More Sunshine, Spring Celebration and a Birthday Girl!!

March has been beautiful here in Illinois! We keep hearing from people that it is quite unusual, but we're thrilled with this unusual weather. It has been incredible to see the land transform from winter to spring. When we arrived in Illinois autumn had passed and we settled into our new environment of barren trees. But just in the last few weeks, I feel like I'm seeing in color again. The colors are so vibrant all around us as the trees blossom and the flowers bloom. God's creation is so amazing!

With the beautiful weather we've tried to get outside as much as possible. We found a nature center a few miles from our house and enjoyed taking the kids for a little picnic and hike.

We were excited to have another So Cal friend make his way to the windy city. And you can't come all the way out here without enjoying some Chicago style pizza! This time we tried out Gino's East. Adam, it was a blessing to see you! Thanks for taking the time to spend the evening with us.

Adam and Nathan

The kids loved Gino's East cause you can write all over everything there - the walls, the tablecloth, the seats. Ashlyn thought that was pretty crazy!

Micah and Ashlyn were so excited when Nathan drove up in a new car one afternoon - a BMW 3.0si! He was so jealous of Uncle Micah's new car, he just had to get a Beemer for himself. Haha! We wish! Actually, he had the car to drive around a guest speaker who was at Harvest for a few days. The kids did enjoy a little ride around the block. But now we're back to our trusty old Accord.

We are so thankful to have a park practically across the street from our house. The warm weather has brought out all the kids, and we've discovered there are lots of them in the neighborhood.

Micah was all decked out in his cowboy outfit one afternoon and rode his trusty "horse" around letting people know that if they needed the help of a Sheriff, he was at their service. Haha! That kid cracks me up!

And who can sit inside for lunch when it is so warm outside. So lunches have been served up on the deck quite a bit lately. Despite the warm weather, for some reason Ashlyn decided she needed a winter hat.

Lovin' some cuddle time with Daddy

~Spring Celebration~

Our annual Spring Celebration was so much fun this year as we took advantage of having a yard and enjoyed the beautiful colors springing up all around us.

Starting the day with bunny cinnamon rolls

All ready to hunt for eggs

 The day was actually a bit rainy, but the rain held off til we completed the egg hunt

Love this picture of my cuddle-bugs!

Ready for a little painting fun

Lunch brought out butterfly sandwiches

 And then it was time to color some eggs. It's so fun to see the creations they come up with as they decorate their eggs and show their individuality.

The celebration ended with a treasure hunt to find their baskets and a few little gifts. Ashlyn is loving "reading" like her big brother, so she was so excited to have a new Bible story book.

 Finding his way to the hidden treasure. I did this a few months ago for something fun to do on a cold afternoon and the kids loved it so much that treasure hunts have turned into a regular activity in our house.

Happy Spring!

Enjoying her loot!

 ~Our Birthday Girl~

Right on the heels of our spring celebration, we had a full weekend celebrating our birthday girl. Can't believe she is 4 years old!

On our way to a birthday dinner at California Pizza Kitchen

Working diligently on the kids menu

This girl LOVES her pizza!

But she loves dessert even more!

Giggle, giggle! I love her giggles!

Having "tasted" the celebratory spirit, this girls was super excited to wake up on her birthday morning to a house full of streamers, balloons and presents on the table. And Micah was excited for her to start opening her presents so she got to open one before breakfast.

Light up flip flops! So fun!

Our big 4 year old!

Ready for Breakfast Birthday Cake!

After breakfast we headed out for Ashlyn's birthday surprise. She loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals and dressing them up, so we knew she would love a trip to Build-a-bear to pick out her own animal and the clothing to go with her.

Hello Kitty has recently become a favorite of hers, so when she saw a purple Hello Kitty she knew that was what she wanted.

Fluffing up kitty

She was fascinated with the process

Putting in kitty's heart

Then it was time for a kitty bath

Picking out an outfit ~ so many choices!

Getting kitty all dolled up

Micah was very patient to wait for the girls

Time to name her ~ Ashlyn called her Princess Kitty

After building-a-kitty, we returned home to prepare for her birthday lunch, cake and presents!

She asked for a princess birthday this year. So here was my attempt at a princess cake. Looks more like Barbie than a princess, but she was thrilled with it so I guess that's what counts.

Ashlyn loves Mr. Riddle so we were excited that he was able to join us for part of our celebration. He is quickly becoming like a Grandpa to our kids.We're so grateful to have people to love on our kids when we are so far away from family.
 

Mama and her birthday girl!

The next morning the boys were out together so Ashlyn and I had a little date down at the donut shop. Her pick ~ a mint chocolate donut!

Ashlyn with one of her new friends. These girls are two peas in a pod. They have so much fun together!

Enjoying one of her new birthday presents ~ she calls it a smoothie maker and was quite eager to make her own smoothie in it.

The beautiful weather has given us time to play with our new friends after our Classical Conversations class each week. Last week the boys created sand city ~ a castle surrounded by roads, campgrounds, military bases, etc. It's such a joy to see our kids enjoying these new friendships!

Ready for a date with her Daddy! Our local Chick-fil-a had a Daddy/Daughter Date night so these two had a special night out. They even got to enjoy a limo ride after dinner!

And while the other two were out on the town, Micah and I enjoyed a Sonic date.

Since we moved into our home last fall, Micah has talked about building a tree fort in the tree out back. Every time the sun is out (even when it was 40 degrees) he kept asking if he could start building. So this weekend, all his planning finally started to take form as the boys headed outside to begin building.

The project isn't finished yet, but Micah is excited that much progress has been made. Hopefully we'll have pictures of the completed fort in our next post.