Easter

This year, we took both kids to the church service & they each did great!  Ellie fell asleep in her carrier (I didn't feel comfortable leaving her in a nursery as she is still sore & recovering from her spica) & Will did awesome (thanks to some well timed distributions of jelly beans.)  (We didn't feel comfortable sending him to a class at a church that is not ours - it's just too hard to answer kids' questions & subject him to that when it is not necessarily going to be our church & his peers & teachers.)

So, we went as a family to the early service & the kids both did great.

After that, it was time for the Egg hunt & an early lunch.  Naps & a boat ride and some fishing (Will caught a striped bass- so far, since moving here, he has caught the "Texas Slam" - a perch, a catfish, & a bass!") & it was a good day remembering the resurrection of our Savior who gives us Life!

 Dying eggs on a hot April day

Peeking outside to check if the Easter Bunny came:

 Searching for his basket

 Modeling some goodies from her basket

 Reading a new book

Apparently ants appreciate Easter eggs too...

only the ones with gummy candies were safe from the ants.

We developed a system for the egg hunt - Will would locate eggs & one of us would inspect them.  If they had chocolate candy or jelly beans, they usually had ants.  Daddy followed close behind with a trash sack. :(

Thankfully, he loves gummy candy & was quite happy!

 Quickly eating some "safe" candy

 Currently, his favorite color is black.

(the color of pirates & Batman)

So, we dyed an egg "black."  (or it's more muddy cousin)

 Ellie watched the hunt while kissing on her baby

She LOVES baby dolls - it's amazing to me how her face lights up at the sight of a doll!

 a family photo

 precious Will & Ellie

 Cookie, Lovie, Will, & Ellie

 4 generations of girls

 Great Grammy (Mimi) & 2 of her greats

 Love this boy

 and this girl

 Will has been frustrated with the rope swing recently in my parents' yard.  I'm sure he would have figured it out - he eventually figures everything out - but it was getting so hard watching him feel so disappointed as he would watch other neighborhood children easily climb on the rope & swing.

So, my parents found a pogo swing - we'd seen them all over Dallas while living there in the fall.

It is AMAZING!

Will loves it & really flies...

& it's quite the hit with the neighborhood kids too!

With such a late Easter this year, we headed to the lake after naps.

We took a boatride

 & Will helped his Cookie drive the boat.

He figured out where the throttle is.

We have a new rule:

"You may not touch the throttle until you are 16!"

Will modified the rule and said, "no, 18."

We agreed to that. :)

(And we will remind him he suggested 18 when he is a teenager.)

 He also enjoyed turning around in the driver's seat to look behind him.  Good thing he can't take the wheel for many, many years!