Easter Stuff

On Friday we had a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. It was going to be outside, but the weather decided not to cooperate. So we had it in our basement. The kids had lots of fun and got some yummy candy.

After we had the Easter egg hunt for the younger kids I hid more eggs for Mason to find when he came home from school and I put out the Easter baskets. Mason and Ryley had fun finding the eggs, eating candy, and going through their new stuff. Then for dinner we had pizza and watched Madagascar 2.

Jodie looking cute.

Priceless Works of Art!

After we finished our basement I realized we did not have anything to hang on the walls downstairs. I hate having empty walls, but I also did not want to spend tons of money on pictures that could get broken. After all this is the kids space and I wanted it to be kid friendly. So I stole an idea I have seen a couple of times. I bought cheap canvas, and some craft paint and let the kids paint.

Ryley couldn't be bothered to wear pants!
Jodie really got into it! She loved how the paint felt.

Mason also liked squishing the paint in his hands!

Jodie really liked painting!

She also liked getting clean in the sink! When I bought the canvas they came in packs of two so we used the extra one for a blank wall upstairs.

Mason's, Ryley's, and Jodie's (I was able to get Jodie's foot print on the bottom corner of hers). I told you they were priceless!

Spring Break

This past week was Mason's spring break. We stayed around the house most of the week. Ryan took Thursday and Friday off and we took the kids to the park, and then went to the lake for the weekend. We all had a great time even with the nasty weather on Saturday!

Here are the big kids playing football. Ryley's "mean" face doesn't scare anyone, she is just too darn cute!

Mason at the park, he loves to climb.

Ryley liked climbing up, but wasn't sure about coming down. I was trying to get a really cute picture of Jodie in the swing, but every time I would say "look at Mommy", she would put her head down or turn away.

Again, Mason loves to climb!

Throwing rocks in the lake.

Jodie likes throwing rocks in the lake too.

Baby Regan Isn't she adorable? We are all in love with her and she laughed for all of us this weekend. Mason and Ryley love her, Jodie loves her if Ryan and I are not holding her, and Ryan and I think she is just wonderful! We can't wait to see her again soon.Jodie looking cute as always.

Doughnut Saturday or Sunday or Any Day!

When Ryan was little his family did something he calls "Doughnut Saturday". He remembers getting doughnuts, coming home and cutting them into small pieces and everyone sharing. So one day a few months ago he suggested that we do this same thing. I thought it was a great idea so we started our own "Doughnut Saturday". The first three times we bought doughnuts we went to the grocery store and the doughnuts were gross. So we found a little doughnut shop on the south side of town and their doughnuts are amazing! We love them so much that "Doughnut Saturday" has turned into any day we really feel like having doughnuts.
Here are the yummy doughnuts we had today. The kids each get to pick two to share and then Ryan and I pick a couple. The big kids always fill their plates but seldom finish all of them so Ryan usually helps them!

Even Jodie loves doughnut Saturday. She usually eats one/two big pieces.

Playing and Planting

Ryley still loves her swimsuit. She and Jodie were swimming in the kitchen.The kids were painting pots for our herbs we planted this week.

The kids love playing in the dirt. We let them play in the garden until we plant. They love digging, and finding worms.

Jodie also loves the dirt. I just have to keep a close eye on her that she doesn't eat it (it has animal poop and other nasty stuff in it!). Yuk!

Ryley wanted to plant pink flowers. Thanks Granny for the hat, she is convinced it is her gardening hat.

Jodie's Adventures with the Potty

OK so let me start this post by saying: No I am not trying to potty train Jodie yet and I really wish she wasn't this interested in the potty. For those of you who haven't been through potty training it is no fun, and it is a lot of work in the beginning! OK so my secrets out: I am lazy, and even though I don't like to change diapers; rushing to the potty every five minutes and then sitting while they play, get up, sit down, play some more, is just not my idea of a fun time.
Jodie found the potty chair in my closet and thought it looked like fun. She played with it, climbed on it, took it apart, and sat in it. Ryley and Mason played with her some too. So I asked her if she wanted to sit on it and she did. When she got up her diaper was wet and warm so I knew she had peed. A couple hours later I had to go to the bathroom and she came too. I asked her if she wanted to sit and she did and peed in her diaper. So the next day she sat a couple times but this time I took her diaper off and she peed and pooped in the potty twice. I yelled and screamed and made a huge deal, and Ryley came in and made a big deal too so of course Jodie loves the potty now. Anytime one of us says "potty" she goes running for the bathroom, she also sits when I go to the potty. So I am still not saying we are potty training, we are just playing and if she ends up trained then great and if not then we will try again later (this thinking is so different then when Mason was little!).

Her feet don't touch the floor because she is so little. Notice her knees...she fell several times on the concrete trying to keep up with Mason and Ryley the other day.

New Stuff

Sorry for being very behind on posting! I would love to tell you all that I have been doing something really fun or productive, but that would be a lie. The truth is we have been sick for the past two weeks. It seems when one of us gets better then someone else gets something, but never the same thing. The exception has been Mason, he hasn't been sick with anything. Ryan had the flu, Ryley had a different stomach bug, Jodie has been battling diaper rash and pink eye, and I have had a cold and pink eye (thank you Jodie!)

So here are a few pictures I have taken over the last few weeks.Mason in desperate need of a hair cut. He thought he wanted to grow it out like Ryan's but changed his mind when it wouldn't lay flat.

Mason with his new hair cut. He told me he really wanted it bald, braided, or a bald mullet. Luckily I talked him out of each one, but who knows the future of his hair Ha ha ha ha!
Jodie at my Mom's house at 5:30a.m. All I could think of as I was taking this picture was "the early bird really does get the worm!" Ok so maybe I was just really tired, but it was very funny at the time.

The girls in their pink hats. Jodie wasn't sure what to make of her hat, but Ryley really wanted her to wear it so she chased her around the house and put it on her every time Jodie took it off.She loved her sunglasses.

So what else is new with us... We went to Mason's school conference and he is doing great. His teacher said she wished she had 100 Mason's. Ryley has been watching The Lion King nonstop, she can write her name and a couple other words, and she has been singing Hakuna Matata ,but instead of philosophy she says silosophy (which makes me giggle every time!). Jodie is going through several changes... We have moved her crib into her and Ryleys's room and we are trying to get her to sleep there. She is not real happy with the change and is letting us know very loudly that she protests! Jodie had a Dr.'s appointment and looks great. She is very small, but growing right on track so no worries for her. She has learned the art of fit throwing and is using this power as often as she can. She has several words now and will let you know what she wants. We are all loving this wonderful weather and hope it stays for awhile so we can play outside more.