Bradley had his class Easter party and egg hunt on Friday and his teacher gave each child a number and there were 12 eggs with their number on eggs so they had to hunt for just their number which I thought was neat because it ensured they each got the same amount and made the egg hunt last a long time and the kids loved the idea. Alayna did great this time! I didn't have to high tail it out of their like the last party. Whew!! I was thankful for that!
Bradley did great at his concert. Sung his little heart out as usual. He wanted me to get pictures of him and his buddy's. Manny on the end is his best school buddy.
Mommy, will you get a picture with me and the girls? Why Bradley? Because they are so cute!! Silly kid!!
The kids enjoyed hunting for their own worms for fishing.
So many critters to look at.
Nothing fancy.....very simple I may add. We went to Newport News State Park on Saturday for the day to have a whole day of "day camping" We had a ball and so did the kids. It was a gorgeous day. Very peaceful.......A little windy, but nothing to complain about. We hiked, we fished, and just piddled in the woods. There's nothing the kids love more than this. We seen deer, cranes, turtles, ducks, seagulls. Didn't catch any fish. Did I say we took almost 200 pictures. Oh my.....moment after moment were picture opportunities. I'm trying to go through and decide if we really need them all. The kids were happy all day. All but getting a little fussy on the way there because we hit traffic and they were getty ansty. There was an accident. Alayna cruised through naptime and did great. I'm not always willing to bargain with that, but when outside I can get away with it. She conked out on the way home which she never falls alsleep in the car anymore. Poor little thing was contently exhausted. Laura stayed in her bucket almost the whole time except to feed or for some pictures. Bradley and Alayna at times were off in their own little world playing and trying to make a tent out of sticks so it was just a content feeling for Craig and I to sit back and watch them work together to get the job done. Or they would be off each doing their own thing. Alayna sat forever and just sifted sand through her fingers and I don't know why I could have watched her forever wondering what she was thinking. Pure and simple.....it was a simply spontaneous great adventure!
This baby girl is just simply amazing and precious. You barely even know she exsists. Life is still definitely more busy adding baby #3, but I couldn't ask for a better more calm peaceful little girl. She has very little needs it's almost a little sad in a weird kind of way. Either feed me, change me, or just love me. She can be crying hysterically and even if you just touch her hand she stops. I know alot of babies once they get wound up it's hard to calm them down. Not this little one. Just so she knows you are there at that time, she's fine. Her needs are very quick and to the point and she's fine again. When things are fast paced she just goes with it. I'm thankful for that because having that predicability makes things easier. At least that's the phase we are in right now. Phases come and go. I feel like all the kids are in pretty good phases right now and we've just been enjoying them so much with all the little things they say and do. Bradley is just soaking everything in lately and taking so much of what he's learning to heart and maturing right before my eyes. Alayna is still my little ball of energy and at times a pistol to say the least. I guess I'd be bored without her joy and fiestiness mixed together. I just brace myself for their next phases though HA!! Laura is sleeping completely through the night now. We are on week two of sleeping through and she is up to 10-11 hours now. She'll actually go down around 7 or 8 and then I'll wake her up to feed her before we go to bed and then she'll sleep until about 7am ish. She'll sometimes wake up beween 4 and 5 and just need her paci to pull her through. During the day she feeds about every 3-4 hours. She is smiling so much now and interacting more and more and she coos and trys so hard to talk. More than I remember Bradley and Alayna doing at this age. It just melts our heart when she trys with all her might through her toothless smiles and grins to say something. I was telling Alayna the other day how Laura will grow up to be big like her and soon be able to play with her everyday. Not sure if she got all I was saying, but she said "I want her to be big right now" she got it....and seemed fascinated with the fact that she will grow up to be big like her. Laura rolled over for the first time without us even seeing her. She flipped sometime in the night last night to her back because she is a belly sleeper. She's been scooting in her crib for about a week now but when I went in this time she had flipped. I was so surprised because she hadn't been showing any signs of doing that at all. No more putting her on the couch or bed. My guard is up for sure. Anyway, we are just thankful over here and each day try to remind ourselves that regardless of the seasons or phases we or our children go through to be thankful and not take anything or each other for granted. It's a daily decision to decide that, but we realize life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Life is precious and so are the little lives that God has entrused to our care. Sue and I and Craig and I have had so many great conversations about so many different life subjects lately and it's been uplifting and encouraging to as we say "chew on" these different things that have been in our devotions. Cultivating contentment has been an ongoing past and current conversation of Craigs and mine. It's the simple things in life that can bring us more joy than the big things and we realize that more and more. It's the same with our children....they just want to know and feel that they are loved more than anything this world can offer. As Paul says in Phil 4:11 that "whatever state I am in, to learn to be content" It's an on going thing to remind ourselves and teach our children that. There are pitfalls along the way, but it is allowing God to cultivate a heart of contentment in us and find satisfaction in daily living that cannot be ruffled by our circumstances. Anyway, not sure where that came from on Laura's 141/2 week post, but for what it's worth. Needless to say we love our sweet little LauraBeth!!
