Easter in Tulsa

...Easter weekend in Tulsa. Amanda and I love Easter, and we have had a lot of fun sharing Easter with Kate and now Jude. This year we missed out on most of the egg hunts because both kids have been really sick for the past week-and-a-half. I think we ended up with the flu in our house this year. But, everyone was feeling much better once Easter weekend came along. We went to our good friends the Edwards' for a family and friend get together and egg hunt.



The party was at their house and was going to be outside, with lots of kids, two inflatables, an egg hunt, and barbecue--and look at what she wanted to wear. A nice dress. She was not going to wear play clothes to a party, so we just had to let it go and let her wear whatever she wanted. She did look cute though.





The egg hunting kids! There were lots of kids and the bigger kids were so sweet to make sure the little ones found eggs too.


Even Jude got an egg or two.


Kate made a new friend with their dog Lucy. She is one of the best dogs ever.



The Easter bunny came to our house again this year. We weren't quite sure if he was still coming since there has been some tantrums, but overall the bunny decided they have been pretty great kids. It was so much fun to watch them hunt the eggs, although the daddy bunny hid empty eggs (mommy bunny thought he had put stuff in the eggs) so when the kids opened them they were a little confused.










Sophie had her own idea of what she wanted the kids to find!

Busy, Busy, Busy

...things getting crazy around here! We have been so busy enjoying the weather that I've fallen behind in my blogging. The kids are loving our neighborhood and so are we. We have spent every sunny day, and some not so sunny days, outside with our neighbors. We are making some great friends here and it really feels great to have community. Michael is settling in to his job and loving it. I start teaching at SNU next week and am still waiting for licensure stuff. Kate is still at Metro, but we have decided to move her to the preschool at our church for next year. We are very excited about our church and know she will love it (and so will Jude).

Jude is getting so big.








Our Kate loves dance. She also likes to dress like a dancer.

The Hills Visit the Oklahoma Hills!

...our dear friends the Hills coming to see us in Oklahoma this past weekend. To understand how much this meant, consider that only one set of friends from home came to see us the entire time we were in Texas. Also, you have to understand how much we love and miss the Hills. They are the kind of friends you hope to have. They love us, we love them, they love our kids, we love their kids...you get the picture. We are so blessed to be their friends and they are the biggest thing we miss about being in Lubbock. We tried all weekend to convince them that Tulsa is the place to be, but to no avail. I think they were tempted by all the big French country style houses, but they have great families back in Lubbock that make it more than worth staying there.

We had so much fun. We took the kids to the aquarium, ate lots of great food, and played outside. When I say "played outside" I mean we spent all of our time outside. The kids spent hours in our backyard playing their hearts out. They also went to the park across the street and down to the swings. They had a great time rolling in the leaves, which is a real treat for 3 kids who have spent their life in Lubbock! Then at night they all had a "sleepover" in Jude's room (to spare them he did not sleep in there too). It was so cute telling the 3 of them goodnight.

On the grown-up front, a great time was also in store. Kristi and I got to spend an afternoon at Utica Square shopping and thoroughly enjoying PF Changs. They boys had some time together too. They got to hang out by going downtown on St. Patrick's Day. They came back home before most people even got there...they were more interested in sleeping. I have to say, they are wise, especially when you consider how hard our children would play again the next morning.

We really miss the Hill family (and even their extended family). They were what kept us sane in Lubbock. They are family now. We miss them terribly, but know we will always be close friends.

So Much Fun!

...having so much fun lately. WE LOVE OUR HOUSE AND NEIGHBORHOOD (in spite of a recent armed robber situation). It just couldn't be better for us. I even have a job now as an adjunct professor at Southern Nazarene University--Tulsa. Tomorrow I'm going to a meet and greet with therapists in the area at our church. Did I mention our church? We are happier there than we ever knew possible. We don't want to miss anything and the kids love it too.

On to the kids...they are loving it here. We have never spent so much time outside. We are making lots of new friends at the park in our neighborhood. We also like the huge park in Bixby. The kids also love the house. They like playing in the living room a lot! Here are some pictures of our life

"You mean this is what you don't want me to mess with?"


Playing in the princess tent. Kate is starting to love to play with Jude.



Just chillin'



Clearly her teacher doesn't know her. Yes, she can go down a slide.