Pre-Easter Fun

No fooling ... on Saturday, April 1st our church hosted its annual Easter Eggstravaganza.  This is a great event each year for the families of our congregation--and a few others from the community--to get ready for the Easter holiday through crafts, games, devotion and more.  This year we had over 50 families participate; and missed a handful more due to sick kiddos.  It was a great morning of food, fun, and fellowship.  Plus after at least a week of rain, we had an absolutely beautiful day for it.

We always start with an awesome potluck breakfast--a slew of different egg and french toast bakes, fresh fruit, pancakes, donuts and other tasty sweets and pastries.  

A clean face... obviously taken before the chocolate milk and donuts were consumed :) 

Trying to guess the number of peanut m&m's, jelly beans, and other Easter candy in three different jars.  

Our three favorite peeps...

All the kids in the youth room after breakfast to start with a devotion before the rest of the fun starts.

Always a favorite--decorating cookies.  You can never have too much frosting or sprinkles!!!

Our little crafter doing one of the things she loves to do best!

Action shot of our plastic egg toss game.

Nothing says 'Happy Easter' like a Spider Man face.

Only on this day is it OK to put a spoon in your mouth and fling jellybeans down the hallways of church.

Ready. Set. Go.

Our first 2017 Update!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  We celebrated with our Sun Prairie family on Christmas Eve as we have every year since we've been out here.  Then after church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we all loaded in the car and headed out to east.  It was the first time we were able to celebrate Christmas with our NJ family since before Calie and I were married.  It was so nice to be present in all the NJ Christmas festivities this year and not just be a bystander via Facebook pictures.  Here are a few pics...

Making cookies.  Despite the licking of fingers... all is sanitary... I think?!

After building a fort, Collin decided he needed pictures taken.  But no worries, despite the grimace of his face, he isn't angry... just a goofball!

For Brielle's birthday, Calie made her very own desk for all of her legos, craft projects, coloring, etc.

All ready for Christmas eve services.

All wearing their new Christmas jammies :)  

Every year, all Collin ever wants for Christmas is donuts from Santa

One of the highlights for all five of us during our time in NJ was going ice-skating with Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jenn.  Grandma was there to but she wasn't brave enough (smart enough?) to get out on the ice.  

While in New Jersey, we were able to have a Batman-themed birthday party for Isaiah.  

Candy Cane Oreo ice-cream cake for dinner... yum!

Isaiah got a box for his birthday from Grammy; each month a new box will come with three recipes for him to make dinner for the family.  A chef in the making?  Perhaps... his first two meals were delish!

Out with the old... The gifts you get as you get older are not very exciting, but this year we were able to get new carpet throughout our house--living room, hallways, bedrooms, and closet.  Goodbye stains and fraying carpet!

Before

After

After

After

Enjoying the Fall

We had a wonderful month of November.  The older two each received special awards for their math and reading skills at school.  They were part of a little recognition ceremony one morning before school.  We also took the chance to get outside and enjoy an unusually warm month of weather with some bike rides and trips to area state parks.  Then once all the leaves finally fell, everyone got in on the raking action--of course it probably helped that we bribed them all with Dairy Queen!

Ready... Set...

Jump!!!

How flippin' cute are these three?!? 😁

Mr. "Red Carpet Reader"

Miss "Math Wizard"

We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating at home, just the five of us and Calie's mother.  It was a very nice, relaxing day (until Calie dragged me out to Target at 6pm 😏).  We then spent a few days in the WI Dells with the rest of Calie's family in what has become a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition.  Can't express enough how much we all enjoy watching the kids run around and swim with their cousins.  Plus there is so much more to do than just swim in the wave pool at the Wilderness!  Things like water slides and hot tubs, black light mini-golf, four-story climbing gym, polka-dot pottery, horse carriages, indoor go-kart trail, multiple arcade rooms, and more!

Grammy with all her grandkids! 

Not to mention the northern lights sky ropes course!

Getting ready to burn rubber in the go-karts!

Making friends with Doc and his brother Duke.

After getting back from the Dells and decorating the church, we decided to go and find the "Vera Family Christmas Tree".  This year we decided to forego the tree lots in town and go cut down our own; it was a lot of fun and we went with the motto... "bigger is better, and biggest is best!"  

Lounging and watching the Vikings before heading out to find our tree. 

After much searching, debate,family  and going back-and-forth, we found our family tree! 😄

Collin did a great job in his supervisory role.

Fairly certain their mother put them up to this pose!

It's a sword... obviously!  

Yes Calie was there too!  Our adorable ladies!

Everyone wanted to get a little piece of the trunk-cutting action.  Collin was up first...

Isaiah's turn...

Brielle was there to make the final cut.  Notice which person in our family of five decided not to take a turn laying on the ground and working the saw.  I was more than willing to switch spots and take a picture!

Of course the tree we found was in the furthest row of trees from the place we had to purchase and wrap the tree.  That was one long trek and that was one heavy piece of... 

Hope you all had a wonderful month of November, and have a great start to the season of Advent leading up to Christmas.  We're gearing up for our church's Journey to Bethlehem this upcoming weekend.  Big deal.  Lots of work. Totally awesome.  We transform our entire church so visitors can take a 20-minute walk through the streets of Bethlehem, culminating with a stop at the stable to see baby Jesus.  Basically it's a live nativity on steroids.  Our whole family will be playing the role of Animal Trader and family.  No doubt we'll have plenty of fun pictures to share.