April

This past month Matt had a pretty chill rotation schedule. He rotated at the ER in Oskaloosa, and the doctor there only required Matt to work six 12-hour shifts the entire month! It was great having Matt around more, and he got to experience what Skylie and I do on a day-to-day basis.

Exhibit A: Library story time and playing at the Merle Hay Mall play area

This is one of the few mall play areas Sky still likes. Not sure why she's getting picky about where she plays.



Exhibit B: Playing at the park

Big Creek State Park is one of my favorite parks in the area. It's a 40-minute drive for us, but well worth it on occasion. April 12 was an exceptionally nice day, so Matt and I took Skylie, our bikes, and sack lunch dinners up to the park and spent the afternoon and evening basking in the warmth. Skylie absolutely loves riding behind me on the bike! Anytime I glance back at her she's grinning ear to ear and will often shout out, "Whee!".



Matt is now in South Africa doing an international rotation with three of his buddies from school. Since he'll miss Easter, we celebrated on April 2 with an egg hunt, Easter activity, and decorating eggs. The Easter Bunny brought her alphabet flash cards and stickers, both of which she loves. It didn't take her long to catch on to the fact that candy was hidden inside each egg. Mmm, yum! I took some videos during the egg hunt. If I get ambitious I will edit and post them.Since Matt will also be gone for Mother's Day, he arranged to celebrate the holiday early by:

• Making me breakfast
• Giving me chocolates from Stam's per my request
• Arranging dinner for us
• Preparing chocolate covered strawberries for dessert
• Pampering me all day long

He certainly made the day special for me, which I appreciate. But I'm even more thankful that he takes such good care of me and Skylie every day--not only on special occasions. Thank you, Matt.

Opening gifts