A couple of weeks back...

...is how far these pictures go.

One Sunday morning, as Greg was making Malt-O-Meal (the Sunday morning usual), Nora made a slight complication in the schedule when she accidentally dumped the sugar.  Good thing Tirzah was around to 'help clean up!'

The last week of Feb./first week of March, Laura, Bryce, and Joni were in town while Brett was on a work team to Alabama.  One day we all met at Monkey Joe's for some energy-releasing fun!

Not surprisingly, the kids loved it.

I was just really glad we'd left Tirzah with her grandma Rassi...

since this is how Nora was most of the time!  She is pretty uncoordinated, so she couldn't stand very well if other people were bouncing and she couldn't climb any of the steps to go down the slides.  I think if she had really wanted to and tried she could have done some of them, but it just wasn't her thing that day.  Give her another year, I guess, and she'll be able to do it all by herself!  I had to help her quite a bit this time, though.

Bryce and Max were two peas in a pod that day...going back and forth from the bouncers to the arcade games.

Eden tried her hardest to keep up with the big kids!

We had lunch at McDonald's, where Max missed being in this picture because he was hiding from me in the PlayPlace because he didn't want to go home.  I was reminded of why I never take my kids to McDonald's with PlayPlaces. :P  Thankfully, he did finally come of his own accord.  I wasn't really sure what I was going to do if he didn't!

Later that same week, Grandma Beutel held an open house for us cousins with kids as another chance to spend some time with Laura, Bryce, and Joni.

Grace was so excited to hold Tirzah!

Joni loooooooved the camera and got as close to it as she could.

I didn't really mean for this to look like such a line-up photo...I told the girls to stand over by the wall, meaning for them to put their arms around each other or something.  I could tell that wasn't going to work, though, and Max poked his head in, so I just took the picture anyway.

Bucket hat!

Helicopter hat!  (And some pretty sweet post-nap hair on Max)

Nora wearing Max's cap.

Grandma always has snacks at her house, and this was no exception!  It was very yummy.

Grandma also always takes care of her great-grandkids....maybe a little too well!  After Max was told that the treats were only to take home, he announced to me several times, "Mom, I'm ready to go home!"

The kids had fun playing together

and reading together.  Thanks for hosting the open house, Grandma!

Mom Beutel, Steph, Sheila, Katy, and I hosted a baby shower for Melissa and Lincoln the next week, and I made the cakes for it.  I'm so glad I made all of the cakes and frostings on Saturday and assembled on Monday...it made it much less stressful!  All in all, for such a beginner I think they turned out cute.

White cake with raspberry filling and Devil's food cake with whipped chocolate ganache filling.

The baby booties are cupcakes; I found the how-to online.

Yes, I know I really need to work on my word spacing skills. 

They were good practice, since I have several birthday cakes to make in the next month or so!