Hi everyone! I've had a crazy few days, so I apologize for not checking in. I've read back, so I'm happy to hear that most everyone had a good day yesterday.
Debbie - Loved all the pictures!!! What darling babies!!!
Deb - I'm so sorry that Hunter is not feeling well. I'm glad he's got such an awesome mommy!!! Give him a hug from me!
Tammi - How was Easter with your folks? I miss seeing the picture of Nicholas and Alyssa. Will you be posting one this year?
Elin and Janet - I'm jealous of your toes! It's still snowing here, so I don't dare bare my toes!
Tia - I'm glad you got rid of the comp shopping. You have enough on your plate without exhausting yourself with that!
Heidi - I'm glad the surgery went well!
Well, last Thursday I got to spend the day with some dear friends, as their only daughter got married. It was April 1st, which I thought was a hilarious day to choose to get married. When we got there, it was snowing so hard, it was ridiculous! By the time the ceremony was over, the sun was out, and things were melting. Talk about your April Fool weather!!! The reception that night was beautiful! We were able to catch up with a lot of old friends and neighbors!
Friday morning Alan and I found out that another dear friend, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last Christmas, had passed away overnight. We weren't expecting it this soon, and it really hit Alan hard, as this was one of his dearest friends. He was only 49 years old. Paul leaves behind a wife, 4 daughters and a grandson. So sad!
Friday night we held our families annual Easter Egg hunt. It was so much fun! This was the first hunt Timothy participated in, and he wasn't too sure what he was supposed to do. Luckily, his big cousin, Alena, helped him get some candy and eggs into his bucket! Another niece and her husband, who own a rental business for bounce houses, brought one with them, so the kids had a great time bouncing. After a couple of hours, the snow started, so we all moved inside and had dinner. What a great potluck. There were about 80 people there, so we had a ton of food!!!
Saturday night we had a girl's night with the family where all girls 12 and older got together to play Bunco. This was Katie's first time to come, and she was really excited. She was even more excited when she won a prize! While the girls were all together, the men went out for a Chinese dinner. Good times were had by all. That night, we got all the kids in bed, and the Easter Bunny came. The tooth fairy also made a stop here, as Mary lost a tooth (with a little help from an accident with Katie). The tooth fairy brought her cash, and the Easter Bunny added gold coins as a bonus.
Yesterday was very beautiful here. The kids were happy with their baskets, and spent most of the day reading their new books, and watching their new movies. I made dinner and it was yummy. I put the ham in the crockpot and cooked it all day in apple cider mixed with maple syrup and lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. I was worried it would be too sweet, but it turned out yummy! We also had yams, corn, roasted brussels sprouts, and a strawberry jello salad on a pretzel crust. I think the recipe was posted by someone here a while back. The kids LOVED it!!! After dinner, Alan banned me to the bedroom while he and the kids cleaned up. It felt really good to just relax for a while.
Today was the first day of spring break here, and it snowed again! Think spring will ever visit us? Or will we just go straight to summer??? Stay tuned! I took the kids to the library, and the store to spend some birthday cash, and then we came home so I could study and the baby could nap. Tonight Alan and I are going to Paul's viewing, and then out to dinner. Tomorrow morning is the funeral. It's so sad!
I hope you all are ready for some pictures, because I finally downloaded my camera and I have pictures from January to today! I'll be getting them up in FB and will post some here, as well!