A message from the kids
To all of you special moms, grandmas, aunts & godmothers…
XOXO – N I & L
Tag: Shecklet #1
Muddin’
The roads in our neighborhood are being replaced this summer so we have had fun watching the workers and machines from our front window. Tonight we took a family walk to see the big diggers up close. On the walk back, I told the boys they could go splash in the mud puddles. (I know, I’m a great mom!) Lincoln ended up getting stuck in a deep puddle and leaned a bit too far to his left. He was a tad scared at first, but when we told him he won the “mud award” for the night, he perked right up.
The Easter Bunny
We’ve had the Easter Bunny living in our attic for several years. The boys have seen him a couple of times, but I always forget to bring him out on Easter. While purging a bunch of stuff from the attic this afternoon, I decided to pull ‘ol Mr. EB out from the corner and place him in the rocker in the boys’ room.
Backing up a bit, my in-laws took the kids for the day so Jake and I could get a few things done around the house. Jake worked in the yard, I went in to the office for a couple of hours and then did some purging of things we don’t use/don’t need any longer. We took advantage of being kid-free and went to get something to eat. When we returned, the kids were back, bathed, and reading with Grandma Patti. Mr. EB was also snugly tucked in on the floor of the boys’ room.
Mr. EB was a gift from Sammy, my adopted grandma. We grew up living away from our other grandparents. Sammy over-flowed the grandparent void that Tony and I had with love, attention, & simple everyday experiences that left a life-long impression on both of us. Knowing I can share some of her with my own kids makes my heart smile. I’m sure she’s smiling down on all of us from Heaven, too.
Easter 2012
We roused the crew at a very unusual time this morning. We had breakfast and were out the door in time to start greeting people at 7am for Easter morning mass. The kids did a great job saying “Happy Easter” and handing out mass leaflets. I was really impressed with the way Nolan took ownership of his “job.” And Lincoln was a super “leaflet restocker” for us.
After mass, we went home and treated the kids to orange rolls for breakfast. After a failed attempt at getting Ingrid to nap earlier than usual, we headed to my parents’ house for an early Easter dinner. We dined on ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato casserole (a favorite of mine), cranberry relish & cabbage slaw (also a fave and recipe of my Great Aunt Frances’.)
Later in the afternoon, Tony & Kristin joined us and were so sweet to our kids, as usual. They have such a knack for entertaining them. They “decorated” the sun room and dining room, which seems to have become somewhat of a tradition when they’re together at my parents’ house. The kids also smothered icing all over enhanced and then ate the rice krispy bunny that Tony made them. Kristin put together the cutest Easter gift bag for them, complete with stickers, fruit strips, and grow your own grass & flower kits.
Thank you Lord, for giving us the opportunity again this year to be together as a family and celebrate the ultimate sacrifice Christ made on the cross. He is risen! Happy Easter!
Coloring eggs
We dyed eggs with Nolan & Lincoln for the first time tonight. I know, I know, why haven’t we done it before?!? To be honest, they’ve never really asked about it and I just didn’t encourage it. Dropping eggs into a staining liquid just sounds like a dangerous activity for two busy boys, but we decided to finally give it a try. Now that we’ve got one year under our belts, I’m sure they will remind me we need to do it again next year.
You may notice the man with the beard in the upper right photo. Jake gave up shaving for Lent. What you’re looking at is 40 days of growth. I’m happy to report that shortly after the photo was taken, he was once again clean shaven 🙂
Jeepin’ around
You know it’s spring when the kids ask if they can get the jeep out of the shed. It didn’t matter that the battery wasn’t charged. Nolan pushed, Lincoln steered, and Ingrid navigated.
Chicks, swans & Grandma Patti’s birthday
We went to Grandma Patti & Grandpa Dave’s house tonight to celebrate Grandma’s birthday (a day early.) I took the kids down after Ingrid got up from her nap, so we arrived a little before dinner time. We took advantage of the great weather and went for a walk. Neighbors up the road just received 60 new baby chicks, so we brought the kids over to see the fluffy peepers. From there, we walked up the hill to another neighbor’s pond to see the swans. The male was not pleased with the proximity at which we were looking at him and his mate. The way he flared his feathers made for a visually interesting show.
After we had dinner and birthday grasshopper pie (Grandma Patti’s favorite) we went back outside for some fun in the driveway & yard. The three amigos all had to have their turn trying to climb the basketball pole. They all needed a little boost from Uncle Jason & Daddy.
Wheels on the feet
The boys were invited to their first rollerskating birthday party today. It took a little time, but they both eventually started to get the feel of rolling instead of walking. As we were leaving they each asked if we could go back again.
The roller rink brought back so many memories of “skating parties” my Catholic school had at the local roller rink. Similar carpet, benches, lockers. It was like walking back in time as you passed through the entrance doors. It’s fun to think that there are still places like this open for our kids to participate in an increasingly uncommon activity like rollerskating.
Play-doh kind of day
Today we quickly discovered that most of our play-doh lost its “doh.” It was more like play-crusty-rock. The kids didn’t seem to mind that I threw out 90% of our stock. They actually were quite helpful in going through the multiple containers in our stash. Guess it’s time for a new batch.
