Easter, Mothers Day and everything in between

I guess I need to back up even further than Easter if I want to cover everything.  So here goes, my parents came out to visit mid March. It was wonderful to have them here when it was warm and beautiful!  We were able to show them around Charlottesville while they kept the feeling in their toes!

Todd and Grandpa had a boys night out and took the boys to Monster Jams.  Ben still goes nuts looking at the pictures from that night.  I have claimed the lovely ear muffs as my own.  When the kids see me put them on, they know they need to keep it down if they want me to take them off. It's like magic.

We were able to go with them to Virginia Beach and Williamsburg for a few days.  It was a little foggy and cold for our beach day but we still managed to find enough sun for a mild burn!

Brushing up on history in Williamsburg is always fun... for the adults 

After coming back from Williamsburg we discovered that the girls had picked up head lice from school! My skin still crawls thinking of it and I can't brush their hair with out being on the look out!  I can't tell you how thankful I was to have my mom here.  She began washing everything we could possibly fit into the washer. Stuffed animals were thrown into the dryer, I didn't even care if they made it out alive. While mom was busy washing and bleaching everything I sat on the couch with a six bulb lamp pointed at the girls head. I didn't move all day long.  Honestly it was like ten hours, and my eyes felt like they were going crossed.  I did plenty of washing hair and flat ironing, and picking only to repeat every other day or so.  I made Todd check my hair daily convinced he wasn't looking carefully enough.  And the boys, well Dad got out his clippers before I could even check them.  We had a bit of fun with Ben's hair. Here he is before...

Then with the balding look...

And the mullet...

Here is a final shot of both the boys sporting their early summer hair.  So glad to have that behind us.

We were able to get out and do one or two more fun things before mom had to leave. There is this little organic tulip farm out in the country and I took mom out to pick some.  It was so beautiful.

Finally this brings us to Easter.  Here are my little pastels.  Have I mentioned that Aaron is still obsessed with the color pink?

 Saturday after church we had a picnic in Pen Park

We had a traditional Brunch on Sunday, and our good friends the Masse's joined us!

 Aaron has also been doing swimming.  I have been really surprised with how well he is doing. He went from being afraid to get his head wet in the tub, to doing everything the teacher has asked. He has completed both Level 1&2 on the first time through and will be starting Level 3 this summer.

May 6th Ben turned two.  Since it was so close to Cinco de Mayo, we had a fiesta and called it Dos de Ben.  Todd's Parents were here and our friends the Masse's and Wood's joined us. It was so fun and Ben was thrilled. He helped us sing to him and did a great job blowing out his candle's! You will have to take my word at this because (major mom fail here) I have not one picture of him at his party!! What!?  I know it's true.  :(   I did get a little video so I am hoping that will save him from a life of thinking mom doesn't care!  Because of course I do.

While Grandma Pat was here she did what she does best and made us a little garden!  The kids LOVED planting with Grandma, and are doing a great job of keeping up on it's progress. In just about 20 days we should have radishes!!  There is also carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, spinach and lettuce, with a bit of basil.  So excited, I have been wanting a garden for so long now.

Mother's Day was spent doing nothing but enjoying the 5 fruits of my labor!  Grandpa and Daddy cooked crepes for brunch along with other breakfast goodies, and they made a Turkey Breast for dinner!  In between eating we hiked the trails up by Monticello.

Life is good, we are happy and blessed!

Good-Bye Dad

Dad had planned to leave for D.C. on Saturday that way he could have sometime to get settled in and find his way around a little bit.  Thank goodness for neighbors with great ideas. We stopped by to pick the boys up from the Wood's house and at some point Todd ended up with a beer in his hand. This made me smile because I knew he wasn't going anywhere.  This was the perfect evening for all of our family. We all enjoyed every minute of having Dad around for just one more night.

I think Ben would argue if you tried to tell him you had more fun than him. He missed his nap, but continued strong all night. His face hands and feet were covered in dirt which as Lori says "it's the sign of a very good day."  

We ended our evening around the fire with smores of course.  I am so grateful for my wonderful neighbors who have become like family to us.

The next morning Dad was up early packing.

Then came the goodbyes. Which really aren't all that good.

The new man of the house.  Doing his role dutifully in trying to keep us in good spirits.  We all went right inside and I gave them each a piece of paper to write or color pictures of what they would like to do with Daddy next weekend.  Then they drew straws to see who was going to be first to sleep in bed with mommy.  This helped to change the mood of things a bit, though we all felt a little off all day. 

This will be dad's new stomping grounds.  He will have a nice little commute which will give him a taste of what living in D.C. will really be like if  we find ourselves there long-term.

 I am trying to think of him being gone as only a weekly thing. My mind keeps trying to say 10 weeks and it's sad and overwhelming. I think we have already talked on the phone half a dozen times.  It will help with the girls still having school. Our days will be busy with the usual and before we know it- Friday will be here.

Aardvark Aaron

That's right, Aardvark. We have a whole zoo here, including Oli-gator, Claire-bear, Paigaroo, and Benny the Bull. Compliments of Papa Mike. He's named them all! For the longest time Aaron was just Aaron, but not any more. With his latest hero craze we may just have to start calling him "Super Aardvark Aaron"!

Right now as I write he is sleeping in this little getup that Grandma sent him. This guy is so full of personality that if you tried to bottle it be assured that you would fail. He has so much to say, that his mouth never stops moving, and because of all his extra energy it all comes out very loudly! Right now at the age of 4 he epitomizes the phrase of 'annoying little brother', he just doesn't quite know when to stop. Despite that we all still adore him. He wants to marry his sisters, you know? You could see his little heart break when I explained to him that he wouldn't be able to. He figured he would settle for me, heartbreak again. I love his little sensitive soul!

Happy 4th Buddy!

Stitches for Ben

Ben had a run-in with the coffee table last night. I had just finished reading the boys a story moments away from bedtime and he flew right into the edge. I knew instantly by the sound we were going to the ER. Ben only cried for a few minutes. He was so good. When the nurse called him back he grabbed his hand and went right with him. He did everything they needed him to! Our nurse was amazing. Ben loved him. He held his head while he was getting stitches, talking to him and making him laugh. Ben was so tired having missed his nap that day, his eyes got a little heavy and he checked out. He was the perfect patient!

Olivia is Nine!

After last years Narnia Party, I was successful (despite her best attempts) to have a small family and one friend party! We celebrated early so that we would have both Grandma and Grandpa here. Dad took the kids to a movie The Lorax, in 3D, then we met at Flaming Wok for dinner. The kids love this place. Something about almost losing your hair and eyebrows that's just too exciting!

Back at home for cake

Thank goodness we did celebrate early because on the morning of her Birthday she woke up with some itchy spots all over her face! She had to miss the rest of the week at school. I am still not sure if it was chicken pox or not. She never got more than 10 pox, and no fever. ? I guess it will remain a mystery!

Pennies for Patients

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society paid a visit to the girls elementary school this month. The message they gave filled their sweet little hearts to the brim with compassion for patients who are fighting these diseases. They came home eager to share with me what they learned and how any amount of money, even if it is just one penny, can help to make a difference. They each sacrificed some of their hard earned money to the cause. Claire surprised me when she decided to give everything she had, right around 23$. She said that she would rather spend her money so that kids could get better, than to keep saving for her American Girl. I am so proud of her.

This also gave me an opportunity to share with them about a little boy named Lincoln 2 1/2 years old. I read to them a little about his treatment and shared pictures that his momma put on their family blog. They were sad about him and what he has been through. It's hard, things like this. How exactly do you share things that are so sad with your kids? Maybe you might think I am nuts to do so, but I disagree. I believe we are meant to see and hear about things that tug at our hearts. We are also meant to do something about it, and that is just what my girls did. They had the idea to make cookies and try to get just a little bit more money than they already had.

Well today was execution day, and we headed to the Law School armed with about 6 dozen cookies, empty money containers, and six adorable beggars! We had just about 2 hours and here is how it went down...

Slowly the jar began to fill up!

It was pretty fantastic to hear them sharing about what they were raising money for, and to see their faces go giddy when a 5$ bill went into the jar. After we finished we met up with Dad and had a little pizza
Then it was back home to count up the dollars and coins. Just in case you are wondering the extra child is our neighbor and Olivia's best friend, Aiden Grace. She is practically family and you will see her in lots of our pictures.

I am so proud of these girls for deciding to put a little more into this project than just hunting coins in the couch. In just 2 hours they were able to collect $80.14! While $80 alone is not enough to end cancer when it's added to the over 2,500 that the school has raised, and then you factor in all the other thousands of schools that are participating, it starts coming together. They are indeed helping to make a change!