The Same Team

Topher: Mom, you're on the E Team and I'm on the Er Team!

Me: Oh? The Er Team?

Topher: Yes. Mommy and Daddy and Sophie and Phoebe are on the E Team. Topher and Cooper and Peter are on the Er Team!

I love the connections he's making as he's learning to read!

America's First Zoo

This year for birthdays we're not giving traditional gifts (except for Topher, because we think not getting gifts as a five-year-old would be too rough). Instead, each person gets to pick out an adventure for the family. Cooper chose the Philadelphia Zoo for his adventure. However, our Saturdays were so full that it took nearly a month until we were finally able to go. Bryan took the Monday after Easter off from work and we got tickets. Bonus: it was the last day that Emma and Paige were visiting, so they joined us.

I realized I took very few pictures of animals, so I guess it's obvious that I was there for the people. However, I was able to get a picture of Phoebe's favorite animal (the tiger, above) and Sophie's favorite animal. She adores red pandas and was thrilled to see this one in action. We also saw Cooper's favorite animal at the giraffe exhibit. Sadly, there weren't any elephants for Peter or polar bears for Topher. I guess we'll have to find another zoo to visit soon to include them.

It's our family tradition that the first time we take one of our kids to the zoo they get to pick out a stuffed animal. Each animal they've picked has become dear to them. Technically Topher went to a small local zoo in February, but the gift shops were closed and we rushed through the exhibits since it was so cold. We considered this a do-over and he picked out his own polar bear to take home. Bryan saw Emma admiring this cheetah and included her in the tradition, since it was her first visit to a zoo while we were with her.

Emma and Paige headed to their house when we finished at the zoo. We were happy that they could join us for one more fun outing.

Seeds

Super Cousins

New Friends

A particular highlight of our trip down to Maryland last Saturday was when my sister-in-law Leah let the younger kids each choose a doll to take home. She's been collecting used/worn/damaged American Girl dolls and restoring them. She's doing a beautiful job. Phoebe, Sophie, Emma, and Topher all love their new buddies.

Thank you, Aunt Leah!

Easter Festivities

I wanted Easter to go smoothly, so I prepared in advance. I bought ties for the boys and dresses for the girls (Burlington for the win!) and made sure they tried them on. Everything fit as of last Thursday. On Sunday morning, nothing fit, not even my own dress or Bryan's new tie. There were several explosions of emotions and figurative fires that we had to put out. We ended up being ten minutes late to our pre-church choir practice, which was especially rough since I'm the choir director.

My nerves calmed somewhat during the rehearsal. The choir did a magnificent job when it was time to sing. We had picked one simple song, How Beautiful, and one tricky song, My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee. They both required me to stay alert as I directed, but the second was particularly demanding. The time signature changes over a dozen times, so I practiced a lot beforehand. Both songs came together beautifully. The best part of both songs was the wonderful message of the Savior they contained. I told the choir that it was our opportunity to share our testimony of Christ as we sang, so we needed to make sure the notes we hit didn't get in the way of that.

And then we came home, took pictures, had an Easter egg hunt, and ate a delicious dinner.

A Day on the Bay

Peter's spring break was a four-day weekend and I feel like we packed a week's worth of activities into that time. On Friday Phoebe went with some friends from church to an indoor waterpark and had a great time. That evening Peter and Cooper saw the Super Mario Brothers Movie to celebrate the birthday of a boy from church. They loved it.

The next morning we drove to Maryland to celebrate my brother Jordan's 40th birthday. We had fun chatting and playing at their house before relocating to a park on the Chesapeake Bay for a cookout.

photo credit: Leah

photo credit: Leah

It was a chilly day, but we were so happy to spend it with family!

Two Peas In a Pod

Emma and Paige are back at their own house now, but not everyone was willing. When Paige told Emma that they needed to go home she said she didn't want to leave. Paige reminded her that she had to get back for school. Emma thought about it and relented, but said after school she needed to get back to Topher. Those cousins sure had a lot of fun while they were together.

Easter Best

Photo credit: my sister Paige

Cousin Adventures, So Far