April Recap

 April and May are speedy months for our house. And the weather warms up so I find myself sneaking outside any chance I can get. We also celebrated Avery's 3rd birthday and Payton's 13th birthday. The oldest and youngest. All in one month. Life, it sure flies by no matter how you take it on. 

Before I dabble for the one millionth time on how time is such a thief (because it is), let's get going! Let's star with school. Our "antitude" is all about finishing our time up. And, it's all about the ants... still. Most of this school year has been but we are ending with a hard focus on the ants. Searching for ant (created his own scavenger hunt):

An ant drawing he created on his own and painted using watercolors:

A special ant photo we are using for the ant book he is creating:

Riley has even taken some really cool photos of his ants and their larvae for his book. I love seeing him in his creative element:

Our homeschool group did several outings that I set up with our local extension office. We got lucky enough to be invited to join area schools in an all day ag event. Riley and I both got to touch the inside of a cow! We also saw many different animal organs and even a few fetuses. At our other event I set up, we learned all about how the farms play such a role in what we eat. There were lots of food items and we even made butter! Science can be so fascinating.

We also had grandma visit! That is always fun and special and seems so rare these days:

She went to watch baseball and took this picture, as I talk to Riley and try to keep his head in the game:

And here Riley is in his ball uniform. Growing up fast:

One night Riley and I took off for a run. It was so good, even if I am falling behind him now. I knew this time would come. I will always follow along and try to keep up though:

So much of our life is also centered around Avery. Being 3 isn't easy and you need lots of fun worked in. She loves a good park visit:

Walking her babies at the park:

And she created her own skateboard game that was only completed if you cheered for yourself at the end super loudly:

Or we run and roll down the hill on our property. I was ogling the amazing cloud scene behind the sweetest 3 year old:

Swinging outside is also one of her favorite activities to do:

Sometimes tagging along to sports and all the activities isn't so much fun for Avery. She doesn't always keep up well. But, gosh, I am so thankful she's here. God sure knew what he was doing:

We were just finishing up homeschool PE when she was struggling to hang:

                                                   

We made a target shopping trip:

We practiced t-ball several times:

Avery also loves playing in the dirt. She spent a lot of this month practicing hiding and finding Easter eggs.

We had a picnic outside and Jayden was home with us:

Our family added on a pergola and finally got a little bit of shade, which we desperately need in our backyard. We celebrated after soccer (they did this during April and I have zero pictures to show for it but we were all there). We had a barbeque, cooking our hot dogs on the fire pit and then made smores! It was a great time. Monte's parents both came as well. 

Payton is sure growing up fast. I got this picture and it shocked me how much she's grown:

This month brought its own challenges as well. Jayden got a cold and ended up very sick. Unfortunately, we had a hospital stay for 4 days. Then he was home with us for the rest of the week. We sure soaked up our baby and our love for him. 

                                                  

                                                      

                                                

He stayed very entertained. The hospital brought a gaming system into the room:

                                                 

His classmates all sent cards and it was the sweetest thing to watch him read to us. He was so thankful for this kind gesture his teacher did with his class:

We got outside with him as much as possible:

We were surprised with ice cream from a friend during this time:

We had a friend bring over a lego kit and the boys did it all in one morning. It was so thoughtful:

We also celebrated Easter as a family:

We opened gifts, had an outside Easter egg hunt, attended church service and went to the grandparents house for lunch and supper. 

Avery even found some time that day to paint one of her Easter gifts. 

Prior to Easter Sunday, we also went to an Easter egg hunt at a local church. They had bounce houses and Avery was thrilled. Riley was good about helping her. He's such a good brother. 

They also had a coin dig:

They came home with tons of candy. Most of which is donated back to Monte's coworkers. 

We got potatoes planted on Good Friday, a tradition Monte's family has done back several generations. 

As we start May, we are all in good health and I am deeply thankful for that. Praying good health continues and we have a wonderful end to our school years and a fantastic summer break!