WEEKEND

On Friday night, the kids and I went to Family Fun Night at Jake's school. The kids got to play games in the gym, then swim in the pool and have supper too. There were tons of families there & the kids loved it.

On Saturday morning, we got up early and drove to Mandy's house to spend the day with her & the kids. We took the older kids (Jake, Allie & Ben) to Nana's house so that Mandy & I could have lunch & run some errands. Maddie came with us & she was PERFECT! After our errands, we went to Mom's for dinner & playing. It was tons of fun.

This afternoon, Jake went to his friend Ben's house to have a water gun fight & play on the slip & slide. Jake is BEAT tonight!



Jake, Ben & Allie blowing bubbles from the top of Nana's swing set.
Ben, Jake & Allie having their favorite (& Papa's too) Push Ups.

Jake, Maddie, Ben & Allie pose for their 1st "grandkids" picture.

BEACH DAY

It was "Beach Day" at Jake's school on Friday. The entire school dressed in their beach attire. During lunch, they sat on beach towels and ate sack lunches. There was lots of fun music blaring too. A lot of the kids were dancing around as they finished their lunches. It was a riot!

KINDERGARTEN VISITATION DAY


Allie went to Kindergarten for about an hour or so this afternoon. She got to go to each of the 3 Kindergarten classrooms and meet all of the teachers. She did a project or played a game in each room. She had a fantastic time & is SO ready to go next year.

The picture is of Allie & her friend Olivia. It was raining so this was all I got.

ART SHOW

St. Pat's had an "Art Show" tonight. Every student at St. Pat's and Clover Patch did a drawing or another piece of art. They had a local financial center display the art in a gallery type format. They had students playing music and they had cheese and crackers to munch on. Allie did a marble painting that turned out very cute. I may have to find a frame for it to be hung up in my house permanently!

SLUMBER PARTY...KINDA...

Jake & Allie have been begging to have a slumber party in one of their new beds. So, Saturday night they conspired and ended up asleep in Jake's bed. Next week, it is Allie's turn.

HOSPITAL TOURS

We went on a tour of hospitals today. We stopped first and saw Scott's step father who is recovering from surgery. He is doing well and going home tomorrow.

We then went to visit the newest member of our family, Maddie. She is so pretty! I can't wait until next weekend when we can spend more time with her. I forgot my camera so here is a picture that my mom shared.

MISS MADDIE HAS ARRIVED

Madeline (Maddie) Terese Thiel arrived tonight at 7:12 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Mama & babe are doing great! Mandy arrived at the hospital at 5:30 & she was here in about 1.5 hours. Yeah for a quick delivery!!

Look for some pictures tomorrow night after we visit her in the hospital.

IT'S TIME...

Mandy is officially in the hospital as I type this. Mom called awhile ago & she is dilated to a "5" & waiting on her epidural. So, hopefully the rest goes quickly & Miss Maddie will make her grand enterance soon! We can't wait to meet her, hopefully tomorrow!

QUICK UPDATE

Jake's group tried out for the Talent Show yesterday. So far, they are probably one of the best groups to try out.

The kids had soccer on Tuesday and both did well. We go again tonight.

My sister Mandy is due to have baby Maddie anyday now. I put in my request for her to deliver tomorrow so I can come visit my new niece this weekend. Mandy is doing her best for me :)

My nephew Ben is 3 today. My kids always call Ben on his birthday and sing the b-day song into the phone. So, at 7:00 this morning, we tried to do that...they were already off to work & the babysitter. We'll catch them tonight!

Walt's surgery went well yesterday & he is recovering now. Scott left here at 4:00 a.m. to get to the hospital, he didn't return home until almost 7:00 last night. Needless to say he was beat! I didn't get a lot of information out of him, maybe tonight??

ANOTHER WEEK

Another week has flown by, so I'll attempt to recap what has gone on here since my last post.

Last Wednesday, we got about 4 inches of snow. Just enough to let school out early & cancel all evening activities! We still held Talent Show practice for our group, it just started early and since none of the moms had anywhere that they had to be that night, we let the kids play later than usual.

On Thursday, we were all geared up for soccer and that had to be cancelled due to the snow on the ground. The kids were disappointed.

Friday brought sleepovers. Jake rode the bus home with his friend Adam. Adam's dad took Jake, Paul & Adam to the hockey game that night and then the boys slept over. Judging by Jake's mood on Saturday, I'd guess there wasn't much sleeping involved! Allie had her friend Jordyn spend the night on Friday night. They watched videos and played so well together.

Saturday, we spent the day recovering from the sleepovers (we were all tired & a bit crabby). We had a Scouting event at Panera that afternoon and the kids learned to make their own bagels. That night we settled in for family movie night (Narnia) but we all dozed in the chairs!

We spent Sunday running errands. We found Jake a new double bed and bedding. We also got a ceiling fan for his room (it isn't installed yet). His room is coming together nicely. Hopefully, today or tomorrow I can get it all in order.

Last night, Allie had her ballet pictures and we went to Texas Roadhouse for a fundraiser night for our school. The kids had a great time seeing their friends and teachers out.

I have spent the past few days subbing. I've been working one on one with a great kid. Talent Show auditions started yesterday and go for 2 weeks. Jake's group has their audition tomorrow. They can't wait.

Scott's step-father, Walt is having open heart surgery tomorrow. Say an extra prayer that everything goes well. Scott, his siblings and step siblings will be at the hospital tomorrow waiting.

The pictures are of Jake in the snow last week. Who gets snow in April?? Allie & Jordyn watching a movie during the sleepover. Makenna & Jake during Talent Show practice last week.

EASTER

We spend most of Easter Sunday in the car traveling home from Kansas City. We did stop at McDonald's in Missouri for an Easter lunch and we ordered Pizza Hut for our Easter dinner. Not the traditional Easter meals, but we were exhausted from traveling!

The Easter bunny left the kids chocolate bunnies at the hotel & a note telling them that their baskets & eggs were at home. When we got home their were eggs hidden & baskets that were filled to the brim. We had a quick egg hunt & all crashed for the evening!


We still haven't colored our eggs yet. Maybe this weekend?? Better late than never!

SWIMMING, A B-DAY BASH & A WEDDING

We went to Kansas City for Scott's sister Kelley's wedding this past weekend. The kids enjoyed swimming on Friday night...we had the whole pool to ourselves, which was cool!

On Saturday, we celebrated Alex's 8th birthday (Scott's sister Tracy's son). It is hard to believe that he is already 8!!

Kelley & Mike's wedding was beautiful. The kids enjoyed dancing and playing with their cousins. Allie really enjoyed meeting Mike's daughter Francesca, they hit it off immediately & she's been asking every day when she gets to see her new cousin again!

TALENT SHOW PRACTICE

We had our 2nd practice for the Talent Show. The boys modeled their new outfits & they think that they look pretty cool! All of the kids are doing really well with the "moves" and with a little more practice they should be more than ready for the show at the end of May!

THE WEEK IN REVIEW...

On Saturday, we had a Tiger Scout "field trip" to the museum. The boys got to do mini scavenger hunts & find various animals in the exhibits. I think that everyone had fun! After the museum, we went to see TMNT. It was o.k. Allie asked if she could sleep about 1/2 way through the movie. Jake & his friend Paul LOVED it! Saturday night, Alishia came over to babysit so that Scott and I could go on a date. We had dinner and drinks then went to the movie Shooter, which was good. We made it home by midnight. It has been a long time since the 2 of us were alone & out on the town!

Sunday, Scott got a wild hair to switch some beds & dressers around. So, Allie's room got a new makeover. Next it is onto Jake's!


Monday, Allie had parent's day at dance. It was fun watching her try her hand at ballet. Most of you know that she isn't overly graceful (like me). That night we had a Pack meeting for Scouts and a special guest was there...a bald eagle. It was pretty neat!

Last night Jake had another swimming lesson. He did great. He swam by himself about half of the pool. He just got tired, so now we are going to work on endurance. He seems to have relaxed a bit in the water, which is great. One more lesson & then we are done until the Fall.

The rest of the week & through the weekend are looking busy too...never a dull moment here!