Easter Fun

The weekend was full of Easter Egg Hunts. The first one was Friday at Sanchia's house. She has an "Egg Scramble" each year for the kids.

Gage Neff isn't sure what he thinks of the grass. He quickly gets over the feel and puts eggs in his basket. Camden doesn't think he has enough eggs, so he collects some and sticks in Gage's basket.

Aubrey, Chase, Kai and Camden after the "hunt".

The second hunt of the weekend was at church. A few of us helped organize an Easter Egg hunt and activities this year. Kai found a productive use of his basket while waiting for the hunt to begin.

Everyone won a cupcake during the cupcake walk. The boys enjoyed eating the Peeps off the top more than the cupcake itself.

Third time! The boys are pros at this point. This hunt was at my parents' house on Easter. I think this is the hunt where they found the most stuff.

Kai finds an egg among the decorations.

Ella, Camden & Kai at the Hilburn's

The boys had to use back-up baskets because of their overflowing collection.

Forth & Final! How much candy does a kid really need? Really? If you ask any of these kids, the more the better. Hallica, Kai, Camden & Sophia get ready for the hunt at the Docherty farm. This was Sophia's first hunt at the farm. I hope she had fun.

Camden, again had to empty his basket into a bag before searching for the remaining eggs.

How far will the bunny stretch? We will soon find out! The bunny tragically lost an arm in the experiment.

Sophia and Megan

Early Easter Surprise

I'm not sure who was more excited about the BIG surprise... Shawn or the boys. The surprise was supposed to be an Easter present. Shawn couldn't wait & the presents came a few weeks early. The kids were told to stand in front of the shed & close their eyes. Oh... what could it be?

I think Kai might be taking a little peek.

Each boy got their very own quad runner. What could be better when you are a 4 & 5 year old boy?

Camden is thrilled! He's already ran into the building twice. Apparently the birds were more exciting to look at than the direction he was driving.

Kai loves his yellow quad. He needs a little more help, but has caught on quick.

Loose Tooth

Camden had a 2nd loose tooth that just wouldn't come out. Somehow his father persuaded him to let him tie floss to his loose tooth & extract if from his mouth. I couldn't stand watching this whole event so Kai and I ventured downstairs. After about 15 minutes Camden came downstairs to share his prize.

Camden (and Dad) were so proud of their accomplishment!

Punta Cana

Shawn and I spent five days in the Dominican last week. We were lucky enough to miss the worst weather of the season in the Quad Cities. We left Punta Cana's 89 degree weather and returned Thursday night to 25 below zero. It was a shock to our systems. I was getting used to the sunny days and 77 degree nights. I'm still wondering how I ended up living in Illinois and not somewhere a little warmer. The boys spent time with both grandparents while we were gone. I'm pretty sure everyone is glad we are home. The boys can be VERY active. We stayed at Dreams resort in Punta Cana. We liked this destination better than Mexico. The people were friendly, for the most part. The resort was very large with lots of activities. We went with Pat M. and his girlfriend Krista. Shawn and Pat hang out at the bar after gambling at the casino.

Mr. Star

I took the suggestion of a fellow blogger, Megan and purchased the book The Elf on the Shelf. I read the story to the boys right when we returned home. The boys didn't even take off their coats and were on the floor waiting for me to read the story. We first had to decide what to name the elf. They suggested names like Luke, Darth Vader, Hotdog... They finally decided on the name Mr. Star. It sounds a little better than Hotdog. Mr. Star is currently sitting on the T.V. watching the boys' every move. He magically can hear everything that goes on in the house as well. Camden, especially, is being extra careful about his actions tonight. We'll see how long that lasts. Tonight Mr. Star will return to the North Pole and report to Santa. Mr. Star will be back in our house somewhere tomorrow morning. Shawn and I will hide him somewhere in the house for the boys to find. I'll report back on Mr. Star's visit this holiday season.

Boots, scarves, gloves oh my!

As soon as the snow fell, the boys were ready. I personally am not a fan of the cold. I took 15 minutes to get the boys bundled up and ready for the snow. I told them they had to be outside longer than it took to get ready. As soon as they were completely clothed, off I sent them.

Camden was the first to fall in the snow and make snow angels.

Kai enjoyed eating the snow the best. I tried to stop him, but it was really no use. When he came inside he was eating the snow off of Camden's coat. I didn't realize snow tasted so good.

They undressed in the mudroom and Camden requested hot chocolate. So off I was to make the hot chocolate. Kai drank some, but preferred the snow.

Hauling Wood

It's that time of the year. Shawn split a load of wood and we all pitched in and carried it inside. Camden decided to put on his Santa hat & and sing "Ho Ho the mistletoe" the entire time he was working. Kai was snoozing so he missed out on the excitement. Lucky him.

He's singing his favorite song of the day. We looked for a mistletoe at the store, but we couldn't find one.