Easter egg hunt

Auntie Alli left Friday. We were all very sad. We had such a great time with her and our visit was filled with lots of great memories. We are excited that she will be back in less than 2 months- plus Geema and Bumpa are coming too.

On Saturday we went to the Easter egg hunt at church. It was a great day .. lots and lots of sun. D was very particular about which eggs to pick up. He would walk past 10 to pick up 1. There were tons of eggs to choose from. Will grabbed a couple too but Nate was content to watch from my back. D filled up his basket and then was done (which is good because he didn't need any more candy). It was a great morning. We also had our own hunt at home on Sunday which all 3 boys enjoyed.

We stayed home on Easter because the littles were sick (boo.. ear infections). We had a great morning together. D helped me make coffee cake for breakfast and then mix all the rolls for lunch. We also had ham, pototatos, and green beans for a great lunch. The afternoon was filled with lots of play.

Resurrection eggs

Geema sent the boys Resurrection eggs for Easter. Derek has loved discovering them. He asked Auntie Alli to do them lots (one morning it was 5 times). D can now tell you what each egg is for. They are a great way for preschools to discover the Easter story.

The pics of Will and Nate are just for fun. Will- wielding a spatula of course and Natey happily playing.

Tulips part 2

A picture with just Al and I! Yeah!

Tulips part 1

We did our annual trek to see the tulips. Al has been here 3 of the last 4 tulips festivals! Derek was awesome and loved smelling the tulips, the slides, and the rides. Will and Nate enjoyed the scenery from the stroller and had a bit of time to touch the tulips as well. It was a beautiful morning (no rain) and hardly anyone was there so we didn't need to wait to see anything!

Fun on the couch

Derek loves to play airplane and read books with Al on the couch. Will and Nate were not going to be left out. They learned to bang on the couch and scream to get Auntie All to lift them up. When that wasn't fast enough, they started climbing on their own. Yep, Will can climb up on his own and Nate is close. Oh boy- they are both walking and climbing! They too love Auntie Alli snuggles and needed to be by her. Unfortunately they have not mastered safe exit techniques! Now they need to learn feet first for exit. While on the couch, they love looking out the front window and watching people go by (while snuggling Auntie Alli too).

Time with Al

We are doing lots of fun things with Auntie Alli. We appreciate all the time we have with her. Derek just loves to be around her. When Al is here, D is right near her: playing with her and snuggling with her. While the big outings are fun, I suspect D loves the unstructured play time with Al the best.

Auntie Alli is here!

Auntie Alli came on Monday and is here for 2 weeks! After Mommy and Daddy, there is a tie between Geema and Auntie Alli for D's favorite people. We have had lots of fun already at the library, children's museum, and lots of play time. Right now Alli and D are on the "airplane" going to see Geema and Bumpa with D as the pilot. I think Alli is going to need a nap after all this play time.

Little Frank

I am now calling Will Frankenstein. He is walking all over the place which is adorable. He also walks with is hands out in front of him which makes him look like Frankenstein to me. He is so proud of himself and giggles. Will is now able to stand on his own which is fun.

Just dance

Derek has some interesting dance moves!

On a funny/naughty note: I heard a crash a few days ago and came into the kitchen to find the rice cooker in pieces on the floor. What happened? Derek says I don't know. Then later at dinner, he told Daddy that the chickens were being naughty and the rice cooker ended up on the floor. We have a reached a new level with our imaginary friends: blame. Creative D naughty but creative.

The destruction

Just a normal day around here.... all 3 boys have emptied out a drawer and armed themselves with a spatula.

Budding Independence

Lately Derek has been playing on the deck. He takes a small tractor and enjoys the outdoors. He knows he gets to do it because he is a big guy and he wants to be independent. He also came to the door every few minutes to check on the boys.. and to let me know he was ok. It is fun to watch him learn to be dependent but still need to lean on us.