Elli's birthday party, April 23rd. Ballerina

Elli wanted a pink cake and purple flowers with ballerinas. When i showed this to her, she said, "Mommy, it is perfect. exactly what I wanted!"
So glad she liked it.
Cupcakes with little ballerinas.
Cookies, flowers, butterflies, and ballet slippers.
Balloon toss, the only game Elli wanted to play. She thought she won, even though there were no winners:)
They all did such a good job!
All the little girls lined up to watch the "movie." aka Elli's 5th year video.
Look at all these gifts. I could not believe it.
The girls were lined up watching Elli open her gifts. They were all so cute:) I was amazed at how creative these gifts were. With all these people, there was not a repeat gift, and she didn't get anything she already had. How amazing is that! Again, very creative thinking here. The best part is Elli LOVES her gifts. What a fun few days we are going to have:)
Leah and Matt.
Great Grandma
Mom and dad.
Heather and Gary
Caleb, who told Elli she was beautiful:)

According to Elli, this was a perfect day. She was so happy with everything. I enjoyed her play-by-play! She planned the whole party and told me what she wanted to do. I like that she has such cute ideas. What a sweet girl.

Easter Bunny and Build a Bear

While Leah and Elli were out, we got the boys. Wesley had a rough night so he sat with Brent and watched golf. He actually cried when I walked in front of the TV!
Elli not afraid of the bunny this year.
Each year for the last three years, Leah has taken Elli to Build a Bear for her birthday. She first chose a pink bear, Taylor, then a light brown bunny, Lillianna, and on Friday night, a dark brown bunny, Rapunzel. She loves them and the experience.

Egg Hunt at Preschool

The loot:)
Reach!
Run for those eggs.
Cutest little bunny I've ever seen.
I was able to join Elli for her preschool egg hunt. They played fun games, did easter crafts, and hunted for eggs. Elli found two dollars in her eggs too. Awesome:)

Really?

I have been feeling a bit run down lately. Here is my April calendar. Now I know why! April is a busy month for us:)

Bird's nest

This was just a cute picture of Fergi after getting her done at the groomer. She even has bows!
Look at the mud on the wall to hold the nest in place. Amazing!
We came home today to find a bird's nest on our front porch light. I removed it, with gloves, and thankfully there were no eggs in it. The mommy was not happy with me though. I hope she finds another place to put it. She did a great job. It was stuck pretty good!

Easter Egg Hunt at Church, Wed April 20

All the kids, 33 of them, showing their baskets full of eggs!
Elli found one in a good hiding place.
Run kids, run!
They were hiding everywhere:)
Caroline and Elliot showing their baskets full of eggs.
Can you find one in there?
The little kids in their own room so they don't get trampled.
The kids getting ready. We separated the kids by age into different rooms so they were not walking all over each other. It was a very fun and very chaotic day:) Loved watching their happy faces.

Coloring Easter Eggs

This year, Deanna, Landon, and Olivia were able to join for coloring eggs as well as Mindi, Noah and Lucy! We had a great time. The kids played well together, even getting outside for a bit.
We also made resurrection rolls. I read the easter story from the Bible, then we walked through the steps of making the rolls with symbolism about Jesus. When we pulled them out of the oven and saw the rolls were empty, the kids were quite excited! Great day with friends and learning about Jesus.

Happy 60th birthday Dad!

We celebrated dad's birthday this past Sunday. It was sort of a surprise:) Elli of course helped him open his presents.
AnnaBelle followed Matt around like he had treats in his pockets!
We went to Heather's after lunch for pie and desserts.
Dad's friend Jeff came to help surprise dad at lunch. Elli was thrilled to have another friend!
Aunt Sharron and Uncle Larry met Luka and Wesley for the first time.
Leah found some Moxie for dad. She had the server put some in a cup and bring it to him. He was quite surprised.
Dad was shocked when he arrived at Abuelo's to find Aunt Cheryl and Rodger. He was doubly surprised when he ran into Sharron and Larry! I think when Sharron told him to take the seat of honor at the table he caught on that they were there for him:) We had a great time celebrating dad with friends and family.

Babies are their way:)

My friend Rebecca was in town to celebrate the arrival of her baby, coming soon. We had a great time together sharing in her excitement and miracle.
Fun to see her, especially pregnant:)

Fun times with friends

Jake, Noah, "B", Cara, Abby, Caleb, Cody, Lucy, Madilynn, Cooper, Ava, Elli. What a crew!I made cake pops for the occasion of visiting with friends from out of town and friends from in town. We had a great night and then spent some fun time together over the next few days. So fun to be able to keep in touch and see each other's kids!

Too busy when,

Elli says to me at the end of the day, "I didn't get to play with you." We have been busy this month. So many things going on. We have done some good things, fun things, and spent time with friends and family. However, Elli still loves to play with me. I love that:) So, if at the end of the day, even if she gets to play with lots of other fun people, she lets me know she is sad if we haven't had the chance to play!

Coming soon, new baby Raymond

A cute new dress for the new baby girl.
Check out how small those shorts are:)

We had a great day at JJ's. She did such a good job with the shower. There were about 22 kids and 10 adults:) The kids had a great day playing outside while us ladies enjoyed talking, eating, and just celebrating this new life. I am very thankful for great friends and good memories.

Happy Birthday Brent

Elli had an idea to get Brent his favorite doughnuts for a surprise birthday breakfast. Good thinking Elli!
Red Robin for dinner. Thanks to all who joined to help make Brent's day great!
Back at the house for peanut butter pie and lemon bars. Two of Brent's favorites.
Elli loves to help open presents. Especially when she has picked them out. A new golf shirt, green, and some new golf balls. Again, good ideas Elli!
Brent surprised when he saw the gift card to Lowes from mom and Dad, as well as a new external hard drive from Leah, Matt, Heather, Gary, and the boys:)

Hope you had a great day Brent!

"Now presenting..."

"...Elli's bedroom!" Elli walked in my room to get me after her first night in her new room, to show me how she made her bed. Great first try on this new big bed!