We have had some fun things this week for Easter. On Friday we got a fish for the boys. It was their Easter gift from Grandpa & Grandma Hillstead who are on their mission in Washington D.C. They got a betta. They are supposed to be really easy, and since this is our first pet, we want it to be as easy as possible. The boys were so excited and discussed a variety of names for their fish. I think Nathan finally dubbed him "Sharp-Fast" because he has sharp teeth and swims fast. Nathan and Aaron take turns feeding him and they have spent a long time just looking at him and trying to pet him. Probably a little disconcerting for the fish, but so far he's survived.
On Saturday morning we had an Easter Egg Hung and Brunch with our cul-de-sac. Our neighbors hosted it and we had a potluck brunch and then all the kids went outside for the egg hunt. There were a lot of eggs and toys strewn about on the lawns. It was fun to watch them picking up eggs and putting them in their baskets. Ali even got into it and was so excited every time she saw an egg or toy. Nathan was good to share with Aaron, Ali and our neighbor, Benji. Ryan was at work and I didn't have enough hands to take pictures while we there, but I tried to get some as soon as we got home. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. Aaron and Ali were so anxious to get the candy and each got a huge chocolate egg and opened it up. So, here you see them foraging for candy. They really enjoyed looking for the eggs and were so excited to see all the toys and candy.
On Saturday afternoon we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor's for another Easter egg hunt. There were actually several hunts, each with different instructions. On the first one, they each had a different color to find. Ali found pink, Nathan purple, and Aaron green. Once they each found five eggs they got a prize. Then they followed the clues to find the golden egg. On the next hunt, they had to find the eggs with the letters of their names, and finally they each found four eggs that had numbers in them. Then they opened them up and tried to make the biggest number. After the kids had found the eggs, they got to hide some for the adults to find. then we had pizza and pop- so much fun for all of the kids (and adults)!
Grandma and Grandpa sure know how to make holidays fun. Each of the kids got a prize - little cars, coloring sets, batman toys, and Ali got a cute hat, which she was happy to model for us, but not happy to have the picture taken, apparently.
On Sunday morning the kids woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had left several eggs around our house for them to find. They had a fun time looking for eggs again. Now we can get ready for church and remember the real reason for Easter. It's been a fun couple of days. It's fun to see the kids so excited.
Playtime has been a variety of interesting things this week. This was their latest obstacle course that the boys set up and ran through. They had to jump over and run around rolls of toilet paper as fast as they could (yes, we timed them). I think they rearranged the rolls about 10 times and kept trying new things.
Nathan came home from Preschool this week and asked me for a big bowl of water. When asked what it was for, he told me that he had learned about evaporation and wanted to write his name on the sidewalk and watch it evaporate into the sky. He said a small cup of water wouldn't be enough because he needed to write a lot and didn't want the brush to soak up all the water the first time he used it. So, we found a big bowl and filled it with water. Aaron wanted to write with water, too, and Alison is happy to do anything with her brothers, especially water-related. It was sunny, but a little chilly, still. They didn't seem to mind.
Ali pretty much played in the water and got soaked. Ali was upset when I brought her in because she was so wet.
Aaron was upset that his name started with an "A" instead of an "E" because an "E says Eh... Eh, eh, Aaron." That may be a tough one. Good luck to his preschool teacher (which we found a preschool this week, so since he's all potty-trained he gets to start this fall- HOORAY).
Nathan wrote his name and say a cloud in the sky that looked like a "T" so he is sure his T evaporated and showed up in the sky.
Ali was climbing on the table and playing with the blinds, so I put her in her crib for a time-out. I was cleaning up the kitchen and the boys went and got in with her and were playing. I'm glad the crib didn't break.
We have had cold weather and snow since April started. On April 1, we were outside in 70 degree weather, enjoying the park, riding bikes, and loving the warm weather. Then it all changed and I am sitting here on Sunday morning to a cold, snowy day. Since we haven't been able to get outside, the kids have been having fun inside.
Nathan created some wings and a harness with paper so he could fly. The highest he tried was off of our bar stools, thank goodness, but he feels like he can really fly. Most of the time his experiments were off of the chair and our bed, so they were a little safer. I think he "flew" the farthest when he took off from the chair.
Our friends, Josh and Jacob come over and play every week. Here is Aaron reading them his train book. He was asking questions like, "Which is your favorite train? Which is the fastest train?" like I usually ask them when I read. It was very cute and they were all entertaining each other.
This is Aaron showing off his Krispy Kreme hat that he got when he went and spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor. I can't think of many things that are cuter than that little boy.
This morning I was changing Ali's diaper and taking her pajamas off. She was squirming around and demanded, yes- demanded in her wordless way, that she put her shoes on first. As soon as she had her shoes on, she ran off to show Dad. It took another hour or so before I could wrangle her into her onesie. So, here she is, flower in her hair to keep it out of her eyes, a diaper and shoes...what a girl!
On Saturday morning we had an Easter Egg Hung and Brunch with our cul-de-sac. Our neighbors hosted it and we had a potluck brunch and then all the kids went outside for the egg hunt. There were a lot of eggs and toys strewn about on the lawns. It was fun to watch them picking up eggs and putting them in their baskets. Ali even got into it and was so excited every time she saw an egg or toy. Nathan was good to share with Aaron, Ali and our neighbor, Benji. Ryan was at work and I didn't have enough hands to take pictures while we there, but I tried to get some as soon as we got home. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. Aaron and Ali were so anxious to get the candy and each got a huge chocolate egg and opened it up. So, here you see them foraging for candy. They really enjoyed looking for the eggs and were so excited to see all the toys and candy.
On Saturday afternoon we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor's for another Easter egg hunt. There were actually several hunts, each with different instructions. On the first one, they each had a different color to find. Ali found pink, Nathan purple, and Aaron green. Once they each found five eggs they got a prize. Then they followed the clues to find the golden egg. On the next hunt, they had to find the eggs with the letters of their names, and finally they each found four eggs that had numbers in them. Then they opened them up and tried to make the biggest number. After the kids had found the eggs, they got to hide some for the adults to find. then we had pizza and pop- so much fun for all of the kids (and adults)!
On Sunday morning the kids woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had left several eggs around our house for them to find. They had a fun time looking for eggs again. Now we can get ready for church and remember the real reason for Easter. It's been a fun couple of days. It's fun to see the kids so excited.
