Micah's Baptism

We were so honored when Jon and Chelsea asked us to be godparents for their newest little blessing, Micah. They also asked Jason to officiate the baptism at a special private afternoon ceremony at their church. What a special day this was to welcome Micah into the Lord's family!

Micah looked so precious, dressed in his fancy baptismal suit!

I always get a little teary-eyed at baptisms, and this one was no exception! We are excited to watch this little guy grow up as God's child and to pray for him along the way.

After the ceremony, Jon and Chelsea had refreshments (an ice cream sundae bar) for all their friends and family. We enjoyed catching up with Beth and Andy, who we hadn't yet seen, and Chelsea's family members too. Adley especially liked Aunt Beth's fancy jewelry!

And of course, what's a family celebration without a million photos of all the family groupings?! Here's the Schleicher clan...

Micah already has so many people who love him! Best of all, he is loved by Jesus, whose love never fails! Happy baptism day, little man!

Grandpa and Grandma Time

In April, Jason's parents came out to Texas to meet the newest member of the Schleicher family (our nephew Micah, Jon and Chelsea's baby, born at the end of March). For a few days during their Texas visit, Grandma and Grandpa stayed at our home. We loved being able to spend some extra time with them! Cody and Jaden spent some time reading the most recent books that they had written to Grandpa and Grandma.

Adley wanted to have some storytime of her own too! Grandma was happy to oblige.

The boys played a bunch of basketball with Daddy and Grandpa...

...and then talked Grandma and Grandpa into playing a few card games of War.

Adley has been REALLY into floor puzzles lately, so she loved having Grandpa's help completing her ABC train puzzle. Her favorite part is running along the train, singing her ABCs, when the puzzle is done!

One morning, Adley was very interested in watching Grandma sort her pills, so Grandma let Adley help. 

Over the weekend, Grandpa and Grandma were able to watch one of Jaden and Cody's baseball games. It's always nice to have some extra fans!

Thanks for spending this time with our family, Grandpa and Grandma! We love you!

1st Grade Chapel

At the beginning of April, Jaden and Cody's first grade classes led the weekly chapel service at their school. The kids talked about the fruits of the Spirit from Scripture. They also connected the fruits of the Spirit to kindness since their school's theme for the year is "Kind is Cool."

Cody had quite a lengthy speaking part about apples. He had his part memorized but still used his index card to help in case he got nervous. :)

Jaden, too, had a long part that he spoke with such great expression. His part was about lemons.

Interspersed between the speaking parts, the classes had a few video skits, demonstrating kindness in action. We also got to see a 1st grade slide show of pictures. The kids taught a wonderful message to their school. Here are both boys' classes after the service was done.

We were proud of Cody and Jaden's clear speaking that day. What a good experience to speak in front of the entire school!

We didn't get pictures of the family members who attended, but the boys were blessed to have a good troop of people supporting them-- Mommy, Daddy, Adley, Grammy, Macy, and even Grandpa and Grandma who had just recently arrived in town. We are thankful that the boys go to a school where they are so clearly taught the message of Jesus' love for them and others! 

Hangin' Out with Macy

In April, my cousin Macy came out from Missouri for a visit. She stayed in Texas for almost two weeks and hopped to all the Schleicher & Walquist families' homes. We loved hosting her at our home for several nights and then also having her join us for multiple family events during the course of her stay. Macy's smile and positive spirit is infectious, and our kids absolutely adored her!

Macy always jumped right in to help whenever she could. Many nights, she read bedtime stories to our kids.

Macy was also genuinely interested in reading the books that Jaden and Cody had authored recently. The boys loved her encouragement!

Unfortunately, during the first part of Macy's stay, Adley came down with a tummy bug and was quite sick and feverish for a few days. Macy is a pediatric nurse, so she gave us wonderful guidance and reassurance in how to take care of our sickly girl. Once Adley started feeling better, Macy made a wonderful playmate for her! Adley especially enjoyed showing Macy how she can roll dice and make them spin with her fingers.

Macy also played a variety of games with our boys, including one of their current favorites-- Carcassonne. 

Macy was able to support Jaden and Cody by attending several big events-- their piano recital, their 1st grade chapel, and one of their baseball games. Uncle Jon, Isaiah, Noah, Grammy, and Papa were also awesome cheerleaders for the same game.

Cody and Jaden were thrilled to learn that Macy is a talented basketball player (and coach!). The boys and Daddy enjoyed playing a couple games of driveway basketball with Macy.

We were so honored that Macy made the long journey out to Texas to visit us. She brought a lot of joy and laughter to our household during her stay. We are thankful for the light of Jesus that so clearly shines in her life! Thanks so much for being with us, Macy. We love you!

Piano Recital

This spring I organized my third piano recital since moving to Texas. Between my Arts Academy lessons at school on Fridays and my at-home lessons, I taught a total of 17 students over the school year. All but one of the students were able to participate in the spring recital. I was especially excited that Jaden and Cody would be performing in this year's recital too.

 Jaden and Cody have been very faithful with their practicing (okay, yes... with a little nudging sometimes!) since starting lessons last summer. They both have made significant progress. It was such a joy for me to watch both boys perform in their very first recital! Here are their pre-recital pics. Jaden had the idea for the first pose all on his own!

The boys admitted that they were a little nervous before the recital began, but they were both very well prepared. They had been practicing their recital songs daily for weeks! Jaden knew one, and Cody knew both of his songs by heart.

Cody was the first of our boys to perform. For his introduction, I told the audience that Cody enjoys reading, playing outside, doing plays with his friends, and writing books. He also likes playing soccer, basketball, and kickball. Cody wants to be a construction worker when he grows up, and his favorite subject is technology. The two pieces that Cody chose to play were "Good Night Ladies" with "Merrily We Roll Along" and "This Old Man."

Cody played his two songs smoothly and confidently. We were so proud!

Jaden was a couple students after Cody. I told the audience that Jaden enjoys playing outside, playing with his brother, reading, and playing sports. He wants to be a scientist someday, and his favorite school subject is connect time. Jaden played the songs "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and "Snake Dance."

Jaden also played very well and with confidence.

My nephews Ian and Ryan take lessons from my mom, so they also performed in the recital. How fun to have 4 Schleicher boys perform in the same event! All 18 of these students played so wonderfully. I have a spectacular group of students and was so proud of each one of them. Naturally, all of them were quite relieved when the recital was done and this group picture was taken!