The First Half of April:

I can't believe it is already April 16th! Our family visits are over, and it's time for us to return to our normal schedule. I know the boys miss Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Tom, though. Evan keeps asking when they are coming back... poor guy! I don't think he understands just how far we are from Washington.

We are definitely going to buy a globe in the near future for the kids. I am hoping a globe will help them understand where we are compared to the rest of our family.

I wanted to share some of the photos I took during those visits (and a couple from Easter, too):


Oh, how Evan loves his new quad. I think he has ridden it almost everyday this past week. He loves, loves, loves it! Look for a layout for Karla Dudley Designs on the 19th about Evan's new quad!


On Tuesday we went to the Newport Aquarium with Uncle Tom. Evan and Jack loved it! I really liked the jelly fish & the sharks. One of the exhibits allowed visitors to touch a shark & I did it! Their skin is really leathery and tough, but soft at the same time. Evan said he didn't want the sharks to bite his fingers because he likes his fingers, so he didn't want to touch them. I was okay with that!


This is probably my 2nd favorite photo of our aquarium trip (my favorite photo is of Uncle Tom and Jack). I love the jelly fish!


My favorite Aquarium photo.


Jack got an early birthday present last weekend from Grandma & Grandpa. He is the perfect size for this little blue buggy.






Mark was given amazing tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game the week my parents were in town, so my Dad, Mark, Evan, and I got to go to the game. The seats were behind home plate on the 100 level, and we were definitely spoiled! Evan enjoyed the game, but did get a little antsy toward the end. We stayed through the 7th inning (and missed the walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th by the Reds), but it was a great experience. This was Evan's first MLB game, and our first Reds game.






We also visited Sharon Woods in Sharonville, Ohio. It was a perfectly beautiful day and the park was great for Evan & Jack. Evan got this crazy idea to walk across the stream, which landed him in the water, but he loved every second of it.






This was Jack's first time riding in a swing. He wasn't so sure about it at first, but eventually started smiling and giggling.






It was also Jack's first time on a slide. He LOVED it! My mom would hold onto him all the way down and he would smile and clap.


Yes, I dressed the boys in matching shirts on Easter. They looked so, so, so cute! And I love how sparkly their blue eyes look in this photo. I do love that they both got my blue eyes... it's probably the only thing they got from me!





Wow... that is a lot of photos. Thanks for looking if you've stuck with me for this long! And THANK YOU Mom, Dad, and Uncle Tom for visiting us. We had so much fun during our time together, and we can't wait to see you in May!

Have a blessed weekend, friends.

xoxo, Erin.