Whoo let the animals out?

Animals seemed to dominate this past week. Tim spent time turkey hunting on two separate occasions and was successful on his second hunt taking home a tom turkey. The girls and I had a fun time at school at Family Story Night where we celebrated owls. Toward the end of the week Leah and I had "tea" at Barnes & Noble and learned more about the newest American Girl Lanie Holland. Then to celebrate Earth Day the girls went for a walk in the woods to pick up trash.

Where's the party?

Spring Break was full of ups and downs. Leah and Elizabeth had a blast spending time in Illinois with their cousins and grandparents at a hotel. Shortly after they returned home we found out that Leah had strep throat again. Toward the end of the week the girls spent the night at their grandparents' house in Michigan. The next day they enjoyed being at our neighbor's birthday party which was celebrated at the local YMCA. There they participated in a gymnastics class which was followed by pizza, cake and ice cream, games, and presents. Finally we all traveled back to Illinois for my grandfather's memorial service. By the end of the week they were tired of driving and being away from home and ready to be separated from each other. Both girls were exhausted after their first day back to school and so am I, but we're all just glad to be back to a normal routine.

How was your Easter?

Spring has sprung and our break has been busy so far. On Good Friday Leah, Elizabeth, and I made our first trip to the beach this year. Although it was windy and a bit brisk we managed to stay long enough to make several trips up and down the sand dunes and even attempted to fill buckets with frigid Lake Michigan water. Saturday we tried to tye dye some eggs. It was quite a process and the colors weren't as vivid as I had hoped, but we still had fun. Easter Sunday was full of activity including reading clues left in eggs by the Easter Bunny, worshipping at church, and then driving to Illinois to celebrate with family.