Weekend Wrap-Up

You guys know the drill by now, so let's just get to it.  A few stories and lots of pictures from our fun-filled Easter and birthday weekend!

Friday was so lovely.  I am the luckiest girl- seriously.  Neighbors, friends and family showered me with birthday gifts, texts, calls all day long.  It was a beautiful day out so while the kids were at school, Kaser and I (and baby Reid!) spent some time at the park. Kase couldn't have been happier finding these tiny pinecones and throwing them into the pond.  My dad stopped by during the day and brought me lunch and later that evening our little family of five went out for dinner at a new restaurant in town.  When we got home, it was still so nice out so we spent the remainder of the evening playing at the park. 

Saturday was this cutie's birthday!

Saturday morning we went to Mill Pond (where my grandma lives) to do the Easter Egg Hunt there. She was thrilled to have us visit and the kids came away with an unbelievable amount of candy and snacks.

Saturday afternoon/evening we spent in Collins celebrating all the April birthdays with Kent's side of the family.  We had the nicest time enjoying the beautiful weather on their patio. The kids, of course, were thrilled with all their gifts and I enjoyed catching up with everyone.

Boys in blue. 

The crew!

When you're a gymnast and there's open green space...cartwheels are a must!

Cupcake Kate! She made the best cupcakes (orange- Kael's favorite color, Oreo- to die for, and chocolate- yum!!) 

How pleased was I that we got all seven kids to look at the camera? Clearly, Kael was as excited as I was!!

Sunday morning was so fun.  The kids were excited about the things the Easter Bunny had left for them.

What a difference a year makes! (2014 above and 2013 below)

Back to the present...

So ornery.  Poor kid doesn't realize what's about to hit him- he thinks he's being so sneaky trying to eat a black jelly bean and looks at me like, "I'm going to eat this!" and I give him a nod like, "Go ahead..." You should have seen the look on his face as he tried to spit it out!

 Love these three with all my heart. 

Sunday after church we went to my mom and dad's house.  My grandparents and one of my sisters and her family were all able to be there which was just so fun.  The food was amazing, the Easter egg hunt was epic and the weather was beautiful. A perfect day all around.

Check out Kael's flashy new shoes! Thanks, Kevin!

So, the story behind this GIANT bunny is that Kylee and my mom were shopping together a few weeks ago and she begged and begged and begged my mom to buy it for her.  She didn't.  But my mom and I went back and forth, "Should we get it for her? Is a 3 foot tall chocolate bunny just too much? Should the Easter bunny bring it? Should Grandma give it to her?" Ultimately, Kylee was beyond thrilled when she opened it at Grandma's house.  I have yet to decide how we're going to tackle this thing- Kylee is more than willing to share with her brothers but I'm still not sure how much of it I'm actually going to allow them to eat.  Are you dying?! Have you ever seen a chocolate bunny like this?!

This picture kills me for a couple reasons.  First of all, this is Kase's first year to participate in our Annual Egg-Cracking Contest.  Kent was trying to show him how to tap the eggs together but all Kase could understand was that he was supposed to actually hit the egg.  Like, with his hand.  So he kept smacking Kent's egg and we were all dying.  The second reason I love this pictures is because of my nephew in the background.  We spent the better part of the day trying to keep the kids out of the birdbath water.  

Supermom! Mandy defeats Kylee with a toddler in her arms!

The championship- although this is the first year we've ever had some uncertainty about who the real winner was.  My dad's egg had one of those shrink-wrap things around it, thus fortifying it a little bit from cracking.  His egg beat Mandy's egg, but in the end, when Mandy picked a new (also shrink-wrapped) egg, that egg defeated my dad's egg.  They're both winners, in my book!

Sunday afternoon it was warm enough to get out Kael's new slip and slide. Kent's parents also stopped by so we enjoyed some park time with them.  I'm looking forward to another busy week as we prepare for the last of the April birthdays.  I can't believe Kase will be two!

Have a good week, guys!