Easter 2010

Mindy's first Easter was a lot of fun! She got the hang of picking up candy and eggs... but wasnt' quite sure she was alright with dropping them into her bucket. It was a blast watching her delight at seeing the brightly colored eggs and treats.

Yakko found the most filled eggs: and discovered his new favorite treats... he loves Three Musketeers Raspberry!

Wakko was the winner for finding the most hard boiled eggs (his favorite!) and the golden Play Doh egg.

Dot found the most Play Doh eggs and was thrilled to get a whole bunch of mini Yorks.

Mindy's favorite treat? Her box of Club Snack Sticks!

We hope your Easter was lots of fun! We had a great time with food, family, Conference, movies, and more. Although the snow storm tried to squash our plans for a good hunt, we enjoyed searching for eggs in the family room and made the most of it.

Nesting

Ever since we moved into our house, birds have lived in the wall in our backyard. We love watching them nest in the spring, and thrill when baby birds poke their heads out for us to see.

Lately, the bird noises we've grown to love have become increasingly louder and louder. I figured another family of birds had moved into our roof... apparently I was on the right track:

just off on location!

When we discovered where the birds had decided to nest, my sweetheart declared: "well, it looks like I don't BBQ often enough!"

BTW... the birds have relocated to a tree across the street.

Easter 2009

Our family has always enjoyed Easter as a special time of year. The Easter Bunny pulled a trick on us... and hid the kids' baskets! We awoke to one single package of lonely Peeps on the kitchen table and the buckets were missing. Our irritated children awoke us with "the Easter Bunny stole our buckets!!!" Yeah, that was hilarious! Obviously, they were eventually found in weird and wacky places in the kitchen.Yakko was quite pleased to find peanut butter cups in his bucket.
Dot loved the flooding of pink and purple treats.
Wakko liked it all!
Early in the afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma came over for Easter dinner; we enjoyed ham, yams, cookie salad, green salad, and rolls. What a feast!

Grandpa and Grandma spent a good chunk of the afternoon dying eggs with the kids. It was especially nice and appreciated since neither my sweet heart or I were up to it. This is the stuff memories are made of! This was our kids' favorite part of the whole day!Grandpa took pictures, too!See? Getting a picture taken isn't the end of the world! It's actually a good thing... we have a photo to go with a memory! Wahoo!After the cooked eggs were all dyed and dried, it was time to prepare for the big hunt. Grandma brought a bag full of filled eggs that the Easter Bunny had left at their house for our kids; my honey and I filled eggs too, resulting in plenty of loot for the kids. We had the kids play in the front yard while the adults had a ton of fun hiding dyed eggs, filled eggs, etc. in the back yard. This was my favorite part of the day because it reminded me so much of mega egg hunts at my grandparents' house when I was a little girl. Even as I reflect on those memories today, my eyes fill with tears. I am so grateful for my parents and grandparents giving me such fun memories...

Anyway, the kids had a blast trying to find eggs. Grandpa was extra tricky hiding eggs, and Grandma was hilarious! She kept the kids giggling and laughing all hunt long.

When all was said and done, the kids all had mega spoils from the hunt! The adults laughed ourselves silly, and we were all super ready for naps.


After the hunt, we decided it was time to go inside and rest. The doorbell rang, and Aunt T and Uncle Z came over! (I forgot to get pictures... so sad!) Aunt T told us about how awesome "Wicked" was (I am so jealous!), Uncle Z spent most the time on the back porch talking to his family in Miami, and we all just chilled for a while. We learned that T and Z hadn't eaten yet, so we pulled out the ham etc. from lunch with Grandpa and Grandma. After they'd finished up, it was decided that dessert needed to be served. We melted chocolate and dipped strawberries, bananas, and pretzels.

It was a very full and happy Easter for all! We hope your Easter was wonderful, too!

Ah, To Be A Kid Again

The joys of childhood are too precious to ignore. I'm amazed at what is entertaining and fun when inhibitions don't exist; like riding a bike that's way too small for you.

Or sitting on cold and squishy grass under an umbrella.

Even shooting hoops with your friend while freezing.

I am grateful every day for the chance to watch innocence in action. Now, if only there was a way to package their excess energy...

Spring, Spring, Spring!!!!

Spring is just around the corner, and it's previewing everywhere I look.

There's no more snow on the ground,

the kids are playing baseball,

buds are poking out on the trees,

and Girl Scout Cookies are here.

This is not some shmoozy blog about the beauty of Spring, but rather a moment to sing the praises of the Samoa and Thin Mint. A time to reflect on how quickly that first box was half gone. A time to morn the fact that it didn't even last 20 minutes from the time it was delivered until it was nearly gone... and the kids didn't even know the box was opened until after dinner; they each got one.

I guess I get to use up all my extra "points" for the week tonight.

Ode To Dr. Seuss

I may not be as young as I once was, but I still love Dr. Seuss. I love his witty stories, his knack for rhyming, and his clever plots which teach without being preachy. I love that "Green Eggs and Ham" is still my kids' favorite book, and that I still have it (practically) memorized. "If I Ran The Zoo" is another favorite; the lengths and depths of creativity coming from that story simply amaze me. It was an honor to follow my mom's footsteps and choreograph a ballet to that story. What would Christmas be without "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"? Our homage to this classic tale is a tradition within our family: Grinch Fudge. I clearly recall reading "The Lorax" and soon after watching the movie. This story of conservation touched me deeply. I wanted to "speak for the trees". I learned from Horton the lesson of watching out for others, too small to watch out for themselves. The Sneetches teach us not to label others, and to be happy with ourselves, exactly the way we are. "Oh, The Places You'll Go" gives me joy in remembering my childhood, and tickles my heart with remembrance of my own children's journeys in life. Yes, I can truly say I've been touched by Dr. Seuss.

Here are some things you may not have known about Dr. Seuss:

1. His real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel (Seuss is his mother's maiden name).

2. He was born March 2, 1904 (he'd be 104 this year!).

3. Dr. Seuss invented the words "nerd" and "Grinch", which are now used daily within our culture.

4. He began illustrating professionally by drawing political cartoons.

5. Although his books were wildly popular, Dr. Seuss didn't like being in the public eye; he was a very private man.

6. He was known, in his adult years, to often wear a bow tie.

7. Ted was voted "Class Artist" and "Class Wit" in high school.

8. "Green Eggs and Ham" is entirely made up of 50 words.

9. He never actually earned his doctorate, but many feel that his 44 books and honorary doctorates are close enough.

10. He died on September 24, 1991 at the age of 87.

By the way, the above picture is of Dot and Yakko on Dr. Seuss Day, 2006. They're Whos from Who-Ville.