Oh what a weekend...

Jason had Friday off from school so we decided to head out and feed the ducks (and I got to do some shopping). Arianna loves feeding the ducks and loves spending time with her daddy even more, so it was the perfect day for her. It was beautiful out and we had so much fun. And yes, she's on a leash. :) She refuses to ride in a stroller anymore and when we're near water, she needs to be tied to us (mommy's rules)...so we bought her a leash. She LOVES it. She thinks she's big stuff being able to walk all by herself and we have the peace of mind that she really can't go anywhere. We just call it her backpack and she thinks she Dora. It's great.






On Sunday, Neal was baptized. It was such a wonderful day. Jason's family all came from out of town and for some of them it was their first time meeting Neal. Arianna put on quite a show in front of church. There were "rocks" out for our Easter scene and she kept trying to pick them up, shouting "daddy, look, rocks!" At least the people in the congregation thought it was funny! Neal did great. He was just perfect. It was such a blessing to welcome him into the family of God.


Neal with his biggest cousin on my side, Jackson. This "little" boy is such an amazing kid. He is so patient with all his baby cousins and he just LOVES Arianna and Neal. I can't wait until he gets to teach Neal all sorts of things. He's such a great kid.

My parents with Neal.

The ENTIRE Nikkel clan. By this time of the day Arianna had pulled her hair out of her pony and taken her tights off, but nevertheless, it's a great family photo. At least you can see all of us!

Neal with Uncle Joel -- first time meeting!

All the Nikkel grandchildren. Poor Jocelyn got the raw end of the deal on this one, trying to keep Arianna sitting still for a photo. Jordan had the easy job! :)

Neal with Uncle Joel, Jocelyn and Grandpa Nikkel

Here are Jason, myself and Neal with my grandma. It's so amazing to have her be a part of everything. She's 93 years young and it's so fun having her around.

Some of you don't know this, but Neal was named after my grandpa (the man married to the woman in the photo above). He was a great man and he passed away 5 years ago. My grandma gave me some of his possessions to give to Neal when he's older. The note in the box says, "Neal, these were my husbands, your great-grandfathers, and I thought you should have them. God bless, great-grandma." The item on the left is my grandpa's initial ring. There is a N in the center of the ring. The item on the right is his tie clip with a N. Such great gifts. We will cherish these forever!!!!

This last photo is just us getting ready for spring. Arianna is wearing her beach hat....we are all wishing for some warm weather soon!

We hope you are all doing well!