Crazy Hair Day....

She wanted straight hair for Crazy Hair Day. (Apparently she doesn't realize that people would pay a lot of money to have her regular, curly hair!) We had to set it with hot rollers to make it this straight! Good thing we had a bit of purple spray left from Halloween and soccer season to make it a bit crazier!

Mulch Mania!

It had to be done!

Martha Washington

Emma had her "Night of the Notables" last night for her Gifted and Talented program at school. The students pick someone "notable" to study and the culmination is a night of mingling, in character, with the parents and others at the school guessing who they are. This is her third year doing this, and what a great project! She has been Princess Diana, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and now Martha Washington. Notice the trend - cute costumes! ;) The kids really have to know their character and assume that role for the evening. They did such a great job! I always learn many new things and leave so impressed with our school and our students.

Thank goodness for Aunt Becca's JDD dress in the attic!

We love you all over again, Jessica McClintock!

Today, 4th grade ..... Tomorrow, the world!

Easter Vacation...

We took it literally this year, and actually went away on a vacation! We took the the girls to Williamsburg

for a few days, and had a great time!

The unseasonably hot (97!) temperatures made it feel like summer, so we were able to enjoy the pool at the hotel, as well as Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg. Emma loved the roller coasters, Lila loved the animals, Ryan loved the reenactments, and we all loved spending some of the time with our good friends: Bryan, Lisa, Hailey, and Ben.

We celebrated our risen Savior with our own family service in the hotel. The kids loved telling about Easter with the "Resurrection Eggs" activity, Ryan read the account from the bible, and we all prayed around the table. My only regret was that we didn't sing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" - can't escape my Presbyterian upbringing. We had a delicious breakfast cooked by Bryan and Lisa, followed by an air-conditioned egg-hunt.

The downtime of the vacation was really nice too. The kids and men enjoyed playing tennis and basketball at the hotel - until Bryan sprained his ankle. Lisa and I had fun chatting and talking about how we were going to lose our vacation weight when we got home. (Still working on that!) There was great shopping nearby, and Emma got to finish up some research on Martha Washington for a school project. The icing on the cake was a quick dinnertime visit with our great friends outside DC on the way home.

Signs of Spring

Our new Swingset.....

Jessica, Lila, and Trudy blowing bubbles....

My fresh pedicure......

Emma jumping for joy.....

Weeds in our garden.....

Might As Well Make It Two!

A few days after Lila lost her first front tooth just by gently wiggling it in the car, she loosened the other one with a face plant in Kohl's. It was a bad scene - tears, blood, ice packs. Apparently, while walking behind me, she tripped and landed on her remaining front tooth - ouch! The tooth hung on .... until this morning. She, once again, was thrilled. I just can't believe my baby will have no front teeth to start Kindergarten in the fall! She already looks old enough with her height! Now we're going to need to bring her birth certificate to Busch Gardens on vacation to prove that she is still under 6 and free!!