March 2016

March was another super busy month in our house. We enjoyed time spent with family and friends and a short break from school. Read on for more details.

It was so fun to start off the month watching Eli participate in his first spelling bee. He worked hard to learn the words so he could be well prepared. I am continually amazed at his brain power! I was also impressed by his stage presence. He stood in front of the microphone and spelled the words as if it is something he does every day. In front of a room full of parents, nonetheless! He did awesome and we are so proud of him.

It is hard to believe that Thad is almost ready to graduate from Kindergarten. Next month he will participate in a ceremony with other kindergartners from our home school group. We spent some time with other families planning for this special occasion. We can't wait to share more in next month's blog.

We had a special treat the first weekend of March when our cousins from Illinois came for a weekend visit. We had so much fun playing and working together. In one day, they helped repaint the main part of the house, cut down a dying tree in the backyard, and took out the pool. The Lord blessed us with some absolutely beautiful weather so we also enjoyed trips to playgrounds and the national park here in Fort Smith. The weekend was complete with a birthday celebration for Anna who turned two. We were so blessed by their visit and were reminded yet again was an amazing blessing our family is!!!

Just over a week later, we enjoyed a visit to another set of cousins. From hunting for Easter eggs to a ham dinner, the day was wonderful. Again, the weather was nice and the kids spent it outside. We also got to visit with another friend and her kids. All together we had 12 kids running around ages 8 months to 8 years. Whew!

The following week we got a break from the normal routine. Spring break is always a welcome event and this year was no exception. Thanks to the help of our wonderful painters, etc we were finally able to get our house on the market. We are looking for a larger house to accommodate more foster children. We love our house but have maxed out our space. We are praying for a quick sale and just the right next home.

During Spring Break we: looked at houses, went bowling, went canoeing, played with our cousins, went to the movies, went to Silver Dollar City (in Branson), had another HUGE Easter egg hunt, played at more playgrounds, looked at more houses, and celebrated Easter. The week was exhausting but so much fun!

Easter is such a wonderful time to celebrate. We are so thankful that He is Risen! Our Lord and Savior conquered death! What a wonderful truth and amazing hope! I hope that you too were able to celebrate this amazing remembrance of what an AWESOME God we have.

The slideshow this month got very long. I hope you have a few minutes to enjoy the pictures though!

This free digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox