Karate Test - April 19th

Ella tested for her first stripe with her purple belt.  She had about a 30 minute test with her sensi.  She passed!  I was told that she has what it takes and is determined enough to be able to attain her junior black belt.  She was asked at the beginning of the class if she was nervous about getting tested, and she said that she wasn't.  :)  This was just a small video clip I took with my camera.  

Track Meet - April 14th

The girls participated in a track meet for all of the elementary schools in the district.  They even sacrificed their sleeping in on a Saturday to get up early.  Crazy!  They both participated in a few different races.  Ella even did the softball throw.  Ella's relay team won first place, and she is moving on to another track meet in a few weeks.  Kaitlyn's track meet won second place.  It was a fun morning, and the start of a big day of being outside.  After the track meet was Andrew's baseball game, then James had a Western U Dental school kick ball tournament and BBQ, then we played tennis and soccer afterward at a park by our house.  We were pretty much outside doing some sport related activity from 8:30 am til after 7pm!  We all crashed that evening! 

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor

Friday, the 13th of April, we went to Farrell's Ice-Cream parlor for a friend of Andrew's who was having a birthday dinner there.  On the way I tried to prepare my kids for this type of a place.  Memories of my childhood filled my mind...Being blindfolded and brought to Farrell's, where I was mortified to stand on a chair as everyone sang to me "Happy Birthday" while beating a loud drum and then there's that siren, an ear piercing noise!  :) They didn't really believe me until after we arrived.  It was the end of a busy, rainy week for us and we were all a little tired.  Our kids were more anxious to get a balloon creation than anything else.  But once that occurred, they were pretty satisfied.

Easter Weekend! April 7-8th

The kids all got tennis rackets for Easter!

Kaitlyn's Dental School T-Shirt!

Kaitlyn and her cake!

A bunch of Western Wives!

The two other girls that are Kaitlyn and Ella's age. Most families have younger kids that go to Western.

Holding back the troops. Who are patiently waiting for their turn to find the eggs!

Checking out their loot!

James bought Kaitlyn a shirt from Western for her for her b-day. And we had tacos for dinner and Angel food cake with strawberries for dessert on Saturday, since we didn't really have a family b-day dinner earlier. Then Sunday evening we went to a friends house and had a potluck BBQ and Egg Hunt for Easter. It was nice to see so many of our Western families. It has been a little while, since many have been busy studying and taking the boards, we haven't been able to get together.

Fresno trip - April 4-7th

The boys decorating Easter cookies.

The girls decorating their Easter cookies.

He was super excited to have a safe, open place to ride his bike!

Say "No to Crack!" Sorry Kelly, I just couldn't resist!

Egg Hunt (we forgot our baskets).

Pancake breakfast at Grandma's!

The whole gang!

An owl from the Bird Show.

The Sting Ray Exhibit.

All those crazy hoodlums!

I packed up the kiddos on Wednesday and drove to Fresno. We stopped half way to eat lunch and everyone wanted Wendy's (for the frosty's). We hadn't been there forever. While in Fresno, I got to meet my newest nephew, Corbin, who is Kelly's 5th child. He's a cutie and a really good baby. One day we took all the kids to the park to play. Thursday night we had an Easter dinner and Egg Hunt. The kids sure found a lot of eggs! My grandmother treated us on Friday, to a trip to the Zoo. My mom funded the kids' sting ray petting experience. And we saw the outdoor bird show. We were there a good 4 hours which wiped all the adults out, but surprisingly not any of the kiddos. Saturday, I packed up and drove home. Wish we could have stayed a bit longer. It was a nice Spring Break!

Kaitlyn's 11th Bday - April 3rd

Kaitlyn turned 11 on April 3rd! She is growing up way too fast! We met James at Western U for lunch since we were leaving for Fresno the next day. The kids were all on Spring Break. That evening, Kaitlyn went on a Mom and Dad date to IHOP and the mall, where she bought some accessories with a Claire's gift card she got for her birthday. She also got a new dance leo and tights, and a Micheal's Craft store gift card.