Lots of Fun and Adventure!

Last week had a lot more going on for us!

Monday we did our regular school activities and then headed out after supper for 4H with Ezri and Alora.  The girls often volunteer to hold the American and 4H flags, and this month they each got chosen.

 Tuesday, Daddy was on the road all day for business, while the kids and I were off the other direction for appointments and some fun.  After our first appointment in Grand Rapids, we had lunch at the park across from the Children's Museum and then spent three hours playing, exploring, and having fun!

 There were not many kids in the museum, so the girls really got a chance to play and spend time creating.

 We discovered can stilts, which we had read about recently in a Ramona book, and it was super exciting to be able to use them!

 The big bubble was a big focus for a while, and Ezri was thrilled to be able to get the bubble all the way up and not have to wait and take turns constantly.

 Alora was pretty happy to get the bubble all the way up too!

 We had all sorts of bubble fun for quite a while.

 Another big chunk of the afternoon was spent playing at the hospital where they had all sorts of fun playing doctor, checking out the operating room, scanning one another and so much more.

 Wednesday night, we went to my Uncle Don's sugar shack where the girls had a great time helping and watching the syrup making process. 

We all got involved a bit.  Daddy, Ezri and I helped to empty barrels of sap into bigger barrels in the shack.

 The kids explored the farm a bit, Elam really liked the cows.

Ezri helped Uncle Don split and load wood to keep the fire going.

 Alora and Ealm watched as they climbed about on the logs.

 Tierney was content to hang out inside and steal Uncle Don's chair.

 Inside the sugar shack, we watched Uncle Don fuel the fire every 7 minutes with more wood, and Ezri handled keeping track of the timer.

 We checked out the boiling syrup

Checked the temperature of the syrup and found it was at the right temperature to drain off as it was perfect for syrup.

 We talked and learned and had fun, and then enjoyed a yummy treat - ice cream with fresh, hot syrup on top!

 Friday, Ezri got back to working on a quilt she has been sewing all on her own for a few weeks now.  She sewed the backing on, put batting inside, and then finished it!

 Saturday afternoon, we spent time playing outside.  Though it was in the mid 40's, the sun was shining and it was finally drying out, so the kids played.

 And then they wore me down and we set up the trampoline!

The girls were so excited they could hardly stand it!

Low Key

We've kept things a little more low key the past couple of weeks.  Winter is finally starting to ease its way out and while we wait for sun and spring, we've kept busy with things around our house.

We had a visit from Opa and Oma a couple of Fridays back as well as a delivery from Costco.  This meant all sorts of chaos, a walk to the park and around town for the girls and a ton of fun with big boxes!

 That Saturday, Alora spent a bunch of time outside with Daddy, building a chair she has been anxious to build for some time now from a pallet.  She did a great job!

 Last Tuesday, we went for a walk on a nicer day, after dinner.  There was even cause for sunglasses!

 The kids had fun riding their bikes, though there was an awful lot of mud to navigate around.

 They spent some of their days, when there was not rain, playing outside on remaining snow piles and in mud puddles.

 On Sunday, Ezri got a big surprise at church!  Her friend Allie, who moved away quite a while ago and whom she had not seen in a couple of years, was there with her family.  Neither girl knew the other was there and it was such a special moment to watch them see and greet one another and then play together while the time allowed!

 Sunday afternoon, while Elam rested, Daddy took the girls outside to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.  They opted to go to the "big playground" at the elementary school and had quite a good time for a couple of hours.

We are all getting very anxious for the cold to be gone and the warmth and sun to return.  Alora especially wants to put the trampoline up and asks daily.

Happy 9th Birthday Ezri!

The big news of last week was Ezri's 9th Birthday!

She started celebrating with a gift from Jay & Becci a few days before - something special for her to use with Barb!

 She also got to open gifts from Travis and Emmett, and the magic set was a big hit!

Tierney proceeded to put on her own version of a magic show while the rest of the kids tried to figure out how all of the new magic props worked.

 Tuesday morning, Ezri woke up to find balloons and bows hidden all around the house.  She set to work, with a little help, finding them all and claiming the money attached.

 That afternoon, she and her sisters made cupcakes!

 That night, after a dinner of a pork roast and peas at Ezri's request, we let her open gifts.

The big hit was a spy kit!

All of the girls enjoyed digging in to see what fun was in the box.

Elam was happy to play with a balloon.

The rest of the week, I had little spies running all over my house.  Disguises, booby traps, sneaking and so much more amid loads of giggles. 

Saturday afternoon, we made another trip to the Grand Rapids Public Museum, this time with our friends, and had more fun.

We took another ride on the carousel too, of course!

We ended the afternoon at the museum at the planetarium to watch the Queen laser light show.  The kids all enjoyed the lights and the loud music.  Daddy might have loved it most of all!

 Sunday, after church, we finally had Ezri's birthday party with grandparents.  This time, lunch was pizza, fruit, cheese & crackers, "brown beans" and chips, at Ezri's request.  Then it was time for gifts.

 After gifts, we relaxed for a bit before cake.  Alora and Oma spent time working on some knitting.

 Elam was his usual entertaining self.

 The kids took turns picking on Grandpa,

 And then it was time for cake!

This year, Ezri wanted a book cake.  Once again challenging the decorator in me, we pulled it off, and she loved it!

Ezri got a case for her sewing machine and a box with thread and sewing tools.  She immediately wanted to get her sewing machine out and spent the rest of the afternoon working on a project.

Before everyone left, we took this year's 4 Generation picture with Great Grandma, Grandma, Mommy and the kids.

The girls then dove into Ezri's nail painting set and entertained themselves until bed time painting one another's nails.

What a fun week!  And just like that, February has gone and March has come.