Let the Hunting Begin!

We joined our cute little play group for the first egg hunt of the season today! It was a perfect day for a hunt: the weather was perfect and the kids were able to take their time and enjoy the hunting part with their friends. So grateful for our good friends here and these small, beautiful moments I get to share with my kiddos!!

 

Goodbye Monsons!

We said goodbye to our good friends, the Monsons, tonight. It seems that our friends are continuously flowing in and out of our lives. It's the nature of med school and residency I guess to make good friends and then say goodbye, but it's still hard every time! Kyle got a new job in Oregon so he and Rebecca are taking Ellie's best friend and one of Dax's only little friends away :( We will miss them a lot, but are excited for their next adventure in life. Goodbye friends!

Basketball Star

Cole had his last basketball game of the season today!

He barely knew anything going into the season, but he worked really hard and got a lot of playing time so that he could improve. He had a lot of fun learning and playing with his team and his great coaches. He didn't like losing, but he was always a good sport. I'm also very proud that he chose not to attend practices on Sundays, even though it made it harder to get better. Cole is such a good kid and knows what really is important. I love my little basketball star!!

Sunshine!!

Spring is on it's way!! We finally saw the sun today and it felt so good!!

Elise, Dax and I went on a really nice walk while Cole was at school. It was beautiful!!

After school we took advantage of the warmth and sun and played out back all afternoon! Cole avoided the camera at all costs, while Ellie and Dax were my little posers :)

It started to get chilly again in the late afternoon and Ellie dug out her coat and gloves again...but the warmth and sunshine were glorious while they lasted!! Please come back soon sunshine!!

Hockey!

Cole earned a free ticket at school to see the Peoria Rivermen play. Ben had to work, so I had to man up and take all three kids downtown by myself to a hockey game! It was a fun adventure :)

After wading through crowds and waiting in long lines the fun finally began! The kids each got a fun balloon: Cole got a dragon fly, Ellie a flower, and Dax a bumblebee.

The game itself was very exciting! There was a lot of fighting that kept the kids attention :) 

It was a good game and all of us had a blast! 

Funny Little Man

Dax is my cute little stinker. He loves to do naughty things and then smile like he's the cutest thing in the world :) He laughs every time I get mad at him like it's a big joke. When he gets hurt he cries for a minute and then starts laughing at himself. This kid keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh all day long...even when I'm trying to be upset. 

He loves to get into Ellie's make up and put it all over his face:

He loves to color...on anything except paper :) We have found his artwork on the counters, the walls, the cabinets, and all over him. He was especially proud about his pink beard/mustache:

It's literally below freezing here and he insists on wearing his basketball shorts every day! If I dress him in something else he will strip as soon as I leave the room and put his shorts and t-shirt on himself. I love this combo here with his shorts, coat, one shoe and one sandal on the wrong foot:

He thinks he is too big for naps, but if I let him skip his nap and stay up with the big kids he will fall asleep in the strangest positions at the strangest times:

A few weeks ago he asked to wear his big boy undies! I was so excited because I thought he was ready to potty train and it was going to be so easy. After two accidents I finally realized he thought the undies were his swimsuit and we were going swimming :)

 He isn't always curiously naughty. He is often sweet, saying he loves me and giving big hugs and kisses. He also loves to play with cars and trucks, which is usually pretty innocent. And boy does this kid love to read! I will find him cuddled on the couch with a book a lot lately...most often our most recent blog book that is full of pictures of him :) It keeps him busy and out of trouble so I love it!

I sure love this sweet, curious, funny, energetic boy!