Is there anything cuter...

... than a missing front tooth?

Silly girl!

Need I say more?

Good bye, Mr. Thumb!

I think we're all still in shock over Levi's latest move. Let's backtrack to January, before he turned 5. I started to talk with him about how he really needed to think about NOT sucking his thumb anymore... you know, once he turned 5. Big boys just don't do that. I tried to entice him with the idea that he and I would go on a very special date to commemorate the END of the habit, and he seemed very excited. Now fast-forward to about 2 weeks PAST his 5th birthday. I was tucking him into bed one night and it struck me that we needed to talk "thumb" again. I reminded him that we would have a date, once he stopped. He looked at me bewildered and said, "Mom, I already stopped - the day I turned 5. My thumb got too big for my mouth." I was dumbfounded! But I realized that I hadn't seen him with his thumb in his mouth - not once. Son of a gun! He did it all by himself, without even telling us! So, long story short (but not really), Levi invited his brothers, Daddy and sissy to join us for a night at the movies to see 'How to Train Your Dragon' in 3D. To make it a little more about Levi, I took him to Target beforehand, so he could pick out all the candy. And, of course, we got popcorn at the movie. The whole family had a blast, thanks to our VERY grown-up ray of sunshine.



We all look super-silly in these glasses!



And here's our big guy after the movie, still smiling and still wearing those hysterical glasses! It was a great night, indeed! And we all loved the movie. Thumbs-up, my man!

HE IS RISEN!!!

It's so wonderful to have a special day to celebrate our Savior's death and RESURRECTION. To think that my King would die for me! We just had a wonderful Easter with family as we contemplated how much Jesus loves us. Here we are, headed for church, which, by the way, was amazing. We love "The Barn" and feel so blessed to be a part of it.





Here's our Easter bunny in her dress from Nonnie.






I love these photos of the kids. It's so fun when they're all adoring each other.* *NOTE: This is rare.



After church, we snapped a couple family photos in the wind and then let the kids find their eggs.










It's always cute to watch the kids hunt for their eggs... This was Sullivan's first time!



The menu: Herb roasted leg of lamb with red potatoes and our favorite green bean casserole.... MMMmmmmm......



Easter dinner was especially exciting this year with an earthquake that hit right in the middle of it! The chandeliers were swinging like crazy, and we actually stood up, ready to steady the furniture. The walls seemed to move this time, and Zane excitedly exclaimed, "This is just like the first Easter morning when Christ arose and there was a great earthquake!" Very appropriate indeed. I should have snapped a picture of the swinging chandeliers.



We ended our meal - and our celebration - with chocolate cream pie and coconut cream shortbread bars. A sweet ending to a sweet day.

Getting ready for Easter!

I was in the kitchen pretty much the entire weekend. People think I'm crazy because I enjoy this. My sweet hubby always helps me clean up, which is probably why I don't get burned out.


Grandma Laurel sure enjoyed having her son here to visit. Will's mom and dad were kind enough to take Grandma home with them for a week after Easter. She loved visiting the ranch, which is especially beautiful in the spring!




The boys love playing games with Grandma! Levi looks serious, but he really had fun.



And, of course, the boys loved coloring eggs! Look how brilliant the colors are when you only use vinegar.

Dancing at Victoria Gardens

When Will's parents came into town for Easter, we met them at the Cheesecake Factory at Victoria Gardens for dinner. (Was it worth the hour long drive in traffic? Of course.) Afterwards, we took a little walk around the mall and there was live music playing at the park. Sullivan could not resist the urge to dance, so we let her loose (from her stroller). There were lots of spectators, so Daddy kept a close eye on his girl. (The canary yellow bunny sweater was mine when I was her age. She spotted it in her closet and begged me to let her wear it. I guess she looked pretty cute... very SPRING!)




It was hard for me to catch the action just right, but trust me... it was funny.


I'm not sure what you'd call this move, but she and another girl liked it.

Potty practice

OK... here's my girl sitting on her new potty. She is NOT potty trained yet; I haven't even attempted that. But she LOVES to sit and pretend she's going potty. I mean, look how happy she is! ;)