Spring Break...in Schaumburg

It didn't work out for us to travel to Florida this year for spring break so we had to come up with Plan B. Thankfully, Michelle has some extra Marriott points and gave us a night free at the Spring Hill Suites in Schaumburg. The girls and I met Pat up there (less than a mile from his office) after work one day while Reagan was on spring break.
We got into our swimsuits and headed to the pool. The girls were a little timid at first, but after about 20 minutes they were ready to go. They just loved splashing around and Reagan was doing lots of paddles and kicks.
After swimming we had dinner in our room and went to bed.
The next morning we had breakfast and then the girls and I went back to the pool when Pat left for work. We were able to swim for a few more hours before we had to check out.
We met Pat for lunch at Pompei, a family favorite, and then I took 2 very tired girls home for naps.
They loved our little get away and we'll keep that in mind for future winters when we need a break from the cold.

Easter Egg Hunt

The weather wasn't the greatest for the Brookfield Easter Egg Hunt, but that worked out just fine since they held it inside this year. We met up with the Erb's to enjoy this annual event.
Nola's group was first and she found a spot with no other kids and went to town! I can't even count how many suckers she picked up, but boy was she happy.
Then it was Reagan and Cassidy's turn and they did just as well. They found some open space and just started filling their baskets.
Great morning - and so thankful it was inside instead of outside in the cold rain!

Happy St Patrick's Day

Once again we enjoyed a great St Patrick's Day.
To me its just fun to take the girls pictures in their shirts and then compare with past years - good to see Nola without the cast and quite a bit more hair...wow, are they growing fast...

Reagan's Family Birthday Party

To continue with the birthday festivities we had Reagan's family party at our house - which included a few friends. It was great to see everyone and just enjoy time together.
Reagan was thrilled with her presents - and most excited about all the new dresses she received. She couldn't wait for the weather to improve to wear her new fancy dresses.
We broke tradition this year and did not get a Costco cake - instead Reagan requested ice cream cake and that was a big hit!
So hard to believe Reagan is already 5. She loves school and dance. She took gymnastics in the fall at R-B with her friend Ava and loved it. She doesn't understand that she will most likely be too tall to go much further, but all that matters is that they had fun - the 2 tallest girls in the class! Reagan went to Awanas during the school year and learned many new Bible verses. She started AYSO soccer in the fall and was on the blue dolphins. Reagan had great teammates and even scored a few goals. She will continue again next fall and spring. She loves crafts, coloring, playing computer games and doing addition and subtraction in her head. She is a very sweet girl and loves spending time with her family and friends. She is a true blessing!

Blast Off...5th Birthday!!

After learning about outer space at school Reagan decided that she wanted to have an outer space birthday party this year. So after a great morning at American Girl we got home in time to rest before the kids arrived.
Each friend received a space suit to wear for the party - painter coveralls that I cut to fit the kids and then we used duct tape to make them fit better. They each had their name tag and an American Flag so they felt like real astronauts.
We decorated the basement with stars and planets and used colored lights to make it look more like outer space.
They had the opportunity to make their own solar system - and thanks to my mom, mother-in-law and Christen they were put together before they went home.
We played games using 'astronaut tools' but the highlight was the pinata - in the shape of a space shuttle.
The pizza was a hit as was the cake and ice cream, of course!
It was great to watch Reagan's friends from school, church and neighborhood come together for a great night of celebrating Reagan's birthday. She is such a wonderful girl - and she is blessed to have such great friends!

American Girl Birthday!!

After much anticipation, Reagan's 5th birthday arrived and with it came her first trip to the American Girl Place. Grandma Jane was able to take a day off of work to join us - which made it extra-special.
Before we had lunch we spent time just wandering around the store and seeing all the options for dolls. Reagan was going to get her first American Girl doll that day and it was quite a tough decision. First she thought she would get Julie - but once she realized she came in jeans, Julie was no longer an option. She thought about Kit for a while, but then saw she came in a skirt and that wasn't quite good enough either.
Then she spotted Felicity in her beautiftul purple dress and the decision was made - Felicity was the doll of choice.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch - the girls didn't eat much, but they had a great time. The wait staff sang Happy Birthday to Reagan when dessert was served - which was perfect!
We looked around a little more and Reagan got a nightgown for Felicity before heading home.
Such a great way to celebrate her 5th Birthday!!

Reagan's Birthday at School and Dance

Reagan was able to celebrate her birthday for several days this year - her great grandma DeVries would have been proud!
She was able to was able to wear the special birthday hat at dance class and her whole class sang to her.
Then at school, Nola and I were able to bring cupcakes and read 2 of Reagan's favorite books - Pinkalicious and a book of Nursery Rhymes (not really a favorite but it was what she picked). Reagan decorated and wrote on her poster all about herself and was able to tell the class all about it. What a great day!