Joyfully Weary

This Easter was pretty relaxing for us. My youngest sister, Angel, joined us for the weekend but other than that it was just our little family. We've had Easters in the past that were busy, in a good way, but with busyness comes hecticness. It was nice to relax and get a bit of rest during the weekend. I don't really enjoy dying eggs so we made sugar cookies and decorated them instead. Not only do I think they are more fun to decorate but they are also much more fun to eat.        I can't bring myself to spend money on Easter baskets...it's not really the money but the clutter afterwards. Last year, all the kids needed new helmets so we gifted those to them for Easter and filled them with some other fun treats. This year, I was going to just use some reusable random shopping bags we had lying around. When I was out shopping for last minute Easter goodies, though, I also had to pick up some new storage bins. I had the...

I've mentioned before that we always have three Christmas. Getting together for Christmas is pretty important to both our families and since Jeremy has Winter break we make the most of it. This year our first stop was to Iowa to see my family. We stayed with my little sister Sarah and her family. They were great hosts. One of the kids' favorite activities was a Rice Crispy train she made for them to decorate.  My niece Isabell decided she liked me this time - she's a sweet girl.  Ready to open gifts.  One of the presents we got my brother Adrian was some streamers. It was fun watching him dance around with them.  In addition to seeing my family we were also able to visit a few old friends. We also made it a point to stop at Taco John's - one of things I miss most about Iowa.  we don't drink a ton of soda but when we do, he takes full advantage Then it was time for our Christmas at home. This year we able to joi...

My sister Sarah and her family came up to stay with us for the weekend of the Fourth. They only make it out to our house about once a year, so we packed as much fun as possible into the three days we had together. On the fourth we went to our town's parade. It's a bit of a crazy event - the parade lasted for over two hours! a patriotic little lady my niece isabelle watching little lady mother her baby dolls makes my heart feel as if it could burst

I've been pretty excited to make and hand out "May baskets" with the kids, so I was a bit shocked when a couple people today (including Jeremy) told me that they had never heard of May baskets. I was starting to think that maybe it was just some random, small town Iowa tradition, but Wikipedia confirms that May Day is in fact a "real" holiday.  A kind elderly woman we ran into at the grocery store also told us she remembered making May baskets but didn't think anyone did anymore. She was kind because she smiled, talked to the kids, & told me I was doing a good job. I'm aware that my brood can make getting through doorways and aisles more difficult for other patrons and I don't blame them when they display their annoyance - I'm kid-free and in a hurry sometimes too. But when someone takes the time to respond to Mini Man's enthusiastic greetings and listen to Big Buddy's latest exciting factoid, it makes my day and gives me all ki...