An early Easter…

"It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket."
-Elon Musk

Soccer continues for James, this weekend they had a small match against another team the same day a cold front was coming in.  James looked fierce in his shark hat so the coach put him in as goalie for a part of the game.  The most exciting part was when James scored his first goal, which he was proud of.

Easter came early at Nina and Papa’s house, and it was even more special because all the kids were there.  Hopefully we’re all done having kids because the couch won’t hold any more.  After the group picture, we were ushered outside to yards filled with eggs.  The kids all had their own sections with a golden egg and a big area where it was every kid for themselves.  I don’t think anyone finished without smiles and a full basket.

Soccer, jumping, and a random birthday…

"Amongst all unimportant subjects, football is by far the most important.
-Pope John Paul II

James started soccer again, and this time James is on a team more his level.  He’s one of the faster kids in the group and has found that he enjoys playing defense more than any other position.  He didn’t score his first game, but he prevented a few scores for the other team and helped get the win.

Ashlyn’s gymnastics continues to improve.  She’s  flipping like crazy on the trampoline, so far her record is nine backflips in a row.  Isla is eager to keep up with her big sister but it’s going to take some time.  While Ashlyn is doing flips Isla is doing jumping leg splits and cartwheels.  She’ll get there.

When we explained that dogs grow fast as puppies compared to humans the kids decided to throw a birthday party for Sadie.  They did some math and figured out that Sadie had turned 14 in human years, so they held a celebration and made treats for her.  Sadie had no idea what was happening, but it was a nice gesture from the kids.

Six Flags and mini golf...

"Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."
-Gustav Mahler

Our travel plans were disrupted due to some airplane issues so we did some fun and games around town.  One of the activities was mini golf.  Each of the kids got a hole in one.

It was a rainy weekend, but that didn’t stop the kids from wanting to go to Six Flags.  A lot of the rides were closed due to lightning, but we still got to go on the basic rides and the Mine Train.  Based on all the smiles, it seems like it was a success despite the weather.

Books, baths, and Mr. Mule…

"Mommy!  The bathtub overflowed!"
-Isla

We’re a fan of books around here.  Ashlyn’s reading continues to improve and now she’s even writing her own books.  This weekend she read her first full book to James and Isla.  It was a rhyming book about a girl whose Christmas started poorly but ended up being great because she got a puppy.  James was proud to finish his first chapter book this week and is already on to his second.

The girls decided to take a bubble bath and I suspect they may have put just a little too much bubble mix in.  When they turned on the jets the tub overflowed with bubbles, spilling out onto the floor.  As you can see from their faces, they were very upset at the mess they made.

James was in his first school play where he took on the role of Mr. Mule.  He wanted a part without any lines but ended up with one that had more than most.  He got all the lines though and seemed to have a fun time of it.

Games, puppies, and bouncing…

"I think it's wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly."
–Steven Wright

Sadie is still technically a puppy, but is no longer a tiny dog.  That hasn’t kept the kids from playing with her and I think Sadie enjoys the attention.  Most of the time anyway.

Game night is becoming a somewhat regular occurrence.  It’s a great way to get everyone at the table together to have some fun and learn a few things along the way.  Isla loves the circular game below and wants to play it multiple times a day.  James likes almost any game and will often pick one out of the closet and bring it to the table to play.  Ashlyn has found a new art based game that she really enjoys and we’ve had fun a few times with it so far.  I hope this becomes a regular thing.

These are just two random pictures from Valentine’s Day.  I missed them in the blog post but liked them so wanted to include them here.  Enjoy!

We purchased a membership at the local Urban Air since it seems to be the one activity all three kids consistently agree on doing.  They took off as soon as they were able and ran, climbed, and bounced over everything they could.  And there wasn’t a single argument, thanks bouncy place!