Cousin Night

The boys wanted to have Pierce over for a sleepover, and Halle was invited too.  They had as much fun as cousins can have together, falling into bed that evening completely exhausted.  That's my kind of sleepover!   

Dom kicked things off with filling up hollow Easter eggs with Nutella ~

Does life get any better than Nutella?

I submit that it does not!

Then we got some pizza dough ready ~

And rolled it out ~

Taking turns to get the job done ~

Pierce really worked that dough over ~

And then they spread on toppings ~

Only their favorite of course.  

No peppers or mushrooms were to be found.

Then we popped them in the oven and went for a hike.

Out the front door and up the hill ~

Where there was still snow and a fight ensued ~

And we played til the sun was well below the horizon ~

Good friends ~

Then we ran down the hill as fast as we could go and ate the pizza with root beer floats ~

A perfect night!

Easter 2016

Ha! I'm writing this less than a month after Easter.  I'm so behind recording our life events that I feel that being less than a month behind is a major accomplishment!

Margaret and Alex visited during Easter.  That made it extra special, especially for Nickles who thinks Pierce is totally awesome!  The kiddos all love spending time together, so each year it seems like we kinda just let them get a bunch of cousin time in, despite it adding to the craziness.

Easter morning is so special...getting up early and going to Mass.  Jesus Christ is Risen Today has to be one of my favorite songs.  One Easter the organist didn't play it and it felt like complete apostasy! But more than the traditions, the knowledge that Jesus died, then rose again just for me fills my heart with hope.....hope that, despite being steeped in sinfulness, He can make all things new.
Allelulia!!

 

 Onto more temporal matters ~

we dye to blessed many eggs every year. 

Really we do.

23 dozen.

And I put five dozen I boiled back in the fridge.

Everyone starts out with a bang and after the first few dozen the bloom is off the rose.

Who knew dying eggs could become a chore??

Phu-ewtsa!  We're done!

Easter bread wreaths ~

They sure were yummy ~

 Reaching toward heaven ~

Uncle Ben is often more comfortable around the littles ~

These two worry me!

On your mark.

Get set.

GO!

Just because this made me giggle ~

He barely paused for a pic ~ and his eyes are scoping out more eggs.

Only this girl would toss her shoes to the side to scale a tree ~

The bigs adopt a little to help them join the fun ~

#bigfamilylife

Still searching ~

They put a pin in their archery-and-other-important-boy-stuff 

conversation long enough for me to take a picture ~

Halle & Katherine ~

Michaela even was able to make it home for Easter, even 

though she'd been home a couple weeks earlier ~

Yay!

The two cousins friends ~

And their handsome friend ~

Kid table ~

After a nap, we went to the property tp practice our golf swing and play some Bocce ball.  

Then it got co-old.  

Happy Easter to All!

Spring Break 2016

Michaela brought four friends home for spring break.  It was a crazy week, but I love that she actually still wants to bring friends home!  The kids enjoy the extra attention, especially the younger boys.  Max is in all his glory with so much undivided attention from so many people.

Mammoth Hot Spring ~ the terraces.

Michaela's car looks itsy, bitsy next to these bison ~

The Boiling River, between Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs.  

I'm sure all the serious soakers were super excited to see our crew arrive.

Let's build dams! 

Spring break in Montana!!!

Sisters!

And brothers too!

Kath's Basketball Season

If there's one sport we all enjoy, it's basketball.  When Katherine was asked to play this year, she was excited to do so.  She enjoyed playing...she especially loved her coaches!  That being said, the season brought with it many lessons.  They had a pretty small team, so Kath got a lot of playing time, but was typically exhausted by the time the final buzzer sounded.  At times it was difficult to face a team that had previously beat them soundly, but they marched on.  So, she grew in perseverance....and as long as one grows in virtue whatever they have done is a success!

One thing about my kiddos, and Katherine in particular, is they are competitive. 

Losing is not really laughed off!

Bringing the ball down court ~

The twins came for one game ~ that made Katherine's day!

She got better at free throws through the year ~ 

I'm sure she'll be practicing this summer, though!

The Happy Camper

And because we  I cannot keep things simple as Shannon continually reminds me, we decided to remodel our tiny camper.  It was acquired from a close family friend, so it has a bit of sentimental value, or else I may have already scrapped the entire plan.  What was initially planned and what it is turning out to be are two totally different stories.  We were going to replace a bit of water damaged walls and freshen up the interior, but we've discovered that when there's a little obvious water damage, behind the walls tell an entirely different tale.  Anyway, hopefully, we'll be able to get it back together after the house is finished.