Happy Birthday!!!

This year, Easter fell on April 8, which was also my dad's birthday.  And not just any birthday, but the big 7-5!!!!  People are usually surprised when I tell them how old my dad is since I'm in my early (very early) 30's.  They're even more surprised when they see him and he doesn't even look like he's in his 70's, let alone 75.  So, a lot of the family went to my parents house in Abilene to celebrate the special holiday and surprise the birthday boy.

My sisters did a lot of work on the moustache-themed party.  My dad has always had a moustache so the theme was very fitting.  Sorry these next few pictures are blurry, but I was in a hurry trying to take them.  These are some of the goodies.

Moustache cookies

Moustache cupcakes

Carrot and sheep cookies

Moustache tattoos

Moustache disguises

Moustache mugs filled with party mix.
My sister drew all the moustaches on the mugs.

The best chocolate cake ever!!!!
My mom made the cake and it was to die for!

We all posed for pictures.  This is my family above with my parents.  The picture below is my oldest brother and 2 of his kids from Wyoming.

My little sister and her kids.

My other older brother.

And my other older brother (I have 4 older brothers) and his 3 kids, daughter-in-law, and grandkids.

This is what 4 generations look like.

We had a huge Easter egg hunt for the kids.  This basket had soooo many eggs.

Thankfully, my parents had a huge front yard.

The kids had such a good time.

My dad was completely surprised by all who came for his party.  He wasn't expecting any of it and was so happy all day.  Not all the kids could make it (yes, there are more), but it was nice to reunite with the ones that did.  We ate tons of food, laughed a lot, I watched my dad play Just Dance on the Wii, and celebrated the most important man in our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!

Easter Eggstravaganza 2012

I finally have the time to write about the Easter Eggstravaganza at our church.  The kids and I had such a good time (Craig had to work) and we look forward to next year.  Preston loved checking out the police car and fire truck.

Preston kept going in the bounce house maze.  I think he could have done that all day.

Preston found his best buddy Gideon and promptly began acting very silly.  They're Double Trouble!

Where was Kaitlyn?  Following Jedi.  Jedi, the bunny.

This is Kaitlyn and one her best girlfriends, Emma (Gideon's sister).  She brought her bunny and Kaitlyn just loved it!  And no, we are not getting a bunny!!!

Soon it was time for the egg hunt.  There were over 4,000 stuffed eggs spread out over our large field.  My kids are so funny when it comes to egg hunts.  They are not in a hurry and they pick whatever egg looks appealing to them.  Notice the black arrow pointing to the Kroger bag? Hehe!

The kids also rode on the little train that was there and loved it!

We had yummy Kona Ice, which is a sno cone truck.  On the side of the truck are all the syrup flavors so you can pour your own concoction.

Then, both kids won a prize.  Preston won the yellow basket FULL of candy and a stuffed sheep.  Kaitlyn won some play make-up.

It was a great day!

*Some pictures courtesy of ALC FB page.

Make Noise

Every year, our church participates in the Children's Fine Arts Festivals through the Assemblies of God denomination. Fine Arts is to enhance young peoples gifts through drama, singing, instruments, human videos, baking, photography, and so much more.

This year, our children entered an Unconvention Percussion category. They used Boomwhackers, sound sticks, and dressed...well, they dressed very unconventional. The boys were very insistent on wearing morphsuits. They are a one-piece, full body piece of spandex. I can only imagine how sweaty and smelly they get. I don't get it, but they love it. After much persuading, I agreed that they could wear those silly suits and the girls got to dress as silly as they wanted. There were a couple girls that had the morphsuits as well, but Kaitlyn absolutely refused to wear one. Good girl! She wore some crazy tights and mismatched socks. Good enough.

A few days before the event, the children showcased what they've been practicing for weeks for their parents. They played "Jesus Loves Me". I wrote the music and our children's pastor choreographed the routine. They did pretty well!

The night before Fine Arts, Preston and Kaitlyn had to make their baked goods for the Baking Category that they were entering. Preston picked out Peppermint Cookies. He did so good at following all the steps of the recipe.

The judges gave him a Superior score and a medal. He was very proud of himself.

Kaitlyn also made cookies. She made Hot Chocolate Cookies and they were a hit! Thanks Mom for the recipe. Her cookies were just a little harder to make but she did a great job too. She loves to bake.

These little balls...

...turned into these delicious cookies!

Obviously, the judges liked them too. She got a Superior score on her cookies.

While the judges were sampling cookies and other goodies, our group, Enhance, was about to play their song in a separate room. It was so funny to see the reaction of other people when they saw our kids walking around in their morphsuits.

Our kids did a fantastic job, especially considering the room they were in is smaller than what their used to. They received bonus points on their score and earned the highest achievement, Award of Merit. Wonderful job!

I say every year that I won't coach again. It's very time-consuming and it's hard to juggle it into my schedule. However, once the day for Children's Fine Arts arrives, and I see children in Kindergarten through 6th grade showcasing their talents and sharing God's Word and love, I realize that it's worth it. It's all so worth it and of course, I will do it again.