Here comes the sun!

We welcomed the warm sunshine by spending every moment outside soaking it in. Here are a few photos of the girls painting. Last year we had to do this when Elli took her nap but now she gets to join in on the fun and paint with Laney. As long as there was enough paint on the tray they were happy to create a colorful masterpiece. As you can see from the photo Laney paints with her Right hand and Elli paints with her Left hand. This actually works out well since we only had one tray of paint.

Picking "flowers" (dandelions) is Laney's favorite pastime since the common area behind us is full of them.

This past weekend Bill built the kids a huge sandbox under the swing set. I have been wanting this for them for awhile so they could have something outside to keep them busy. I was hoping that Elli would like it but she is still getting use to the sand. She is content to play with it from the sides. Laney would probably eat and sleep in the sand if we would let her. She loves it and enjoys the fact that Elli is not bothering her or taking away the sand toys.









In April Mack had his last Trampoline and Tumbling Meet. It was a State meet and he did good. He brought home a 1st and a few 2nd place medals. He is gearing up for summer practice and TT camp to work on harder skills for next season.


We are preparing for this month with last week of school events, dance recital, and getting everyone's summer schedule under control.
At this point in time everyone is healthy and looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day this weekend.

Easter Day

Easter Day - April 11th

Our Easter morning started out with our tradition egg scavenger hunt for Mack's basket of goodies. We look forward to this every year (even if it takes a little extra planning) and so does he. I remember when he first started to read and needed help reading the clues. Now he can do this on his own which is also enjoyable to watch. The girls are not so much into this tradition yet so we just keep it a special event just for Mack.


The rest of the morning was a mad dash to get everyone dressed and out the door for church. The girls had matching sailor dresses (a purchase by my Mom) but of coarse, getting them to stand together did not happen.


After church we all came back to our house to finish getting our Easter feast finished. My Mom was up at 3:30am preparing the delicious ham.

My bother and sis-in law came as well as Bill's parents, Grandma and Grandpa Michalak.



Lots of food and quality time with family. It was a perfect Easter and I am so grateful for my family.

E is for Elmo, Eggs, and Easter!

Spring Fun!!!

The girls and I went to see Elmo on stage with friends Mandy(Laney's gymnastic teacher and Mack's TT coach) and her son Alex. They loved the show and spent the first 20 minutes waving hello at Elmo. Laney clapped and danced along and even ate cotton candy. Elli just watched and sat in amazement of the music and characters dancing about. This was a great experience and look forward to doing things like this with the girls in the future.




This weekend was very busy for us with Easter and parents coming down to celebrate the holiday. The kids loved coloring eggs. Mack did his traditional plop the eggs in the colors and Laney did a wonderful job working hard at painting her eggs with a brush while Elli experimented with coloring on an egg and then dropping it to the floor. No big messes and good results!

Friday night after the kids went to bed a few ladies from WWF came over to stuff over 1,000 eggs for the community egg hunt. It was quick and fun and I was glad to be a part of this event.
The egg hunt was a success and the weather was much better than last year. Elli even got into the egg hunting spirit and found a few eggs.

Mack's 1st TT Meet on Valentines Day!

This Saturday Mack experienced his first Trampoline and Tumbling meet at Terra Haute.
He looked so professional in his warm up. He did a great job and earned a 1st in Double Mini Tramp, a 1st in Tumbling and a 2nd in Trampoline. I got to spend the entire day with Mack which was a treat since this hardly ever happens. Bill and my parents took care of the girls so it was just Mack and I.




This is a video of Mack's trampoline routine. As you can see he still has a few skills to work on but overall I was so proud of him. He is also proud of himself and is planning on taking his plaque to school to show it off. His next meet is March 15th.

This is one of Mack's coaches, Coach Shawn.

It was a great first meet for Mack and we are looking forward to more meets. Our gym is hosting a meet on March 22nd so if you are in the area you should come check it out. Mack could us more people cheering for him!

Let it Snow!!

Mack and Laney loved playing in the snow today.

School was canceled and the gym was closed so we took advantage of the fresh snow and the sunshine.




This is a short movie of the girls and their favorite past time. Great Grandmother Davis sent them both kid sized sofa chairs. They have found many ways to use these and this is just one of them. They can do this for hours!

Since I was stuck in the house all day with the kids I had time to continue this blog with Laney's 3rd birthday pictures.

Tinker Bell was on her cake this year. This is her favorite movie so it seemed appropriate and this Christmas she was into singing the songs so now she has turned "Jingle Bells" into 'Tinker Bell".



Many family members came down from up north and had fun jumping and goofing off in the gym.
Neighbors and friends came too. It was a great time to catch up with friends and show my family the gym and our house.

More Christmas Photos

More Christmas Photos......



A few more photos from Christmas morning. Life has been so busy with the kids, work, and Laney's birthday that this has been the first time I can actually sit down at the computer and add to my blog.

Laney got her first horse on a stick! Laney and Elli love these horses! Just to prove that good old fashion toys are still fun.



The girls had a great time with the packaging peanuts from one of Mack's gifts. It sure was a good time until I had to clean them all up! Not such a good time!


Uncle Matt and Auntie Jodi came by later to have a huge feast and play games! The night ended with a fun poker game. I only mention this because I won when it came down to Bill and I! I tell him that he is the one that taught me how to play so even though I beat him he still can claim a small part of the victory!


This was a wonderful Christmas at home with my family! These special times brings me back to my favorite quote..."Life is not measured by how many breathes we take but by how many times are breath is taken away."

Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, Christmas has come and gone. With all of hustle of preparing for the holidays now we can kick back and enjoy each other. We are so blessed that we all were healthy and safe this holiday. Here are my favorite photos from this month....
The beginning of the month started with a night downtown at a Pacer's game.
Mack's Dad gave us all tickets (court side seats) to watch a game. Mack invited his buddy Reese. We all had a great time with this experience and agreed the only way to watch a game is court side seats.




Then we were off to celebrate Christmas with the family up north. Alison and Ben hosted the annual Howell Christmas Bash. Of coarse lots of food, games, and visiting with family.
Laney and Elli received their first dollhouse. Mack got IU gear to wear to school along with money to spend.

Laney cuddled up to everyone and loved roaming around eating many cookies!






Elli and Tristen played together. It is fun to watch the kids interact with each other.

The next day we traveled to Bill's parents to celebrate Christmas with them. Each of the girls received bikes which they love riding all over the house and basement. Since they each have their own their is no fighting! Thanks to Grandma Pat for those!
It was a long weekend but I will treasure the memories of spending time with my family forever. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life to inspire me, guide me, love my kids, and have fun!