Cody's Track Season

 We were proud of Cody for trying something new and going out for track this spring! He's always been such a speedster out on the soccer field and the basketball court, so we were excited to watch him compete in track. The Salem team competed in 5 track meets over the course of the season. Cody's favorite events were the shorter distances. He learned a lot about how to pace himself as a runner and made a lot of progress with slightly longer races, like the 400M. Cody had quite a few races where he'd turn on a high gear halfway through the race and pass a bunch of runners, regularly coming in first or second in his heat. He sure made the races exciting!

Here are some of his 100M races. His PR was 14.84.

Cody's record for the 200M was 31.87.

Even though it wasn't his favorite, I think the 400 turned out to be Cody's strongest event. Maybe that's just because I enjoyed watching him pass everyone!! ;) His PR for the 400M was 1:16.95.

At one track meet, Cody had to stand in for one of the upper grade track guys and compete on the middle-school relay team. He held his position well, even with much older runners beside him!

Long jump was the only field event Cody tried this year, and he only competed at 2 meets. His best jump was 11' 2". 

Way to go, track star Cody!!

Easter Activities

 Easter is a great holiday for some fun traditions. Most of all, however, it's a beautiful occasion to remember and to celebrate our Risen Savior Jesus's victory over sin and death. What joy this brings! Here are some of our family's favorite activities to help us celebrate this joyous holiday.

Decorating Easter Eggs

To my surprise, all three kids were eager to color eggs again this year. None of them wanted to dye the eggs, however, but chose to use our fabulous egg spinner. We love how the eggs turn out this way!

Resurrection Rolls

This tasty activity became another family tradition when we were quarantined by ourselves during 2020. We love how making these rolls tells the story of Jesus' burial and resurrection.

The baked rolls sure smelled delicious!

They tasted yummy...

...and turned out with a perfect imitation of the "empty tomb"!

Egg Hunts

Adley was the only kiddo who was interested in attending an egg hunt this year. The boys both said they would be content with the candy they received in their Easter baskets. So, the week before Easter, just Jason and Adley met some extended family members at this hunt in my parents' neighborhood. Ben and Adley hit the jackpot in egg-collection!

Adley enjoyed some of the event's other activities too-- especially time on the playground!

Easter Sunday

I love Sunday worship on Easter, particularly after the somber Holy Week services. We love the bright colors, the flowers, the powerful music, and the joy that accompanies the service on Easter Sunday. We are able to rejoice because Jesus is Risen! He has risen indeed!

Family Time

We spent Easter afternoon and evening at my parents' house with our extended family. We are so thankful for the blessing of living just across town from so many family members! Our contribution to the meal was a kid-friendly dessert, so Adley helped me make and frost these sugar cookies.

At Grammy and Papa's house, we engaged in a few family activities-- Adult vs. Kids kickball,

and a color-coded egg hunt (where each color of egg is hidden intentionally for a certain child).

The uncles usually take on the task of hiding the eggs and often hide the oldest boys' eggs in the hardest places!! Poor boys-- they are always the last ones to finish!

Then, the kids have one more indoor "Golden Egg Hunt" where each child is assigned one room to look for ONE golden egg. After this, we sat down and ate a delicious ham dinner. 

We love spending holidays with these wonderful people!