Easter Weekend 2012 *pic heavy*

On Friday I was making dinner and the doorbell rang. I was so mad because the neighborhood kids knew we had just come in to eat. But, it was the UPS man. haha.

The kids got this delicious cookie basket from Grandma and Grandpa Horn.

They wolfed their dinner so they could have dessert!


Bridget begged for the feu-sha flower. 
Lucas told her the bunny was bigger thus giving her more cookie, but she insisted.



Seriously, Juliet's eyes kill me.

While the kids were eating their cookies, Mason just sat on Nathan's lap with this sweet little face.


I just want to squeeze him when he looks at me like this.

Then I asked him if he wanted a cookie and he flashed this cute smile!


It just kept getting bigger and bigger.


He was semi giggling.
*swoon*

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The kids went to bed and then it was Saturday morning.

Time for the Ward Easter Egg Hunt.
Emma and Scarlett are such a cute pair of friends.

 They always seem to find each other amongst the crowds. :)

 Each kid was able to collect 18 eggs.

 Juliet loooooved collecting eggs. Nathan would hold the basket and she would plop them in one at a time and giggle. 




Juliet is wearing Scarlett's old shoes. They are a size 6. 
We realized her other shoes were too small right before this activity. I love having hand me downs readily available. :)

After the ward activity we went to Grandma and Grandpa Witte's to pick up some Olive Oil for a group buy she recently did.  

After that we treated the kids to BK and then came home. The kids played outside for hours and had so much fun while Nathan and I cleaned out the garage, cleaned out the car, and enjoyed each others company.


+++

Sunday morning the kids woke up, I made Whole Wheat Lemon Blueberry Muffins. Seriously, delicious and  low in calories!  Then we asked the kids why they didn't clean up their rooms before breakfast? Confused, they came up and saw we had spread eggs in their room. Since we have church at 11, we thought it would be fun to do eggs inside this year and then they could get dressed and just go.

We don't do tradtional Easter Baskets here. The kids get eggs, some with candy, some with notes, some with neat trinkets.  The kids were so excited to check it out. They also don't believe in the easter bunny. We haven't said anything about it, but Lucas (voice of reason) said "Rabbits are mammals. They don't lay eggs. They give birth like humans, so No Easter Bunny." We all just, went with it. 


 Even Mason was in on the egg hiding. :)



In our house, if you find a dyed egg, you can trade it in for a prize. This year, along with their traditional book with a note from mom and dad, they got notebooks, pens, and a special candy treat. :)

 Juliet found hers first. The kids were trying so hard to find theirs. Usually, those are the hardest to find. :)



Scarlett was excited to find out she found a note with "Skip a day of chores" on it.
All the kids were excited to read what they got.
Lucas found 2 "stay up 30 minutes late" slips. He traded Bridget one of them for a "special story night under the covers." This year they liked these (treats) the best. Who knew?

Then it was time to get ready for church.
We spent to much time on Easter and so the girls didn't get their hair curled for church.
*oh well*

Church was great. I love seeing so many families all dressed up and pretty for Easter.
When we got home I tried to get pictures of everyone.
These kids were pictured out.
But, for memories sake. Here they are. Haha.


 It was too sunny, and then Juliet took off.



 There is Mason and that cute face again. AAH. I just love it.


 This one comes WITH the blue panties. Haha.


 Juliet wishes she was as fast as the other kids. :)


I snapped this cute one, and Lucas got this one.


I cropped out Mason and Juliet in this one. But, I like it.

We had ribs, baked potatoes, green beans and wheat rolls for dinner.
No ham here, Nathan's request!

It was a fun Easter Weekend, and I am glad to get back to normal tomorrow!

30 checklist review!!!

1.    Compliment 2 people a week who are not related to me. 
DONE! I sent letters, messages, called people, and complimented people in person. It was truly the highlight of my week. I made a little notebook and recorded reactions and thoughts about my experiences. I hope to share it with my kids someday.


6.    Visit/Stay at a state I have never been.
SCHEDULED! I am going to Chicago in July for a PB meetup and I couldn't be happier!
I have never been and intend to laugh myself silly. :)



8.    Make a Treat and Activity for a friend and family 1x a month. 
DONE! This one was my favorite, long term activity. I loved surprising families with a game and treat. My kids would ask about how the families took the surprise service. I felt so good doing it too! :)


9.    For every item I complete, I will put $10 in an envelope so I have $300 in fun $$ on my 30th BDAY! 
DONE!  Really glad I did this because I have $290 to spend on new clothes. I lost a total of 51 pounds and not only feel better and look better, I learned a lot about myself.


12.   Go skiing/snowboarding. The last time was 2004 right before our wedding, or if PG take kids for 1st time
I am really sad about this one. With bedrest for 22 weeks, and our winter cut short due to the weather we were unable to complete this one. I hope we can do this next season!


22.  Have a Real Girls Night/Day with different people every time, every month.
DONE! Luckily I was able to do 2 in a month, some months. I am glad Nathan is home so I can leave, and that he is such a good dad and will take ALL 5 kids when I go out with friends. Dating is an awesome thing, but having time for just me, has made me a better mother, wife, and friend.

23.  Start a Gratitude/Picture a Day journal and print it.
DONE! I can't wait to send this to the printer and have my 29th year in a book! It was hard some months, but I did it! :)


24.  Surprise Nathan with the LD for the full 40 days. 
DONE! We actually did this at the same time. I recommend this to all my friends...I love my husband more (if that is possible) and I learned how to "talk to him" better. 


27.  Conquer a fear.
DONE! I took a Zumba Class. I hate to dance. I hate to "go to the gym" but I took the class and HATED every freaking minute of it. I could hardly move afterwards.  My sister assures me, I will like it, if I try it again. I am skeptical, but willing to try it again.


29.  Visit a person every month that needs a pick me up. 
Since I was on bedrest, I couldn't get out EVERY month, but I did have visitors who picked ME up. Does that count? I promise to continue this, so I am totally counting it!




I only have a few left, and then I am done! Wahoo!

Three, I despise thee

I knew it was coming.
Today just hit the nail on the head.

A typical argument between my three year old, and myself.
we are in the fun phase of "I only want hair brushed, not done" phase.
Me: "Scarlett you need to sit in time out."
S: "I never want to sit in time out" (stomp upstairs, slam door)
*long dramatic pause*
S: (open the door) "I do not like being in time out"
Me: "Why did I need to put you in time out?"
S: "Because I never, you never listen to me"
Me: "What do you want me to listen to?"
S: "I don't know, I am always hungry."
Me: "Yes, I know. Why did I put you in time out?"
S: "Because I took food without asking"
Me: "Yes. What should you do next time you are hungry."
S: "I don't know, stop talking to me." (slam door)

I wait, I hear sobbing and screaming from her room.

S: (quietly opening the door) "I need to take a nap. I am very tired."
Me: "Okay, you do that."
S: "Then I will be out of time out."

I don't blame her behavior on her, it is totally the age.
B went through this with higher volume and more attitude.
L went through this with more logic and more tears.

I suppose J and M will go through this too. Lucky for me they will do it at the same time. 
Joy! Ugh.

At some point, when I am still not upset about it...I will blog about the Canola Oil incident.
It involves the hospital, the police, and Nathan leaving work in the middle of a presentation.

Did I mention 3 isn't my favorite? Cause it is not.
Luckily, I love this little red head enough to know, it is a phase that only lasts a short time...a year to be exact. :)
And, most of the time she is really sweet. It is just those "fun" in between moments that I don't like all that much. Deep Breath - only 2 more kids to go...Deep Breath.

Easter Prep

I always try to find an easter egg kit that we haven't tried. I saw this one and thought, let's try it!

So, after dinner (last night) we colored eggs.


This kit came with these cups. They seemed like a good idea in theory. BUT they make a mess if you spill.
We learned this about 3x.






I love how much they look alike. These kids are getting too big for my liking. :)


They really had a great time.
So did Jules.




So, I decided to add to the fun.

We Q-Tip painted with white paint to "enhance" our eggs.
You know, fancy them up. :)


This one ^is mine^




They are going to look so awesome on the table on Sunday.

Then we had sugar cookies to decorate.




It just isn't Easter without sugar cookies.

I know I am weird and like them plain.
A little crispy on the bottom and soft on the top. 

Mmm.



A good sugar cookie does not need frosting. :)

It was a fun Easter Family Night, including a lesson where Bridget asked if Jesus was sprinkled in Oregano. In which she then added "I hope they didn't sprinkle him in Oregano, because Oregano stinks."

Haha.

4 months old!

Time seems to go so fast, but lucky for us with Mason...it is really s l o w.
 Even though he is 4 months old, developmentally he is "2 months."\
His Physical Therapist, Kit teases him all the time because his long eyelashes were wasted on a boy, and that he is fixing his tightness without her.

He has a right side preference, usually.
He looks to the right, he uses his right leg to kick when he gets excited, and he only uses his right hand.

When she comes - he uses both equally. Haha.
Also, his web surgery was cancelled on a count of - he fixed his issue himself!

He is eating 5 oz every 4 hours, and sleeps 8 hours at night. The trick is getting him down late enough so we aren't waking up at 4 to feed him. 9pm is too early. ALSO he is 13.4 pounds.



The children adore him. How could they not? He sleeps all day and all night, and when he is awake he just watches...and never blinks. Hahaha.


Except for Bridget. She can get him to smile. Juliet usually provokes this face...


She has started calling him "Mi-mo" so that is a name we all have stuck too.
Or Mini Witte, or Macers


I really should have fed him before I took pictures of him. He was starting to get hungry...


Yup, he needs to eat now!

Gotta run.

For grins and giggles....

I think Mason looks JUST like his big brother.

A more accurate view of them at 2 months...HERE
He favors Scarlett in the 2 month pics.

What do you think?

Spring Break Day7 - Indian Shower

Nathan's boss, Arun is about to be a father! 
We must have inspired him since we have had 2 kids in the almost 2 years he has worked there. Haha.
A terrible picture for such a nice couple.

I have never met his wife Divya, and she really wanted to meet the kids so we brought them.

Arun told us this was a traditional Indian Baby Shower.
How exciting!

The kids watched the ceremony. And we talked about their beautiful dresses.
This is Mohan's wife. Mohan works with Nathan too.
Juliet felt at home. Haha.
These next few are just pictures of the sari's. I want one. :)
The music was so cool, and their sari's were beautiful.
This is Arun's mom. She has been in CO since January. Next to her is Divya, and then Divya's mom. She just got here. They will be here (living with Arun) until June/July. They are so lucky to have so much help. :)
I don't think my MIL would want to be with me for that long. *wink*
This is Mohan and his son Gotham. (pronounced Gou-tham)
Cake by Susan. :)
Our kids were so enthralled with everything. 
It was nice to see them quiet and learning. 
The kids were able to eat authentic Indian food. A lot of it was spicy.
Juliet was just loving all of the kids. She was also eyeing that pool.

We left and talked about all they had seen and heard.
We learned shortly after the shower, Juliet's system didn't agree with Indian food.
(Her carseat didn't either) 

The kids napped hard, we got up enjoyed playing with the neighbors. Nathan and I got to hang with the neighbor adults. That was fun. Then we ate dinner and ended our Spring Break with Strawberry Shortcakes.

 Juliet was feeling much better. hehe.
It was a fun break from the normal, everyday life.

We also all can't wait to get back to reality.