Easter Fun. Better Late than Never!

So much for my resolution about blogging more often. Pfft!
Anyhow, I thought I would post some photos from our Easter happenings. 
First up:  We hosted a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday.  When Audrey was younger, our street would have an egg hunt every year but the past few years it has been abandoned!  Guess all the kids were getting too big for it.  Well, Chloe is still a little kid and I decided to revive it, since there is a whole new crop of little ones on other nearby streets.  It was a great time, and a great chance to get to know some of our neighbors better!

 A view of part of our yard before the kids descended on the eggs!

 Our kids before the hunt began. 

Carter showing off his stash.  He kept saying "I'm the first one done!"....yes, however he was by far the oldest kid at this egg hunt (well, besides Audrey).

This was the view in our yard the VERY. NEXT. DAY.  No lie.  It snowed the day after the egg hunt.  Hey, at least the snow waited til our festivities were over.

 On the day before Easter, the kids opened Easter baskets that came in the mail from Grandma & Grandpa!

 We also dyed our Easter eggs that day.  Carter spent the whole day asking "Can we dye Easter eggs now?"

 Chloe had a great time trying out all the colors.

 Audrey enjoys making fancy rainbow eggs....(shh, so does Daddy!)

On Easter morning, the kids go on a treasure hunt to find their baskets.  This year they were hidden in the downstairs toy closet!

 Happy kids. :)

The kids before church.  This Easter was not a nice sunny day, so all pictures were inside.  I told Carter he had to wear a "button shirt" so this was what he ended up choosing.

After church we went to Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop's house for dinner and an egg hunt!  Notice Carter has covered up his button shirt with a hoodie by now....

My parents gave Chloe this lovely little chickie holding an umbrella.  It sings "Raindrops are Fallin' on my Head".  I think she played it approximately 256, 432 times on the way home in the van.  Thanks Mom & Dad! :)

Easter was so early this year, it's hard to believe that it has come and gone already.  And the other day Carter was talking about what he would ask Santa for this Christmas.  I love Christmas, but wowzer, I am not ready for that holiday to be back already.....but it's only 8 months away! 

A fun valentine's day

This year Valentine's Day fell on a day off from school - it was really fun because we all got up and didn't have to rush off.  We could just enjoy breakfast together and relax!

First we started with pink pancakes and candy.  Lots of candy.  Oh, and valentines. :)

 Everyone's in a lovey mood when gifts are being handed out to each other. :)

  

In the morning we went to a friend's house to have a Valentine's party with a bunch of friends.

 

 

First the kids decorated their Valentine bags.

 

Some kids were more interested in playing!  :)  

 

There was also a craft that involved shaving cream and food coloring.  I think Audrey's hands were purple for the next day or two despite repeated washings!

More crafty fun.....

Perhaps this is why Audrey's hands were stained?

The kids also played games, exchanged valentines, made their own pizzas for lunch and decorated heart cookies. 

My friend Katie -who hosted the party -  has a lot more patience for chaos than I do!
Later, back at home, we had lasagna, salad, & bread for dinner by candlelight. :)  It was a really fun day!

More Valentine party observations

After Chloe's party at preschool today, I have decided that the amount of Valentine "loot" children give is related to birth order. 

For example:
Firstborn - Child brings a Valentine for each friend (usually homemade, probably off pinterest and completed 3 weeks ago) PLUS an entire goody bag of treats for each child (all healthy or organic and including fun non-edible items).  Mom FOR SURE attends the class party, because she is homeroom mom.

Second born - Child brings a Valentine plus a single item for each child, by gender (ie, boys get "boy" valentines, girls get "girl" valentines, plus a lollipop thrown in for good measure).  Mom sometimes attends party but might forget to sign up soon enough to ensure her "spot" as a helper.

3rd+ born children - Child has to remind parent about buying Valentines and they are usually whatever is left at Target the night before the party.  They may or may not be geared toward gender.  (Hey, don't they teach you in preschool that "you get what you get and you don't get upset?" :)  Sometimes they might include leftover halloween candy.  Mom has attended enough preschool  parties already and is done. :)

Okay, this is slightly exaggerated but judging from Chloe's Valentine mailbox, not too far off.....

In my defense, I did get Chloe gender specific valentines, they were bought well ahead of time, and no halloween candy was used.  :)

But I didn't go to the party.  :( 

Next year my 2 older kids will be in school all day so I am totally there!

Unless I forget to sign up in time.....

Valentine's Day in 3rd Grade

Today I had the privilege of attending the 3rd grade Valentine's Day party. 

I LOVE going to kid parties at school.  They are just hilarious and I get to see who Audrey spends time with all day and what her classroom is like.  The kids always make me crack up.  They just say and do the funniest things. 

Today did not disappoint.

At the party we divided the kids into 4 groups and they rotated between stations.  My "job" at the party was to read a book to the kids who came to my station .  So basically I read a book 4 times (to 4 different groups of kids).  I did not bring this book in , another mother did, but basically the plot is this:  a boy has a little crush on a girl in his class, he makes her a valentine, he's too scared to give her the valentine, then he finally has a burst of courage and gives her the valentine after all.

At the end of the party, one of the other moms says to me:  "Audrey is your daughter, right?"

She proceeds to tell me that it seems a boy in her group has a little crush on her.  Apparently after they came to the reading station, they went to the craft station.  Crush boy, apparently inspired by the story and in a burst of courage, announces to his table, "My valentine is sitting at this table...."  There are only 2 girls at the table, and crush boy turns to the one who is not Audrey and whispers in her ear who it is (and it is not the other girl.).

Later I tell Audrey this and she says "I know Mom, I heard it" and rolls her eyes.  I guess she doesn't really reciprocate his affections. Honestly, she thinks boys are kind of gross right now.  Which is just fine with me. :)

Anyhow, I was chatting with some kids at the end of class, and one boy says to me,  "Audrey is a lucky girl, you know."

I said to him "Why is that?".....wondering if this had anything to do with crush boy....

He says, "Well, because you are her mom and you are really nice!  Not everyone has parents that are so nice, you know."

Oh bless his heart, it was so sweet.  I could have hugged that boy right there but I just gave him a big old thank you. :)  

And no, he was NOT crush boy..... unfortunately....because THAT is the kind of boy I would love to have as a son-in-law some day!! haha

December Highlights

 December was a really busy month around here.

(Duh, was it NOT busy for anyone??)

Also, blogger decided that I had used up my picture space and I needed to "buy" more.

Which I didn't do and didn't have time to figure out.

But now for some reason, I can upload photos again?

I don't get it, but I'm not complaining.... 

Anyhow,

I am going to do some major overhauling to my blog.

It's kind of a New Year's Resolution.

I say kind of, because, well, if I don't get to it - life goes on. :)

Obviously, you can see I made some cosmetic changes.

Which has involved a lot of online research and even making minor HTML code changes.

Which is more than I was hoping to bite off as a New Year's Resolution....

Anyhow, 

I am hoping to change the name.

AND,

I am hoping to blog more than once a month.  :)

For now I am going to drop a photo bomb of some of our Christmas fun!

 Here goes!

 Chloe had her first preschool concert.

She sang very sweetly but pretty much refused to make eye contact with us the whole time! :)

But isn't she just cute as a button?

 Carter had his kindergarten concert.

He - on the other hand - very happily waved, and waved, and waved some more to me! :)

Very sweet.

The kids made their gingerbread house with Daddy.

Daddy happens to be the gingerbread house decorator extraordinaire around here.

 Christmas Eve Eve....right before church on Sunday.

 I love it when they all get along and act lovey toward each other.

 In the past month, Carter also lost his first two teeth - as you can see from the gap there!

 Chad takes the kids on a Christmas Eve morning hike every year.

This year's hike was cold and muddy - just the way they like it. :)

 Stopping for a snack break.

Traipsing through the woods.  Even Chloe is quite the hiker!

I love this tradition because I get a little peace and quiet to get some last minute things done!

 And here we are on Christmas Eve ready to go to church.

 Evidently we kept Carter up too late.  He passed out while watching the Charlie Brown Christmas show that night.

 The tree after Santa arrived.  ;)

 Kids with their stockings.

 For Chloe, this was a year of all things girly..... lots of princess stuff...

 

and lots of doll stuff.

And for Audrey, it was the year of Lego Friends stuff!

Carter continues to enjoy building things like Knex.

He got this perfect solar system shirt from his grandparents!

He received this globe from my parents....he also loves maps and geography and world landmarks.

Every  year I take the kids to the dollar store and have them pick out gifts for each other.

Carter picked these sour patch kids (candy) for Audrey.  It was a hit, and he was very proud of himself. :)

I love how on Christmas the kids are all best friends. 

They like each other most of the rest of the year, but on Christmas they just LOVE each other.

 I got a donut maker for Christmas.

I think it's great!

The kids were all excited and ate these donuts, but I think they were a little disappointed that they didn't taste just like Dunkin Donuts.

"Umm, kids, you kind of have to dump them in a vat of liquid lard and deep fry them for them to taste like Dunkin..."

A few days after Christmas we surprised the kids with a trip. 

First we took them to a hotel about an hour away that has an indoor waterpark and they swam and splashed and had a blast, and we spent the night.

Then we headed up to visit Chad's sister's family in Buffalo.  We had not planned on going this year, but a few weeks ago they invited us and we decided to go.  So glad we did.  It was a really fun and (don't take this personally Smith family)....a much more relaxing, less chaotic time.  That being said, we did miss the rest of the family!

 We decided to head to Niagara Falls in the midst of a 3-4 inch snowfall and trudge around and see the falls. 

 The foggy falls.

 Brrrrr, I'm cold just looking at these!

I was at Niagara Falls with Chad B.K. (Before Kids) on a nice spring day and it was a quite different experience.  Just a little.

2 families, 7 kids.  I think we've done our part in being fruitful and multiplying.

We came home in time for New Years Eve and our annual exciting trip to Chuck E. Cheese with our neighbors.  We know how to party here on our street!

Now it's  back to school and back to our routine.

After the past few weeks, I'm ready for it! 

Friday Faves: Thanksgiving Edition

Just some things I'm thankful for in particular this week:

Chad's trusty Honda Accord reached 100,000 miles.  This car has been around longer than our marriage!  May it run for another 100K!  (or at least until the van is paid off....)

Our yearly Thanksgiving tree. So much to be thankful for, including Dollar Tree that was selling these precut leaves - 32 leaves for $1. I used to cut them out by hand!  I love that the kids are all now writing by themselves (or trying to write) the things they are thankful for.  They sure are growing up.

I am thankful for this wreath made by Carter, who is my least crafty kid but succeeded in putting together this gem.  I am thankful for Kids Club at our neighbors' church, where he made this wreath, and where he & his sisters learn more about God and the stories of the Bible.

I am thankful for Legos, which provide my kids hour upon hour of enjoyment.  And I am thankful that my mother-in-law had the wisdom to save all of Chad's old legos that my kids now play with.  I am thankful that the kids throw them all in a bin together and I don't care that they are "messed up"....because normally that would bother me. :)

I am thankful for my traditional Thanksgiving pie recipes.  Pumpkin, Chocolate Pecan, and Caramel Apple Pie....here we come!

I am thankful that this (and the next photo) are the only injuries I sustained in my "extreme baseball" accident yesterday! :)

I am thankful that I have the health and strength to run around and play....and that I am able to stay home with my kids and enjoy afternoons outside playing with them.

And last of all, I am thankful for Christmas music, which I have been secretly listening to for the past few days.  I discovered this Josh Groban CD at the library and I love that he sings all the old Christmas hymns!! 

What are you thankful for this week?

Today I am linking up with: 

 A great blog if you have the chance to swing over!