Little Man baby shower

Melanie, the Mommy of Honor!

This weekend, my sister-in law, Michelle and I hosted a Little Man baby shower for Brent's youngest sister who is having her first baby BOY! It was a fun day getting to celebrate her.
When deciding what to do for the baby shower, Michelle came up with the idea of doing a "little man" party. I wasn't quite sure about this theme at first, but when looking it up, there were so many cute ideas! Apparently it is a popular theme right now. I did not know that. There were so many blogs with different ideas. So, we went with it! It ended up being super cute and fun!
I forgot my camera amongst all that I had to bring, so I took these with my phone.

The cake with bow tie cookies

Maria posing with her mustache on a stick

Wet your whiskers: mason jars with mustache straws

The spread! We had PLENTY of brunchy food.

The diaper cake my friend, Jennifer, and I made. It definitely takes two hands!

 I made her tie onesies that turned out pretty cute!

Melanie

Grandma Lindig! Being a sport and letting me take her picture using the mustache straws

Before you MUSTACHE, please grab a treat. Michelle made chocolate mustache pops on a stick with the bow tie cookies to take home. 

Fiesta

Ezra's preschool has a Fiesta day celebration. The day starts with a shoebox float parade. The kids bring their shoebox floats that they made at home and parade them around the upper area at our church with all the parents, family and friends cheering them on. Then they head to their class where they go to different stations to make something related to Fiesta all day long. They even have a Fiesta lunch. Some of the stations included face painting, limbo and making Cascarones and Maraca's. It is such a fun day for the kids and the parents. I have been so blessed to have Ezra in OHC preschool. It's hard to think that this is his last year here and that he will "graduate" from preschool on the 18th of May. I am excited that Emersyn is going to be there next year!

Making Maraca's 

My grandma even got to join in on the fun. Such a special treat

Ezra asked for his face to be painted like a King with a beard! Love him!

His monkey class and their shoeboxes 

Getting ready to parade his float around 

Our friend, Bethany, and her float. 

Emersyn and Bethany in their Fiesta dresses!

Ezra and his Toy Story float

Fun weekends

I love this weather lately. I wish the weather would stay this way for a while, but I know it is about to get really HOT, so we are living it up outside until we no longer can.

We have been going to our neighborhood pool already! 

Playing in the sprinklers outside

Catching butterfly's!

And being hosed with the water hose!

Discovery

His team

We enrolled Ezra in his first sports class this spring. He is taking an I-9 sports class called Discovery. It is a 6 week program where he will get to "discover" three different sports to learn the rules and see if he likes them. I did'nt want to enroll him in a sport for 8 weeks without having tried it a little bit. So, we went with this class. His first two weeks were basketball where he learned to dribble, shoot and pass. It was so fun watching and hearing his excitement about getting to go. He also wants to practice during the week, so that is fun too. This past Saturday was flag football. I had a shower to host, so I wasn't able to go and take pictures. Next week!

Here are some pictures from basketball.

He looks so little here

Passing to his coach

Attempting to shoot

Elynn occupied herself with emptying the balls off the rack

Emersyn is now helping her!

She thought she would try a dunk..just for the fun of it!

Zoo

I took the kids to the Zoo Tuesday, and we had a blast. It was a last minute decision, but such a great one. We packed a lunch and headed out for a couple hours. We even rode the train. Everyone had a great time. Especially, Elynn. She is so aware of things now and wants to do more and more. She had such a good time looking at all the animals and walking around.

She was making sure it was okay that the monkey was this close.

I think he liked Elynn

Train Ride

Flamingos

Swim Lesson Pictures

Here are some pictures of Ezra at his swim lessons. I had posted about it a little bit ago, but am just now getting to put up the pictures. Such is life with THREE!

right before swim lessons. These two are the best of friends!

learning to breath on his side and not in front

OHC Women's Leadership Retreat

Sarah, Chantel, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Amy and I

I got invited to our church's leadership retreat again this year. I went two years ago and really enjoyed it. I was sad I couldn't go last year because sweet Elynn was a newborn. I am pretty sure no one wanted to room with me and my 2, almost 3 month old. I wouldn't have wanted to room with me either. Ha! So, I was so excited that I got invited to go again this year. I made sure Brent wasn't on call and confirmed it with him. He is such a great man. He had all 3 kids Friday night, Saturday day and night and most of Sunday day. It was his first time to have all 3 by himself, and my first time to spend a weekend away from Elynn. I am so thankful for Brent.

I had such a great time at the retreat. The guest speaker was Rachel Norris. She is a potter out of Bryan, Tx. She has such a great testimony and is a great speaker. The theme of the week was being Holy Vessels for God. The whole time she spoke, she sat at her potters wheel, creating pottery and tying the whole topic into the potters wheel, how we are the clay and God is the potter. SO GOOD! Such a neat visual to have while we think of the verses in Jeremiah 18 where God talks about being the potter and we are the clay. Forever changed by that.

God met me in so many ways on this retreat. I am so thankful to him and his love for me. He just confirmed that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to be doing. As a stay at home mom, sometimes you feel like you aren't "doing" what you should be doing, either in the church or being at work. But He just reminded me that I am on my on mission field here at home with my children. Growing them up in his likeness and love. Being the living bible for them at home and for our neighbors. Such a sweet time.
I had a blast getting to know my roomies better, and meeting more women in leadership at the different OHC campuses.

Swim Lessons

We are doing swimming lessons again this year. I was anxious about them at first because we haven't swam since last summer. Last summer, Ezra learned how to swim, at age 3, and was so good at it. He loved it, so we went swimming all the time and he could practice. But it had been a while, so I didn't know how this was going to go. Another thing I was anxious about was Emersyn. We enrolled her in swim lessons this year too. It is her first time to ever take swim lessons. She is such a hit or miss kinda girl, so you never really know how everything is going to go until you do it.
So, Thursday comes, first day of swim lessons. I was excited, Ezra was excited and Emersyn was excited, initially! We start getting our swimsuits on and Emersyn decided she does not like how her swimsuit feels, so she won't even put a swimsuit on! I mean, it's kinda the key item for swim lessons. I thought to myself, "let's not fight it. She can put it on when she gets there and sees the other kids in the pool." We get loaded in the car and go. I was really hoping Ezra's lesson would be first so she could see him do it, then be excited about hers, but it did not work out that way.
When we got to the pool, there were two little girls and one boy there waiting for swim lessons. I asked Emersyn if she wanted to put her swimsuit on and get in the pool. She said, "No." I let her sit there for a little bit while the other kids got in and started the lessons. I asked a second time if she was ready to put her swimsuit on. This time, she said, "yes." We go to the bathroom, put it on, and she starts crying that she doesn't like it and doesn't want it on. I make her keep it on and take her back out to the pool. She is STILL CRYING! Ha! I hand her over to Brent, who, thankfully, was able to go with me to this lesson! He takes her and talks to her. She still is crying and wanting to take her swimsuit off. So, Brent goes the bathroom with her and helps her take her swimsuit off. They come out, and I am thinking, I am going to have to cancel her lessons if she won't even put the swimsuit on! I get out my phone to cancel her lessons, because you only have 48 hours after the 1st lesson to cancel and get your money back. I look at her, with phone in hand, and tell her, "Emersyn, I am going to cancel your swim class. You won't be able to come back here and swim. Do you want me to do that?" She started crying, again, saying, "don't cancel it. don't cancel it." I looked at her one more time and said, "okay, you need to go put your swimsuit on." She agreed to go put her swimsuit back on. We got it on with no crying and I walked her to the steps where her teacher was. Her teacher took her hand, put her goggles on her and had her get in the water to practice blowing bubbles. She hasn't looked back since! She was a little nervous the first two lessons, but has gotten so much more comfortable with the water. Now, she doesn't want the practice to end when it's over. Oh, sweet Emersyn. How it has to be your idea, but when it is, you do such a great job at whatever you put your mind to. I am so proud of you!

Ezra is also doing a great job. It took only 1 lesson to get back into the groove of things. He is in an intermediate class with 5-7 year olds. He has done great! He even won the only swim contest they had in his class. As his prize, he was the only one who got to jump in the pool at the end of class. His teacher came up to me the last time and complemented him and his swimming abilities. I am so proud of that little boy! We are going to try out our neighborhood swim team this year and see how it goes. Not sure if he will like it, or even be able to do it, but I thought we would try and he is pretty excited about it!

It has been a good round of swim lessons, and I am thankful for that. (pictures of Ezra to come..)

Blowing bubbles

EASTER

We had such a great/ busy/yet slow easter. I know that sounds crazy, but it was slow and busy at the same time. The week of Easter, Ezra's preschool class had their Easter party. That was Easter Egg hunt #1. Ezra's class consists of 12 kids. They are the BEST group of kids and they all get along with everyone. I mean, EVERYONE gets along with EVERYONE. It is so sweet to see. The Easter party was at one of the classmates house and it was perfect. So relaxed and easy. They are also so sweet to my sweet girls, and I think Emersyn really thinks she is in Ezra's class!

The Marvelous Monkeys 

Elynn hanging out watching the egg hunt

cool fort and slide

Marvelous Monkey girls

sweet Ezra

Mommy made me sit and pose!

Marvelous Monkey boys

Still watching the egg hunt (she loved this chair)

Enjoying lunch and treats after the big party

Easter Egg hunt #2 was on Thursday. My good friend, Kirsten, who I don't get to see often, was hosting a luncheon and easter egg hunt with her playgroup. I thought it would be fun to go. We went and had a good time. The Easter bunny even showed up. I tried to get a picture with all 3 kiddos, but Elynn didn't want anything to do with it!

Emersyn and Ezra with the Easter bunny

Easter Egg Hunt #3 happened on Saturday morning. I had a hair appointment and Brent had all three kids while I did this. He is such a good guy, and took ALL 3 to our neighborhood annual Easter egg hunt. They hunted eggs, played games and ate cupcakes. Brent and Ezra even participated in an egg toss game and WON! It sounded like they had a really great time.
That evening we met up with my grandmother, aunt and her husband and attended the 5oclock service at our church. We picked up Chick-Fil A and brought it to our house to hang out. It was great.

(No pictures of this event. Sorry, getting my hair done!)

Easter Egg hunt #4 happened Easter morning. It was such a sweet, fun time. Saturday night I got the easter baskets ready and set them out while Brent hid eggs in our backyard. When the kids got up in the morning they were excited to see the baskets and Ezra asked if the Easter bunny came to hide the eggs. It was so fun to see them looking in the backyard for the eggs. Elynn was even excited to find the eggs. She became a pro REAL FAST! It was such a sweet time with just the 5 of us. That afternoon, we loaded up and headed to Austin. Brent's aunt was hosting a lunch and egg hunt at her house. (didn't really get pictures of this because we were so enjoying the moment.) I will have to get back to that.

Painting our Crosses

Easter Egg hunt #5 happened at Aunt Joan's house in Austin. It was a quick trip, but worth it. We got to see some of Brent's family we hadn't seen in a while. I always love spending time with his family. I am truly blessed. The kids love seeing all of their cousin's.  There are 11 total, with 2 on the way! They get a long so great and love spending time together. Such a blessing.

Cutest little egg EVER!

Elynn really was going for those eggs!

Emersyn was helping.

Got 'em! So cute!

She loved it!

Sweet Emmy girl!

She also loved carrying her basket

Love this picture!

All the Eilers cousins!

I would have to say, with all that said and done, my favorite part was throughout the week when we were talking and reading what the true meaning of Easter was. We read books, told stories, got out our bibles, painted crosses and did the Resurrection eggs. Ezra and Emersyn both can tell the story of Jesus dying on the cross and why HE died on the cross. It just melts my heart. That is why I am doing what I am doing. I am exactly where I am supposed to be and LOVING it! Thank you, Jesus!