Waiting for the Lamb

We met some friends at Catigny, and enjoyed a typical spring day in Chicagoland~

Loaves and Fishes

We've been wanting to see the inner workings of a food pantry for some time, and today we finally were able to. Jody, at Loaves and Fishes, answered all our questions and gave us a very thorough tour~
Loaves and Fishes distributed over 2,000,000 pounds of food and groceries to over 2,200 families last year. They have it set-up like a tiny grocery store with shopping carts, giving people some autonomy over their food~
They also supply household items and personal care items. One item that brought a smile to our faces were the "birthday bags". Imagine not being able to afford a cake for your child's birthday. Here, they get a bag with paper decorations and tableware, along with a cake mix and frosting~
It really is a huge undertaking to keep this place organized.
Our R.O.C.K. homeschool group had a lot of fun~
As we were leaving we had to get a picture outside their brand-new facility~
Since we were so close, we had to stop at Farm & Fleet. That place is better than McDonald's playland!
Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. Proverbs 22:9

AWANA Games 2011

The boys competed in the AWANA games this morning. It was pretty exciting~
Sam's team was up first, and he was rearing to go~
On your mark~
Get set~
G...
Go~
Charlie was finally able to participate~
He was awesome at the relay race~


He really knows how to handle a balloon~
Charlie's team lost 1st place by only 2 points :( Sam's team was all about effort ;)

All the World's a Stage

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Greenhouse play has finally arrived! This year they did three abbreviated Shakespeare plays. While waiting for the casting, Charlie was keeping his fingers crossed for the part of Hamlet. He (and the audience) was not disappointed~

Charlie has inherited his great-grandfather's stage presence~
"O, woe is me, To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!"
Charlie was amazing~


This sword fight stole the show~

Poor Hamlet. Murder most foul~
Sam was excited to be a part of his first Greenhouse production~
I love his bashful smile~
Here he is performing a dance as a towns person, with his friend, Amelia~



We few, we happy few, we band of brothers~

Charlie's friend Isaac was able to make the trip from NC to see this year's play~
The sweet prince, smiling down at his number one fan~
As always, the play was impressive! Both Charlie and Sam were given the opportunity to shine. Shine they did!

"If music be the food of love, play on." ~William Shakespeare

Sam had a little concert before the Greenhouse play this afternoon. Talk about over-scheduled! Of course, he was cool and collected~

Skating with the Stars

Since hockey has been over, the boys have missed skating. We've been gong the last couple of Tuesdays~
Mary LOVES it! They don't have rental skates in her size, though she is happy to just tool around in her boots~
The hockey lessons the boys were taking have really improved their skills~
We are usually the only ones out on the ice. The boys are very talented at making their own fun~
"Glide on ice and joy of zeal..." E.E. Cummings

Jump Shot

Today was Charlie's last Upward basketball game. It was a great season - he is really improving~
Here he is with his #1 fan~

Great Wolf Lodge

We have never gone up to the Dells in the winter as a family before. We've gone once or twice in the summer, but our summers are generally reserved for baseball and camping in Michigan, these days. It's been a pretty harsh winter, and trip to a water park was just what we needed. We drove up on Sunday and were glad to see the place was at less than 50% capacity by the evening.

The kids, of course, loved it. Mary jumped right in~
The wave pool was pretty awesome~



Who doesn't love a hot tub?



Sam as actually more than a little hesitant to go down some of the water slides. Once he overcame that first fear (for each slide), he had a blast~


Brothers~



I love this picture - I hope they always remember who their first friend was~


There was a funnel type slide called the Howlin' Tornado that Sam took a lot of convincing to try. He ended up loving it, but needed to be re-convinced the second time down, as well. By the third time, though, he was rearing to go.

We really had a great time just hanging out without any of the typical distractions. We went out to eat a couple of times, and played card games before bed. The boys also played a little Magiquest while we were there, too. It was a nice break from the cold weather at home. I can't wait for summer!