Meeting the siblings.....

Everyone was very excited to meet their new little sister.  Wanting to check out her little fingers and toes and feel how she was so soft. 

*just a reminder that you can click on the pictures to see them larger*

Caleb and Aaron found my hospital bed to be very interesting and comfortable,  they snuck in when I got up. 

Caleb was sitting in front of me looking at Katelyn who had fallen asleep in my arms.  It must have looked inviting, because he soon was asleep too.   I put Katelyn right in front,  it was too cute a picture to pass up ~ the two soundly sleeping.

Little Miss,  thoroughly welcomed and loved on by her brothers and sisters.

She's Here!

We're so happy to finally get to meet......

Katelyn Grace

born May 31, 2010 at 2:10am

she weighed 7lbs 15.8 ozs and was

19 1/4 inches long

just minutes new

Meeting the crew, only hours old.  They were quite taken and excited.

Easter

We celebrated Easter with our friends from NC,  this is becoming somewhat of a tradition since we moved.  It is nice to share this special time with such dear friends. 

This is the best of about 6 takes,  near impossible to get everyone looking and smiling at the same time

Dying eggs is a fun tradition too.  We usually blow them out, so they will last awhile.  

Enjoying spending time with our friends

A favorite activity is doing an Easter egg hunt.  We gave each child a specific color egg to find,  so we could reduce the confusion, ensure everyone gets the same amount of eggs and it also allowed for us to put favorite treats in eggs.

Our church does an Easter drama every couple of years, it involves a wonderful outdoor recreation of the streets of long ago, with storeskeepers selling wares and live animals.  On Easter Sunday the outside area is still up and of course the animals are a huge attraction.  Aaron in particular was totally enjoying himself.

Of course discoverying chocolate bunnies,  is well ....   fantastic.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of the totally satisfied, chocolate covered faces,  I was too busy wiping

Pictures of Spring

This is the first of several posts that have been waiting to be posted.  We upgraded our computer and it caused a glitch in my ability to edit my blog,  so they have been waiting......

A full moon coming out at sunset,  made for a low in the sky moon with a beautiful orange glo ~ amazing

Lots of fun animals ~ bunnies, baby ground hogs and brightly colored birds ~ indigo buntings, cardinals, goldfinches, red headed woodpeckers and we've even seen some baltimore orioles

Our flowering trees in the backyard~

We also have an abundance of honeysuckle, wild pasture roses and the blossoms of the wild blackberries.  Walking outside you are overwhelmed with the sweet aroma of spring.

Just a glimps of our yard.

Look what we've been following.......

We've had a bluebird house for many years, and most of the time it houses other birds and their babies.  Our last spring in Durham found our house finally inhabited by bluebirds and since then we've been patiently waiting here in Virginia.   Well this was our lucky year.  

We missed several days of checking on them and found the last two waiting to fledge the nest

We're hoping that they might lay a second brood,  but we're still watching and waiting for now.

Caleb

I am, as usual, behind in posting.   Though I won't be able to completely catch up, there were some pictures that just couldn't be left out.  

Some moments with Caleb,  he keeps up laughing, both with his actions, his expressions and the things he says.   He is a tool, construction worker guy through and through.   The fact that we have a house being built next door, is a constant source of excitement and entertainment for him. 

Having some fun while we're doing school ~  painting with vehicles and building tall towers.

He loved the snow.  I was a little surprised because we gots lots of it and it was almost as tall as he was.   He played outside until he was too tired to do anymore.

He was introduced to M&Ms as part of potty training rewards.   He loved them and they were a successful motivation.   He was thrilled one day to find that I had spilled them all over the pantry floor, and gladly helped me pick them up.  We've been finding them ever since as they were on the top shelf, out of reach of little people and managed to fall into all kinds of nooks and containers.