Resurrection rolls

We made resurrection rolls for the Family Home Evening after Easter Sunday. The kids learned how to do it a few years ago from a primary teacher and we've done it in our house every year ever since. It's a fun way to teach the kids about the resurrection. These are step-by-step instructions

Book of the Week

THE BEAN TREES
(April 2, 2012)



I liked this book. I thought it was interesting and was a quick read. It reminded me that the world is hard but there are people from all walks of life who are good and generous. I liked the personality of the main character. The author, Barbara Kingsolver, also wrote the Poisonwood Bible which was recommended to me as a good book to read a few years ago...I'm interested in reading it now.


SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT
(April 9, 2012)


I really enjoyed this book. It was just sweet. I liked it better than The Bean Trees that I had read the week before. I think I am a sucker for happy endings. Especially ones that begin with a sad story. I loved that the beginning of this book was set in Ohio, close to where I live. I knew all the cities that were mentioned and that made it fun to read. I am also a sucker for southern living. Seriously, I should have been born in Savannah, Georgia. It's seems so full of beauty and charm.

Easter dinner

I LOVE Easter dinner. Mmmm...ham, cheesy potatoes, rainbow jello, rolls...so good!


I made rice krispy treat bunnies...



We had an Easter egg hunt in our backyard...




Our friends introduced us to "egg wars"...

Dying Easter Eggs

We dyed Easter eggs before church...



And the kids found the Easter baskets that the Easter bunny hid for them after church.

Easter egg hunt at church

Ashlyn's big day

March 20, 2012
For her 6th birthday she asked for a pancake cake, fruit and a danimal, and the annual birthday breakfast cupcake. We filled her room with balloons while she slept and in the morning woke her up singing happy birthday. I love her bed head in these pictures...





She wore her new outfit to school...

I brought homemade cupcakes to school for her birthday. Dave got to come too!



We celebrated that night at our house with cake and presents...I made Ashlyn a kit-kat and m&m cake for a change. I got the idea from my friend Mary. So cute!

ASHLYN TURNS 6!!

Ashlyn Nicole Collette
March 20

We adore our little girl. Things she adores: dancing, laughing, saying "totally", and her brothers. She LOVES gymnastics. She is going through an unclean phase (it may or may not be driving me crazy). She was always my meticulously clean one, let's hope this attribute resurfaces sometime in the near future. She is OBSESSED with dogs. Especially stuffed animal ones and also our next door neighbor dog, Lucy. She loves reading books. She loves books about the dog, Biscuit. She loves nail polish and jumping on the trampoline. She has moved on from coloring pictures to drawing her own. She is very detailed and her pictures are always beautiful. She is over the princess phase (finally). She still loves playing with make-up. She is still super lovable, hugs everyone, mediates fights, looks out for anyone who is hurt or sad. She still gives me a hug and kiss at the bus stop. :)
Ashlyn's words...
What she wants to be when she grows up:  A mom with 18 kids (no, that's not a typo)
Favorite color: blue
Favorite subject in school: library :)
Favorite food: candy
Favorite activity: gymnastics

disclaimer

All of my posts are totally out of order. I blame this fully on the fact that the internet was not working on our computer for 2 weeks and now I am totally behind. I do not like playing catch up.

Dave's prank on me

It was a good one. I forgot to mention that Dave did an April Fool's joke on me and I totally fell for it. He tied a rubber band around our kitchen sink hose so that when I turned the faucet on, the water would feed directly to the hose and spray me. It made me laugh...and drenched. :)

just a random pic of us during Conference weekend.

General Conference Box

I've started a new tradition for General Conference. A few days before each general conference, I'm going to break out the General Conference box (see below). I won't let the kids open it until the Saturday morning session. Inside will be all of our general conference supplies (i.e. Gospel bingo that I created, a matching game with the apostles faces and some crafts to do while general conference is on). We tried it for the first time just this past general conference and it was a hit. They are so excited for conference weekend.

Things to Do in Cleveland, part 2

I wanted to post a list of activities that are fun to do in Cleveland in the Summer. My winter list is on the right hand side bar (Things to do in Cleveland) and includes some parks and ideas you can also use for the summer.

Some activities we have done as a family and some have been given as ideas from friends...

OUTDOORS:
Sulphur Springs: bbcue pit, grills, shallow river and small waterfall website; website
Hinckley Lake: hiking, canoeing ($), swimming (includes a snack shop): website
Rocky River: website
Towpath: website
A cool website for biking: lists many biking trails: website 
Fairport Harbor Lake: my most favorite spot to visit the lake. Includes a snack shop, play ground equipment, canoe and kayak rentals; jet ski, kayaking, sailing, and canoe classes for kids just for $5: website
Mentor Headlines Lake: website
Punderson Lake: for camping and fishing: website 
Outdoor concerts and movies at Legacy Village: we love the outdoor concerts at the Legacy Village shopping center during the summer. We usually grab some frozen yogurt at Yogurt Vi and then sit on the lawn. It is so great (ok the bands aren’t amazing, but still fun). They haven’t posted their concert series yet but check out their events page as the summer draws near! : website
Horseshoe Lake: about...website; website
Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park: the actual ledges are really fun to hike around website
Chagrin River Park: Park, fire pit, river, biking and hiking, fishing: website
Parade the Circle (quite possibly the weirdest thing you will ever see…but so unique to Cleveland): website
Cleveland Museum of Art SUMMER SOLSTICE: website
Cleveland Museum of Art: CHALK FESTIVAL: website
Wade Oval Wednesdays: website
Chagrin Falls balloon festival: hot air balloon show, carnival, one of my favorite May activities--we go every year!! And while your here, stop in at the popcorn shop to get popcorn and ice cream website

($)($) (costs money)
Rolling Ridge ($); amazing amish petting zoo: website
Captain Kids marine academy at Fairport Harbor ($) (the classes I mentioned above) Call: 440-358-7275 and check out: website
USS Cod ($), take a tour of a historic submarine: website
Tall Ships Festival ($); went to this in 2010, can’t find info about this summer, but will come again in the summer of 2013: website
Splash Parks($): I’m pretty sure this link will give you info about any splash park you could ever dream of: website
But friends last year sent me info about this too…
Lyndhurst (pictures): website
(Directions): website
Memphis Kiddie Park($): website
Lake Farm Park($): website
Cleveland Botanical Gardens($): website
Drive-in Movies ($), long list of locations: website
Blossom Music Center($), legitimate outdoor concerts and symphonies...SO COOL! website
Holden Arboretum($): website
Cleveland Airshow, labor day weekend ($)...we've sat on the grass next to the Great Lakes Science Center and have also paid to go into the airshow...my kids LOVED going in to the air show: website


LIBRARY: Can’t forget the summer reading program. We go to the Bertram Woods Library ice cream social every year to kick off the summer reading…check here for event updates and activities for families/kids: website
Free outdoor movies in the summer: website
Geauga County Fair:website
This is Kirtland musical: website; 
Cleveland Indians tickets: website
can also find tickets on stubhub.com

Fruit Farms:
Monroe Peach and Raspberry Farm: website
Voytko Farms: blueberry, website: 11391 Franks Rd, Auburn Twp, OH 44023
Eddy's Fruit Farm: strawberry/apple website
Rosby Raspberry Farm: website

HOCKING HILLS: camping in a cabin or tent, hiking (it's a drive from Cleveland): website

please feel free to add to this list!!

April Fools

I'm in love with these pictures. The kids had been planning an April Fools attack on Dave for months. They watched the movie Spy Kids and the rest was history. It is from that movie that they got the idea to put blueberry pie filling in Dave's tube of toothpaste. Which we did.

The tube of blueberry pie filling that we used to fill the tube of toothpaste.

Corbin got these glasses from a birthday party earlier in the day. They go along with the sneakiness of the event.

I asked the kids to give me their sneakiest faces...