Morels Galore!!

Shawn and the boys went morel mushroom hunting again this year.....and they were pretty successful!  They found so many we were able to dehydrate most of them, freeze them and will be able to enjoy them all summer!  The first week after the big hunt, Shawn and I were putting the little fungi in EVERYTHING....until the boys put their foot down!  They kindly asked how many different dishes did we think we could put the mushrooms in...okay, hint taken!  We have since slowed down, but we are so glad they had a successful morel hunt!

Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter...enjoying the free weekend, spending time with family and the beautiful weather we had been blessed with!  Even with the super busy schedules we have in the house, we set aside time to do our yearly tradition of coloring eggs!  As the boys have gotten older, there are lots of things they have outgrown....thankfully this is not one of them!

 

 

 

 

                                              Easter morning....aren't we such a cute bunch!

SpRiNg BrEaK!!!!

Ahhhhhhh!  Spring Break...now those two words are music to my ears!  This year we took it easy...enjoying the beautiful weather the first few days offered and lounging around when the weather decided to be more like Christmas Break!  The boys both started out the week with a sleepover...Grady headed to a friend's house and Gabe had a friend over!  Gabe and Tyler went fishing with Shawn Friday evening and had Conoco for dinner (that only occurs when I am absent, so always a real treat!) and then those two stayed up past 1:00....that's as much as I know because that's when I called it a night and the two crazy kids were back up by 7:30 ready to hit it again!  We picked Grady up around 10:00 and spent most of that afternoon chilling out...surprisingly, both boys stayed awake until we lost Grady for the night around 5:30!  Must have partied a little too hard!

 

For the most part of the beginning of the week, the boys and I soaked up the beautiful spring weather!  We spent most of our time playing baseball....and I mean hours playing baseball!  With Gabe being on a traveling team this year and Grady debuting his machine pitch season this year...it's a good thing they like playing, and we have the room to do so!  On Wednesday, the boys and I tried our hands at geo-caching!  We were 1 for 3 on finding the caches.  It was a good time, I am glad we found one....not sure if I will get those two to give it another whirl or not!  Once the weather turned cooler we decided to stay inside and do something crafty!  Crafty however to a mother of boys is a tad bit different that a mother of girls I would assume!  We built a catapult and trebuchet!  We started with precut pieces, but had to glue, tie knots, measure and build patience...which unfortunately the boys inherited lack of from me!  I am happy to report though, both projects are finished and they work fantastically!  On Friday we headed to Wichita to take in a movie and lunch!  We decided on "The Croods" (Fantastic movie if you are wondering) and lunch from the Warren Diner while we were watching!  The boys really thought eating lunch in the theatre during the movie was pretty cool!  After the movie, the boys and I ran some errands and then they went to spend the night with Aunt Greta and Uncle Marshall, while Shawn and I enjoyed a date night!  So, as far as Spring Breaks go, I think it was a winner!!  And bonus to that.....only 7 more weeks of school!! WOO HOO!!  

Grady's Best Bud!

A couple of weeks ago, Gabe had a night out with friends, so we loaded up one of Grady's best buddies and headed to Jimmy's Diner for dinner and The Alley for entertainment!  The boys loaded up on pancakes and shakes at Jimmy's before heading on for a go-carting, arcading, laser-tagging good time at The Alley!  They were both so well behaved and a complete hoot!  On the way back to Augusta the two of them were singing some song....a parody of some sort....hilarious!  Oh to be 7 again!   

This was the first time Grady has ever driven a real go cart all by himself.....he was so careful.....so much different than we had expected!  As for Jude....well, he was all pedal to the medal...he was hard to even get a picture of!

Do I Hear Thunder?!

My sister's wonderful company once again allowed us the posh seats at a Thunder Hockey Game....there is just no other way to go!  Bonus feature of this trip...the Thunder won...scoring 3 in the first period!  This was a first in all of our visits!!

Donuts with Dad!

A few weeks ago, Ewalt PTO hosted Donuts with Dad!  Grady couldn't wait to take Shawn "out" for breakfast!  These two had a blast, I believe!

Snow Day!

You could hear the cheers for miles last night when we got "The Call"....SNOW DAY!  We were even able to talk Shawn into staying home with us!  This morning the boys and the birds braved the cold to play in the snow!  Shawn and I sipped our coffee from the warmth of the house and snapped some great pics!!  Enjoy the day all! 

Banding It Up!

 Within 4 days, our family had the pleasure of listening to two separate band performances!  Gabe was selected for the South Central Honors Band and participated in that on the 9th.  He arrived in Andover at 7:45 and practiced all day, ending with a fantastic concert at 4:30 that evening!  It was a full day for him, but he learns so much...it is a wonderful opportunity!  I am amazed that these 60 kids can come from different bands, practice 5 different songs over the course of 6 hours and then that evening put it all together for a wonderful concert!  These kids have some talent!
On the 12th, Gabe's Middle School Band had their Winter Concert....and it was a total listening pleasure!!  I have bragged on the Augusta bands in the past...but it is for good reason, they are absolutely amazing!  Gabe's 6th grade band performed 4 songs "Forward March", Theme from "Swan Lake", "The Addams Family", and "Rogue River Venture".  "The Addams Family" was spot on...it sounded exactly like the actual TV show!  Gabe also had a solo in "Swan Lake"....well actually a duet solo.....his good friend, Tyler, and him are both first chair in their class, so they shared the trumpet solo...and they rocked it!  Gabe was extremely nervous about the solo.....before the song, I saw him praying and right after he had finished the smile on his face was priceless!  We were so proud of him!  The next performance will be Band-O-Rama in May...and if you are in the area it is an evening of Augusta Band worth seeing!  It is a showcase of all of the bands in the Augusta school system....it's a long evening, but definitely worth every minute!

2nd Grade Program!

 On the 5th, Ewalt's 2nd and 3rd Grade had their winter program.  The theme was "Let's Play" and the songs were all oldies, but goodies!!  Grady not only sung in the program, but also was part of a group that danced during the song "Heel Toe Polka".  He did a fantastic job!  You also may notice he was wearing a suit...that was totally and completely his choice, but dang...he looked good!  He is such a cutie..and you just never know what to expect!  Along with "Heel Toe Polka", they also sang, "A Ram Sam Sam", "Jingle At The Window", "Skip To My Lou" and "You Are My Sunshine".  As a 2nd and 3rd Grade combined group they sang "Mail Myself To You" by Woody Guthrie and my personal favorite "What A Wonderful World".  I have always loved that song, but there is something about a group of sweet kiddos singing it that made it all the better! 

Happy Happy Happy 35th!

A few weeks ago....I added another wonderful year to my age!  I had an absolutely fantastic day....we actually celebrated a few days early...but that made it so I had all 3 of my fellas spoiling me ALL DAY LONG!  We went into Wichita for some shopping and lunch and back home in the evening for shrimp scampi, coffee cream cake (as Pioneer Woman put it, "for a coffee lover, it's 12 trips to heaven and back"...and I can confirm that was definitely the case!) and gifts!  On the actual day of my birth...I was spoiled all day by emails, phone calls and my co-workers!  You all really know how to make a girl feel loved!  Year 35 started off fantastically....I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 364 days!