The Hunt is On!

Easter was so much fun this year! My Dad, Mom, and Katie came to visit us. We had an Easter Egg Hunt for our ward on Saturday morning which I was in charge of. I had to hide over 400 eggs for the kids to find. Let me remind you that our ward is not large. We probably had a total of 25 kids there. So the kids left with lots of eggs which meant lots of candy. Later that day Mark's family had an Easter Egg Hunt. There are only 3 kids to find eggs so they each got a lot of eggs which had candy and money. Gavin and Madison each got $7.00. They were so excited about the money. Between the egg hunt and the tooth fairy Gavin feels like he's rich. Madison wanted me to take her to the store right away so she could spend it. We even had an adult easter egg hunt which is something I practice for throughout the year. Ever since I was little I was always the one who had a slow start and got the least amount of eggs. This year I was determined to be the winner. But it ended up the same as always. I got a lot of eggs but they were the ones full of candy not the green stuff. Thank goodness for my good lookin' fast runnin' husband who got the most eggs and the most money. I am so glad he doesn't mind sharing with his wife!
Thank goodness Gavin got his easter egg hunting skills from his father!

Madison is very determined just like her mother!

Gavin and Madison love their aunt Katie!

Now you know what I'm talking about. Look at all those eggs!

Katie new how serious I was about this hunting business but yet she still tries to distract me so she can steal eggs out of my basket. It's not my fault that she spent the majority of her time jumping up the tree to get that one egg!

Storm Chaser

Gavin has an assignment in school he has been working on. He is supposed to pick what he wants to be when he grows up and color a paper doll like that person. So I asked him what he wanted to be and he said he didn't know. We talked about different jobs he could have and he finally decided he wanted to be a storm chaser (this was not one of my suggestions). This is something I know nothing about and was shocked that he even knew what it was. He has been very interested in the weather and will sometimes ask me to record the weather channel. I think his interest may be because he is a little scared. Tornado season is approaching and there has been some flooding nearby. We have been talking a lot about the weather so he isn't scared and now he just loves it. So decorating this paper doll is another story because I have no idea what they do or what they use to chase storms. Any suggestions???

Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun Please Shine Down On Me!

The sun is finally shining after a long winter. We were so excited to get out of the house to enjoy the beautiful weather. In the fall Gavin learned how to ride his bike without training wheels so he was excited to try it again. He did so good and is cruising now. He learned today how to start all by himself. He told me this was the best day ever! I am so glad he is doing so well because now I only have to pull one behind me in the bike trailer. It was getting pretty heavy with the two of them. We are anxious to get out on the bike trails!



Madison is also learning to ride a bike. She tells everyone that she has to use "riding wheels" to help her stay up. She is getting pretty good too. She does like to use the brake though which causes her to tip over quite a bit.

Gavin is getting so good he can even smile for a picture while he is riding his bike!

This is what Madison does the majority of the time. She is Gavin's little cheerleader. She gets her bottle of water and pulls her chair up to the end of the driveway and yells Wooo, way to go Gavin! You are doing great!

Do the Right Thing

Gavin was nominated by his teacher for the "Do the Right Thing" award. He received a certificate from the Superintendent at the Board of Education Meeting. I am so proud of Gavin and his hard work in school. A lot of my posts are about Madison and the funny things she does because Gavin is in school all day. It makes me so happy that he is making good decisions while he is there. This award is not only about the academic part of school but the way he treats his peers too. Way to go Gavin!

This picture was taken a few days later. There were so many people at the Board of Education meeting that I couldn't get a very good picture. I think he was nervous about getting this award. The first meeting was canceled because of the weather so the actual meeting seemed like it would never get here. Gavin wouldn't eat before we went because he was so nervous. We finally got there and had to wait while they finished up some business. As we were waiting the room filled up with lots of people. They were also recognizing the Edwardsville High School cheerleaders and wrestling team. So the room was packed and there weren't enough seats for people to sit down. So when they called Gavin's name he had to wind through a lot of people to get up to the front. He was the smallest one there and I know how scared he was getting in front of all those people. He did a great job and he was so so excited to finally have the award so he didn't have to worry anymore. After it was all over he finally got his appetite back.

Missing Grandpa and Grandma!

My kids have been missing their Grandpa and Grandma Binks so much lately. They ask me at least once a day when they are going to see their Grandpa and Grandma. I thought it might be because my parents usually bring some sort of surprise when they come to visit. So I asked Madison one day why she wanted to see Grandpa and Grandma so bad. She said I just miss them so very much! This morning when I was doing Madison's hair (which was really tangled) she was crying for her Grandma Binks. Mark came into console her and told her she could call her on the phone later. Madison said, "But I can't smell her". I asked her what she smells like and she said "she justs smells like a grandma". Who knew that Grandma Binks has a scent and that Madison recognizes it. I thought it was so cute!

Bob

Meet Bob (also known as little monkey or puppet brother). I know he isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen, but Madison loves him. We went to the library last week and this is the puppet that Madison couldn't leave without. I hate bringing home things like this and for so long Madison didn't even look at the puppets. Now this has changed and the puppets are the first things she looks at. This puppet has caused me a lot of stress. We have almost been late to church because Bob needed to come and wait in the car while we were in church and he also needed a jacket and shoes so he wouldn't get cold. I have made meals and beds for this puppet. I will be so glad when our week is up and we can take this puppet back to the library. But then again I don't look forward to the puppet Madison wants to bring home next time.


Madison and her puppet brother. She has been quite attatched to this puppet.

Tagged

Here are seven things you may or may not know about me:

I am a terrible dancer. I watched old home movies over the holidays and it was a reminder to me that I shouldn't dance in public. I like to think I'm coordinated but all of the good dance moves were given to my sister Katie.

I worry a lot! Mostly about things that are out of my hands. Mark is constantly telling me not to worry and that everything will be okay. One of these days I will take his advice.

I love the smell of old library books. I'm the first to admit that this is wierd, but whenever I bring home a book from the library I smell it first.

I love cinnamon bears. They are by far my favorite treat. They don't sell cinnamon bears in Illinois. So whenever I see my family I make sure Katie brings me a supply. For those of you who live in Utah don't feel obligated to send me some, but they would sure be appreciated I am currently out of my supply.

I get embarrassed very easily. Not only for myself but for other people as well. You know that testimony on fast Sunday that's really uncomfortable. I'm the one in the congregation with the bright red face.

I love riding bikes. I got a new bike for my birthday last year. It looks like the bike the witch rides on in the Wizard of Oz, but it doesn't have a basket. It is so comfortable to ride and I love going on the bike trails in Illinois.

I love popcorn. It's a healthy snack and it has become a habit of mine. I could have it every evening for a late night snack. Although someone told me recently that too much can cause lung cancer so I have been trying to cut back. Does anyone know if that is true?

Now I tag Daisy, Micah, Kelly, and Shelly (that means you need to get your blog up and running)