Clay Your Way

I’ve never been to Clay Your Way until the end of April. I decided the kids and I would check it out and make some Mother’s Day gifts for my mom and Lane’s mom. We went the Saturday before Mother’s day so it was a little busy. I knew before we went in that I wanted to do flower pots. Both my mom and my mother-in-law like flowers so I thought it would be a fun gift idea. I gave MaKena strict instructions to not touch anything when we got inside. We found a table and I told her and Jacob to stay put! I really didn’t want them to break anything! Once I found the pots the girl working gave us some directions and on our way we went. It was a lot of fun. MaKena and I worked on one pot while Jacob worked on the other. About a half hour into the project MaKena started to lose interest. Before I knew it she has managed to mix the paint together on the plate and had about 10 different paint brushes in the water. I guess she was finding her own fun! Once we got the pots painted we stamped the kids hands on them and finished them up. Jacob was really into decorating the pots. I think I’ll have to take him back to make something else without his sister!! MaKena was not happy when we couldn’t take the pots with us. I tried to explain to her that they had to cook them before we could take them home. She was proud of her work and wanted to show it off!!

MaKena helping me paint the pot.
MaKena painting away.

Jacob painting one of the pots.

MaKena getting her hand stamped on one of the pots.

Jacob getting his hand painted so he could stamp it on one of the pots.

Stamping his hand on the pot. (I'm not sure what MaKena was telling him. It almost looks like she is going to give him a kiss!)

MaKena by her hand print on the pot. They showed up much better after they were "cooked."

The lake

In April we ventured down to Brad and Anita’s Lake place to help them paint. Last fall they purchased a lake home on Lake Lizzie. While the adults painted the kids took turns riding around on the 4 wheeler. The weather was a little cool but the kids didn’t seem to mind. They were dressed warmly. I honestly think my 2 kids could have spent the entire day on the 4 wheeler. When we first got to the lake MaKena wanted to go swimming. She wasn’t very happy when we told her she couldn’t go swimming. There was still ice on the lake. I’m sure they will have many more weekends of fun this summer. If we ever get summer weather!

Jacob and MaKena
A closer picture of Jacob and MaKena.

Brandon and Alexis waiting their turn for the 4 Wheeler.

Jacob and Brandon

Ferris Wheel

After MaKena’s haircut in April, Lane and I stopped at Scheels to get her a new pair of shoes. While we were there MaKena saw the Ferris wheel and wanted to ride it. I was surprised because every time I take Jacob to Scheels he says he doesn’t want to ride it. So MaKena and I hopped in line to ride the Ferris wheel. She loved it! Except when they were letting people off and our chair would swing. I think she thought I was making it swing. She was not happy when it started to swing. I think she was getting a little scared. Every time we’d come around where Lane was standing she’d be waiving and yelling “Hi Daddy”. Maybe next time Jacob will join her??

Me and MaKena getting buckled in.
Round and round we went!

Waiving to daddy.

Easter Egg Hunt

This year for Easter Jacob was with his dad. So the Easter Bunny hid enough eggs for Little Miss MaKena to find. She came upstairs shortly after 8:00 am to wake me and Lane up to tell us the Easter Bunny left eggs for her to find. Then she proceeded to tell us that she put them in her basket already. Shoot, I forgot to tell her not to find the eggs until mommy and daddy were up. Oh well. So Lane, MaKena and I headed downstairs and re-hid the eggs she found so she could find them again. Silly little girl. After all the eggs were found we got ready for church. After church we went to Nana and Papa’s house for lunch. When we got there MaKena had a bunch more eggs to find. She was in 7th Heaven!

When Jacob got home from school on Monday he got to find his eggs the Easter Bunny left for him. Thankfully MaKena was napping so we didn’t have to worry about someone finding them! All and all it was a good Easter. Quiet but relaxing.

MaKena getting an egg out of the couch.
Pull an egg out of her basketball hoop. (She's still in her PJ's with her hair and a pony tail from the day before!)

Looking for eggs at Nana and Papa's house.

Jackpot! She found a lot.

Counting all her eggs she found at Nana and Papa's.

Jacob with his Easter basket.

On the hunt for eggs. He's easier to take pictures because he doesn't run from one egg to next anymore!

Jacob counting his eggs. We have to make sure he found them all!

Happy Birthday Ardis!

Today is my mother-in-law’s birthday! Happy Birthday Ardis! We think you are an amazing woman. You are a wonderful Nana and mother/mother-in-law. We appreciate all you do for us and we hope you have a wonderful day. You deserve it. We look forward to celebrating with you. We love you!

Cancun Videos

Here are a few videos from our Cancun Trip. The first video is from our Jungle Tour. Lane was driving the little speed boat back to the dock. We were right behind our guide.

I took this video while on the beach at our resort.

Another video of the beach at our resort. Lane was in the water looking for shells to bring home for the kids.

Cancun - Post #6 of 6

Our last full day in Cancun was very relaxing. After breakfast we hit the beach and didn’t leave until supper time. The weather cooperated and we were able to swim in the ocean on Friday. It was a blast even though we drank more salt water than we wanted. For the majority of the day we laid on our lounge chairs and soaked up some sun. We played in the water, looked for shells and enjoyed every last minute of our last day in Cancun. It was a perfect day. After dinner we hit the beach to fill up some water bottles with sand to bring home for the kids. It was neat to be down on the beach in the dark. The hotels along the ocean were lit up and the beach was just peaceful. We did see a little creature running around in the sand. It was a crab. I thought it looked gross.

Saturday we had to pack up and head back to the cold Midwest weather. It was tough to leave such a beautiful place but I was anxious to get home and see the kids. We will definitely plan another tropical getaway in the near future!

I couldn't resist taking a couple more pictures of the view from our hotel room. Oh how I miss this view!
Lane and I on the beach.
A view of our beach from my chair. It was a busy day on the beach.

Our hotel at night.

Lane and I on the beach at night. We were getting sand for the kids.

Sebastian the crab! I think he's ugly!! The crab in the movie The Little Mermaid is a lot cuter! (We told MaKena we saw Sebastian on the beach. She is a big Ariel fan!!)

Cancun - Post #5 of 6

Thursday was a little more of a challenging day for me and Lane. I debated about whether I wanted to go into this or not but it’s important to me so I’ll elaborate. Late Wednesday night (around midnight) we got a call from Lane’s brother Brad with some devastating family news. Mona, Lane’s older sister was killed in a motorcycle accident in Arizona. We were in shock and unsure how to deal with the news. I remember walking up Thursday morning wishing Wednesday night was just a bad dream.

We got up Thursday morning and got ready for our trip to Isla Mujeres. Some how we managed to pull ourselves together and tried to have a good time on our trip we'd planned for the day. We met up with a group from our hotel and took a bus to the Aqua Tours to catch the boat that was going to take us to Isla Mujeres. The boat ride was 45 minutes and it was beautiful. When we got to the island we had to catch a cab to take us to Garrafon Park. The cab ride was about 5 or 10 minutes through some rough looking areas. I was relieved when we made it to our destination! While on the island there were several different activities we could do. Lane and I decided to go snorkeling again. This time we were a little disappointed because we were not allowed to swim over the coral so we didn’t get to see as many fish as the day before. It was still a fun experience. They also had zip lines, kayaks and bicycle tours. After Lane and I finished snorkeling we grabbed a bite to eat and then walked around. It was a peaceful and relaxing place.

After spending most of the day relaxing at Garrafon Park it was time to head back to Cancun. When we got back to the Pier there were several dolphin shows going on. We watched the dolphins for a few minutes and then got on the boat to head back to our hotel. We got back in time to shower up and head down for dinner. After dinner we grabbed a table in the hotel bar and listened to the band and had a few drinks before calling it a night.

On the boat ride to Isla Mujeres we saw this pirate ship. Obviously not a real pirate ship, more of a touristy thing! Still very cool.

The people on this boat were out fishing. (If you click on the picture you'll be able to see it better.)

A picture from the boat. I liked all the different shades of blue in the water.

Lane and I on the boat.

Garrafon Park. Look at all the palm trees.

This is part of the snorkeling area.

The doc in the middle of the picture is where we got in the water to go snorkeling.

(If you click on the picture you can really see how beautiful this place was. We were up top of the hill when I took this.)

The dolphin show.

I liked watching the dolphins!

This is a picture of the top of the boat we took to and from Isla Mujeres. It was a big boat!

I snapped a few pictures on our bus ride back to our hotel. - McDonalds-

-The Flea Market-