Trent finishes preschool

Trent really enjoyed preschool at Clemons Lutheran School.  He absolutely loved his teacher, Mrs. Pfantz.  She's the best! 
On one of his last days of school, we visited Blank Park Zoo in DSM.  It was 95 degrees that day, but we all had a great time!

 

Trent's preschool likes:  recess, space lab, birthday treats, show & tell, being the leader
Trent's preschool dislikes:  painting, cheese crackers, waiting until it is his turn to speak

That year went fast!  Soon he'll be starting kindergarten.  Where did the time go?

Easter 2011

The boys and I have a blast doing crafts.  We always decorate our kitchen for each holiday season, and it's fun to watch them be creative. 

Here is our Easter egg coloring/crafting:

Staying on task, as usual...

 

Elias discovers a new talent!

Bunny masks!

Clearly, my masks were boring.  Elias had to add a little bling!

 We had a very Happy Easter!

I knew I wouldn't keep up with a blog...

Here's a lame attempt to catch up on a few things since January.

February 2011

Packers win the Superbowl!!!  We love the Pack!  And, we went all out for our family Superbowl party.

Green & Gold cupcakes

Kickoff!

Birth of my beautiful niece, Lainey!

Elias is 4! (Just like Trent!)

Elias is such a good little brother.  He idolizes everything about his big brother Trent.  His whole life is spent watching his big brother and then trying with every fiber of his being to be just like him.  We affectionately call him Elias "me too" Cakerice because it doesn't matter what Trent is talking about or asking for - Elias says "me, too!"  Well, now when Trent says he is 4 years old, Elias can happily and rightfully chime in "ME, TOO!"
Trent takes his role as big brother pretty seriously, too.  He often will step in when I am getting after Elias for something, telling me to "back off!"  I never could have imagined this love that has developed between the two of them.  It's so fun to watch them play together and listen to their cute conversations at night before they fall asleep. 
When discussing birthday plans, Elias was only concerned with the food.  He needed to have pizza and chocolate cupcakes with green frosting on top - you guessed it - just like Trent's last birthday! 



Mmmmm.....



The new bike!

And here are a couple of cute Elias quotes from his birthday celebration:
after opening a gift - "My hit the jackpot!"
after opening a card with money in it - "Cash!"
I think we're the ones who hit the jackpot!  Happy Birthday, Elias!  We love you sooo much!

Cakerice Christmas 2010

This Christmas was especially fun with the boys being 3 and 4 years old.  They started getting really excited for Christmas back in mid November, and they were about to burst by the time Christmas morning finally got here! 
We started our celebration at Trent's preschool program on December 17.  His class dressed up as angels and sang "Away In A Manger."  He informed me as we were leaving for the program that he was going to sing the loudest!  (Every class has one of those, you know!)  He did a great job, and we could definitely hear him singing!  Trent goes to preschool at Clemons Lutheran School.  He loves it!
We had a great time with Al's side of the family on Christmas Eve, including an epic snowball fight and sledding behind the 4-wheeler.  Good stuff!
We spent a quiet Christmas day at home enjoying our gifts and eating Al's homemade cinnamon rolls.  Yum!
The day after Christmas we headed to New Providence to celebrate with my family at the Roundhouse.  This is always a highlight for the boys.  They get to run off some of their cabin fever in the gym with all of their cousins.  Fun time!  Here are a few photos from Christmas 2010.



Christmas Card



Grandma & Grandpa Harrell



My favorite pic - My brother, Tom, and his son Kayne



Elias opening his scooter - the only thing he asked for for...

...and the reaction!  I think it was very nearly the last gift he opened.
Big brother is pretty excited about it, too : )

I am so thankful for my family!  We always have a great time when we are together.  We're very fortunate to have all of our family so close and able to gather together for the holidays. 
We also attended a wonderful Christmas Eve service at our church, along with a wonderful day after Christmas service.  The gifts are fun, the food is great, and family time is wonderful - but all that pales in comparison to the birth of Jesus Christ!  I hope you all had a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas!