Thomas returns!

Yesterday, I brought our train tracks and trains upstairs from storage in
the basement. The girls were so excited! Maggie never really got very
interested in the trains, but Bree & Betsy had a grand time. I think it
helped a lot that Ben played with them for hours after school and again this
morning before school.

Maggie is 5!

Maggie with Ben, Maddi, & Jossi (and all the birthday loot!)

Maggs has been wanting a cheerleader uniform for months. And, she specificially wanted blue & white. I actually had a difficult time finding such an item. I ended up buying it through a cheer uniform company. She loved it! She said she is going to wear it every day of cheerleading camp this summer. Grape purse in the second picture is courtesy of Jossi.

Wait, I did say it was Maggie's 5th birthday, not her wedding day, right? Right!
Lately, Miss Maggs has been obsessed with all things wedding-related. She is now married to four of her peers, and every time her friend, Gavin, comes over to play, she puts on a dress, and they pretend to get married. So, for her birthday, Grandma Karen & Grandpa Mike got her a wedding gown, a bouquet, a veil, and a "diamond" ring. She LOVES it!

Easter Sunday

Easter morning, spent at Gram-Linda's house. Brian and I thought that Grandma & Grandpa would enjoy the fun of Easter morning with little kids in the house, but I wondered if all the chaos was just really annoying to them! Lots of chocolate drool on Mom's couch and bickering over who got the most eggs, etc. Just a normal holiday for our little family!

The Irrgang Family & The Martin Family

The long-awaited egg hunt, sponsored by Grandpa Hank.

so naughty!

While we were visiting Gram-Linda and Grandpa Hank for spring break....
I was chatting with Dad in the family room when I realized that it was rather quiet. I said, "I wonder what the twins are up to?" Dad said, "Oh, they're probably on the dining room table eating Easter eggs." And, sure enough, they were! She just grabbed them out of the centerpiece and bit into them, shells and all!

Fishing in Batesville

Ben and Maggie show off their new fishing poles from Grandma & Grandpa.

Ben's catch was a little more glorious than poor Brian's. Brian snagged a piece of drift-bark!


Of course, we always have to bring the fish back to the house and put them in the little swimming pool. Java had a blast with this. Grandpa found her in the middle of the pool with a fish in her mouth. Several of the other fish had been thrown out of the pool, and one was completely missing! She must have hidden it somewhere to play with later...

Grandpa Hank, teaching Ben and Maggie how to fillet a fish.

Always time for climbing the tree!

OA Alumni Egg Hunt 2012

The kids had a great time this year at the Oldenburg Academy Alumni Easter Egg Hunt.
I had a great time too. Aunt Janna & Uncle John met us there to help with the "hunting." Betsy and Bree were happy to get just one egg each. Ben was more of a "man on a mission." He found a prize-egg with a ticket inside which awarded him the very-coveted prize of a $5 McDonald's gift card! He also received a very cute book and stuffed animal to go with it. He even had his picture taken for the alumni newsletter.

Great Wolf Lodge Spring Break

It was difficult to keep the twins off of the bunk beds. Ben affectionately referred to the top bunk as "upstairs." They had their own little tv in the bunk cubby, and Ben would say, "I'm going upstairs to watch tv."

Wolf ears for everyone!

Maggie is pretending to howl like the Great Wolf in the photo at the right.

I think this is Betsy in both of the photos above.

Betsy, sitting on Mommy's lap. Bree was contemplating entering the giant waterfall, but she never got brave enough to cross through.

Ben thought these little floor fountains were so fun! He and another boy teamed up to spray everyone who walked by.

Maggie - on one of the body slides.