April Favorites

There were still a couple cold days in April and I finally happened to find our winter gear.  You know, hats, scarves, mittens… some things we could have used ALL WINTER LONG.  Alexis found a hat that my co-worker gave me for when Noah is a little bigger and wouldn’t leave it alone.  Cute? Yes. (Thanks, Beth!)

Since my last attempt at making a fort for the kids got out of hand on my end and received little interest from the kids, I decided to keep the next one simple. We put up the tent Noah got for Christmas in the living room.  It was a hit (go figure!)… especially at bed time as they brushed their teeth

Pizza & Playtime

We met up with Grandma and Grandpa Leesch and Micki and the guys at Pizza Ranch in Brandon for pizza one night.  And for the first time, we took the kids over to the County Fair, an arcade and indoor play land next door.  They were just about to close (actually had an hour before closing), so the lady let the kids play on the jump jumps and the climbing set for free.  Good thing we didn’t pay too because Alexis FREAKED out when we put her in the jump jump.  So, of course, Noah wasn’t interested either.  However he did want to shoot the guns at the saloon with the big boys.

They both LOVED the indoor jungle gym, yet refused to go down the giant tunnel slide by themselves and I didn’t think I was supposed to climb up there with them. 

So they had fun hanging around and jumping off platforms with Grandpa.  These were some of the best dismounts:  

Two Little Bunnies, Three Easter Hunts

Easter morning began with Hunt #1.  Alexis found her basket pretty easy and helped Noah find his, though he didn’t really need it.  When the baby latches aren’t on the cupboards, it seems as though an alarm goes off for him because he bee-lines it to them to play with everything inside.

 

Inside, they found the Easter Bunny brought them playdough, some toys, Oreos, fruit snacks and other non-allergenic foods.

Then the Leeschs came over for some lunch and an Easter Hunt #2.  She’s a total ham, right?  And yes, that IS an actual (and rare) photo of mommy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let the fun begin! They loved the hunt and Alexis got the hang of it quickly: grab as many eggs as you can because they have candy in them! She would shake every one to make sure there was something in it.  However, when they open them, the jellybeans would spill onto the grass and our lovely yard guy had just treated it with a chemical, so those beans were no good! Try telling that to a sugar raging toddler!

 

There were even eggs for cousins Ethan and Cole.  But they shared theirs with the kiddos too.

(Photo below: Grandpa, Grandma, Ethan, Micki, Cozi, Cole; Noah, Alexis)

 

Then it was off to Busha and Dzia Dzia’s house for some Easter dinner and Hunt #3. (Check out my two guys at the pond!)

Noah’s basket was tucked beside the piano, filled with tons of sugary sweetness.  Alexis looked in the cupboard in the den but didn’t see it. We had to convince her to look again.

Then it was off to hunt for the eggs outside.  By now, Noah was getting the hang of it and knew exactly what to look for.  He found them in every nook and cranny, and was actually giving his sister a run for the money.  Though cousin Tristan was full steam ahead and had them both topped.

After all the eggs were found and claimed, the attention turned to the tree… or the ball that got stuck up top.  Uncle Chris climbed as high as he could but still couldn’t quite reach it… can you see it in the second photo? WAAAAAAY up there?  Since he was in a part of the tree where he couldn’t get up any higher, Uncle Brent joined him on another side (the whole ordeal brought back memories of climbing the maple in our back yard on 1st Street!)

 

And with Alexis’ attention affixed on the activity in the tree, her little brother saw a window of opportunity to raid her basket!  He really is a smart little cookie!!!

By the end of the night, we had to go through the kids’ goodies and combine it with what Bill and I received to sort it all out by what they could and couldn’t eat… and this is what we ended up with: enough candy to last us until Halloween!