Triple Doozy

This past weekend, three separate events collided on our calendar.  We celebrated Easter on Sunday, as well as April Fool's Day and also spent the weekend at our annual Lads to Leaders convention, which we've worked for all year long.  It was an exhausting and wonderful weekend!
Elle competed in song leading, bible bowl, puppets, art and other noncompetitive things.  Ava competed in song leading, puppets, story line, bible bowl, art, bible reading and speech as well as other noncompetitive things.  Levi did song leading and bible reading.  They earned lots of trophies and medals and I was so super proud of their bravery to compete in things that aren't always natural and comfortable or easy to them.  Our entire hope and goal of being a part of this is that are children won't just be Christians, but that they will be leaders in the congregations they are part of as adults.  That is our prayer.

Levi doing Bible Reading..there is nothing sweeter than a little voice speaking God's Word.

Ava giving her speech

Elle leading a song 

Shawn taught Levi to do a head stand, during some of our down time.

The puppet team

Little Hoodlums...this sweet group of boys is going to give us a run for our money when they are all in the youth group together!

Here was some of us left on Sunday morning after worship.  All together, we had 50 people attend from our congregation this year!!!

April Fool's Day was a hit too.  I pretty much made one child cry so it was a success.  It worked out so well that it coincided with Easter...lots of fun new things to try out on them.

Here's our official Easter picture

After L2L, we headed back home to see what the Easter bunny left us!  Unfortunately, the Easter Bunny shrunk their Easter basket's this year!

Then it was time to do some egg hunting in the backyard.

At least one of them started to realize that these eggs might have tricks in them....

Here was what was in Ava's eggs...she got the only egg that had something decent...$1.

 Elle got some rocks, lint, hilarious pictures of shawn, confetti, easter grass, pennies and a coke tab.

 Levi was HIGHLY unamused with what was in these eggs....didn't find it one bit funny at all.

 Shawn and I on the other hand, could not stop laughing with each egg the kids broke open and discovered to be completely worthless.

Then we played a game I called "Egg surprise."  I had 18 eggs and some were hard boiled, some were raw, and some were confetti filled.  That had to pick a number one at a time and smash the egg on their head.  Elle seemed to be the unluckiest and we also figured out that hard boiled eggs HURT when you try to smash them on your head.  

Now, the weekend didn't go without a few hitches...the worst being that Ava was feeling pretty sick all afternoon Sunday.  She rallied to hunt eggs and smash the eggs, but she had a hard hard time with the whole afternoon.  Both her and Elle woke up sick this morning.  It was a rough Monday, but it seems that as I type, all are on the mend and tomorrow will be a much less foolish, eggy day!