Easter Week 2015

Our Christ-Centered Easter Week was extra fun this year having Owen in the house.  The kid loves candy and got so excited about each of our activities.  I didn't feel as prepared this year since we had just gotten home from Hawaii the day before Easter Week started.  We still were able to squeeze in some spiritual activities.

 One fun thing we did was our annual family Easter Egg hunt.  Do you think Cooper was excited?

 It didn't take Owen long to figure out what this egg stuff was all about.

 Never too old for candy.  Actually Alex did all the hiding this year and the kids helped me fill all the eggs.

 We were able to share our Easter Passover meal with the Sister Missionaries, the Hanchett family, and of course our family and the Maynes.

 Always gotta dress up

 This meal just keeps getting better -- this year we dined on grapes, garlic pistachios, homemade naan, grilled tilapia, jerky, dried apricots-figs-dates, mediteranian couscous, humus and veggies, marinated roasted lamb leg, chocolate covered pomegranates, pineapple, and Blayre made some deviled eggs.

 I was the naan Queen!

 My friend was able to share a beehive tray with us so we could see what real honeycomb looks like.

 Our L.O.A. (Love One Another) wall was even better this year having Blayre and Ryan here to help fill it up.

What a memorable week!!!

because he lives

Our Family Map

I finally finished the last touch to the basement this week.  We decided we wanted to have a family map documenting all the places we have and will go as a family and couple.  I searched and searched for the perfect map and ended up falling in love with an artist in Australia.  She customized our map and made sure it was quite accurate with labels as well.

 I ordered the digital map from Blursbyaishop.  Then I had it printed through on online poster company called Posterprintfactory.com.

 My next step was to modge podge the poster to the 40" x 30" canvas.  This was a little stressful to make sure that I didn't get any bubbles.  I found some great tips here:  http://beachbrights.blogspot.com/2011/01/diy-artwork-turn-poster-into-canvas.html  I decided it was more of a two person job so my sister, Emily helped me make with this step.

The final step was to add texture to the modge podge to give it more of a real canvas look.  This idea came from here:  http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2014/06/diy-art-canvas-with-real-texture.html

Next my super awesome sister-in-law Annie did some vinyl lettering for me to hang on the wall.  I found the idea online and then remade it (is that called copying?).  After hanging the map we decided that it would look good to split the lettering and put it above and below the map.  

We all LOVE the way the map turned out and now we are still trying to decide how to add "markers" to where we have been.  Now I'm itchin' to go somewhere!!!

We HEART Soccer

Nate and Cooper are in the thick of soccer!

 Nate has got some awesome footwork!

 Cooper played forward, defense, and goalie for his team Panthers.  

 Not sure what he is doing here but I thought the picture was hilarious.

 

These boys are great soccer players!

St. Patties Day

St. Patrick's Day was a normal crazy day at our house.  I was able to whip out some tasty pizza rolls shaped into a three leaf clover.

Nate Turns Eleven!!

This kid has been so excited about his birthday!!

 Nate knew exactly what he wanted for his dinner - lasagna, french bread, salad, and juice.

 It was so fun having Owen to help celebrate!

Looks like someone is excited about his present from mom and dad!

 Nate was so excited to get a professional scooter.

Nate and Cooper are passionate about scootering!

 Nate had a really creative idea for his birthday dessert - donuts filled with your ice cream and chocolate sauce.

 Wonder what he is wishing for?

LOVE THIS KID!!!

Smartie Pants

Alysee is SUCH an awesome student!!! She worked so hard on her National History Day project on a personal hero - Aung San Suu Kyi.  Okay, I gotta say that it was kind of a family project.  Birch helped build the rotating base and the framework for the tri-fold board.  I helped with the layout and stickers.  Alysee had a million ideas in her head!  She's a dreamer!

She won first place in my books!!!

No More Brace Face - Alysee

 After two years of enduring some hard core pain, oral surgery, braces, chains to drag up flopped over teeth Alysee is finally done with phase one!!!

They look beautiful!  Phase two will begin once all her adult teeth have come in.