God creates them each their own...

We are having a wonderful weekend so far.

Aunt Jackie, and her dog McLovin, are visiting

from California.  We always love when we have

family in town!

Today, Aunt Jackie had some friends over and she

was getting ready to give them a tour of our

parent's house.  She turned to my three girls and said,

"Ella, do you want to give the tour?"

Ella got very shy and hugged her leg.

"Claire, do you want to give the tour?"

Claire just shrugged and seemed uninterested.

Before she could say anything else,

Avery pops up, spread her arms open and says,

"Come on people, let's go.  I'm giving you a tour"

and takes off with everyone to follow her!

I am always amazed at how very different my

3 girls are.  They are unique in every way

and consistent in their personalities.

God created 3 very special girls and I am

so grateful to be their mom!

Aunt Jackie and the girls doin' some art!

What goes around comes around....

A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure of

playing a piano duet with my daughter, Claire.

It was a very special day for me, but it was

also very special for her piano teacher.

Diane Alex, the best piano teacher in Iowa!, was

my piano teacher when I was young, and she

is now teaching my daughter!

We both had a moment as Diane was sharing

with the audience that I was her first "alum" to

come back and play with my own child.

We have certainly come full circle!

I am so proud of Claire.  I'm proud of

her dedication, her willingness to practice,

and her confidence playing in front of others.

I think I was more nervous than she was! : )

Enjoy ~

2nd Annual Rouse Family Fun Day!

Last year, on a beautiful spring day, Dave had the great idea

of taking a "skip day" and spending the day together as a family.

As many of you know, this was very difficult for me as I'm a rule

and routine follower and spontaneity is not my strong suit.

But, we did it and we had a blast.  Thus was born:

Rouse Family Fun Day Tradition!!

This year FFD was planned (yes, I planned our spontaneous fun day)

for Tuesday May 17th.

To add a little more excitement, if that's possible, we kept it a secret as to

where we were going other than, "it's not in Iowa".

It was so fun listening to the girls try to figure out where we might go.

On the morning of the trip, I handed each of the girls a "ticket" to FFD.

It entitled them to: "Omaha Children's Museum, Henrly Doorly Zoo,

and dinner at Spaghetti Works at the Old Market".

They were thrilled!  So we loaded up the car, popped in a movie

and headed out!

First stop was Omaha Children's Museum.

That place is awesome!!

Think Science Center times 100!

There was so much to do and the staff were great.

Bonus: free admission for Sci Iowa members!

Three girls ready for some fun ~

RouseHouse putting out the fire ~

As if there wasn't enough to do, they had painting

in the craft room ~

This trip had several "mommy moments" for me.

One of the most overwhelming moments was the realization

that Claire is growing up. It is a fact of life that she

will one day turn to me and say, "mom, I don't

want to go on FFD with you guys this year."

And I will cry and say, "tough stuff, get in the car".

And it will be sad.... but she will go anyway and

punish me all day for it, but I'll still love her! : )

But, this year, she was a joy and a sweety and

a great daughter and sister!

We had a great time in the craft area. 

Dave is the crafty parent in our group ~

While the big girls played with blocks

and cranks and pulleys, Avery layed on the floor

waiting for a pile of balls to fall on her, then laughed and

laughed and did it again.  Ahh, Avery!

She did learn to lift her own body weight with

a little help from dad ~

We wrapped up the museum with a ride on their carousel ~

Next stop was Henry Doorly Zoo.

We are Zoo people and we had a great time!

The crew, ready for an adventure ~

Everyone walked the shaky bridge, even Aves ~

We did the Skyfari twice.  Avery loved the views,

I loved the rest!

Avery's favorite mode of transportation ~

I love my little gorillas.  That's Avery's impression of the Gorilla ~

Ella's favorite was the butterfly garden.  Sweet, beautiful

and sensitive, just like her ~

My favorite part of the day was how well everyone got along.

This was are first "big trip" with no stroller or diapers.

We were just a family of five, walking and exploring,

enjoying each others company. 

I am very proud of how well everyone did and what

a great time we had because of it!

By the end of the day, we were all tired, but happy!

In their own words ~

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Enjoy your family, enjoy your friends, Praise God!

First trip of the year to Living History Farms

One of our favorite places to visit is Living History Farms.

The girls love to go to summer camp there, but we

also like to go and explore on our own.

Today we grabbed our friend Ellen and a warm coat

and headed out for our first trip of the year!

Avery had fun on the pony ride ~

Claire was a little nervous, but still had fun ~

The broomshop put them to work.  They had that

place clean in no time!

Avery loved the horses, but didn't understand

why they weren't paying any attention to her!

Luckily, the pigs and the cats gave her plenty

of attention!

One of Avery's favorite parts was

playing teacher in the school house. 

It was a little cold and a little damp,

but we had a great time at the farm!



"There's no crying in softball!"

That's one of my favorite lines from the movie,

League of their own. 

And, I'll admit, I've said that a time or two to my girls.

Hey, I've never denied that I occasionally live vicariously

through my children and softball is a passion of mine!

This year Claire is playing for the Pirates.

She is lucky to have her Grandpa Johnson coaching again.

He is really working hard with them, and they have come

a long way since their first game.  A long way!

Despite my occasional "ugh" or "come on Claire"

I have managed to enjoy watching her play and

have fun doing it!

Not only that, I've enjoyed watching Ella play

with the "little sister club" that has been formed

by all the little sisters of the team.  Very cute!

Ella isn't playing softball this year, but she's

enjoying her time at the fields none the less!

Batter up!~

Claire has a good bat.  Strong 'breaststroke' upper body!

I have been most impressed with Claire's willingness

to run this year.  She's getting over that "they're looking at me stage"

and is actually running like she means it now! 

Homeplate!

Whether your playing ball, swimming, reading or

just hanging out, I hope you enjoy your time with

your kiddos. 

I am learning to cherish every moment I have with

them and I'm so grateful for that!

God bless!

We are family....

If you want to know who is at the top of the list for Avery,

just listen to her prayers.

They usually go like this, "Bless mom, dad, claire, ella, avery

all the people I know and love, and jack, and baby sophie!"

Sometimes she leaves out Jack, sometimes she leaves out

her sisters, but she never leaves out baby Sophie.

Here's to growing up loving your cousins!

First duet ~

You can see the love in that gentle touch ~

Beautiful!

The girls got to help Sophie celebrate her 1st birthday

with homemade cupcakes and a few presents ~

Well, not sure who enjoyed the present more.....

We love you sweet baby Sophie!

RouseHouse 8th Annual Easter Eggstravaganza!

I can't believe we have been hosting our

Easter Eggstravaganza for 8 years!

It all started the first year we lived at the

house on Terrace Dr.  The neighbors wanted

to get together and have a "block egg hunt".

Well, by the time it was all said and done,

it was at our house! : )

That first year wasn't quite as big as it is today,

and it didn't include craft, snack or egg-dying,

but it was still fun.  And, we've been adding friends

and fellowship every year since!

Thanks to a wonderful trip to Jamaica for Dave and I,

our party was on Easter Day this year.

Despite the busy weekend, our "usual crew" were

all able to make it.

We had a fabulous time making cupcakes, dyeing eggs,

playing games, and of course, hunting for eggs!

Thank you to our dear family, friends and "extended family"

for celebrating this Holy and wonderful day with us!

God has blessed us with an amazing 'village' to raise

our kids with and we are very grateful for each of you!

And, to make it even more special, cousin Sophie was able

to enjoy her very first RouseHouse Easter party!

We can't wait for her to come back next year and get

in on the egg hunt too!

The basket toss is a favorite game ~

Even Sophie tried to get in on the fun!

Everyone got to decorate their own cupcakes this year.

I think that suited Avery quite well ~

Yes, very well indeed!  Wow, that's a cupcake!

Next was the egg dyeing.  Amazingly enough,

we have never had an "accident" yet. 

Just lots of very colorful eggs ~

Friends are what it's all about ~

Nice job Claire ~

Three great kids, lifelong friends!

What a great bunch of kiddos!

Our little Easter "bunnies" ~

The Egg Hunt~

 Happy Easter to all our friends and family!