The Baxa’s

It was in the 80’s here yesterday! I’m just sayin’…

He wanted to wear his winter coat to school, too. I guess old habits die hard.

Spring Break is officially over. I’m happy to be back to my routine. Here are some random left over pictures, and some new ones. Enjoy!

Our first ice cream of the season, even though it was too chilly to eat it outside.

Quinn and his best girlfriend, Maddie. He wants to have a playdate with Maddie, and a sleepover. He says good-bye to her about 100 times as he gets off the bus. And whenever I see her, she is all smiles, just like Quinn.

From our Easter brunch at April’s house.

Then, to finish up our Spring Break, we took Dan and Kelsey to one of our favorite spots to walk around and hang out. The Riverwalk in Naperville. Then, Mongolian BBQ for dinner!

And with that, we are all up to date!

Just hangin’ in our ‘hood. Sipping on a slushie.

The day is partly cloudy. But it’s warm out.

Oh, and we have some Bleeding Hearts that are blooming!

Good Morning. Happy Easter! Hope you all have a super, fabulous day.

With a little warm up in the temperature, we have many signs of life around the Baxa house!

Our first flowers have bloomed

And there are more ready to pop out

We also have lots of kids playing outside. Even though Quinn has a bike, and a big wheel, and a scooter, his favorite by far is still the good old Cozy Coupe.

He found his keys the other day, and couldn’t wait to get out there and drive the car!

The other two, are having fun just hanging around the backyard! Quinn enjoys that too – but not nearly as much as making car noises in the driveway.

Today it is quite chilly, and very windy. Seems a little bit more like fall than spring. But, I have faith our warmer temps will be back soon!

This weekend we said goodbye to our baby Emma. It was time. It was so hard. She’s been with Jeff and I since right after we were married. Almost 15 years. We’ve been through a lot with Emma. She was a sweetheart, and we miss her a lot.

As you know, Quinn has a great love of all things with wheels. Add some sirens & lights, and that makes it even better. We took a trip to the Auto Show.  Lots and lots of shiny new cars. Heaven on earth for Quinn.

The big boys (Jeff & Josh) went on a Boy Scout camping trip for two nights, and Quinn was very disappointed to be staying home. The weekend turned out super fun, we took Grandma Pultz to a movie (The Tooth Fairy – very cute movie) and she took us out to dinner. We all had a really good time.

When it came time for bed, I told Quinn he could have a sleepover in Madeleine’s room. Needless to say, they went to sleep much too late, and were up much too early. But, they really enjoyed their sleepover.

I know, I know, I’ve been a huge slacker, AGAIN. Well, here I am to catch you up a little bit.

About a month ago, we headed out to Brookfield Zoo for a day of fun, to try and chase away those winter blahs. We got there, and guess what? It was free! Woo Hoo!! What a great way to start the day.

We just walked around, took in the sights. Saw the polar bear, and the giraffes up close and personal in their indoor space. I think the kids always have the most fun at the family “Play” zoo. Playing veterinarian, painting faces and what not.

It was a great way to spend the day and get out of the house.

Guess the big ten year old is too big to paint his face.

In other news, my new tattoo is itching bad as it heals up. I’ve accidentally scratched it twice without thinking about it. Let me tell you what that feels like. It feels the same as when you have a blistering sun burn and you scratch it! That is what if feels like.

More catching up in the days to come…

Ok, so I’m a huge wimp when it comes to pain. I’ll admit it. Everyone who knows me, already knows this. Never in a million years did I think I would have the guts to go through with something like this.

I think Jeff STILL thinks it is some elaborate hoax. He’s waiting for it to wash off.

I would have never, ever, ever done it – if my MOM hadn’t gone first. She was all smiles. Told me it didn’t hurt. Said it just kind of burned, and that a paper cut was worse. And I BELIEVED her!

Then Janice went. She said it wasn’t bad either. She’s a big liar too.

She got two.

So then, the moment of truth. And I thought, if my MOM can do it, so can I right? Seriously, what was I thinking!! It hurt bad. BAD.

But, I do really love it. I can’t stop looking at it. I’m so proud of myself that I actually did it. I told Mike that he better make it spectacular, because this was my first and last tattoo. Did I mention that it hurt?!?

Then it was Kris’s turn. She told me if I got one, she’d get the stars she wanted. She decided to go with on the top of her foot. I think hers hurt worse than mine. I didn’t feel sorry for her. Is that mean?

I wish April were there. We would have chipped in for yours April!

I guess the lesson learned is, never trust your mother. Or your sister. They don’t tell the truth. Or, I’m just a bigger wimp than them.