Flute

Cooper has been asking for 2 years to learn to play the flute, so one day Chad saw an ad in the newspaper for flute lessons and we decided to call and inquire. Ms. Susan is the instructors name and she is a very good flutist. She said as long as Cooper was willing to practice, take good care of her instrument, and work on building her hand & finger muscles-lessons were a go! So we went and rented a flute for Cooper. (Little did we know that we knew so many people that played the flute and would have had one for us to use.)

Her lessons are once a week for 30 minutes. I must say she is doing very well. She instantly picked up how to hold the flute and she learned 3 notes in the first couple lessons. She has a music book and with the little music knowledge I have (I played the drums in band from 6th grade - 9th grade) I began teaching her how to read the notes (lines & spaces.) She is continuing to work hard and learn more at each lesson. She loves playing and practices all the time. I'm excited for her future in music.

Skype

Today I used Skype for the first time!! It was Kayre's 35th birthday and since we couldn't celebrate together I decided to give Skype a try. The download was quick and easy and before long I had completed the set up and was ready to go. Darby secretly did the same on his end and what do you know, it actually worked! Yay, for technology. Happy Birthday Kayre!!

It's a baby boy...

A baby boy DONKEY that is!! On Friday, Sophie had a baby boy donkey, which mom named "Little Mike." Last year, Sophie had a baby girl donkey, which we call baby Karen. The girls love to see all the animals, but especially the baby animals are their favorite.



Momma Sophie and baby boy donkey "Little Mike"


Campbell and Cooper by Bo and CrackerJack

First Communion

Today my niece, Bailey, had her First Communion. I am thankful that Chad is Catholic, which allowed us to be Bailey's Godparents. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady and all I could think about as I saw her in that dress and her hair done up standing at the alter, was her wedding. Wow! What will that day be like?? It was a great day to just relax, let the kids play, and enjoy visiting with family. Congrats Bailey! We are very proud of you.


Bailey looked so pretty.


Kelly, Ryland, Bailey, & Pat


Cooper, Bailey, Campbell, and I


Campbell, Ryland, Bailey, & Cooper


Ryland was having fun with the ribbons.

Spring Colors

Sunday morning we took a long family walk around the neighborhood so I could take some beautiful Spring pictures. Spring time in Kansas doesn't last long and usually brings strong and scary thunderstorms, but today it was nice to just enjoy the scenery.


Redbud Trees


The white snowball trees, before the leaves turn green again.


Tulips are my favorite.

Easter

Easter brought with it warmer weather, sunny days, and the excitement of Spring. Campbell was a bit cautious in regards to the Easter Bunny, but she convinced herself that he was just a "bunny" and she would indeed stand by him in the annual Easter picture and even enjoyed reading bedtime stories about him. Cooper enjoys the crafts and attention that family holidays bring. Egg coloring was fun and the girls were quite creative in their designs. To the girls' surprise the Easter Bunny hid his eggs outside this year. So after discovering the goodies in their baskets, they were confused and bewildered as to where to find the eggs. The egg hunt was fun to watch and both girls found SOOO many eggs. It was a blessed Easter shared with family.


Cooper and her "Peace Sign" egg.



Campbell showing off her egg.



Goodies from the Easter Bunny.



Easter Baskets included candy, Pez, clothes, crafts, and a play computer.



Look at all these eggs.

Easter with Friends in Herington

The Saturday before Easter I took the girls and a friend of Cooper's to Herington. We ate lunch at the Gridiron Cafe in Hope (my mom & stepdad's new cafe). After lunch we headed to the big Easter egg hunt in the Herington City Park. All the kids found a basket full of eggs. Some eggs won prizes including stuffed animals, gold dollar coins, and of course lots of candy. We went to Kelly's house to rest a bit and sort through the loot. Finally we ended up at my mom's house where the girls played outside in the playhouse. They were patient while I helped mom do some computer work. As promised we ended the day at mom's resort feeding the horse, pony, and donkeys. Everyone had a great time!


Campbell and Bailey searching for eggs.


Cooper with her basket full.


J, Campbell, Cooper, Bailey, & Ryland


Bo is the white pony and CrackerJack is the brown horse.


Feeding Turbo the Donkey, or maybe that is Sophie.