April

And just like that, April has ended....and the countdown to summer begins! Here is a glimpse of April at our house.

We had a different Easter this year. We spent the day at church and brought some old friends with us. We grilled out afterwards at our house and didn't end the celebration until 8:00 that evening. Eric's parents and grandma came over. So did Kristin and Guerry and Jeff and his friend Sarah. GREAT company. Great food. Great weather. Happy kids. Good day.

I think I was a bah-humbug last year and we didn't do an egg hunt, so we needed to over compensate for that by stuffing eggs with money this year. We knew it wouldn't be pretty if Jack didn't get the most money, so Beth and I tried to help them out to make it even. Like every year, we never found four eggs. That's usually no big deal, but they have money in them, so it feels a little more annoying than usual. Jack handled his loss well. I think he only came up 2 bucks shorter than Kaitlin.

Our foster cat, Binks, decided to cross the Jordan River to join us for the photo op, and then she went back to her new owners porch to observe and loathe us from a distance like she usually does. She is still very biter about Bella joining the family. She won't come into the house now. I don't blame her. We have to go outside to love on her now. I wish someone would take her and raise her for us!

Kristin and Guerry

The most handsome orange headed little boy on earth.

This was the highlight of our month for sure. Kaitlin was picked by her teachers to be a member of a local Christian club called the Optimist Club. The Cherokee County Middle School and High School Principals asked their teachers to choose one 6th grade boy and girl, and one 11th boy and girl who represent an all around great student with great character, a positive attitude, and are encouraging to other kids, to honor them in an awards ceremony last week. Her teachers chose HER! I started crying when I got the email from her principal. REALLY? The ceremony was so sweet, and the speakers did a great job of inspiring these great kids to acheive great things in life through faith in good and acts of service. It was awesome to see these 16 kids light up with hope when they received their award. I was beaming with pride for Kaitlin. I am so average, so it's so fun to have a daughter who gets awards! I kind of get to live vicariously through her and feel what it would feel like to be awesome.

Eric made this meal one night. I had to put this one on record. FIVE STAR BABY! It was the best chicken I've ever had, smothered in all this deliciousness, and of course topped off with bacon. Eric will put bacon on anything!

Jack found his calling this month. He very well may be a meteorologist when he grows up. He has spent most of the month of April freaking out over the possibility of storms. As soon as clouds start to form he begins the non-stop questioning of when, where, and how bad? He has learned how to read the dopplar radar and track a storm from start to finish. So you can imagine the fear he felt when these recent storms hit. It was all he could do not to fall apart. He coped by doing this. He gave a minute by minute play by play of where the storm was and what kind of damage could occur from it. We watched the news as it was all coming through and prayed together as it was all happening. Jack specifically asked God to please make the storms miss Canton, and to protect all of the people in Georgia. It was sweet. And his prayers were answered.

I can't believe this picture.

When the first siren went off, the kids and I went to the basement to our pre-made storm shelter. The kids were so panicked that they wore helmets. The news anchor told them to. Bella was so confused! I have to admit I was a little scared myself. I just kept seeing all this destruction and it worried me. I think I prayed for an hour straight until we all fell asleep under the stairs in our dirty basement. Thursday was a Looooong day. We still had to get up at 5:30 and go to school the morning after, but I was thankful we had a school to go to. I was so thankful it missed us, but so upset at all the damage it caused. Mother Nature is a BEAST. WHY???

I don't know what it is about Carsyn, but she blows up a photo, ha?

We ended April by enjoying the beautiful (finally) weather on our hiking trails with the kids. We found this awesome trail in our neighborhood with creeks! I grew up playing in creeks and I hate that Jack and KK have missed out on exploring outdoors with neighbors because of our paranoid culture. I have so many great memoreis playing on our creeks, catching water spiders and skipping rocks with micah stones BY MYSELF or with other kids. We LIVED outside growing up. My goal this year as a mom was to do more with the kids outdoors. This was something we will do again and again. I want to really enjoy this neighborhood now that we are staying here for good. It has so much to offer. And I LOVE the hiking trails. I am still not okay with them being on the trails by themselves though. I am a product of this oaranoid culture, but trying to let it go.

Kaitlin is finally getting contacts!!! This is what we will see very soon when we look at her. I will miss her in her glasses, but I am ready to look at those beautiful eyes!

We thought ahead this time and made them wear their swimsuits. Last time we went they swam in their clothes, in the chili post-rain weather, and were covered in mud and freezing cold. It was messy, but they were lauging so hard it was worth it.

Every kid needs to know how to balance on a tree limb!






Shy Carsyn was workin it for the camera.

I had to add this photo in. Apparently this is our new pet carpenter bee. He is what we call a personal space invader. He and Jack should get along just fine. He buzzes right up to us when we are on the porch and tries to intimidate us with his sting power. How crazy is that? He will freeze in mid air just to stare you down. Eric is a stubborn man. This bee doesn't know who he is up against.

We are squeezing in as much Price and Parker time possible these days. They are moving to North Carolina this summer and we will MISS THEM! Price is Jack's first real friend. The 3 of them have the best time together. His family brought us to our church, which we love, and now they are leaving! His dad is the new worhsip pastor at a church in NC. He has such a great voice and is so on fire for God its incredible to watch him sing. He posted last weekend that he was hanging and writing music with Zack Brown!!!! Looks like things are going in a good direction for his music career- but we will miss them so much!

Kaitlin and Jack are using the heck out of their b-ball goal. What a great use of money! We will make a lot of good memories playing ball in the driveway. I get tears evertime I watch Father of the Bride and they flashback to when Annie was a teenager playing ball in the driveway with her dad. I am so glad we got it, and even more glad Joe helped us put it together.

18 more days until SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!