~ Spring Break Wrap-Up ~

Spring break is over and the kids are back to school today. We stayed busy all week even with the weather ups and downs and it seemed that the week flew by. I really enjoyed a break from the normal routine and it really has me looking forward even more to the summer months. Here are the kids before leaving to go back to school this morning.


We kicked off spring break with an evening of Kung Fu Panda and popcorn. The kids and I vegged out in sleeping bags on the floor in the basement. I'll be glad when our new living room furniture arrives and we can move our current furniture to the basement as it wasn't the most comfortable movie I have sat through.


I love this picture of the kids and I. I bought this t-shirt at a kids consignment sale and I'm going to make sure and wear it out when I have all 4 kids with me grocery shopping.
"Yes, they're all mine.
Yes, I know what causes this.
Yes, I have my hands full.
And I'm so glad they are mine too."


For a few days it felt more like "winter" break than spring break, but the weather just kept getting nicer throughout the week. We had sleet, a wet snow, and plenty of sunshine. Crazy Missouri weather!! One day it will be in the 40's as a high and the next, near 80.


Jaidyn and Addy were invited to one of their friend's 5th birthday parties at a horse stable. I think they have officially rode a horse more times than I have in my lifetime.









And after lots of persuading and bribing, Addy learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Yea, Addy! Papa had her out in the grass riding down a slight hill and she fussed about it the entire time. She told us if we would take the training wheels off her tiny "Princess" bike she would ride it without training wheels and...she did! Within a days time it looked as if she had been riding without training wheels forever.



Nana and Reid cheering Addy on.


Poor Levi, he fell asleep on the way to Walgreens and just couldn't stay awake in the cart while I was developing pictures at the photo counter. I wrote an update letter to send to Heart of Mary Villa in the Philippines this week and wanted to include lots of pictures.


This past Saturday we had another temperature drop and while we had planned on the entire family participating in the Nixpo 5K Family Run, Wes stayed back with Reid as we thought it would be too cold for him to be out in the stroller. Jaidyn and Addy rode their bikes while I ran with Levi in the jog stroller. Addy kept looking back at me the entire time, "Come on, Mom!" She did great riding 3.2 miles especially since she had just learned to ride without training wheels a couple of days prior. And even though I didn't break any speed records (not that I ever have), I managed to run the entire time.
Before:


During:




Finished:


Reid is just as cute as ever! And he isn't having any problems under-eating. Making sure to get between all those cute little rolls takes some time during baths. A nurse at my 6 week post partum check-up was calling him, Tank. He has already outgrown the 0-3 size and fitting quite nicely in to the 3-6 months clothing.



Sound asleep on the couch. Ah, how peaceful!

And on another positive note...Reid only woke up twice last night for a feeding at 1:00 and 5:00 am. Woohoo!

Japan Tsunami & Earthquake Relief ~ Leave A Comment

My heart continues to weigh heavy over the last few days as I continue to watch the devastation that the tsunami and earthquakes have brought to the people of Japan. I can't even begin to imagine the horror and the depths of sadness that so many people are experiencing right now. It's very difficult to sit back, watch and do nothing especially since at this moment I am sitting in the comfort of my warm home, with a stocked refrigerator with all my kids taking a cozy afternoon nap. The devastation photos are simply unimaginable, but the vivid pictures and reports from the news media such as these have really hit close to home...seeing so many mothers and fathers lucky enough to have survived the disasters, but yet now are faced with how to keep themselves and their children alive all while not knowing what obstacles the future might continue to bring.

A child standing in the ruble of his home.


A mother comforting her children in an evacuation center.


A rescued 4 month old baby girl.


A mother bringing her child in to be tested for radiation exposure.

And it seems that right now the greatest need is monetary contributions so that organizations can begin to begin to distribute aid in the most cost efficient way possible. Wes and I are going to donate $1 to Convoy Of Hope (up to $100) for every comment received on this blog post from now until Sunday, March 20th. Deployed Convoy of Hope disaster responders are staging initial relief efforts from Manila, Philippines. Convoy of Hope will focus on getting water, food and emergency supplies to people in desperate need in the devastated areas. So please bloggy friends and family, even if it just to say hello or to tell how you are getting involved in the relief, leave us a comment as every little bit helps.

And besides PRAYER and lots of it, as it can make a huge difference, please consider giving.

The American Red Cross: You can make a donation on line. Or, you can simply text REDCROSS to 90999 and instantly donate $10 to the Japanese relief efforts.

The Salvation Army: You can also donate on-line here as well. You can also text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 and make an instant donation.

Samaritan’s Purse: They have a wonderful biblical message and low overhead costs. This is the organization that sponsors the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes that our family participates in each year.

Spring Break Is Here

Not too much excitement going on at the Collins' House the past few weeks. The cold weather has kept us indoors for the most part, but when Reid allows it(when he thinks he has had enough to eat for an hour or so), it has also allowed me to spring clean the all the closets in preparation of bringing out all of the spring and summer clothing. I'm leaving just enough winter clothing in their closets to get us through a couple more weeks. Hopefully, spring weather will be here to stay very soon! Once Jaidyn gets home from school today, the kids are all officially on spring break. Yea! I am sure the week will fly by with the activities we already have planned...science day at community center, soccer practice, trip to Lebanon, a visit from Grandma Penny and we really need to get a jump on cleaning out the flower beds and our garage.

Addy and Levi working hard on creating their Musketeer Masks.




Reid taking a short snooze with a paci. This is one of the few times that he has actually accepted a pacifier. He isn't a fussy baby, but sometimes I wish he would just take one more often to keep from wanting to eat. Half the time he just falls asleep eating and I think it is because the sucking is soothing to him.


Handy Levi! Levi put on his tool belt while watching Handy Manny this morning. Hopefully Levi will develop some handy skills from either his Papa J.R. or Papa Dave...it won't be coming from his dad.


The past 3 nights Reid has slept for at least 4 to 6 hours at one time. It has been WONDERFUL! I remember reading somewhere that it takes 16 to 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit. So we still have many more nights to go in hopes of making this sleep pattern a behavior. Fingers crossed!