Reasons to Smile

This time is of year is always hectic.  

Sports seasons are winding down, with playoffs and summer seasons on the horizon, and the end-of-school is near, which means lots to do!  In the midst of all the chaos, though, there are many reasons to smile.

Class picture day is always a treat.  This girl loves to get her hair done and she was over-the-moon happy that she got to wear wedge sandals to school!

The icing on the cake was seeing little Lilly all dressed up, too.  Precious girl finally got to wear her Easter dress.

Baby Mason has learned to smile, too.  Adorable!

I took Lila and Cami to a baby shower a few weeks ago.  While Cami will get dressed up at the drop of a hat, it takes more to get sweet Lila to do so.  They were very well mannered little girls and made their mama proud.

Sunglasses on a baby--how can you not smile at that?!  Impossible.

Lila's team got beat that day by a team of fast, skilled boys, but she didn't really care.
She had Miss Lilly to hang out with, after all!

Lilly's first time in a swing...

she loved it!  Smiles for days.

Mason came to Cami's soccer game one evening.  She was so thrilled that she really tried to just stay on the sidelines so that she could be closer to him.  I told her that she had to actually play, though!

Memaw has taken Cami to Bible Study Fellowship every Tuesday this year.  I'm so thankful that she has been willing to invest in our kids and provide such a positive influence on their lives.

Cami and Callum--BFFs!  They were all smiles on our Chuck E Cheese playdate!

Cami and Maverick.  She loves him and honestly, he loves her.  I wouldn't tell the other kids this, but it's so clear that Cameron is his favorite.  He follows her everywhere and just adores all her cuddles.  So cute.

The Eagles haven't had too many reasons to smile this season, but they turned a corner at the Strikes Against Cancer tournament.  It was beyond great to see this kid's smile return on the ballfield. Go Eagles!

While we were at the tournament, Lila and Cami opted to stay with the Hays family.  Lila got in lots of good play time with Connor...

and Cami got to help take care of Mason.  Good job, girls!

And finally, after a hot day at the ballfield, it was fantastic to be able to come home and let the kids hop in the pool.  Big smiles for that!

Easter Sunday

Oh happy day!  He is Risen!

Three of my favorites in their Sunday best.  I just love it when they get all spiffy!

We went to church in the big tent at LP Firewheel.

Sadly, Miss Lilly was under the weather, so she and Gigi couldn't make it. We sure missed them.

No rain, which we were so thankful for.  We could have done without the 40 mph winds, though!

After church we went to see this little lady.  Even though her nose and eyes were running non-stop, she still was all smiles.  Amazing baby.

We enjoyed a really good lunch and then the girls brought out the Bunny Cake we'd made the night before.  Our kids would much rather bake and decorate the bunny cake instead of dye Easter eggs, which is more than OK by me!

After every Easter lunch comes a good old fashioned egg hunt.  This year we let the little one get a 20 second head start.  Then we turned the other three maniacs loose.

Boom didn't want sweet Lilly to miss out, so he grabbed her a basket and got to work, too.

This kid literally flies around the yard, scooping up eggs!

Little sis just tries to keep up.

They searched the flowerbeds...

the back of the yard...

and this goofy girl even got IN THE POOL to snag an egg that had blown in!

Cami took that time to poach a few eggs from Madison's basket--ha!

There was no reason for Cami to get knee-high in the baby pool, other than her cousin had just done it, but she was loving life.

Get those eggs.  Kids on a mission.

Within a few minutes, the entire yard was cleared.  They got so much loot!  Unfortunately, the good times didn't last.  We went home to regroup and get ready for dinner at Memaw and Poppi's.  Stopped back by Gigi and Boom's so I could put drops in Lilly's eyes and then the wheels started shooting off!  Within five minutes both Cami and Lilly started throwing up.  Needless to say, Cami and I didn't make it to the Hays' for dinner.  

I heard that they had a good time and loved seeing this cutie drive his car around...

and this precious boy charmed everyone too. 

Maybe all five of us will make it there next year!