March is out like a lion

The 1st FCA SK8 Mission Trip to NM was a success! It was a weekend jam-packed full of outreach and skating. Everyone seemed pretty 'tuckered out' when they got home. Watch for more details in our upcoming ministry update! The kids and I stayed home......but did not miss out on any action! We had a full weekend. We had movie/popcorn night, we ate at Chick Fil-A* with our wonderful neighbors (whose dad was accompanying Derrick on the mission trip) and took a long walk to the park with them in the evening. (** this lunch adventure was interesting. Addie escaped without me noticing from the play area and was returned by a Chick Fil-A worker who noticed her standing alone by the exit! AHHH! Then to top off the trip, I was putting Eli in his carseat first with Kai and Addie right next to me OR SO I THOUGHT. Literally in a matter of 3 secs she was gone. My heart dropped when I thought of her running toward the drive thru in the parking lot. I frantically rushed out searching for her. A good samaritan in a car driving around the loop was frantically pointing on the other side of the car where Addie escaped YET AGAIN! Gezzo.....I had much to reflect on that day. Praise God for His grace on me.) Grandma and Grandpa visited for a long weekend in March. We walked at Garden of the Gods and ventured to the park near our house. Kai and Addie were busy showing them all the toys and games they miss out on! K & A soaked up every second they visited....starting in Grandma and Grandpa's bed with them in the wee hours of the morning until story time before bed! It's always a nice break for Derrick and I when grandparents are present!! Addie discovered Kai's undies! I just thought it was cute watching her pull them on by herself and then proudly strut around in them! Maybe this means another one out of diapers soon!??!?! I won't hold my breathe. We're bringing in April with a little stomach virus (well, only Kai so far). Lucky us. The recent colder more seasonable weather is not very delightful in my opinion. Spring fever continues. Although, I AM jumping on that spring cleaning I mentioned (which is impressive for me)....closets, check, re-decorate living room 1/2 done, check, summer clothes and swimsuits ready to go, check. Now we're just waiting......

Happy Spring

I should have lots to say for lack of a recent blog posts, however I'm feeling at the end of the rope. Hmmm...... Eli is 9 months old next week.....nuts! He's going to be the opposite of his slow-to-move sister. He's already pulling up on everything to his knees to play (little kitchen, laundry baskets, his crib) He's stretching so far for toys he should take off crawling once he figures out how to get his knees under him! I don't want to jinx myself, but he's been sleeping through the night the whole week!! WAHOO (I'm literally doing a little dance here)! He's started to be more vocal. Suddenly we'll just hear him belting out "da-da-da-da-da" from his carseat or highchair! He's so cute. Addie is expressing parts of the "terrible two's" before she's two. She's my "handful" lately. I hesitate to call her moody, but she's usually one extreme or the other. It's a difficult phase with discipline, but it too shall pass. Derrick and I reflect back on Kai at this age and recall having to strap him in the highchair for timeout. She, on the other hand, stays on the timeout step on her own. She's also talking more. She has mimicked words for quite some time, but just recently has begun to pull vocabulary out to form her own thoughts/agenda. She frequently states WHO and then ends with a VERB. The middle of the sentence is mostly jibberish sounds. "Kai...ksdlfsaglsdfohisdgbkle.....work." It's cute, she's getting there. Kai is in a fun phase now. His imaginary play is always entertaining. He's starting to use different household items or toys as props. He likes to do "work projects," "packing for adventures," or things associated with racing (due to Lightning McQueen being his favorite these days)! He's able to ride his Strider bike with me all the way to the park and back from our house while I tote the other kids in the bike trailer. It makes me excited for summer outings (although we've been practicing already since it's been almost 70 degrees for 2 wks around here)! He's going through a guns and killing the bad guy phase, which I could do without. We're just trying to stress you don't point guns at people and redirect the other negative play. Where do kids get this stuff at age 3???? Everywhere. I know, I know. Derrick is getting busier with ministry due to amazing growth and partly due to the beautiful weather. Relationships with the guys are becoming stronger and deeper. He hangs at the skateparks with the guys pretty frequent when he can! We have had such generous donations of food for skate church, and new partnerships recently that have been a HUGE blessing. I am pondering on some serious spring cleaning lately. It's always need to keep toys out of every crack and crevis of our house! I'll keep you posted if it honestly happens....pondering and performing are two totally different concepts for me! Happy Spring! Due to the time change, my kids slept until 7:30am or later this whole week! Ah, love it. It has been a good sleep week.

Pics and Tidbits

Just a few random cute pics to share with you! Our weekly tidbits: We're fighting another family cold (Derrick and I included this time). Addie and Eli are both teething. Kai got a new McQueen bike helmet (since the dog ate his last one). Scout didn't chew up anything else this week.....that we have discovered yet. Addie puts up a pretty good fight every time we change her diaper lately. I'm done nursing Eli. It's a new sense of personal freedom! We got a new couch and loveseat today! The first non-hand-me-down couch EVER. :) SkateChurch had abundant food donations this week! Praise God. Newest artistic craze for Kai and Addie AND Derrick: an old flip chart I brought home from work. I visited an ATM that didn't give out cash. Seriously? Enjoy the smiles and have a good weekend! Addie is just so happy I actually let her play in the walker. Eli spitting with his tongue. This is his usual happy tune. Daddy and Addie in their reading glasses. The boyz. Bros. Pals. BFF's.

Garden of the Gods

A couple weekends ago we did a family walk and picnic at Garden of the Gods. It was mid-February (I know try not to be jealous) and we were without snow or coats! It's becoming a trend this winter in CO Springs. I'm just hoping the coatless February doesn't equate to snow all April and May! Mommy and Eli Daddy, Addie and Kai hiding in a rock crack. Derrick and Addie are starting to sport the same hairdo!! PBJ's on a rock ledge for lunch. The latest family shot.