The Best of... Spring 2015 edition

I am so behind with this blog... Tiegan maybe has MORE pictures of her than the others since I am constantly taking pics of her with my phone, but I never get my big camera out and I have yet to blog about her monthly updates or milestones (I'm sorry T, Mommy loves you sooo much though!).  So here is the most random assortment of pictures from our lovely spring...!

Many Monday evenings whichever of us who got to take Lainey to dance, would grab a quick dinner with her afterwards and before bible study.  This particular night was IHOP (kids eat free on Mondays!).  This girl inherited her mother's love of going out to eat.  She'll typically say and repeat something like, "This is so fun!" the whole time you're out to eat.  The one on one time is so sweet too.

Tiegan has and continues to love the water and her bath time.  She requires more frequent baths with all of that hair too!

Easter was so fun this year.  We hit a few different egg hunts, decorated eggs and did Resurrection eggs with the kids too.

Easter Sunday

With the nicer weather, we are loving getting outside and enjoying many parks.  There is a baseball complex near our house that is jam packed on many week nights and weekends but during the weekdays it's totally dead so we take advantage of the playground in the middle of all of the fields.

I love this baby and I wish I could hold her and snuggle her all day long.  She is not a high maintinence baby who NEEDS held very often but I sure do love to steal my snuggles whenever I can.

My dark eyed girls!  They are still absolutely smitten with each other.  Their love is so mutual and so lovely to watch grow.

One night as I was feeding Tiegan before bed, Lainey waltzed in with her sound machine (we rely heavily on those things around here) and said that she didn't need hers anymore and Tiegan could have it.  It was the most precious thing - she was so genuine and sweet about it.  She is such a fabulous big sister.

We registered Lainey for a spring soccer league through the city of Des Moines Parks and Rec largely because it was held right down the street from our house and Jed said he would coach.

I don't think soccer is in her future but she sure looked cute and I think she still had fun.  I couldn't believe even at this age, the difference in athletic abilities and intensity between boys and girls!

The cutest greeters at church!

We hit one of our favorite spring spots at the peak of lilac blooming season and it was so glorious!  The kids frolicked around the most giant lilac bushes and T and I followed and sniffed the blooms!

I love my little crew!

Lainey invited her friend Mia to "bring a friend week" at ballet.  It's funny to watch 3 year olds be friends.  These girls are 4 weeks apart and have been friends since birth!

We enjoyed a homeschool field trip with many other church friends a few weeks ago to a farm!  The weather was awesome and the kids loved it!

Tiegan...not so impressed.

Wyatt loved it most of all I'd say.

Sometimes I have just my littles at home and I love watching Wyatt really own his big brother role during those times.  Lainey, as the oldest, typically just runs the show when she's around but Wy is such a different kid when she's gone.  He LOVES his baby Tiegan and really truly is gentle and sweet to her.

I love baking (and much prefer it to cooking) and while it's typically easier, faster and less messy to just do it myself, I want to include the kids and let that be something they remember about their mom.  They are great at dumping in ingredients, getting started stirring things and helping me set the timer.  Oh and especially at licking the beater/spoons and watching things bake in the oven!

Spring was so wonderful and we are excited as summer is just getting started!

Easter

We had a fabulous time celebrating Easter this year.  I loved that it was later this year.  It doesn't feel much like Easter when you're practically wearing winter coats like we were last year.

We started our celebrating this year with making resurrection rolls!

We just dipped marshmallows in melted butter, then a cinnamon/sugar/brown sugar mixture then wrapped them in crescent rolls and then dipped and rolled them the same way.  They turned out perfect and Lainey was in awe of the empty tomb!

Saturday we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at Walnut Creek in Windsor Heights.

They did a nice job putting the event together.  Older kids were outside and kids 3 and under were inside.

Wyatt was slow and meticulous about his egg gathering.  He examined each egg he put in his basket.

They had face painting and a bounce house too!  Way fun!

That afternoon, we headed to my Grandma Charlotte's in Knoxville for some fam time!

My Grandma lives next to a farm pasture and they have horses.  We have to search for the horses every time we go there and most of the time, they come down to the fence, which is always a hit.

Easter Sunday we went to church and then had brunch at my house with my parents after.

After naps, it was too beautiful to stay inside.  Jed is training for Dam to Dam so he needed to get a long run in.  He ran to Gray's Lake, we drove and walked one lap while he ran one lap then we played for awhile at the playground.

I can hardly believe it's getting to be tank tops and shorts weather!

We finished off the day with a trip to Orange Leaf for dinner for a snack, naturally.

We had a great weekend celebrating our risen Savior!

Easter Sunday

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter Sunday today.  Lainey's vocabulary grew this weekend as we taught her a few new words ... Easter, died (as in, Jesus died), and alive (as in, He is alive!).  She repeated the sequence a few times, which was really sweet.  I'm glad she seemed to have caught on (in her own toddler understanding) to the real reason we celebrate Easter, because she also was pretty excited about things like eggs and baskets this week/weekend too!  Holidays are always a good excuse to dress up a little and take a few pictures so we did some of that today as well.

Sweet girl before church!

Me and my big sweet boy!

While Lainey was napping, I went outside and hid a few Easter eggs in the yard.  The great thing about little kids is that they have no idea what to expect when it comes to things like this.  Lainey could have cared less that I only put 1 or 2 of the cheapest brand of jelly beans in her Easter eggs.  Or that I put packages of fruit snacks that she got in a package from her grandparents that she had already seen in the bigger eggs.  It was still just as fun! So after Lainey woke up and when Wyatt went down for his nap, we went outside.

Checking out the loot!

Then Wyatt woke up so I could catch a few pictures of both of my cute kids!

So sweet to share!

He is SUCH a little stud!

A poor, poor attempt at a family photo.  (Lainey didn't get the memo.)

I hope you all were able to enjoy your Easter holiday as well celebrating the death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus!