So much going on at the end of the school year...

Oh my goodness we have so much going on here at the end of the school year. We decided, really last minute to go down to TX to surprise my mom for Mother's Day. Well we succeeded I think, she was completely shocked and almost speechless when she saw the kids running up her sidewalk. We had a wonderful visit with Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Grandma Austin on Saturday, just hung out in the pool all day Sunday with great weather. Well we had great weather until Monday morning when we were packing to leave. It poured rain on us from Dallas all the way to Oklahoma City, about 4 hours! I don't know what made the trip back to KS so long but I didn't think we'd ever get back. We had a school meeting at 5.30 that we were trying to make and we pulled into town at 5.25! Nothing like barely making it! Oh well, it was worth the rushed trip. We had a good time in the pool, a great visit with family and it felt great to get away if even just for a couple days. We are looking forward to our next trip to Tx, hopefully in June or July to visit Granddad and Grandma Carol this time. We miss all our of our Ireland friends but it sure is nice to be close to family again.

the whole family

superstar emma!

Lounging Meara

Cannonball!!!!!!!!!

Meara and Daddy

That going under the water business makes one very sleepy...

Tuesday at school the girls had a little music program called 'Getting Down with Mother Goose' it wasn't long but it was really cute.

This is a dinosaur diorama that Emma did (along with mommy and auntie carol) for school. Pretty cool dinos, don't ya think?

After the music program on Tuesday, we did the dinosaur project Tuesday night and then Wednesday, Greensburg, Haviland and Mullinville schools do 'Little Olympics' in Mullinville. It is all track-type events and the little ones can do three events. They had a great time, win or lose, hanging out with their friends, eating their sack lunches and watching all the events and races.

Our two Little Olympic star athletes!!!

Meara hanging out in the stroller waiting to watch the next race.

Dagan and his little friend Carson, having a snack and watching the races.

Emma and her friend Alex watching the race.

Austyn and Gracie planning their next strategy.

Austyn at the standing long jump.

Emma at the standing long jump

Emma running the 35m dash, she came in 6th

Austyn getting ready to start the 55m relay race, they came in 1st!

Austyn grinning from ear to ear after the announcement that her team won.

All in all it was a great day. The weather was sunny but enough clouds to keep it from being unbearable and just a little breeze to keep you cool. We had a great time cheering them on too!

Hmmm this is appropriate...

So I get these emails from WayFM, a christian radio station, and it amazes me sometimes the versus and songs they use on the devotional sometimes just really hit home (lately it seems they are all appropriate in some way) but anyway....this was in my email inbox today...


Whatever You're Doing
by Sanctus Real
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believeYou're up to something bigger than me

Becoming the person that God wants you to be is a process. It takes time and willingness. And when God begins working in you, it can feel like you’ve been put into a giant blender and everything is getting mixed up.It can feel like your life is in total chaos and you have no idea which way to go. But God knows what he’s doing. And he’s doing everything for your good. So when you feel all mixed up and don’t understand, trust that he’s up to something big. He’s making you into the person he wants you to be.
Isaiah 55:8-9
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,so my ways are higher than your waysand my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Don't think I could have said it any better...but its a great description at how we are feeling right now...

Saturday stuff

This morning Ty and I went to pottery class while Auntie Carol & Gram watched the kiddos. Its nice to spend some time just us, even if it is just a couple hours. A pottery expert I am not but it sure was fun to just hang out and laugh together. We got home to a house full of rambunctious kids but they did clean their rooms and helped a bit with the family room so that was nice. This afternoon we had a pretty serious band of storms come through the area that had the potential for tornadoes, thankfully all we got was a little lightening and thunder and some rain. The rain is good for the crops I guess but I'd be really happy to get back to the warm weather again! After living in the rainy climate for 3 years I should be happy with any sun we get!

I finally was able to replace my Cricut machine and it arrived on Thursday. I had a lot of fun playing around and seeing the new features of it. I'm looking forward to scrapbooking and making more stuff. I got a good deal and got a 3rd cartridge basically for free, it was back ordered so I haven't gotten it yet but hopefully it will be here soon. I think my favorite part of the new machine is that it cuts chipboard, that would have been nice to have when I was hosting the classes. I am considering teaching classes here at the arts center....I haven't decided and don't know that I want to do it again but we'll see....as we get more settled and know more what we are doing maybe I'll know more.

That's it for now....gotta get the kids in the shower so they are cleaned up for church tomorrow....

Happy Easter!

Easter Sunday...after church and a lot of rain...we still don't look too bad I think!

Meara's first Easter

Getting ready for the egg hunt.

Coloring eggs!

Before and after...

The Easter Bunny was here...

I'm incognito...you don't know me!

Such a good big brother!

Well I really don't have a real update to put down here but I wanted to add these pictures I took of Meara. I can't wait to print these and start scrapping them. I love black and white photos, I don't know what it is, just something about them I always think they are so beautiful. Of course having cute subjects helps too! Aaron and Brianna stayed a couple days the end of last week on their way back to CO. Their little boy Chase is 3 weeks younger than Meara. I was looking through the photos they had taken of their little guy, all in black & white, I got motivated to take some of little (or no-so-little compared to Chase) Meara. They had an awesome picture of their feet...mom, dad and baby Chase. I thought it would be really cool to do of the 6 of us but haven't figured out the logistics of 12 feet yet. I'll keep playing around and see what I come up with, might have to be a photoshop project....we'll see.

Its hard to believe that Meara is 3 months old on Saturday. She is getting big, I've already had to go through her clothes and pack up the things that don't fit anymore. Sadness! She is starting to smile and giggle on purpose, rather than randomly. It is so fantastic to look over the side of her crib and watch her smiling at a toy but then grin from ear to ear and giggle when she sees you looking at her. Priceless!!!

It was Mother's Day in Ireland yesterday. Kinda a weird feeling. I guess I still in a way feel like we are on 'holiday' instead of living here again. Of course I think that feeling slowly disipates with each load of laundry I do...hahaha *sigh*

Ok...I love saying this....are you sitting down??? you should be....cuz I'm off to scrapbook! Yes you heard me right...I'm working on a 'Baby Girl' book for Ty's aunt Donna of her granddaughter Mya. I've got one page done....not sure how many I have to go but I'm off to work on it!!! Yippee!!!!! ~later

sneaky peak~~this is the first page of the book...