Well, I'm going to take advantage of a guilt-free slow day and catch up on our activities for the last few weeks.  Jason's preaching in Greentown today (2 1/2 hrs NE of here) and the kids are sick so it means a completely "churchless" day for me.  I've enjoyed a few sermons on SermonAudio today but it's just not the same as being with God's people.  I'm working my way through Arden Hodgins' series on Ephesians and have really enjoyed and appreciated his messages...it's been helpful as I read and study the book on my own during my devotions.

Anyway, let's see...life here...The last day I wrote was Jason's birthday...the big 33.  We didn't do too much but did enjoy steaks on the grill from Wengers.  We also had a second "party" a week later when Josie was in town so he got two birthday desserts out of the deal

Josie came through for a few days on her way home to NJ for a visit before her move to SC.  It was fun to have her here and just hang out...she's a favorite around our house!  And she treated Jay and I to a night out so we went to the movies and let her put the kiddos to bed.

For an early Mother's Day gift, Jason and the kids took me shopping on Saturday to get a few things I needed by way of summer clothes.  That afternoon, Maddie and I shopped for the plants we wanted to start our garden on the patio.  I decided that just because I can't dig, it doesn't mean I can't grow anything!  Here it is...We've got tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, basil and cilantro...

Last Sunday Jason preached for Pastor Fitz at Reibers but Chloe was sick with a cold so I had to stay home with everyone.  He only preached in the morning though and since it's right up the road, we enjoyed a quiet afternoon together and then were able to make it out to church in the evening.  It meant keeping Chloe with me in the foyer instead of the nursery but definitely better than staying home!

Mom Ladner arrived on Monday...something we always look forward to!  Unfortunately though, most of her visit this time was spent with sick kiddos.  On Tuesday night, Maddie came down with a fever that didn't break until this morning.  I haven't taken her temp today but I'm pretty sure she's back to normal.  She's definitely not acting sick.  But she was kind enough to share her germs with Jackson and the poor little boy is pretty miserable right now.  But boy! Is he easier when he's sick!!!  Soooo much less drama!  When Maddie was sick, I heard a constant "Mama, I don't feel good"...and I truly felt sorry for her because she WAS miserable.  She just made sure we all knew it!   With Jackson though, he's just content to sit on the couch and watch videos but the poor boy is so uncomfortable.  The doctor told me it's a nasty virus that has a high fever for 5-7 days, and Maddie's lasted a good 5 days.  If Jackson follows the same pattern, he's still got a ways to go.   A picture of our poor boy...

Other than that, things continue the same, but change all the time   The kids are loving their time outside and we are all looking forward to softball season starting in earnest.  The guys have only had one game so far; two others have been rained out.  Chloe's sitting up consistently and is enjoying her introduction to solid foods.  I've enjoyed trying some new recipes lately.  I've decided to try out some basic things to see if I can make them more often instead of buying, to help keep the grocery bill within budget.  I've been experimenting with a few bread recipes and even tried tortillas the other night...very yummy and definitely better than store-bought!!!  I've got a pot of black beans on the stove now and will be trying out a refried beans recipe that I found.

Before I sign off...a few favorite pictures from the past few weeks...The first is our attempt at getting a picture of Josie with the neices and nephews: not very successful!  This one's my favorite though because of the oh-so-typical exchange going on between Delaney and Maddie   And then there's our Michelin-man baby...

We ended up having a slower week last week than I'd even thought.  The kids all had runny/stuffy noses so we weren't able to get to Bible Study.  We did make it to the library for singing time on Thursday but that was really the only outing for the week.  However, thanks to my clearance find at Old Navy, the kids were able to enjoy some time in the backyard.  Yeah!  I've been wanting to find galoshes for them because the backyard gets so muddy and neither one of the kids has shoes that we can totally devote to "play" shoes.  So, when I found the boots on clearance in their sizes, I was thrilled!!!  They enjoyed a few fun afternoons out there, which was very helpful in breaking up the hum-drum of our week of sickness.

Dad gave us one of his canoes and before we found space for it in the garage, I let the kids play in it one afternoon.  They had a blast!  The shovels were their "paddles".

Front and back shots of a very dirty little boy!  Little boys and dirt...made for each other!  This was the day he filled his hat with wet mulch, put it back on his head, came inside (I didn't know there was mulch in his hat!) and took his hat off on my newly vacuumed floor!

Mom and Dad arrived late Friday night and then treated us all to breakfast at Cracker Barrel on Saturday morning.  After naps, we headed over to Aaron & Amanda's and the kids got to enjoy the Easter Egg hunt that Grandma had planned for them.  We then had dinner together and enjoyed our last bit of time together before the move.  Mom's birthday had been the week before so we had a cake and gave her the webcam we'd bought for her...a way for us to still get to "see" each other after they're gone.