March 2013

Happy Easter.  Happy Spring.  Happy, Happy Everything!

We are super excited for Spring to get here.  Although we did not really have a bad winter, and never really saw too much snow, we are ready for warmer weather and play time outdoors.

Easton had a birthday party to go to this month.  One of his buddies from pre-school turned three, so he joined him and some other classmates to celebrate at Little Monkey Bizness.  It was a Cars themed party, and Easton loved it.  On top of play time, pizza and cake, he also got to take a balloon home.  Some times it really is the simple things in life that bring the greatest joys. 

This month also included Kyla's second teacher conference of the year.  Her teacher, Mrs. Hartley, said she is doing great and has made a ton of progress since the start of the year.  In addition to learning to read some words, her handwriting has really improved too.  Her drawings are getting more detailed, she is raising her hand to answer questions, she's participating in discussions and enjoys celebrating her work with other students and staff members.  We could not be more proud of her ourselves.  She really is one smart cookie and does a great job of thinking outside of the proverbial box. 

Soccer started back up this month for Kyla.  She's only had a few practices thus far because cold weather and snow seem to affect games way too much yet.  Hopefully April will be a bit warmer and kinder to the fields and practice/game times. 

Kyla and Mom flew to Michigan to visit family this month.  We left and it was 50 degrees.  We arrived to temps less than 30 and came home to a foot of snow.  It's as if the bad weather followed us around.  Despite the cold temps, we had a great time.  Kyla got to pick out some new stuffed animals from Great Grandma Louise's room, so that was fun.  It made being in the nursing home a little less troublesome.  (Her word, not mine). 

Kyla also got to spend some great quality time with (Blind) Grammy.  They sang songs, danced, baked, collected icicles to melt, watched movies and had a sleep over together.  As if that was not enough fun, the Easter Bunny visited Grammy's place while we were there, so Kyla had eggs and goodies to find.  After that, she made everyone hid and find eggs with her. 

The bunny was super nice and left stuff for Easton too.  We brought his stuff home and left it out for the Easter Bunny to hide with his basket. 

More fun was to be had in Michigan!  We rented a hotel room, so Kyla went swimming one night and played in the hot tub.  She also got to meet some of Mom's friends and stay up super late.  One night, she pooped out mid-sentence.  The time change just never seems to be in our favor when we fly two time zones away.

Thankfully, Kyla got to spend lunch time with her favorite Uncle Shawn and Auntie Karen.  Auntie Karen came prepared with gifts, and Uncle Shawn brought his best pony ride and tickle talons.  Jodi brought her a bag filled with stuff too, so she was in seventh heaven.  She can't say thank you enough to everyone who brought presents and spent some time with her. 

Hopefully we can all go back soon.  It would be great to visit during the summer and go to the beach.

While we were in Michigan, Scott thought he'd try to potty train Easton.  Keep in mind, Easton has yet to pee or poop on the potty.  EVER!  Well, the potty training lasted about two hours before Easton wore Scott down.  Easton was visibly upset, while Scott was crying on the inside.  All was right with the world again once a diaper was put back on.  We shall try again soon though.  He has to learn how to go on the potty by September or he won't be allowed to go to pre-school.  Here's to hoping it clicks one night so Easton can wake up and "Git er done!" 

Our church had Easter fun day again this year, so Heidi and the girls met us there.  Per the usual, they had a bounce house, an egg hunt, balloon animals, a cookie walk, crafts, live bunnies to pet and hold, games, tattoos and nail painting.  Everyone seemed to have a good time.  It's a fun and stress-free way to celebrate the holiday. 

Easter Sunday was a fun day.  The kids were anxious to get up and find their eggs and baskets.  Easton found his eggs pretty quickly, but Kyla needed some help.  I guess the bunny hid hers a little too well.  However, Kyla found her basket first, and Easton needed help with his.  He seemed quite content with just his eggs.  :-)

We decided to take the kids to the Melting Pot again this Easter.  This year we went for dinner so the kids didn't have an egg hunt to participate in, but the bunny was still there and the hostesses were handing out eggs to all the kids. 

As always, the food was super yummy.  Kyla did a great job eating!  Wish we could say the same for Easton.  He had a few bites of bread and ate nothing again until the chocolate came.  Since he didn't eat, he was only able to have two little desserts, but he sure made them count.  He had chocolate fondue everywhere. 

Our neighborhood had an egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter.  The kids had a great time doing it this year.  There were not too many kids signed up for the 3-5 year old group, so they got a lot more eggs this time around.  Plus, Kyla found the golden egg, so she got an extra special treat.  She received a goodie bag filled with more candy, some toys and a gift card to Dairy Queen.  She was beyond thrilled.  It's a good thing she knew what to look for and looked ahead of time so she could snatch that golden egg up right away. 

As much fun as all the Easter related activities are, we have to remember Jesus really is the reason for the season.  Without him, nothing would be possible.  We give thanks to God on this day, and every day, for the many blessings and wonderful people in our lives.