Happy Birthday Kylea!

I can't believe this little girl turned 6 today! 
We just can't get enough of this sweet girl!
She is such a thoughtful, kind, creative and oh so talented girl and we love her!
Some of her favorites are dance, gymnastics, art, singing, playing the piano, climbing trees and finding rollie-pollies, playing with friends, Berenstein Bear & Amelia Bedelia books, Backyardigan movies, dolls & accessories, vanilla ice cream in a cone, blueberry muffins, making tutorials, all things princess and making cards and pictures for others.  We are so blessed to have you in our family, Kylea! 
Stay little! ;) XOXO

A visit from the Lee Family

Ea, Elinor, Eliza, Lydia & Kade

Our good friends from Virginia, Rachel & Justin Lee and their 3 cute girls, stopped by to visit on their way from North Carolina to Nauvoo.  It was so fun to see them and meet their new baby girl.  It felt just like old times being with such great friends.  Kylea had so much fun swimming with the girls at the pool and having a sleepover in her room.  She didn't want them to leave.  Thanks for coming Lee Family!  We love you guys!

Making jewelry before dinner

The girls had fun being silly and playing on the iPad. 

May

Kylea loves all things crafty.  I love it!  She was so excited to get to work on her new sewing kit from Auntie Drew & Uncle Aaron (Thanks for such a fun project!).  She made 2 cute frogs that are now on her bed next to the millions of dolls and stuffed animals (her favorite toys!) that are quickly taking over. 

Kade is always making us laugh! 
He loves reading books about cars, dump trucks, dinosaurs, animals, and bugs (Eewww, gross! he says :)  He loves playing outside, kicking a soccer ball, and whacking anything he can find with his little hockey stick.  He loves dancing around with his big sister, Ea and is always in the mood for snuggles.

 

Little Jon :)

 

Go Sluggers!  Jon started playing softball with some guys in our ward and he loves hitting homeruns! ;)  He's like a little kid again.  I found this photo in a bunch of pics that his mom scanned for me.  What a cute little guy, huh.  Anyway, we love going to his games.  Kade sits by me and watches the game and Kylea runs around with her friends in the grass.  She can't wait to see Cami there every time.  Those 2...too cute! 

Projects

I love this pic!  I made some super hero capes using t-shirts, fabric and felt.  Kylea has a matching mask and wristbands too.  These kids love flying around the house in them. :)

Here's my cute little model. :)
I made her this tunic shirt and she couldn't wait to wear it and show it off to all her friends.
I definitely learned a lot by making it (a lot of what not to do's ;)
. 

 

I made this mermaid doll for Ea and she was so excited when it was finally done.
She helped pick out the fabric for it and waited patiently for me to figure it out. 

It turned out pretty cute so I decided to make another one for a friend.

Ea's Preschool Graduation

I need to do some major updating, but here's a cute pic for now...I couldn't resist. ;) I just love these 2 kids!

Kylea's Word Hunt

Kylea got on a word hunt making kick and made at least 10 of these for Jon and I to do.  This girl never ceases to amaze me with her imagination and creativity!

Yay! We can play outside now...

The weather was amazing this Spring, not as humid as last year, so we took advantage of it!
We kept busy outside with bubbles, nature journals, sidewalk paint, scavenger hunts, walks, picnics,...

 

The kids got this idea from Sid the Science Kid. :) 
They recorded bugs that they found outside in their nature journals.

 

 

I love how focused Kade is with his "recordings." :)

 

The kids planted some magic jelly beans and found lollipops growing the next day!  Yay for May Day!

 

 

 

St. Louis Friends

Kylea and Kade (but especially Kade :) were excited when their friend, Hannah came to play. 
They had fun playing with animal masks and being silly
together.  Hannah is one of the ways we persuade Kade to go to church since
he is not a fan of nursery, but he loves her! :)

The kids had fun making pizza with their pals, Miles and Ellie.  By the time they were done, they were all covered in flour, cheese and pizza sauce. :)

Kylea and Kade also have tons of fun when their friend, Cami, comes to play!  The weather wasn't too humid yet so we decided to go on an outdoor scavenger hunt. (Thanks Pinterest for all your amazing ideas!)

We had lots of fun this Spring making Smores with our firepit in the front yard. 
We introduced this tasty campfire treat to our Brazilian friends, the Barbosas, and they are now hooked! :) 

Easter

We celebrated Easter with our good friends,
the Barbosas and the Niedzwiedzkas,
including Kasia's sweet mother.  Lili made an amazing dinner,
as usual and the kids had fun eating their ice cream eggs
and chocolate bunnies
while the adults chowed down on Lili's famous berry tart.
We feel so blessed to have such great friends here!

 

 

 

More Easter...

 

After dinner, we went out for a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt that was so much fun,
I think we'll make it a tradition.

 

 

 

The kids were so excited to open all the eggs and wear their cute, new crocheted hats from Kasia's mom.

 

We also did our traditional "You've Been Egged" to friends around the neighborhood.  It's so much fun leaving Easter eggs in their yards, knocking on their door and then hiding behind bushes and parked cars.  Kylea is crazy about it!