tantrum anytime I pick her up to put her in her carseat) but also a really goofball and a ton of fun. It's fun to see her becoming a little toddler.

These two had fun going through the Valentines for a few days. I had fun throwing them out.

To cap off our week o' fun, we lost power for about 8 hours on Friday, the day after I'd been sick, and the night that Matt had concert tickets. We had takeout dinner by candlelight and then a little slumber party.

Thankfully, the power came back on in time for the big kids to sleep in their own beds.

Miles still seems to really be enjoying soccer - at least the drills part of it. He got bonked in the head two scrimmages in a row and I think it shook him up a little. We're hoping he gets a little aggression back. I know that I do nothing to dissuade his Momma's Boy tendencies.

For instance, I think it's adorable that he likes to drink hot tea and encourage the habit. March is just around the corner and I am not ready for him to turn 4.