Spring is coming

 Maren: 

Spring is on the way!  Days are getting just a bit longer and the air is getting a bit warmer.  With spring and summer coming mommy has been really anxious to get our fort set up and a bit more functional.  She and daddy had a chat, drew some plans and daddy set to work building us some really amazing bunk beds.  Mommy thought of a really great idea that allowed us to build four bunk beds along one wall which means we can all sleep in the fort together!  Then, Daddy did an amazing job at taking the idea off paper and making it real!  We are so excited!  

April is Daddy's birthday and unfortunately he had to work this year.  The day of his birthday, mommy told him we were really busy running errands and getting chores done when secretly she had a surprise planned.  We stopped and picked up some food from Costco  and an ice cream cake from Cold Stone to feed him and his crew, then we met Uncle Frankie and Miss Michelle down the road and loaded them up in our car.  We pulled into the parking lot of his fire station and poured out of the car with balloons, and a party!  He was super happy to see us all and we enjoyed a good evening celebrating him.  Since he had to work, mommy planned a nice weekend away the following weekend and took just daddy over to the coast to stay at a fancy hotel to be pampered.   

Maddox: 

Spring being here also means a visit from the Easter Bunny.  This year, Easter fell right after daddy finished building our bunk beds for the fort.  The Easter Bunny did a great job figuring out just what we needed and brought us a bed roll for all four beds!  A new mattress pad, sleeping bag, and pillow for each bunk showed up on Easter morning.  Boy, mommy was so excited for that since it meant she wouldn't have to pack sleeping bags back and forth every time we wanted to have a sleep over!  We made sure to sleep out there as soon as it was set up and it was perfect!  We also had a really nice Easter celebration with Nonna, Nonno and the Chick Family.  A super yummy dinner that mommy made and a really fun Easter Egg hunt to finish it off.  

With spring and the ability to be outdoors we are also able to use the fire pit.  We try and take advantage of the weather before it gets too hot and fire restrictions set in.  Having a fire has allowed me to practice my firefighting skills again and break out my uniform.  

I think the most exciting thing for me this spring has been the return to in person school.  I have made my first, "My Pick" friend and his name is Chase.  Chase and I are truly kindred spirits and having him in my class has made things even more amazing.  Even though I seemed to be liking school a lot, having someone there with me that I enjoy so much has been really wonderful.  Chase and I are so much alike that we even dress similarly... right down to the legging/athletic shorts that are my favorite go to attire.  Initially mommy wouldn't let me wear them to school because she said that they were not classy enough but I begged and pleaded so I could look like my buddy.  Sure enough, when she picked me up that day she could see that it was a battle she could not win.  So, we have reached a compromise... a few times a week she gets to pick what I wear and the other days I get to choose!