We started out April with Easter right on April 1. We called it "Easter Fools" since it shared with Aprils Fool's Day. Our Easter Bunny may or may not have dyed some milk pink and rehid the kids' Easter baskets when they weren't looking.
My favorite part of the morning was watching Clara and Lily do a "Lollipop Dance" while eating bunny-shaped lollipops. We also listened to General Conference and ate our sugary Resurrection Rolls. It was a great day at home with LOTS of candy.
Tommy got glasses! He looks like one handsome dude. Apparently his sight in one eye is pretty bad, but we didn't know because he never complained.
The first time he put on his glasses was pretty magical. He kind of jumped back and said something like, "Wow, I can see!" Now he wears them full time without any complaint because the difference with and without glasses is so stark.
The big kids have been going to Trackers every Thursday. They basically take a bus to the woods and run around like wild monkeys all day. They love it and say it's their favorite day of the week.
This leaves Clara and I one day every week that we get to spend just the two of us. It's really precious time with her. We call Thursdays our Mama Baby Dates and do fun things together like go to McDonald's and play at the park. The picture below is on a Ladybug Walk we did with Portland Parks and Rec. All the kids get a bunch of little tools in a ladybug backpack and we wander around the park together observing nature. She loved the Ladybug Walk and I loved giving her my undivided attention.
The picture below is from another Mama Baby Date when we went to a free day of Tinkergarten. It was raining hard all day, but Clara was prepared in her rain suit and sparkly rain boots. We gathered leaves, fir cones, and rocks from around the park, sang some songs, ate a snack, and marched in some puddles.
Clara absolutely adores puddles.
I think we went to the Waffle Window after this park date and warmed up with some over-the-top waffles.
Sometimes the kids come home from Trackers covered in mud and charcoal. They absolutely love it. In the picture below Tommy is holding a broom he made from a bush called Scotch Broom that apparently grows rampant everywhere.
One of our homeschool group activities in April was visiting a craft fair. After being there onece, I definitely wouldn't take my two-year-old again. There was too much fine pottery and glass that she nearly broke. But learning how to weave and spin yarn and playing with the wet clay was pretty fun and not stressful. So I guess that's a win.
The kids had their annual Interest Fair with our homeschool group. It's like a science fair, but not just for science. This year Lily chose to present her cupcake game that she has been obsessed with since Christmas. She has made up several different games with these little cupcakes and it was fun to watch her teach other kids and parents about the games she invented.
The picture below is just a cute one of the kids in their Easter clothes from Grammy. They are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.
During the school year we spend A TON of time at the science museum. The kids have classes there and we always stay after for a few hours to play. We know every inch of that museum and somehow it still doesn't get old. They build some pretty cool stuff there.
While Ben and Tommy were at a baseball game, I took the girls to the 82nd Avenue Carnival. They had an all-out mini fair with rides and snacks and all the carnival games. Clara was pretty scared of the rides, but Lily enjoyed them. And they both enjoyed the cotton candy, so it was worth the effort to be there.
For one of Tommy's Cub Scout requirements we had to visit a sacred place. We decided to branch out a little and visit The Grotto, a Catholic sanctuary. It was absolutely breathtaking. It's build right up on the side of a cliff so some of the statues are in little caves. We took the elevator up to the top of the cliff that was adorned with gorgeous flowers and so many beautiful statues. It was peaceful and beautiful. I can definitely see myself spending a lot more time there when I have a few minutes to be alone.
Our lives are governed by baseball. Tommy is rocking it and loving every minute he has out on the field. It's a big time commitment, but I love watching him and spending so much time outside. Go Titans!
Phew, last thing! Once a month our homeschool group meets up to play in the gymnasium of an old church. They run around and have fun and are really super loud. Tommy is always a great sport to play with Clara and push her around. They have a very sweet bond.
Our schedule picked up in March with the addition of Little League to our regular busy schedule. For a few weeks we juggled ballet, swimming, OMSI class, baseball, art class, Cub Scouts, and Trackers all at the same time. Needless to say, it was a relief when classes started to end!
On top of all of the kids' activities, I got a new calling in Young Women at church. We went from basically having our evenings free to being gone almost every evening until 7:00 or 8:00. It took a lot of concentration and a few breakdowns to adjust to the new schedule and to somehow fit dinner and schoolwork into it!
Oh, and I turned 35 somewhere in all the craziness. I received some new gym clothes and a pizza for dinner, which was exactly what I wanted.
The kids are still cute. They were all dressed in primary colors so we had to take a picture. It's nice that they love each other.
Lily worked on a ballet adaptation of Alice and Wonderland for about three months. On the last day of class we got to watch her perform. She is getting so graceful and intentional about her dancing. It's always a delight to watch, especially since she enjoys it so much.
Clara was a real trooper since she was the one who was getting hauled everywhere without the fun of participating in any of the activities. I decided that Portland rainwater must run in her veins. She doesn't ever seem to be cold or to mind the rain. She'll jump through puddles, large and small, and wears her beanie everywhere she goes. As long as she has her rain boots, she doesn't want a jacket most days. While the rest of us find refuge in the car, she prefers to slop through puddles and welcome the rain.
For the past year or so Tommy has taken sewing lessons. He has really enjoyed making things out of cloth and learning how the sewing machine works. This month all those lessons finally paid off and he sat down to happily mend a pile of our clothes! I trust him more than anyone to repair my clothes since he is so careful and meticulous. Thanks, Buddy!
Grammy came to visit during Spring Break. Ben had a little surgery to prevent the formation of any more baby Chattertons, so it was nice to have Grammy there to help out with the kids while I took care of Ben.
While Grammy watched Clara I enlisted Tommy's and Lily's help to wash
the deck in preparation for later staining. They are fantastic workers
and scrubbed all the grime out of that deck like pros.
The girls are obsessed with PJ Masks. When Grammy came she brought
dress ups for the girls, who flew, climbed, and ran around our house
with their special powers. They roped me into the fun, too.
We had our annual homeschool Easter party, which is always so much fun. The kids got to play games, make crafts, and pet real life bunnies, in addition to playing with their cute friends.
That night, we continued our Easter fun at home by dyeing Easter eggs. It was super stressful for me with Clara there, eager to participate. She can be kind of a bull in a China shop. Grammy was Clara's personal assistant, which I am grateful for.
The next morning, we headed to a close-in Portland neighborhood for an Easter egg hunt with friends. We followed a giant bunny on a motorcycle to where the eggs were all hidden. The toddlers got to start a few minutes before the big kids so that they had enough time to gather some eggs.
Once the big kids were released the eggs got found very quickly!
Everyone had fun opening up their eggs to discover the surprise candy inside.
One unfortunate things that happened during Grammy's visit was that her air bed sprung a leak. Once it was clear that we wouldn't be able to repair the leak, we decided to have some fun with it. I filled it up and let the kids jump on it until it lost all the air, then we filled it up again and again. They had a great time! By the time I hauled the bed out to the trash the hole was bigger than my fist!
February 2018 was pretty chill. We spent the month getting back into the swing of things after our long road trip for the holidays. The kids started back up with science classes at OMSI, ballet class, and swimming lessons. We got back into a good rhythm with homeschool and generally just enjoyed being together at home.
It snowed a couple of different times during the month. Once was on President's Day and the other time was during the week. The public schools got cancelled so we got to play with our friend, Ezra. We walked over to Mount Tabor to do some laundry basket sledding, which was amazing. By the time we headed home for lunch the snow was melting quickly and the sun was out. The snow didn't last more than a day either time.
Swinging in the snow! So fun!
We spent a lot of time playing at OMSI this month. Clara
and I get to have Mama/Baby time while the big kids go to their classes.
She usually likes to play in the sand or in the water, but watching her
discover the air stream was priceless. Sometimes I can almost see new
neurological pathways being formed in her little brain.
Clara loves to play. All the time. While we waited for swimming lessons to start one day she and Tommy got into a "hi" war. I think she won.
If there is one word I could use to describe April it would be "snuggles". Just lots and lots of snuggles. We had so much fun as a family in April and were blessed with a few days of really nice weather so we could get out a little bit and enjoy the sunshine.
Snuggles
I was able to capture so many cute moments of the kids together. Whether they are reading together or playing a game together on the iPad, they just really love to be close and to be together.
Easter 2017
We celebrated our first Easter in our new house by dyeing Easter eggs and hiding them in all of the cool new places. Clara just came for the food. She did love finding plastic eggs filled with candy everywhere!
Grammy and Jarom's Visit
We enjoyed a visit from Grammy and our nephew, Jarom. Tommy and Jarom were connected at the hip the entire trip and played game after game together. We got to visit OMSI's special exhibit, The Art of LEGO, have breakfast at Slappy Cakes, play at the trampoline park, attend our homeschool Easter party, and walk up the Tilikum Bridge.
Other Happenings
Clara is now in full destructive mode. She pulls everything off every surface she can reach and gets into as many naughty things as she can. Lily dressed up as Snow White and helped me do some dry ice science experiments outside one day, which was very fun. And Tommy has been enjoying his sewing class with his homeschool friends. In the picture below you see him wearing the lunch bag he hand crafted.
A Hike in the Woods
We caught an especially beautiful spring day and decided to go for a hike in the Columbia River Gorge. It's less than an hour from our home and is filled with hundreds of waterfalls.
We set out to do an easy, family-friendly trail to the some lower falls called Elowah, but found that the trail was closed. On a whim, we set out to do the hike to the upper falls and found it to be a huge treat, if a little bit sketchy in some places.
We hiked along sheer cliffs, saw a snake on the trail, ducked under downed trees, rushed under rocks that were weeping fresh water, and were rewarded at the end with a waterfall that felt other-worldly. Tommy carried a little notebook and a pencil the entire hike and stopped once in awhile to sketch a nature-inspired comic.
Spring Outfits
This Easter we got new church clothes from both grandmas. The pastels came from Grandma Chatterton and the yellows came from Grammy. The kids are so cute, they would look adorable in anything.
Mom's Getaway
I had the amazing opportunity to go hide in a cabin in the woods for three nights with some of my homeschool mom friends. It was just what the doctor ordered. I had a room to myself. My view consisted of gorgeous forest and I fell asleep the sound of rushing river water. I slept in until 10:00 and could literally feel the stress from the past 16 months just melt right from my body. I remember just lying in bed thinking, "I have absolutely nothing I need to do today. Today is about me." All moms need a weekend away in the woods once in awhile! My weekend consisted of lots of sleep, a few nature walks, eating healthy and amazing food, chatting with friends, and just getting my head on straight so I could come back energized and ready to be a better woman. The kids had a load of fun with Ben, ate out several times, watched lots of movies, and ate a ton of candy. I don't think they even missed me.
Ice Skating
I took the older ice skating for the first time. They loved it! It was so amazing to watch them go from barely able to stand up on ice skates to gliding on their own in just a couple of hours. I used to ice skate all the time as a kid and it felt good to get back out there!
