Yes April!

For our family, each month through the Winter and Spring brings different milestones for the year. Birthdays are the biggest, second only to holidays from school. We plan all around these first and then all the soccer events and school events are added in. It is easy while my boys are in their elementary school years to be swept through the year by the never-ending string of events. This month was no different, and for whatever reason, it makes my life feel so full and lovely. Even if on the actual day itself, it felt over stimulating and wearisome. Thank you Lord for filling my days with so many little mile markers in time.

We started off with the 5th grade awards ceremony where Hayden got his all A honor roll. This boy works so hard, and he makes really good grades. His standards for himself are very high. Not sure where he gets that, ha!

The school had a fundraiser night at the Skate Station, so we all went except James. I can't think of why, but it could be that I just didn't get his picture. He may have had a soccer game. Here are all these little buddies, and yes I can call you boys that. You may think you're pretty big now, but y'all are just little fellas in these pictures.

David went around the whole night with his one eye closed after that eye injury. I remember trying to get him to wear the patch, and he was sure he would be fine keeping it closed. That boy is strong willed.

I mean, this picture of David in the green sunglasses and mustache is just an all.time.favorite.

Hayden, number 27, and his monster throw-ins. He was on fire this day, and I could watch him do that all day long.

My back seat. I have no idea what made me photograph it, but those gorgeous ranunculus were propably why. Or it could be that I was showing my darling husband how useful that bog bag could actually be. Definite possibility.

One of my favorite annual events: the Young Life Tacky Prom. I did my best with a t-shirt over my satin gown and socks with my chaccos. My sweet friend Jolie wore it better.

These precious girls in my campaigners group, meeting in April and celebrating Isabelle's birthday. How funny my heart feels to see them all in this picture, I miss them!

I'm not sure what took us to the Garden store this specific day, but I let each of the boys pick out different flowers to put on our back fence. And I found a gardenia bush that I could not leave behind. It hasn't done very well in my yard, but at this very moment, I'm considering digging it up and moving it. Gosh it was beautiful.

Soccer field times with Calvin and David, but my sweet friend Carrie was there too! This is the beginning of many times where we would see each other at the fields for years.

The games took it out of the boys, but it did take forever for this donut place to make us mini donuts. This was our one and only time visiting.

I was so excited to see my boys James and Hayden play for the same team! As it turned out, James' team was short substitute players, so they asked if Hayden could play. We had to buy two different jerseys for James because he kept growing so fast, so he could play without even needing to borrow a jersey. I sure do love watching them play, but it is even better when they play for the same team.

Post-game pizza with at the pizza store the Wages told us about. They have a grandma's pizza that I really do love when I am in the mood for a deep dish. Brian said we had to try the fried motzerella triangles, so we did. They did not disappoint. 

Over the years, I scheduled my boys' well checks two at a time. It made it easier to do, and honestly, we went all the time. But my insurance doesn't let me take them back annually, it makes me wait 365 days from their previous appointment. Why is that bad? Well because after having to cancel because of sickness or my forgetfulness, I now take my winter babies in April and my spring/summer babies in August. I figure it doesn't really matter, but that type of system doesn't actually provide the opportunity to take them close to their birthday every year, but just sometime during that calendar year. I don't love it.

Here are David and James for their 6 yr old and 12 year old visits.

This group picture is Hayden's end of the year Safety Patrol meeting and awards ceremony. I missed it because I didn't realize what it was. They had meetings to play kick ball and mark the end of their job assignments and receive new ones, but I had no idea this wasn't just a kick ball game meeting. I felt really bad, but got this photo from a friend who did actually have a clue.

We spent Easter weekend with Mimi and Granpa, and the boys got to kick off the weekend with game time with Uncle Dan. That yo-ki monopoly was a really big hit there for a few years.

Our nephew Jack also had his birthday party that weekend. They held his party at a Tampa Bay club up on a really tall building in downtown, and I remember parking in the parking garage in the city and being totally lost! I'm not familiar with Tampa, and I've never been a city girl. It was the first party we had been to in many years with Jack, so that was special to be invited!

And, I am a big Harry Potter fan! None of my boys were ever big enough fans to want to have this party theme. It was really fun and they had great decorations and games for the kids. I will always remember Mimi screetching like a mandrake when she was helping the kids 'pot their makdrakes'! hahaha!

Easter Sunday at First Baptist Elfers brought the whole gang together, minus John's family. James and Hayden wore suite jackets and ties, and the younger boys just wore their shirts and ties and belts. Seeing them all dressed up never gets old. They look so handsome! They get it from their daddy.

It was too bright for poor Hayden, bless his heart!

Lots of pictures because it is a great day for it! Seeing everyone all dressed up is so much fun.

We got back just in time for Sk8ties night for Young Life - our version of eighties night on skates. So for the second time in one month, I went to the skate station and roller skated with my girls. This tye dye tshirt was one I made at camp with my friend Jamison who made one as well. It is one of my favorite YL tshirts to wear to events, and it reminds me of camp!

Young Life club is always better with Gayle, whose gregarious personality make everything more fun. I'm glad I know you Gayle!

Gayle's precious Mary Beth- How gorgeous does she look dressed up for prom!?! I always get to giddy when the girls asked me to come see them for their pictures. I just love it.

We waited all month, but it was finally time! Calvin's birthday party had arrived! He likes to start planning his parties when we start planning James' and David's at the beginning of the year, but then he has so long to wait! poor guy. This time around he just wanted to play laser tag, but finding a place to make that happen was harder than you'd think. Usually they only let you have one or two games, but the Main Event came through for us and let them have just laser tag with no bowling. A fortnite party with laser tag couldn't get better right? We walked in the door and they asked what he wanted to eat and drink, so this joker said an ice cream sunday and soda. He remembers it like, "they gave me anything I wanted!" haha, oh I love this kid.

This was an awesome laser tag place! Everyone had a blast.

This is one of Mimi's impressive cakes. She actually built this structure so she could make him a 'loot llama' cake, and it was filled with candy. How could it not be?! Isn't it adorable?

Mimi's labor of love! She is so generous with her grandkids.

We were so glad that Mimi and Grandpa stayed the night and we got to spend some extra time together before they went home. 

I think Hayden had a different game location, which is why he's missing from this picture. But waht a sweet time together! Sending Mimi home with flowers was a fun final touch.

Calvin's birthday reactions were so funny! His little loot llama pinata with this little confetti sprinkle by yours truly. He got to open on gift before church and had the rest afterwards.

David was matching with Grant, so we had to take a picture.

Calvin got his own Lego robot! He was really surprised and excited. This would become one of his favorite things and by far his favorite Lego. But only second on the list was his roller blades. He had some friends who always showed up at skate station with their own roller blades, and he decided he was gonna get those too. It was a bit challenging for him, the same with the heelies shoes he wanted. But he is pretty persistent when he wants to be, and he got the hang of it!

Hayden and David and I took a walk and hover board ride around the block with Calvin while he learned. David was just running alongside, and Hayden wanted to show how he was taller than me while on his hoverboard.

As always, the dairy queen ice cream cake for us. You just can't do a whole lot better than an ice cream cake. We are spoiled rotten anyway with Mimi's cakes, so it is nice to have something easy and everyone loves as our tradition.

My funny, sweet, hot tempered, deep thinking boy. Happy birthday to gem of a child. You are such a blessing to me and you daddy!

And the time came, the final Young Life club of the year. Senior night of the last year I was a volunteer leader. These ones were special; they had been my girls since their freshman year. It was a privilege to be their leader and friend.

Mary Beth gave me a shaving cream hair spray, and Jamison and Emerson teamed up to do an ice bucket challenge on me. The wheel of mis-fortune was hilarious for me that night! It was a great way to go out.

My Orange Park and St. John's girls: you have a piece of my heart!

Our month was winding down with the Spring school book fair, and David found a Miles Morales spiderman book that became an instant favorite. Graphic novels these days are really great, and I can't blame them for reading these. But they fly right through- over before it hardly began!

and then, it happened. The email came that said they wanted a baby picture of James and a current one for the 6th grade promotion slide show. I was not ready for this, but it came anyway. So I had a great little time choosing three baby pictures for James to select one. Of course he chose the baby shark, which wasn't a popular children's song when he was a baby. It was an old children's church/youth group song from the 90s to me. and yes, I sang it to him. It was fitting. 

He decided he wanted his 6th grade yearbook picture for his current photo. I agree, it's great.

I saw these pool floats, and I couldn't help myself. I was feeling all sentimental about my star wars loving boy being in 6th grade and about to graduate elementary school, so I had to buy starfighter dualing pool floats. I think it makes sense. These lasted only a short time before the little green topper got torn, and before too long these were individual lug knut looking floats instead of anything resembling the original. But it was really fun while it lasted. I had no idea James would hardly even fit in it.

Lord, I bless your name for all the beauty you place in this world. So much love and joy exist in and through your creation. There is nothing better than sitting peacefully basking in your creation, amazed by the glory of it all. I cannot imagine how much better it could get, but I have eternity set in my heart. I dream of the possibilities that it does get better than this. Keep turning my attention, help me to catch the glimpses. Give me another taste that I may always want more of knowing you better Lord. Amen.