This year we tried a trick from Family Fun magazine--using a wire whisk to dip the eggs. Win--it kept the boys hands out of the dye and MUCH cleaner than past years. Lose-the weight of the whisk tipped 3 of the cups over spilling dye everywhere. And unfortunately the weather did not permit outdoor fun so that was dye all over the cloth seats/table/floor. I think we'll be back to dippers next year.
We did have fun though. I got an 11 in 1 kit from WalMart, so we dyed, then stamped, then added beads and stickers, etc. I also had a cute kit from Oriental trading so we dolled them all up nicely. And of course I am biased, but isn't Davis just gorgeous in the above picture? Love the eyes, love that kid!
Our finished products, still in the fridge just like this in fact. I have a weird trepidation about eating dyed eggs. Google says I have one more day to make deviled eggs or these are just going in the trash.
Photogenic Davey boy (sorry for the repeats for my facebook friends)
Silly Carter and his off-colored right front tooth. Sad tooth was bumped too many times and is now dead. My mom the dental assistant says it will get better, but will always be a bit off--well for the 1-2 years he'll still have it.
Last week we also had our first soccer practice! So fun! Well, it would have been except it was windy and freezing! I was SO cold! That's Carter following up on a goal. They did okay, we had to redirect their attention a few times, but it was brief and fun enough I think. We'll see how the season goes. It was a little harder on Lowell I think. I have been in several settings where the boys have behaved as their usual selves which does not match the behavior of other children their age. I have for the most part accepted that this is how it is, and with some extra help the boys can still enjoy all the same things as other kids. It was harder for Lowell to watch them not be able to handle the same tasks as other kids: follow directions, wait in line, stay on task. I don't know what to say about that. During conference it just hit me that I have to stop thinking, they are 4 and a half, they should be doing . . .and they should not be doing . . . They are just Carter and Davis and they can do some things better than kids their age and they struggle with some things other kids don't. We'll just encourage them in all things, even things that need more help than others. I don't want to label them as "special needs" but to me all kids have special needs--and it is their parent's blessing/responsibility to know what things will help them perform at their best and be happy.
SO, Saturday morning the boys enjoyed a cold, but fun Easter egg hunt with our ward. And then in the evening we had dinner and a hunt with my family. That was a Pregnor moment when my plan for the event did not match what actually transpired. In the end it all worked out okay but in the moment I had a hard time dealing with it. Here is Carter ready to start hunting.
And then Davis. His start was delayed because the little punk chose to escape our house while I was hiding eggs. Bad decision on action and timing. I can't say why but that week he escaped 3 times. Once climbing the back fence while I was making dinner, once by climbing out the downstairs window and then over the fence, and this last time through a downstairs window that goes into the front yard. Every time he explained something about wanting to see a cat or a friend down the street. Every time I explained that it is not safe and he can ask me and I will take him where he wants to go. Each time he got time out, the last time he also got a spanking and a delayed Easter. So frustrating/scary for me not knowing where that kid is. Another moment of reflection. Both boys struggle with impulse control and consequence understanding. Those are ADHD characteristics, among other conditions. So perhaps I can't rely on my son's ability to control himself. New window locks (in addition to the ones upstairs) are coming and some way to block climbing the fence. If he can't control himself, physical barriers will have to help him. Some would say abuse, and all I can say is for one kid that may be, for my kid it is purely a safety issue.
Finding eggs--we still had a good night after all.
Best brothers (that's what they call each other instead of best friends)
The loot
Playing with their bug catchers. I didn't think they would find bugs in the cold weather, but they discovered a rotten apple with plenty of red ants--so they became their friends/torture victims. Davis did get bitten by one, so there was some retribution--they just don't know how much the boys love them, or that they probably saved them since it snowed 3 inches that night.
Sunday we got to repeat the whole evening for Easter #2 with Lowell's family. Same dinner, same Easter egg hunt--more desserts and more kids. Here are all the cousins ready to get started.
We had the traditional dog Easter egg hunt as well, I took this indoor shot to commemorate that. Maddy, Oscar, and Maxwell--kind of shaggy but man we love these dogs!Easter was also a fun milestone, I felt the baby move for the first time. :) 15 weeks. Tuesday was even more fun--we found out that the baby is a GIRL. Man, I made you wait a long time for that! We're quite excited of course, but most of all I loved seeing the little miss jump around.
Also this week,
Monday we went to the dino museum and also caught a reptile show while we were there.
Tuesday my dad joined me for a trip to the Children's Garden. This is the only pic I took:
But the boys had a great time and played for nearly 2 hours without even going throughout the whole park (which is not big). It was their half birthday and also Jesus's birthday in Mormon tradition. I told Davis it was Jesus's birthday and he wanted to know if He was going to come over for cake? Cute bubba. I just said Probably Not. Wednesday--okay my days are off--we went to the Gardens Weds, we just played at home Tuesday. Wednesday night we enjoyed some time outside in fairly nice weather.
Today we enjoyed having Lowell off for Spring break and went to the zoo. It was busy, but we still had a good time.
Tomorrow we plan to go to Farm Country and the boys have soccer practice.
And Saturday I am going to go get a massage (thanks to a Christmas gift from Lowell) now that I am out of the 1st trimester but can still lay on my stomach fairly well. Then we are going to go to Lagoon and perhaps catch up with some old friends too. Should be a great day!
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