Mother's Day, Chickens, and Spirit Week

Kind of a jumble of things! I guess that is what happens when I go a while without posting. 

We have been so busy I can hardly remember what we've been doing! So I guess I will post the pictures and they will remind me...

Archer at the Q&U wedding at school

The chicks have moved outside full time!

Enjoying the beautiful weather with my boys!

The boys at the driving range. They were kinda in awe when their principal came up and started hitting right next to them.

Preston had a music program at school, and the boys were (of course) starving afterwards so we stopped to get some food. John ordered buffalo wings and they were HOT. The older boys attempted to eat them for "all of the money in Dad's wallet" (which ended up being $3 I think!), but only Preston succeeded.

My boys in blue. Our town sadly had a police officer shot and killed recently. It was so shocking since we live in such a "safe" community, the officer was very well known, and had a young family. The boys' school wore blue to show their support for his family, and they also did hat day, where the kids could pay $1 to wear a hat and the proceeds went to the family. 

Mother's Day with my boys!

Animal day for Spirit Week. We have slacked on spirit week this year for sure, but I managed to sew up masks for the boys the night before animal day. (Raccoon, dog, and reindeer, if you can't tell!)

Mother's Day, Part 2

Yesterday morning, my thoughtful boys decided what to make me for breakfast: an egg quesadilla with lots of veggies & hot sauce, with grapefruit (they actually told John we should have peaches, but they had to settle for grapefruit). They served it to me in bed and I actually ate in peace and quiet which is extremely rare lately!

Preston had orchestrated a complicated treasure hunt for me, involving lots of clues that I had to decipher (made even more complicated by first-grade spelling!), leading me to various presents he had hidden around the house. I received lots and lots of beautiful homemade gifts, flowers that Preston planted at school (marigolds perhaps?), along with $1. Best Mother's Day ever!

After church, we went greenhouse shopping (which is my other Mother's Day present, but pretty sure we're going to build one from scratch instead of getting a kit). I didn't have to cook all day long, I got a yummy cherry limeade from Sonic, and even had a little time to read at the end of the day! The best part of the day: I got a picture with my boys where they are all smiling and (pretty much) looking at the camera. Amazing!

I am a lucky mom!

Mother's Day, Part 1

I know, it's not even Mother's Day yet. And really, these are things we would probably do on a "normal" weekend anyway...but I like I claim the entire weekend as "Mother's Day Weekend" just so I can milk it a little longer!

Yesterday wasn't super eventful...yard work all day, a short bike ride to pick P up from school, and BBQ with our home group from church. Today we woke up bright and early and we got most of the garden planted. Plus I got a bunch of the weeds cleared out from around our raspberries. We still have a few things to plant (green beans, corn, and I'm sure a few other things), but it looks really good so far. Not as good as pretty raised beds, but it'll do for now. Then we took the boys to Silverwood, which was fun but crowded. Poor Arch couldn't ride a bunch of rides due to his broken arm so that put a bit of a damper on things for him until we got some ice cream. I did feel sorry for him though, poor kid would get up to the front of a line to go on a ride only to be sent away.

We came home pretty much exhausted, and BBQ'd again (bean burgers and Brussels sprouts, yum!). Then movie night: Peter Pan. The boys had never seen Peter Pan, although we have read the book, and they loved it! Now John and the boys are plotting what to make me for breakfast in the morning, so I'm pretty sure the Mother's Day fun will continue throughout the actual Mother's Day as well.

Mother's Day

We just agreed to move up the closing date on our house to NEXT MONDAY, as in ONE WEEK from now. Seriously. So obviously the bulk of my Mother's Day was spent packing, but here are a few other highlights.

I woke up to little footsteps sneaking downstairs and opening the closet where my present was hidden. Then I heard those footsteps sneak back upstairs and return to bed without disturbing anyone! Definitely a miracle in this house. After everyone was awake, the boys bounced into our room smothering me with hugs and shouting "Happy Mother's Day!" over and over. Of course I had to open my presents immediately (pictures below of the homemade presents), and then Preston asked me what I wanted for breakfast. I said "how about pancakes?" knowing that John and the boys do pretty well with making pancakes...to which Preston replied that he had something better then pancakes for me. He rushed downstairs and was rustling around down there for a few minutes, then he came up and informed me that my breakfast was ready.

At this point I started to get a little nervous. But I went downstairs to my Mother's Day breakfast of...cereal with chocolate syrup on top. I have the sweetest boys in the world. Luckily they wanted me to divide it up between us. :) And they ended up having seconds while John cooked me an egg!




The outside of my card from B!


The inside: a rainbow, teddy bear sticker, and a new house! Love that boy!


Dear Mom Preston (he said that's how I know who it's from, obviously!)


The wrapping paper (that is Preston jumping in case you couldn't tell)


And the gifts. So sweet. B's is on the right, and they used their fingerprints to make the bugs. Preston painted rainbow stripes on his.