The Haircut!

Seth(grudgingly)agreed to a haircut, after I forced the issue a bit by telling him it was very hard for me to check for ticks (they play in the woods behind our apt. nearly every day & after having Lyme Disease, I think about it a little more than I used to!)and that if he wanted to continue playing in the woods with his friends this spring/summer, he needed to have a haircut. He was great, and really loves it. He even asked me to buy him his own gel so he can spike it up a bit. As you can see, he looks very different. Our compromise was that in the late fall/winter, he can grow it way out, but in the spring/summer, it's hair cut time:)

Josie's Bike & Campus in the Spring

Josie got a bike and has been having a blast riding it around campus. We had one minor mishap when I thought she knew how to use the brakes (in theory, she did) and apparently she did not. More accurately, she can use them on flat land, but got so worried going down a slight incline that she panicked & rolled off into the grass instead of using her brakes.

Edwards Hall (Student Center)

One section of our playground on campus

My hoopster on the blacktop on campus

Seth riding his bike on the blacktop (pre-haircut, as you may notice!)

Downtown St. Louis

On Easter, we went to downtown St. Louis and stayed in a hotel right by the arch...it offered free supper, free breakfast, free popcorn & soda most of the day, so it was right up our alley. The kids were very excited, to say the least, because we rarely do this. Then we got a surprise from Papa Jim, who was passing through St. Louis on his way back from Texas. So, he slept in our room with us, on a rollaway bed-Gabe said that seeing papa was one of the highlights of our trip, along with going up in the arch:) I asked the boys if they heard papa snoring in the night, and Gabe said, "No, but I did hear some panic disorder problems". We asked him what he meant, and he said, "Papa's legs just kick all around during the night". Jim has restless leg syndrome, and that's what Gabe was referring to...he was close. Then Seth said, "Oh yeah! I told my church teachers (we are taking a membership class at our church & the kids go to childcare) last week that I have restless leg syndrome." Nile and I were dying laughing, as we had no idea why he would say this. He said, "Well, dad, you told me I had the same thing Papa had when we were snuggling and I kept moving around all the time." Nile had said that in a joking manner, but Seth must have thought he was serious. So funny.

This fountain was blue in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Week

In the musuem while we waited to go up in the arch

A little girl who LOVES her daddy

Learning how to throw some different pitches

In the arch-Four minutes to get to the top

Checking things out down below

Blurry b/c our camera battery was dying, but wanted to show
the sign that says 630 feet. It was more fun than I thought it would

be, and the kids (Gabe especially) really appreciated it.

The Boys New-Found Adventure

Josie and I were out running errands, and apparently Nile let the boys do this...and took about 6 different videos of it. Now they do it all the time, and on their skateboards (SITTING DOWN!), as well. The hill is much steeper than it looks here. And, of course, Josie does it, too. Only on the skateboard, sitting down, not on the scooter...though she's been asking:)

Easter Eggs & Such

Not as easy to dye Easter eggs when you have carpet in your dining room....grrr. So, we took the production outside-it was 87 and beautiful, so it worked out great. It has been so much fun doing Easter activities with them this year. We have been doing the Resurrection Eggs for quite a few years now, but every year, their questions/thoughts get deeper & more meaningful. Gabe, especially, got really emotional this year as we talked about what Jesus endured for us. Though he has known the details for a very long time now, I felt like this year, it touched him in a new way. He is my "feeler", always has been.

Instructions are a must before you begin:)

My only pic from when my mom came to hang out with us

Our Good Friday cake that I let the kids decorate. Not sure

how her leg made it onto the table without me noticing it.

Josie's "new" double bed that Nana & Papa gave us, as they

didn't need it anymore. Now we have more options for when
people stay with us...so come visit:)