Using Our Patio

We put our patio to use Saturday night. Our kids and some of their cousins roasted marshmallows on the fire pit.

Then since it was cold, they sat around the fire for a little bit.

This did not last long though.

It was a little chilly Saturday night. =)

That didn't stop Jeff & I though.

After everyone left, we put a movie on for the kids, grabbed a couple glasses of wine, and sat out by the fire.

It was cold, but a nice ending to a busy day. =)

New Patio

This is what the front of our backyard looked like 2 weeks ago: We decided that adding a patio coming off of the deck would be a nice addition. That way we could put our grill, smoker, and fire pit on it and not be in the mud if it had been rainy. So, we had 4 tons of sand delivered. To our driveway. We needed it in the backyard.... So, I enslaved my children and made them help me get it into the backyard.

They were a TON of help. ;0)

Jeff raked out the sand piles we had made in the backyard and leveled it all out.

Then he and his brothers started laying down the bricks we had picked out.

Thanks Aaron & Richard!!!

By the end of the day this is what it looked like:

All that needed to be done was the bricks that had to be cut.

Sounds easy, but really it wasn't.

It took Jeff almost the rest of the week to get it finished.

After he got home from work each day.

This is what it looked like on Friday evening:

Jeff had gotten all of the bricks cut and laid, and then we had swept sand into the cracks and Jeff added dirt to the edge where we will plant new grass.

After seeing a brick fire pit at Lowe's, we decided to copy it.

Here is ours:

Then while we were at Menard's where we bought all of the bricks, I saw this patio set and thought it made the perfect addition. =)

So here is our new patio:

We LOVE it!!

Amy's Bridal Shower

This is my baby sister and her fiance, Sam:

They are getting married next month!
So, we had a Bridal Shower for them today. =)
My sister Mary made the cake.
It was beautiful!

My mom, sisters, sisters-in-law, and a few of Amy's friends helped with food, decorations, punch, etc.

I could not have done all of this on my own.

Thanks everyone!!!

We played a fun game where we divided everyone into groups of 4 - 5 people.

Each group got a bag filled with tulle, ribbons, sequins, headbands, flowers, etc.

Each group then had to make a veil for Amy to wear at her Bachelorette party.

Everyone did a great job!!!

They turned out really cute.

Then it was time for presents!

She got a lot of nice things.

I think she was pretty happy with her haul. ;-)


Here is Amy and her bridesmaids:

Me, Tonya, Amy, Theresa, and Ragan.

Congratulations Amy & Sam!!!!

First Day of Spring!

Today was a beautiful day.

Perfect for the first day of spring!

We played outside a lot today.

I have some tired kids right now,

but that's OK, it's a good kind of tired. =)

Here are some pictures from our day:

(This is Zach's "I Love You" written in the sand. :0)

We can't wait to enjoy the rest of our spring break!!

Green Feet & Gold Coins

Every St. Patrick's day, the leprechauns visit our house.

The mess up the kids' toys and leave little green footprints all over the place!

They also leave gold coins though. (with chocolate inside!!)

The kids love running around when they wake up to see what the leprechauns did and where they left coins & footprints.

I did have a picture of Zach, but he will appreciate me not putting it on here since he had his eyes closed & he was yawning a huge yawn. It was early!! ;0)

I meant to post these earlier this week but did not have time.

They are the crafts we did for St. Pat's Day.

We made tissue paper shamrocks:

and paper plate leprechauns:

The kids had fun making these!

I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's day!

Rainbow Pots of Gold

I saw this cute project online and just had to make it!
I decided that they would be a good gift for the kids' teachers for St. Patrick's Day.
I made Lily's, but the boys made their own for their teachers.
Then I made some for Lily's craft group.

You need these things to make this cute craft:

rainbow pipe cleaners, black paint, small terra-cotta pots, green Eater grass, and candy wrapped in gold foil. (I used mini Reese's peanut butter cups.)
(You also need some kind of glue, I used hot glue.)

First, paint the pot black:

Then pick out the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, blue, yellow, green, blue, purple) from the pipe cleaners and put them in order.

I tied the ends together so it would be easier to glue.

Then glue the pipe cleaners to the inside of the pot, making an arch.

Add the grass & candy, and you have a cute pot of gold with a rainbow on top!

Here are some of our pots of gold:

The kids are very excited to give these to their teachers!!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

We got to walk in the St. Patrick's Day Parade today!
My mother-in-law, Sheril, is running for the school board, and she & her team decided it would be a great time to get out and let people know who she is.
She asked if the grand kids would like to be in the parade too.
They were very excited!
They got to wear St. Pat's day outfits and hand out beads and buttons with Sheril's name and web address.
The kids also got to see lots of different floats before the parade and then again afterwards.
It was a lot of fun!
Here are some pictures from our day:

Thanks for letting us be in the parade with you Sheril!!

Good Luck on April 5th!! =)