Happy Birthday Sissy!

Megan Skala is 27!! Wishing you a wonderful (last) birthday as a single lady. I know this year you will have many of your biggest wishes and dreams come true. We love you!

Beautiful Easter Day

The eggs are dyed, check.
The fingers are stained, check.
The kids are dressed, check.
The ham is cooked, check.
The bunny came, check.
The bellies are filled, check.

It was a great Easter, and coloring eggs was sure a riot this year! Not only did Cade and Layna spill green and yellow dye all over my table and (freshly scrubbed) hardwood floor, but they were soaking their hands in the bowls of dye and slurping it with a spoon!! AAHH! We started with a dozen eggs this year, some of them were slammed onto the cooling rack, others were dropped and rolled across the floor....I think we ended up with 8 good ones, 3 of which were still cracked and broken all over, but pretty!

(My kids also decided sometime in the last few months that taking pictures was not going to be on their list of to-dos this year. So, as you'll see from our Easter celebration, one of the kiddos were uncooperative in almost every picture that I took!)

Here are the sweet pumpkins before and after church Sunday morning. What a beautiful day it was! Can you tell how thrilled Alayna was with my photo requirements!

We played outside for a while, and Jarin captured the kids' attention with a bird nest that was built around my wreath recently. (Maybe if I put away my winter decor prior to spring, I wouldn't have this issue, but...)

Then it was time to enjoy our wonderful feast! We made 20 lbs of ham for 11 adults and our 2 kiddos. I have to show off the masterpiece! I was thrilled with how it all turned out...

And after our bellies were filled, the Easter bunny dropped off 58 eggs for the kids to seek out in the backyard. By now, the kids changed in to their comfy clothes, which apparently consists of Harley Davidson gear for both! Happy Easter to my biker-babes!

Hungry Girl!

This morning Caden and Alayna sat down for breakfast... After a little while, Caden was full part-way through his cereal so I helped him into the bathroom to wash his hands. When we walked back into the kitchen, this is what we found:

Yep, my little girl finished her yellow bowl and moved right on over to Caden's to finish off his too! Why waste a good thing?

Happy 60th Birthday Mom/Nana!

Rhonda Hansen is 60 today! We are wishing her a very special birthday!
Here's one of my most favorite pictures of her and Caden:

Trish pulled it off!

Way to go Trisha! She organized a fabulous surprise 30th party for Jon on Saturday... and the best part --- he had NO CLUE! We had an amazing time celebrating with such fun friends. We are very lucky to have the Fortune's in our life.

Here's a little of a before and after shot of Jonathan. I think he had a good time! What do you think?

Go Away Busy Season!

Each time someone leaves the house, Cade and Layna find it a riot to run from the front door to the back waving as they pull away. Well, last night Jarin picked the kids up from daycare and got them some dinner before I made it home; then he headed back to the office. The two little ones waited patiently at the front door for daddy to reverse down the driveway, they opened the door and waved, then scurried to the back slider to yell their "good-byes" and "i love yous" out to the street. It's so fun to hear them giggle when daddy honks back.

But then... Cade completely broke down. He cried and cried that he missed his daddy and didn't want him to go to work. Through his sobs, I offered to call Jarin, but that wasn't the solution that Caden wanted. He finally decided that he needed to "draw a picture for daddy and hang it in the dryer room," so that's what we did. Instead of heading to bed, the two picked out their favorite colors, I cut a big piece of paper, and they each practiced drawing pictures, using color, and writing their names! They loved the outcome!

It's obvious that the effects of Jarin's long hours are not only taking a toll on him, but the kids are starting to realize that he's not at home as much too. Both the kiddos knew that their sign would be the first thing daddy saw when he came home from work that night...and they were right. The next morning daddy was sure to thank them for such a cool surprise.

What a fun way to add a little color to the situation!

Meeting Marv Cook

Caden and daddy were pretty excited Saturday... they had the opportunity to meet Marv Cook, a former Iowa football player from the 80's. Alayna and I were planning to send them for some boy-time together, but I didn't trust that Jarin would be able to capture a good picture of Cade and Marv together, so us girls tagged along! Cade hauled his IA football helmet and Marv signed it especially for him...

Then it was time for Cade's photo opp, but my bashful little man bloomed in full force... so Alayna stepped in. She was happy to have her picture taken with Marv!

The wedding is getting closer!

Awww... so I'm a pretty sappy person as it is. When my sister and Blake announced that they were getting married I was more than thrilled. For about a year now, we've spent time with her finding venues, picking out flowers, designing invitations, trying on dresses, ordering shoes, and looking at jewelry. It is so much fun! And every time I set out for another adventure with Meg, Jarin says: "why do you have to be involved in that?" It's a valid question, I guess... I'm involved in everything she does!

Saturday was a big day. We went to the Bridal Room in Bettendorf (www.thebridalroominc.com) to try on the dress! It's the perfect fit, perfect style, perfect color, perfect design, and perfect on her! Oh, I wish I could share pictures, but you'll have to wait until August 7th to see her.

In the meantime, here are a couple shots from the boutique -- doesn't the bride-to-be look so happy? And Miss Alayna was loving with her aunt's shoe choice!

Then there was my daughter, the sweet- and innocent-looking bear, who pulled at her dress the whole time she was trying it on, screamed because she wanted it off, and only would stand quietly for the alterations lady because I bribed her with candy!! But, without a doubt, isn't she gorgeous? :)

I can't wait for this wedding day to come, but know that as soon as I wish for it to be here, it'll be over, and we'll be wishing for it to happen all over again! I couldn't be happier for my lil' sis. She is so deserving of a fantastic husband and life of happiness. Love you Moog!

Movie Night

Friday the kids ate dinner well, got all cleaned up, cozy and ready for bed, and then daddy gave the go ahead: It's movie night! Everyone ran downstairs and picked their favorite place on the couch, with blankets and the cat of course! Dad made popcorn and put in Dora the Explorer. Whoo-hoo!

Even when grandma called and asked, "who wants to talk to me?", both kids yelled, "Not me!!"

Trial and Error

Caden has finished his week on the steroid, and wow!, the difference was drastic! His last dose was Wednesday morning and so it was time to follow up with Dr. Omar to learn about the next step. He's decided to try Cade on Qvar, a steroid inhaler for the next two months and see if that continues to do the trick. When I asked what exactly we'd be treating Cade for, the answer I received was, "well, it's a trial and error period." And, I'm okay with that (as long as we are still working toward the solution). From here we'll continue progressing as though it's asthma and hope the inhaler makes a difference. We'll need to help him use it 2-3 times a day and it should decrease the inflammation through his airways.

Like I said to Jarin last night: This shall be interesting!