My At Hommies!

My two at home children benefit from more photo opts than the older two that is for sure.  This month has brought about three new loves for Maximus:  #1) The Gator - we dusted off the good old Gator (running 7 years strong) and let the kids ba-ha through the dirt and rocks like maniacs.  Max has been happy to be the passenger until yesterday.  I gave him the opportunity to drive and boy did he love that!  The pictures say it all.  He thought he was pretty hot crap out there.

 #2) BASEBALL --- it could be because of the previous post (we basically eat, sleep, breath baseball right now) and so Max isn't content to be left on the sidelines.  He is out having me pitch to him, throw with him, and just have the ball in his hands.

 #3) Me…okay that is always a favorite of him, but you know I will document it because he's reaching the age of realizing Shawn is truly where the fun is at.

 #3) The true third favorite - Sorry!  The game, he loves mostly because he makes up his own rules and stashes all the Sorry cards in a pile next to him and knocks all the other pawns off the board at every turn.  Not exactly a fair game, but it is fun to watch and hear him say…."Sa-dee"  followed by a giggle of joy when the pawn goes flying!  Love this cute boy.

Princess O went on a shopping spree with her bday money and we hit Claire's hard, coming home with a bag full of great accessories.  She loves to doll herself up and luckily for me she has fairly good taste and does a pretty decent job with her lip stick….so here are some glamour shots:) I will sure miss having her around when she heads to kindergarten in the fall.  She is such a great companion and so fun to watch play, sing, dance, and just be girly!  I love my Lyvie Jeanne.

PLAY BALL!!

Baseball Season is in full swing and if you can't find us during the week for the next two months we are probably at the ballpark!  Jack is playing his first year of machine pitch and has a pretty amazing coach - Shawn!  They are the Yankees and Jack is loving it.  He really enjoys playing catcher and I love seeing his tiny little body in all that gear!  He is so excited to be out there, but struggled to bat the first two games.  He got his first hit during game three and has done great since then.  Love watching my little Jeter (he wears #2) play ball.

 Sam is in his second year of Minor League and it is getting crazy!!  He is doing really well - starting off as lead off batter and continues to get on base at nearly every at bat.  He is playing every position possible, center field, third base, short stop, and he even pitched for his first time!!!  That was too much for this momma to handle - it wasn't great, but it could have been worse and it gave him a greater appreciation for pitching.  He's been practicing and hopefully will get another chance in the future!  I love how much dedication Sam has for improving.  He constantly outside practicing.  There is a ball in the air at all times.  The team has struggled because they lack depth in pitching and haven't won a game yet, but I think as the season progresses they will get a few wins.

A Pirate Party Matey!

Lyv turned 5!  I can't believe how quickly time is flying - she is growing too fast!  This was the year of friend party for her and she decided to do a Pirate Party.  Boy was it fun, actually super easy to put together, so I liked that:)  She had her friends dress up at Izzy and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates and hunt for treasure using a map.  They pinned the tail on the Tic Tock Crock; Swabbed the deck; Walked the Plank, and used their swords and pixie dust at Pixie Hollow.  Finally they found treasure, in a piñata to end the hunt!  It was a great day and Lyv kept saying "This is the best day ever!"

  

Her party was on Friday, but her official birthday was Sunday so we had our family gifts and celebration that day!  The boys got her a hat which she loved, and we got her a CD player with a few mix CD's of her favorite songs.  This was the best idea ever!  She has been in her room everyday rocking out to the music.   We are so grateful for Olyvia!  She brings such a fun, spunky, sweetness to our home, and I love being able to share in the girly moments as we paint nails, sing and dance, put on lip gloss (about 5 times a day), etc.  She is a joy in our home!

THE HOUSE!!!

 YAY!!! After a long wait, it is finished and we are in!  We are so grateful to start the next chapter of our lives in this beautiful home!!!

In a quick update:

J.D. finally tied the knot!!  He and Lacey were married March 28, 2015 and we had a wonderful time at his reception.  I loved watching him dance with my mom….the baby is finally gone!

I took Miss Lyv to Cinderella and loved EVERYTHING about that movie!  Such a great moral …Have Courage and Be Kind!

Super proud of this kid - won the Big Stick award at baseball camp for all kids 7-12. 

Oregon Coast

For Spring Break we hit the road and headed to the Oregon Coast.  Neither of us had ever been so we were game for exploration and discovery.  Our first stop was along the way at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, where we met Herman the Sturgeon.  HUGE!! Lyv screamed when it swam by:)

 My parents let us use their time share at Seaside, OR, and the kids were in heaven!  They loved the pool, though it wasn't really "pool" weather!

 Day 2: Took us to Tillamook Cheese Factory - where we saw and tasted some pretty good cheese!  Max thoroughly enjoyed his gift shop purchase for the drive back.

 We stopped at Cannon Beach on the way back - which was awesome!  Such a great beach and the scenery is truly breathtaking because its so dramatic.  This is also seen in the Goonies!  Gotta love that movie.

 Day 3: Found Shawn and Sam both sick with the stomach flu.  So I took the little ones downtown to the carousel and dinner that night just to escape the sick zone.  And we did some more beach combing.

Both Lyv and Jack ended up sick by the end of the day unfortunately!  Poor Kids!  So it was up to Sam, Max and I to venture out now that Sam was feeling better.

 We got a photo op with Lewis and Clark at the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail!  and explored the local aquarium that really wasn't worth the admission.  The  next day was Easter Sunday, and thankfully most of the family was feeling better - so the Easter Bunny delivered some goodies!

 We headed back to Cannon Beach one last time to check out the tide pools before heading home.  Overall it was a fun trip despite the sickness that caused us all to enjoy it in bouts.