Egg Hunt

The Knights of Columbus had an egg hunt at the KC hall in Edwardsville on Sunday. The weather was yucky, but the kids were good sports. The actual "hunting" part only lasted for about 5 minutes, and you'll see from the pictures that the kids were not deterred from the egg hunt due to weather. Braden had Daddy as a helper and I was Kendall's assistant (mostly because she was under a pavilion). After the egg hunt, the kids had crafts and we ate a spaghetti dinner. It was a good time, but the candy had to go. Anyone who knows Braden knows that candy in the house for him is like crack for a drug addict. When he went to bed, it went in the trash. Enjoy the pics!

Bunk Beds

The beds were delivered on Friday, and of course they were too big for our planned spot. So, thankfully we have great friends who are willing to eat fried fish with us and help us move the beds so they fit. When I say "we," I mean Dustin. While Randy and Dustin moved the beds, Jaycie and I took the girls to Target. While we were there we had to buy them matching jammies. Then of course we had to take baths and get pictures of said matching jammies. The kids were so tired out from the fun of the evening that they had no trouble sleeping in their new beds. We moved all of Kendall's toys into the room, but my project over Spring Break is to clean out their closets so that they can share the one in their room. I'm pretty sure Braden still has some 2T and 3T stuff hanging in there and he is into boys' size 6. Needless to say, this will be quite an undertaking. Here are some pics of the new beds and our fun with the Rodgers kids!

Making Cookies

Mommy (and baby) have been craving cookies, so Braden offered to help me make some after dinner tonight. I make the best break apart generic cookies ever. Seriously. So Braden helped me "break" them and we baked them while the kids took a bath. Kendall doesn't like cookies, so Braden was doing most of the helping. She'd rather eat beans. No joke. She loves beans...chili beans, baked beans, black beans and rice. She's getting her fiber! Here are some pics of the kids helping with the cookies and wearing their St. Patrick's Day finery.

Braden sporting his "Leprechaun Bite" or shamrock.

Kendall eating her beans.

Braden wanted in on the picture and at the last second yelled "Shamrock" and did this crazy face.

"Helping" make the cookies.

Pondering. He actually asked me, "Momma, if these are square, how do they turn into circles?" Excellent question Braden. I have no idea.

Mom Rocket

That's what I'm calling our new (or at least new to us) minivan. I've always thought it would be a sad day when I would have to drive a minivan, but since I found out that we were going to have a third Baby Riechmann, I've been looking forward to this purchase. We have been searching online since the summer trying to narrow down our choices. We decided that we really liked the 2009 Nissan Quest. It's pretty cool looking as far as minivans go. We had a hard time finding used ones in this area for a good price. This past Sunday we found one that seemed to good to be true. It had most of the features I was looking for and the price that Dustin had been dreaming of. Go figure. We headed out on Sunday to test drive it. We loaded the kids into the Stratus (since that would be our "trade in") and headed to South County. When we had looked at it online it had said the color was "burgundy," which I wasn't really pumped about. However, when we drove up, I quickly realized it wasn't at all what I had envisioned. I loved it. And the real color is called "Tuscan Sunset Metallic." We put the carseats in and drove it up and down the road and decided it was what we wanted. The salesman happened to be driving to Edwardsville the next day (fate?) and would bring us the van and take the car back with him. The kids were sad that we couldn't take it home that day, but glad to know that they would be able to ride in it on the way home from school on Monday. I must say that I am loving every part of it, especially the power sliding door. What a great invention! I look forward to breaking it in and putting yet another car seat in the back in just a few short months! Braden offered to help me take a few pictures of it, but it was kind of dark. I'm sure you get the jist of it...

The van in our driveway. Complete with a sidewalk chalk railroad track beside it.

I thought turning the flash off would help. It didn't.

Braden showing off our favorite part...the power sliding door!

Braden in the "far" back as he likes to call it.

Disney on Ice

We try to go to at least one family show a year, usually in the late winter or early spring. Last year we enjoyed Sesame Street Live and decided to try an ice show this year. I registered Braden for Kindergarten that day (tear) and then quickly headed home to give the kids baths and head to Applebee's for dinner with the Rodgers Family. The kids did a great job eating (slightly unusual) and then we drove over to STL for the show. The kids really enjoyed the skaters. Kendall loved the princesses (of course) and Braden liked Buzz Lightyear the best. We were able to leave the show without breaking the bank. They sure do a hard sell on some of those toys! Talk about expensive souvenirs! When we got back to the car I felt like something wasn't right. I quickly checked my purse (which I had left in the car between the two carseats and under some blankets) and found that my wallet was not where I thought I had left it. When I opened it up, I found that my credit and debit cards were gone! Dustin thought I had misplaced them, but I knew someone had stolen them. We decided to cancel the cards anyway just in case. The next day, in the sunlight, I found that someone had indeed broken in to the car by sticking something up under the door handle and pushing the lock in. Thankfully, the robbers didn't take anything else. It's still an eerie feeling to know that some creepy person was in my car looking through my stuff. Anyway...all is well that ends well. No harm done. Insurance will pay to have the truck's lock fixed and I received my new cards in the mail yesterday. It was quite the exciting family bonding experience.

My cuties before the show.

Daddy and Braden cheesing it up.

Say "I'm getting robbed!"

Grand Finale

We're Still Here!

This time of year is always SO busy for the Riechmann Family (as Braden likes to refer to us). Since Braden's birthday (6 weeks ago) we have been going non-stop! We had a few sicknesses along the way, which had us home for a few days, but overall we have been doing really well. My belly is getting bigger, much to Braden's delight. Dustin has felt the baby kick, which is really great. Braden claims he has, but he rarely sits still long enough to feel it for real. Kendall doesn't really care one way or the other. She's too busy being a princess. My next Dr. appointment in in two weeks and we will schedule another ultrasound and my glucose testing. It's hard to believe this pregnancy is half over!

We ordered bunk beds for Braden and Kendall. They seem VERY excited about "rooming" together. They will come in right around Kendall's birthday, which will be perfect timing. This way we can get the kids settled before Baby #3 makes its appearance in July.

Braden is signed up for T-ball again this spring. He is looking forward to playing with many of his old "teammates" from last spring. I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to sitting in a lawn chair 8 months pregnant!

The most shocking news for the next month is registering Braden for Kindergarten. It happens on March 10th. When did this happen???? It seems like he just started preschool! I asked him today to stay home with me instead of going to Kindergarten and he told me "NO!" He claims he has to meet new friends and he can't do that at home. Dang. Why does he have to be so smart?

I haven't had the opportunity to take many pictures, but once I do, I promise to post some for those of you who may have forgotten what we look like!

Until then...take care!