the boys' new bikes

I mentioned in a previous post that Easter morning we got up and headed to church.  Some of you may have wondered about how the Easter Bunny plays (or doesn't play) into that scenario.  At our house, the Easter Bunny arrives while you're at church on Easter morning.  This way, Daddy A doesn't miss anything, and I don't have to rush everyone out the door to a chorus of disappointment over not being able to play with new toys.  The boys accepted from the start (probably because we've always done things this way) that the Easter Bunny has lots of houses to go to and so we offered to be a "late shift", so to speak, and get our gifts after church.

This year, the boys got much bigger Easter gifts than usual.  (I realize new bikes are a bit much for the Easter Bunny to bring, but it dawned on me after P's birthday - of course - that he doesn't know how to ride a bike.  He couldn't pedal a two wheeler - or a tricycle - with much expertise.  Daddy A has a sabbatical this summer, so we knew that would be a good time for P to learn.  Daddy A suggested the boys get their bikes from the Easter Bunny, rather than just out of the blue.)

Sunday evening we took the boys and their bikes to the neighbors' driveway across the street for their first "lesson".  More to come...

Easter lunch

We didn't have any out of town guests come in for Easter this year, and the Sheppard family invited us over for lunch and an egg hunt after church.  The weather was nice, and the fellowship was wonderful.  :)

I think this was the boys' first up close and personal experience with a hammock.  After climbing all over it and flipping it several times, they were content to sit still and pose for a picture with "Marfa".

C has really missed "my Marfa" this semester.  He frequently looks out the window to see if her car drives by and asks if he can go to her house or if she is still at school.  The highlight of his time with her may have been his discovery that he was a model for one of her assignments at school.  "Mama!' he excitedly exclaimed, "Marfa draw me bunny!"  (She was actually drawing a picture of him as a bunny.  Well, not as a bunny.  As C in a pink bunny costume.  But now you know what he meant.)

After lunch, they boys went after some more eggs.  We said, "Go!" and they were off!

Again, with the group photo crisis.  None of the shots we took had all four people looking at the camera at the same time... but that's okay.  Life doesn't stand still, either.

Easter morning

When the boys woke up on Easter morning, Daddy A was already at church preparing for the pancake breakfast.  Once we were dressed and ready, the boys and I headed that way as well.

P picked both of the boys' Easter outfits.  I was really pleased with his choices!  (I wonder if I have any Easters with outfits like these left?)  He chose a Peter Rabbit smocked jon jon for C and a two piece set with blue shorts and a blue shirt with a Peter Pan collar for himself.  He explained, "I will wear Peter Rabbit clothes, too, if you want me to, Mom," which I thought was incredibly sweet, but I told him to choose something he liked and would be comfortable wearing.  P makes lots of comments like these - he goes out of his way to please others.

After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, the boys spent some time helping to flower the cross before we headed to worship.  I didn't take any posed "Easter pictures," so hopefully these provide proper documentation.

bouncing at the mall

You know those big contraptions they set up at the mall with about six trampoline-type things and bungee cords?  They charge you for the privilege of jumping around, and P decided about a year ago that it looked like "too much fun".  Almost every time we pass one he asks if today is the day we will try it out.

The day before Easter was, in fact, the day to try it out.  We went to the mall and I spent what felt like forever shopping for an Easter dress and swimsuit.  By the time we went to the food court for lunch, I knew the boys were ready for some fun.  P told me that if he got a chance to jump, he would jump all the way to the ceiling...

...which he did.  Well, he got as close to the ceiling as you could safely get.

And C?  Well, monkey see, monkey do.  I found out he was over the mnimum weight (the only requirement), and they weighed him to double check.  Since he was chomping at the bit, I turned him loose.

He eventually got higher than this (Sorry, Mom!) with the help of one of the staff, who would grab his harness and pull him down to help him get extra bounce, but I don't think he got quite as high as P did.

Both of the boys had a great time bouncing, so I'm glad they got the chance... but I may change my tune the next time we visit the mall when they want to do it again!

in which our friends get bunnies

After spending the early afternoon with the Easter Bunny, P and C were extremely excited to find out that their "bes' frien'" Colby had just gotten bunnies!  Actually, Colby's sisters each got a bunny.

C is an animal lover, so he was thrilled to pet Nala... with some help from Chelsea.  Later in the evening he got to hold Simba and help feed the bunnies, and he's still talking about that!

P sat still for several minutes while getting to know Simba.

When the bunnies were ready to rest, P, Colby, and C enjoyed fresh apples (and stopped running around to indulge their mama and take a group photo...

...or two!).

The weather was gorgeous, and the barefoot boys reminded me of warm summer days, (slightly) later bedtimes, and outdoor fun!

the neighborhood hunts for Easter eggs

On Good Friday the boys were invited to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  (My guilt over hunting for eggs on Good Friday was somewhat assuaged when the party started with a telling of the Easter story using Resurrection Eggs.)  The boys had a great time with their friends, and Daddy A and I had a lot of fun watching them play and visiting with the the other parents in the neighborhood.

The Easter Bunny made an appearance at the party.  The boys greeted him, and P was incredibly observant.  He noticed the Easter Bunny's tennis shoes and then walked around behind him, checking for a zipper in an attempt to find out for sure if the Easter Bunny was actually the Easter Bunny or a person in a costume.

C had no doubts about the authenticity of the Easter Bunny - and he LOVED getting "face time" with EB.  Whenever I lost sight of him, I just looked around for the Easter Bunny, and there was C as well!

Of course, it wouldn't be an egg hunt if there wasn't some actual hunting involved.

C spent some QT on the swings.  C LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to swing.  At the park, in the backyard, at school, or at the neighborhood egg hunt, I'm never surprised to find my little man hopping on a swing for a ride.

P and C both scored baskets full of eggs.  And yes, before you ask, those eggs all have candy inside.

Still quite the ham, C was happy to sit for a longer photo session than his brother.

And now... (drumroll, please) the group shots.  I posted these three because, really, with that many kids you didn't expect one shot with everyone looking at the camera and wearing their best smile, did you?

Happy Easter!  (I don't have to put "belated" on this post, because it is still Easter!)

in which C dyes Easter Eggs with his classmates

brotherly love

Daddy A and I were always sure that we wanted at least two kids, and we were very hopeful that our boys would be close.  They really do enjoy each others' company, and have gotten super close lately.  They've started asking to read stories and say their prayers before bed together, instead of in their separate rooms.  I love watching them become such good friends.  Given this background, you can understand why and how much I love these pictures that Daddy A snapped as the boys were leaving school last month.  Sometimes the best pictures are taken when your subjects don't know you're even watching them.

Hunting for Leprechauns, take two

Our dinner club was scheduled to meet on Saint Patrick's Day for our March meeting, so when we had finished a green themed meal we went on a leprechaun hunt.  A leprechaun left clues all over the house and yard for the kids to follow.  P and his friend Morgan had a great time searching for clues.

When we reached the final clue, it didn't lead us to the leprechaun, but it did lead us to a special Saint Patrick's Day treat.  There was green Mixchief vanilla pudding and there were bags of Skittles and Rolo candies.  (What can I say?  :)  Leprechauns are nothing if not consistent.)

P is already looking forward to hunting for leprechauns again next year!

Hunting for Leprechauns, take one

The week before Saint Patrick's Day, our class created "leprechaun traps" in the hopes of capturing one of the little guys and finding out where his pot of gold was hidden.

C filled his leprechaun trap with "SHINY stuff!" (sequins) as bait.  He explained that gold is shiny, so he knew that leprechauns would be tempted to climb in his trap for "shiny stuff".

When C and his classmates arrived at school on Friday morning, they found what C described as "a terrible mess"!  Chairs were turned over, our traps were upended, and - the unanimous favorite mess - the water in the toilet was green!

We looked and looked all over our classroom, but we never did find the leprechaun.

We were "lucky" enough to receive a special snack from our leprechaun visitor, though.  We enjoyed making some Mixchief vanilla pudding (that turned green when you added milk) and a bag of Skittles and Rolo candies.  Yum!

Happy (belated) Saint Patrick's Day!