Kindergarten Authors' Tea

Last Friday, Caden's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Cronuaer hosted an authors' tea for the kindergarten families. Each kindergartener read one of their stories selected by Mrs. Cronauer and the student. Mrs. Cronauer explained that story selection was based on presence of a plot and any special features (creativity, humor, surprise, etc.). Caden and his classmates worked hard on their stories and presentation skills. The hard work and practice paid off! It was such a special event!

Caden's turn...To come up to the front of the sanctuary in front of the families of 25 kindergarteners...Such a big deal! I wouldn't have wanted to do it at that age (or even my current age), but Caden did an excellent job. We are so proud of him!

Caden's story: My Day at the Zoo "One day I went to the zoo. I saw tigers and elephants. I also saw a leopard and a lobster. Then I went to the owls' cage. But when I got there the owls were going crazy because they saw Mrs. Kopp's IU shirt! Now that was funny! The zookeepers calmed them down."

Back story--Mrs. Kopp is the kindergarten aide. She is a HUGE Indiana University fan and alum. Of course, we are Illini fans. An Illini vs. Hoosier rivalry started after Caden wore an Illini t-shirt during the first week of school. Since then, Caden and Mrs. Kopp have teased each other about their team loyalties. Mrs. Kopp has attempted unsuccessfully to convert Caden into an IU fan. Caden's story brought laughter to the audience, and he was praised for coming up with the humorous twist to his story.

After listening to the stories, we attended a book signing and reception with tasty treats. Here is Caden with two of his best friends, Lauren and Joel.

Caden signing away

The kindergarteners loved this part of the event. Each family was given a book of the presented stories, and the students were able to sign each book. I'm sure their hands were worn out.

The authors (most of them) and Mrs. Cronauer

Mrs. Cronauer and Caden--What an amazing kindergarten teacher!

Mrs. Kopp (our favorite IU fan) and Caden, wearing his Illini shirt of course

Extremely proud parents with our little author

Caden finishes kindergarten in four days. How is that possible?!

Baby bump at 28 weeks

Here is a picture from week #28. Hard to believe that I'm already in the third trimester! Thankfully, Baby Boy has moved out of my ribs, so I'm feeling much more comfortable (for now).

Celebration Weekend

Last weekend, we celebrated Nana's birthday and Mother's Day.

The boys helped Nana open her early birthday presents.

They helped Nana open her Mother's Day gift too.

On Mother's Day, we spent the afternoon at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We viewed some amazing pieces of art, including pieces by Monet, Renoir, and O'Keefe, and then we walked around the beautiful gardens.

I'm so lucky to be the mommy of wonderful little guys!

24 Weeks with Baby BOY #3

Last week, I hit the 24-week mark. Since my last picture, we found out that we're adding another boy to our family. Everyone is very excited! Caden is relieved. On the morning of the ultrasound, Caden said, "It doesn't matter what the baby is," followed by a brief pause, "as long as the baby is a boy." :)


Moms of three warned me, but I didn't truly believe it until now...Compared to my first two pregnancies, I'm feeling and looking about 8-10 weeks further along--probably NOT a good thing. Overall, I'm doing really well and enjoying this pregnancy, minus the pain from either a pulled muscle or baby part in my ribs.

Name discussion has come to a halt, but not because we have a name. The third boy name is VERY difficult! As many of you know, even when we FINALLY decide, we won't share the name until Baby Boy arrives.

Easter

After visiting Bracket Town on Saturday afternoon, Nana and I brought the boys home to color Easter eggs.
Proud of their colored eggs

Right before bed, the eggs were dry enough to add the superhero and Toy Story stickers.

Cole insisted on showing off his Easter eggs right in front of his face.

Ready for the Easter bunny and bed after a busy day

Easter morning

Before church, Caden and Cole looked in their baskets from the Easter bunny.

Caden, Nana, and I went to church while the basketball fans and Cole took it easy at home. After church, Caden and Cole went on their Easter egg hunt.


Cole took a short chocolate break during the egg hunt.

Cole, Caden, and Papa emptying their eggs and checking out the goodies

Then they spotted an egg on the deck...Egg hunt continued




After the eggs were found, Caden got busy building new Legos and Cole played with his new superheroes.

Happy Easter!

Spring Break

The boys and I had a wonderful spring break. We enjoyed relaxed mornings and fun-filled afternoons at the Children's Museum, library, and parks.

We checked out the new Bob the Builder exhibit at the Children's Museum. Here are Cole, Bob, and Pilchard.

Caden and Cole on Muck

Caden and Cole pretending to be plumbers

On Saturday, the boys' church/school hosted an Easter egg hunt. It was raining, so the event was held inside and was more of a gather than a hunt. Eggs galore filled the hallways! Cole (in navy) and his buddy, Ryan (in gray) grabbing eggs

Caden grabbed his fair share of eggs.

Happy with a full Easter basket!

Cole sampling his treats

After the Easter egg hunt, we ventured downtown to the NCAA Final Four Bracket Town. The convention center was filled with tons of different basketball exhibits. It was a very busy place, so very few pictures were taken.

Caden as Mr. Peanut

And, of course, Cole as Mr. Peanut

Posing with the National Championship trophy (Curt or my dad will correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

Caden with Papa and Nana

Nana, the boys, and I left Curt and Papa downtown to enjoy the Final Four games, while we came home to watch an Easter cartoon and dye Easter eggs. Cole did not approve of the Easter cartoon, so he hung out upstairs and raided Papa's suitcase. Here is Cole sporting Papa's socks and showing his neverending support for the Illini.

Curt and Papa were lucky enough to experience the Final Four games and one of the most exciting championship games. For a few days, we became a family of Butler fans. Too bad that last shot didn't go in!

Finishing Up Basketball Season

A few Saturdays back, Caden played his last Little Rams basketball game. He really enjoyed playing basketball.

Pre-game pep talk from the coach

Caden said that dribbling WHILE moving was the hardest part of basketball. He tried hard and improved throughout the season.

Caden getting his trophy and Bible from Mr. Jipp, the athletic director

Caden and his coach, Mr. Devlin

Caden's basketball team

Our basketball star--Caden was thrilled to add another trophy to his growing collection.