Hoppy Easter!

Phew! It has been a whirlwind of a weekend for us. For the past two weeks Bean, Bug, Almost Mine, and our neighbors M & K have been stuffing Easter eggs for our church’s annual East Egg Hunt. Those 5 children stuffed 851 eggs! Eight-hundred fifty-one EGGS! My entire living room was full of eggs and their fingers were sore. But those 5 little ones were able to make 158 children very happy.

The morning started with a visit from a local farm with a train, a pony, and a fantastic petting zoo.

The girls enjoyed the petting zoo more than anything else. First Bean found the colored chicks. Orange was her pick.

Then Bug found the colored ducklings. Ah, a nice lovely teal shade.

Zman was the pony leader. He walked that pony back and forth and back and forth for a solid hour and made many a children’s day.

Bean was enamored with those colored chicks. She and her buddy, M, picked color coordinating chicks. You know, a girl’s got to make sure she coordinates her accessories.

I could not resist Bug and K, with their faces painted like bunnies while they loved on some real, live, furry bunnies.

Bean eventually made her way around to the bunnies.

The girls spent their entire hour switching back and forth between chicks, ducklings, and bunnies.

Then it was time for the egg hunt. See that girl in the red pants? She was wasting no time.

And she’s off!

Bug was a little more laid back, but still managed to have a fantastic time!

And the kids came home hyped up on candy, cookies, juice, and adrenaline. Oh, and they smelled phenomenal as well!

Good Report Cards = TCBY

Bean and Bug have both made honor roll this past 9 weeks.  Bug asked if we could look into getting some ice cream as a reward.  I hope she is easily pleased when she’s 16 as well!

We had a mass of children Saturday night.  There were the neighbors, M & K, Bean, Bug, and Almost Mine.   Since everyone had done pretty well on their report cards, it became a group outing. 

Do you know how long it takes for 5 children to decide what they want?

Do you know how many funny looks you get when you walk into a store with 5 children that span a 3 year age difference?

 

Fadre and I realized the only child out of the 5 that didn’t look like it belonged?  Bean.  Everybody else has pretty much the same hair color – but hers is much darker.  When you see her face though, you know she is Fadre’s child.  At least that’s what people tell me.  I see a child who constantly looks at life through a prism.  But that’s another story…

It turned out to be a worthy reward.

And we were all happy.  Did I mention I had a strawberry parfait?  You know, I’ve been working hard too. 

And my willpower was not strong enough to just watch them eat it.

And then Bug asked if these could spend the night:

 

And I said yes.

Because I had forgotten they were energized by this:

Oh, and the last one was still awake after 11 o’clock that night.

Dinner at Nana’s

For as long as I can remember, our birthday tradition has been to either go out to dinner to celebrate, or have Nana cook your favorite dinner.  For years my birthday dinner request was stir fry.  But eventually I learned to make it myself and I don’t want to be wasting my birthday dinner on a meal I can cook.  My new favorite is a Weight Watchers chicken dish that probably doesn’t conform to Weight Watchers rules any more because it contains full fat cheese and other goodies.  My best description is chicken stuffed with sautéed celery and carrots.  Then the chicken is smothered in tomato sauce, covered in mozzarella cheese and served over rice.   It is incredible!!  But it takes a lot of work.  Something about beating the chicken ‘til it’s really thin and using a cuisinart (which I do not own).  So I just wait until my birthday, or if my mom ever asks for dinner suggestions. 

This year my youngest sister came back from college for the weekend to help celebrate.

Sidebar – her knee is healing up nicely…

The kids were not that into the chicken dish, so mom fixed them pizza.  And somebody ate Easy Mac, yuck!

C and Bug watched a little TV. 

Bean and Almost Mine played a few video games.

And then Bean….

I don’t know what she’s doing.  Don’t ask.

Thanks for a great birthday dinner Nana!!!

Almost Mine

I call him Almost Mine because, well, he’s like one of my children.  ‘Cept for that whole – he didn’t come out of my birth canal thing….

I can remember the call vividly from iNik to tell me about him.  I was there in the ultrasound room when we learned it was a boy.  (Which was really good news because Lordy, if you had only seen the size of his feet then!)  I was there when he took his first breath.  And it was I who cut the cord and freed him from his mother.  Someday he’ll thank me for that because, I mean, how embarrassing to have to drag your mother with you everywhere. 

I’ve held him, I’ve nursed him (desperate times call for desperate measures), I’ve kissed his boo-boos, I’ve rocked him to sleep, I’ve watched him hit his milestones, I’ve watched him grow up, and I’ve loved him every minute of his life like he was mine.

2002 – he made an appearance at his own baby shower!  Early bird catches the worm.

2003 – Almost Mine and Bug are 5 months apart.  They are like a set of twins.

 

2004 – Halloween.  Who are those girls, and doesn’t their mother ever brush their hair??????

2005 – Ground Hog Day party

 

2006 – Mountain View, AR vacation

2007 – Easter Egg Hunt

2008 – Almost Mine adores Zman so when Zman got his mohawk, so did he.

Today he turns 7.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Almost Mine!