Easter

Well it's about time I was able to get through our Easter photographs and post some. We've just been so busy it's taken me a while to get through them all.

 

We got the kids dressed and they had to venture outside to find their goodies from the Easter bunny.

Bubba spent some time inspecting his new water bottle that has his coveted friend "Woody" on it.

The Easter bunny thought it would be cool to give the kids some silly string. However, it appears that they are not very big fans of it. :/

We ventured to my Grandma's house for Easter lunch and Aunt Amy being the awesome aunt she is, packed well over 300 eggs for the kids to hunt down.

 

Of course the three youngest kids, being pinned on the deck, tried to sneak a few eggs out before the fun even started.




1...2....3...GO!










Aunt Amy has these really cool cupcake shaped "eggs" and someone managed to convince Aunt Amy that she needed to keep her cupcake. And of course Great-Grandma had never seen anything like it so we had to show her what it was all about.



Trying to get a pic of Bubba was proving difficult as usual.


All of the cousins.



On the way home Mom had me stop and get a few pictures of this tree. She said that in 50 years, she's never seen it bloom before. I captured a few shots and then did some research online to find out that it's a Paulownia tree. The bloom are very fragrant and a gorgeous lilac/white color. It was a nice way to end the day.

Indoor Silly's

Random goofy shots from today. ;)

 

Yup...that's my cheeseball.

I can't see cartoons Mommy!

ROAR!!!!

What?

I said get A diaper...not all of them. :/

 
 

Showing off her rings from Grandmama.

Visiting the Grandparents

Yesterday we surprised Dad for his birthday. My sister coordinated a surprise taco feast for him. He had been out mowing so he thought nothing of it when Katie showed up, knowing Erica & the girls were already coming over. He started to get suspicious when Amy pulled in. He knew something was up when he saw us in the driveway.

He was pleasantly surprised to see all of his girls and all the grandbabies at one time. After our feast we hung out on the deck were it was nice and cool in the breeze. We pinned the two youngest on the deck while the older kids ran around the yard.

I snuck down to the yard and snapped a few pics of the girls playing.

Then we managed to capture almost all of the kids...Evan wasn't cooperating. Papa wanted a photograph of all of his grandbabies together, which is no easy feat mind you. But even more so especially when a certain 2 year old doesn't want to be in the picture. Hey, when you're warned multiple times and you get scolded by your uncle whom you've never been scolded before it kind of throws you for a loop. He just couldn't believe Uncle Cam told him no. LOL.

It was a nice evening and all three of us passed out before Daddy had to get up for work.

Run to the Lake

We ran to the lake yesterday to attempt some family photographs, which didn't go so well. But hey, it was worth the try.

Naps Aren't Going Well

 

Naps are sucking these days for both kids. In particular it was Evan today. I heard a thump, a cry, and then a smiling boy behind the door. Yes, he stuck his hand in and through his shorts. Apparently in doing so he hit his head on the headboard.

Sigh, he's going to hate me someday for this, right?

Sharing Some Sunshine

I'm so excited that I can finally share this package that I completed for my friends. I had to wait until the recipients actually received it though. A while back a fellow December Mama pinned a bloggers idea of giving a "Box Full of Sunshine" to someone who was down or otherwise just needed a pick me up. The concept is simple, you gather yellow "sunshine" items and pack a box full of said items and ship it off to that special person in your life.

I thought now, "Hey that's a pretty cool idea." I didn't realize just how amazing of an idea it would become until the unthinkable occurred. A very close friend, whom I've never met in real life; but trust me that will change, suddenly found herself amidst the hardest thing I can imagine happening. Her mother-in-law passed away, suddenly, and without cause.

It hurt not only her, her husband, their children, her father-in-law, her sister-in-laws and hundreds if not thousands of other loved ones. To hear her tell of this woman's acts of love brings tears to my eyes as I type this. Her family has a special place in my heart and I need her to know that. To know that, no matter the miles between us, I'm always a phone call or text away. That I've not once stopped thinking about "How are they doing? I hope day after day, things are slowly healing." Mama S. left a big gaping hole in their lives, but I'm sure that with the support of friends and loved ones, time will heal that hole. Okay, so enough tears.

 

I found this amazing golden butterfly box at Michael's. I thought that it was the perfect size and gorgeous enough that once empty they can fill it up with their memories of Mama S. to share with the babies when they are older.

For the girls; I had a Taggie blanket made for the little one, and for the older one a few trinkets including an Easter bracelet. The box was jam packed full of delicious, comforting treats for everyone. Now you may be wondering what the 1-800-CALL-OUMA is about, and I'll tell you. Ouma, was the girls name for Grandma. And a fellow December Mama had suggested releasing balloons into the air with a note to Ouma so they can still talk to her. That lovely yellow bag is filled with over 140 yellow balloons so the girls can talk to her anytime they want.

Being that Easter is upon us, there were quite a few yellow items out there right now. So I got each girl a yellow plush animal, some yellow peeps of course and various other yellow snacks. Inside the closed bags they will find malted Easter eggs, chocolate covered pretzels, and yummy butterscotch candies. I enjoyed putting this package together, but not nearly as much as hearing how much it touched my beloved friends heart.

Laura, I meant it. You and your family mean the world to me and to hear you are hurting, hurts my heart. May time pass quickly and heal the void in your hearts. May your family and friends give you the comfort you need. And know that you will see Mama again one day.

Play Date

Barbie & Woody had a playdate. Shhh, don't tell Bo Peep!

Bobbi