Easter and more

 A few more pictures from March Madness.  I pulled out these laminated brackets from when I taught a probability unit in 4th grade (perfect excuse to display a huge bracket in the school hallway, right?!).  Ruby thought they were great and gladly updated them each day! 

She wasted no time when her champion beat out my champion!  None of us faired too well in the tournament but Ruby did the best with Oregon as her projected champion.  

We participated in our first family 5K, the Doc Dash.

The highlight was getting our first picture with Herky with just the three kiddos.

Ruby and Jace participated in the Kids run first.

And then we were off for the 5K.

We walked most of it with a few bursts of running mixed in.   

Ruby with one of the wonderful ER nurses.  They made very fast friends! 

Palm Sunday :)

I wish I had a video of this!  The kids were to follow one another around the sanctuary and this certain 4 year old didn't quite get the concept.  It was hilarious and he didn't have a clue!  Just loved waving that palm branch!

We always have a children's prayer each Sunday where the kids go in front of the sanctuary.  Annie has been joining in for the past few months.  We got some great pictures one Sunday.

We went to the flower shop near our house and the kids each got to feed a baby goat.

Paul and I were able to sneak away one evening with Jon and Stef for an Eric Church concert.

Ruby and Jace at an Easter Egg hunt near our house.

 

We attempted to dye some easter eggs.

They turned out pretty cool!

One of our good friends and neighbors ended up in the hospital for several weeks.  She has four kids, one of which Ruby's spends a lot of time with.  We enjoyed an afternoon at the park with her wonderful kiddos!

Happy Easter!

Basketball Hoop

We decided to put up a basketball hoop on the driveway.  Paul dug the four foot deep hole, and the kids had great fun playing in it. 

Jace helped mix the concrete to dump in the hole to secure the post.

Some wonderful guys at Scheels came and did the rest!

The first practice ;)

Love this picture.  That is definitely NOT Annie's ball about to go in the hoop!  ;)

Jace was sick the whole first week that the basketball hoop was up.  He had a fever, very little strength, and tired easily.  He was almost mad at the hoop because he couldn't make one.  I assured him that even the best basketball players miss sometimes!  After a few weeks of not wanting to shoot baskets at all, he tried again and made a few!  Now its a daily activity and he's so proud to be making some shots!  Paul is also thoroughly enjoying the basketball hoop and can frequently be heard saying, "Kids, watch this!" 

Weekend with Grandpa and Grandma

 My parents were able to come a couple weeks after Annie's birthday.  

We took them to Squire's Point on a beautiful afternoon.

Their weekend with us was during March Madness so we watched a lot of basketball!  Unfortunately the Hawkeyes didn't make the NCAA tournament but they were a #1 seed in the NIT so they ended up with home court advantage.  We made it to the first round game and were able to take my parents to the second round game.  Unfortunately again, the Hawkeyes did not win and therefore were out of the tournament.  

Until next year!  

Grandma teaching the kids how to make guacamole... which quickly became Annie's favorite food.

We went back to Squire's Point that same weekend and hiked a different trail.  It wasn't nearly as nice as the first trip out there but much needed fresh air and exercise regardless.

We always love our time together!  Thanks for making the trip mom and dad!