Happy Happy Happy Happy Anniversary!!!

You should search for the pix of this lighthouse on the website for Ludington, they are pretty spectacular!

This is one the way back I think! The wind and rain was a lot worse on the way back. Craig is such a good sport!

It was fun to hike out there. There was a warning sign on the lighthouse that said something about an "unexpected intense sound could happen unexpectedly". I was a little concerned the fog horn would sound and it would startle me off the platform into the lake 20' below!!! I didn't need to hang out out there or check out the little padlocked door!

Getting closer! (it's 1/2 mi. out into the lake).

Last weekend Craig and I got to run away to Ludington, MI (about an hour and 20 min North of us on Lake Michigan). I had booked a B&B through Groupon. It was so fun to get away, wonderfully quiet. The weather, as you can tell was really windy, stormy and cold, but it was fun to be all snug in the B&B with a fireplace and huge whirlpool tub (I really miss the one we had in our South Carolina master bath!). We left on Friday around 4pm and actually stopped at a place in the village for dinner. Then we drove up to Ludington and check into the B&B. After checking out the place and our room we went to a little ice cream shop. I was hoping for pie. They did have Cherry cobbler (Michigan is known for cherries) but when I ordered it they were all out. I was so disappointed. I got the apple crisp. It really didn't hit the spot.

It was fun to check out a new beach to visit this summer. There is a state park nearby and some other lighthouses I want to hike to and climb (nothing is open in Northern MI until May, just so you know!). I made Craig walk out to the lighthouse near the beach, but I didn't make him go the day we drove it, this is the next day when the weather was much milder (seriously).

The next morning we had a fabulous breakfast at the Inn and I was hoping to do a little shopping, but nothing looked interesting in their downtown, so after getting wet walking out to the lighthouse, we drove to Pentwater (I had been told they had a charming little downtown with cute shops). Most of it was closed as well, so we pushed on to Grand Haven. We had only visited the State park there. It was fun to scope out the downtown and the beach they have there. We enjoyed a really excellent lunch at the Rosebud and then stopped in a nearby candy shop to get some goodies for the kiddos.

We were so relieved to get home and get a glowing report from the sitter (nobody was sick! It was a miracle!). I wish we could do this atleast quarterly!

Happy Easter!

Here's a pic of "kid table" for Easter dinner. We actually did it on Saturday because Hailey and Steve had to get back to Chicago to teach their primary classes on Sunday. It was fabulous to have the help with rolls and everything!

Here's our Easter egg hunt. We did it at Ada Park (a park not far from our house). It was a great venue for the hunt. A cute little bridge and benches and trees and bushes to hide the eggs in. Even the first blooming daffodils I'd seen this season! We were so happy that Leisy and Kent drove up just in time to join us!

Our lamb cake this year! We actually didn't decorate it! I should make another one and let them decorate it, I made this one with the Absolutely Almond pound cake from Tastefully Simple (thanks Mommo) and wanted it with strawberries instead of frosting!

Here are the eggs we decorated. Sadly, Craig was in Washington D.C. Monday night so he missed our FHE decorating eggs.

Here's the beautiful spring morning we enjoyed a week ago!

Lovely Michigan and it's almost May.

Check out these great pix that Leisy took for us on Easter Sunday after chuch! We were lucky the 4" of snow we had gotten the previous Monday had melted and that Leisy was visiting with her awesome camera.

April Fools

Sophie found this sz 6 month snowsuit I had failed to sale at the recent consignment sale and decided to wear it today. Pretty fitting if you check out the pic below of the beautiful weather we're having this Spring.

Nice.

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me!

Katie was breaking apart her samoas and when I went over to see what she was doing she had made this face!! Funny girl!!

I went out to run errands in between sessions on Saturday and when I got back this is what I saw! Everybody was sitting in our 1 chair watching conference together!! HAHAHA! I'm glad I wasn't on the bottom!

The playset looks so much better since the kids and I spread the new mulch (it had gotten really muddy).

Here's the huge pile of mulch we had delivered on Thursday morning (check out my new "Swagger Wagon" too!!! We are actually going to call it "The Starkey Shark").

Last Thursday marked the beginning of our Spring Break. It was been a little anticlimatic so far, but we have lots to look forward to (a trip to Chicago starting next week). So far we got to spread lots of mulch on Thursday (it's so nice to have it done), and then we ate Girl Scout cookies on Friday and since it was April Fools Day I came up with a fabulous prank! I told everybody that I had ordered pizza and then I got hamburgers and french fries and shoved them into the leftover pizza boxes from Taylor's birthday party. When everybody was gathered around the table, Katie asked "What kind of pizza did you order?" and I said "Let's look and see!". Then when we opened the boxes there were hamburgers and I yelled "APRIL FOOLS!!!!" . I loved it! So did the kids. What a great surprise and it didn't mess anything up or hurt anybody's feelings! Anyhow, we have been stuck in the house with little sniffles (me and Taylor) and fevers (Sophie)all week and so it was fun to try to liven it up around here!

Yesterday we mostly stuck around and watched conference and today too. Check out the awesome weather. It even snowed today. All of the long time Michigan residents have fled for Flordia to get a dose of warm weather. I object to living here because I refuse to choose between budgeting for a Spring Break trip or seeing my family in WA once a year.