It's been awhile...

Sorry I haven't been the frequent poster that I should be... Lots going on and little free time!

We enjoyed a day at my grandparents yesterday and Ryan played boxing on their Wii! Notice the tongue sticking out, that comes from Grandma Smith! :)

He had four KO's (I think that's what they're called). Below he is proudly displaying the "instant replay" of his most recent takedown...Josh and Andy had some bonding time at the Air Show in May - should we have let that happen???
And today we thorougly enjoyed a trip to the Baltimore zoo. We joined the Dunkerton's and Gorman's for a homeschooling fieldtrip (even though we're not quite school age yet) and had a great time! Thanks for everyone's help with the young ones and a fun day!

A family photo... with Christine looking rather uncomfortable... A serious pose of the kids!And a goofy pose of the kids - their idea!

Enjoying Springtime!

Ryan does gymnastics on Friday mornings. Christine and Josh enjoy playing in the cubbie holes while we wait! :) (anyone know how to take off "underline"???)Our year at Awana ended this past Tuesday. The boys each received awards for the verses they said. We're very proud of them!

Nate's baseball game and snowball night! Josh and his buddy Danny...

A donut morning...

Christine in her adorable summer clothes!

Two posts in one day???

Couldn't help it! We had a great afternoon outdoors and some fun photos! It's mustang season again and the kids were thrilled to bring it out for it's first 2008 ride! (I think it's the first time we've ridden it in 2008, can't think of another time that we would have, honey? any help?)

Our pretty princess waving as she rode by. Maybe she was pretending she was in a parade?

One hand in the sink, one hand holding the phone...

I spend far too much time in the same position. :)
Ryan and our neighbor enjoyed taking the mustang out for a spin!

Josh stood here (seriously) for 10 minutes just watching the mustang drive by - no interest in joining the fun. Mom stood there for the 10 minutes questioning if he was doing poop in his underwear... (he didn't - mom worried for nothing).Believe it or not, Ryan learned how to do a 3 point turn today in his mustang! Don't know why I taught him, other than to keep him out of the street. Couldn't believe that he could actually do it! Here he is after backing up - shifting to go forward and correcting his steering.

Thank you Lord for the BEAUTIFUL weather!

Lego Boy and updated pics

Ryan finished his first lego activity today, all by himself. It was a fire boat, geared for ages 5-8, and at 4 he did it! I was impressed! What a kid!

Here he is with the finished product... the proud architect!
My wonderful father-in-law took the next 3 shots of the kids! Can't wait to have some of them blown up.

Breakfast one morning...
What every parent wants to see! Yea Josh!

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Kids are keeping busy - as seen above...

Fun with Friends and Easter Prep!

Is it too early for high heels???

It's a miracle! Cousin Lisa with girls!!! (she has 3 boys...) Juli, Lilly and Christine!

Cousins Juli, Ryan and Shane enjoyed the Easter get-together.
Ryan, Josh and Christine enjoyed their Easter presents, character kites and character socks!Dying easter eggs was a hit! Christine would get soooo excited when she would see me pull hers out of the cup. When I would hand them to her, she would try to bang them on the tray or throw them. I didn't hand her many.... :)

Ryan was very meticulous and precise with his eggs, leaving them in for just the right amount of time. And they turned out perfect!

Josh wanted to leave his eggs in there all night, there was never enough color for him. I had to force a finish with stickers to decorate the eggs. Cute kid. We've had a busy couple of weeks, full of fun with friends and family. I have enjoyed listening to the kids share their Easter bible verse from Sunday School recently...

" He is not here, He is RISEN!!!!"

As we approach Easter morning, we remember the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All praise, glory and honor go to Him for His Wonderful and Perfect work on the Cross.

Myrtle Beach, SC

I realize it's been awhile since my last post. Things have been crazy busy here!

During that busyness, we enjoyed a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC to visit Jessica's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Don. We appreciate their hospitality and generousity! They took us to some great spots!

Here's Aunt Kathy coming down the slide with Josh.

Uncle Don and Aunt Kathy with the kiddos!

Uncle Don took us to a local zoo on Friday morning. This zoo was great! We purchased a bag of peanuts at the beginning and got to feed 90% of the animals as we walked around. There were a couple hundred peacocks all walking around the zoo. They followed you and came up for food every once in awhile. Unfortunately, we didn't see any peacocks spread their feathers (is it a tail?).

These animals knew we had food and followed us down the entire path making noises - that was their way of begging. It was fun!

Cool Aunt Kathy owns a convertible mustang and she was kind enough to take the boys out for a ride with the top down! They danced and screamed (screams of joy) during the entire ride - so says Aunt Kathy and Uncle Don. :)

Christine is patiently waiting for her brothers to return from their adventure!

They're back! Ryan's face says just how much they enjoyed their ride.

Uncle Don and Aunt Kathy took us to the Ripley's Aquarium. Below are Aunt Kathy and Ryan looking at the fish and sharks overhead.

We enjoyed a beautiful day at the speekpark in Myrtle Beach.

Can you see Ryan next to Andy's elbow???

Ryan and Caleb roller skating for the first time. Poor Uncle Steve and Miss Beth!