ManUp!

Matt has been apart of a weekly men's group at church called ManUp for the past several months. An average of 100 men took the challenge to participate in this unique study on Wednesday mornings at 6am! The curriculum for this study was quite intense. They addressed their pasts, learned about their roles as christian male leaders, and even focused on the importance of their Father roles in their childrens lives. I was so grateful that Matt wanted to take part in this study on his own, and loved seeing the change it made in him as he continued to learn and grow. This past weekend, they honored all of the men on stage during each worship gathering. I was one proud wife in the crowd! Thank you for leading our family Matthew! We love you!

Teddy Bear Triathlon

The Teddy Bear Triathlon at Preschool was this past Saturday. We weren't sure if we were going to get to participate with all the rain the forecast was calling for, but thankfully the clouds held out and we were able to go! Carson was excited to wear his Teddy Bear Triathlon t-shirt!

When we arrived at the school, the parking lot was all roped off and the course for the "triathlon" was set-up. The kids got to ride their bikes all around until it was time to call each age group for their own race. Carson loved watching all of the other bikers too.

Before the race began, they had the parents repeat a sweet prayer, with their child, that was given by one of the church members. The kids thanked God for holding off the rain, and just prayed in general for their fun time. It was one of the sweetest things!

Carson high-fiving one of his classmates...

Daddy gave him instructions on how the race would go. Carson listened very carefully!

On your mark....get set....

GO!!!

The kids ran to their bikes. Daddy helped Carson get his bike helmet on so he could continue on...

Then he was off on his bike, rode through the sprinklers, and headed to the finish line...

Finish line!!

All of the kids received a medal. So proud of our little man!

Carson and Tanner cheered Hannah on from the sidelines during her race too!

Carson even ran out into the race to give Hannah a thumbs up and tell her "Great job!"

Our two super-star triathletes...

After all the children raced, the teachers had their own scooter race. Hannah's teacher was one of the racers, as well as a friend from our church. They did a great job and the kids loved watching them!

We visited Scoops, the Bruester's Ice Cream mascot, while we were there too! We had such a fun morning with our family and preschool buddies, and are so thankful for such great teachers and staff!

I love organization!

My beloved naptime obsession...pinterest...helped me create a new system for organizing my piles of paperwork, that are more like mountains of paperwork, by the weekend. I saw this binder idea a few weeks ago, and almost did cartwheels when I found 4 clear white binders for 50 cents each at a garage sale! A little scrapbook paper, stickers, and voila! You have a new organizational system that will hopefully help my crazy paperwork issues!

Preschool Art Fair

Our preschool hosted an Art Fair day where you participated as a family in several art projects. It was such a blast! Matt took his lunch hour and met me at the school with all 3 kids for some crafting fun! The teachers from each preschool class had their own craft table. We went to Carson and Hannah's teachers table first. There they used stamp markers, coffee filters, and construction paper to create a shape craft. Next we went to Tanner's teachers table where the kids made Very Hungry Caterpillars out of fruit loops and pipe cleaners! All 3 did such a great job making their caterpillars...but they were eaten within minutes! The teachers at this table were very brave with this glitter craft! It was a free for all with glue and glitter! We let this one stay with them to dry for awhile :) The kitchen art table was one of my favorites! The kids painted with kitchen utensils. Spatulas, whisks, potato mashers. It was so neat! They also made shape magnets... Tanner insisted on glueing all by himself! He did a great job... They painted with powder, made butterflies out of coffee filters, and lastly, made this birdfeeder. They painted the toilet paper rolls with syrup, then rolled them in birdseed...
We had such a fun morning getting messy with art projects! Thank you Daddy for helping out!

Science Center

After the dentist, I took the boys to the Science Center to explore. The new Bob the Builder exhibit is so much fun. Carson had fun playing this tool matching game... Tanner built all kinds of towers with the blocks... My little snake loving boys checking out all the different snakes... Recently with all of our beach trips, I taught Carson how you can listen to the ocean when you place a conch shell up to your ear. He remembered when we got to the sea exploration table. He had 2 going at one time! More creature observing... We were much more careful this time at the water play area and didn't even need our extra changes of clothes, hooray! What a fun morning exploring with my boys!

First trip to the dentist!

The boys had their first pediatric dental appointment this week! My sister-n-law recommended a wonderful dentist to us, and we had a great experience! It definitely helped that the boys had video games and toys to play with in the waiting room. After being called back, the boys received sunglasses to protect their eyes from the dentist's "flashlight". They watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the big flat screen TV's while we waited. The dental assistants were super sweet and explained every single tool to Carson before they even started. The dental tools even had fun names so that the kids are not scared...so smart! Carson layed perfectly still and did absolutely wonderful during his cleaning! He was excited to get a new Lightning McQueen toothbrush and toothpaste when he was finished. Tanner sat on my lap during his cleaning. His was just done with a toothbrush, then his flouride treatment. He did great too, but the dentist said he has 3 small chipped teeth! Yep, that's our active boy! They were very minor, but it was noted! :) After the dentist was all done with the boys, he gave them each a token for the treat machine in the lobby. We are so thankful for a great experience and for healthy teeth and gums!

Happy Easter!

The boys were excited to wake up to their Easter baskets filled with goodies! Carson was really excited about his new Thomas the Train DVD! Tanner's face when he saw the M&M egg was so cute, and he of course, loved his Barney DVD too! We attempted to take some photos before church, but Tanner was more interested in the dirt next to the sidewalk than standing with Mommy! Here's my handsome 3 year old... After a great church service, we headed out to my parents house for lunch. Jamie, Will, Hannah, and baby Dozier on Easter... Our family on Easter Sunday... We enjoyed a nice lunch with my family and enjoyed some adult conversation while the boys took a nap. After the boys woke up, we headed to the Villages to visit Great Grandma and Peepaw. First on the agenda....an egg hunt! We hid eggs all over my grandparents yard, and the boys found every single one! My grandparents enjoyed watching them search for eggs. We enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. Carson entertained Great Grandma with his bubble blowing skills... And the boys rode their bikes around and around their cul-de-sac... More bubble blowing before heading out on the golf cart... We can't visit Great Grandma and Peepaw without going on a golf cart ride. This time we went a bit further than usual, and rode into the main town where we found a train car you could look inside. The boys loved being so close to a train! We had a wonderful visit with Great Grandma and Peepaw, and then it was time to go. Nana entertained Carson in the backseat with cupcakes! What a good Nana! :) We had such a fun day with our family and hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebrating our risen Lord! Happy Easter!