A Billion Easter Pics and a Zoo Outing

Sunday was Easter and since I relied heavily on Blog pictures when I made my kids their photo books I thought I better start adding more pictures in my posts so be prepared for lots of Easter photos! 

Easter morning the kids woke up to notes from the Easter Bunny telling them where to find their baskets. (Side Note- Steven has the Easter Bunny figured out- Mom and Dad buy the stuff and the Easter Bunny hides it. He's so smart ;)) Penny's basket was hidden in the pantry since she likes snacks so much. Lucy's basket was hidden in the Guest Room because she loves to color pictures in there. Ben's basket was hidden near his Minecraft Minifigures since he loves playing with those. And Steven's basket was hidden by my dumbbells since he has been working out with his dad lately.

After they rifled through their baskets we made them take a picture with their goodies. Ben got his photo book (These were a lot of work. I did a couple pages of each year of their life, highlighting big events that happened in the year with pictures and I included stories of funny things they said), a framed picture of the Detroit Temple, a slingshot, bubbles, Minecraft Minifigures, and a chocolate bunny. Also pictured is the water gun Grams and Poppy Brady got him.

Steven got his photo book, a framed picture of Christ looking at the starry sky (Tyler is jealous and wants this pic too), a slingshot, bubbles, Minecraft Minifigures, and a chocolate bunny.He also got a  water gun from Grams and Poppy Brady.

Penny got her photo book, a picture of the Detroit Temple, bath bombs, bubbles, Shopkins, and a chocolate bunny. Also pictured is her DIY bath bomb kit from Grams and Poppy Brady.

Lucy got her photo book, bath bombs, bubbles, Shopkins, and a chocolate bunny. She also got a DIY bath bomb from Grams and Poppy Brady. And also she got a framed picture of Jesus but she forgot to set it out with her stuff. Apparently she wasn't too excited about it but I am glad that now all the kids have a temple and Jesus pic in their room.

Terrible picture of me but Tyler and I got a family basket this year. It included a family photo book (an individual pic of all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides with names and birthdays), a temple picture matching game that I made, some candy and the game The Floor is Lava.

After all the Easter Basket fun I made the kids their traditional Easter Bunny pancakes. I may have accidentally eaten all the pink and red jellybeans out of the bag so Penny's got a strawberry nose because she is my strawberry eater and everyone else got purple noses for their bunnies. It's funny because the kids were talking the night before about getting their bunny pancakes and then when I actually made them they seemed not too excited. Oh traditions. At least 3 out of the 4 kids gobbled it down. Lucy was the one that didn't- she only ate the parts that had candy or whip cream on them. She's such a sugar monster.

The perk of having 11:30 church is that we had plenty of time in the morning to take pictures of the kids all dressed up so I may have gotten carried away. -Side note: getting Lucy's Easter dress was a bit of an ordeal. The one I order from Target would have been like Penny's, just a different color but they kept delaying the shipping until finally I gave up on it. It took me forever to find a long dress that matched somewhat with Penny's but I think it turned out well.- Here are all my little Hatchlings. We did family pics, funny pics, individual pics, brother and sister pics- the whole works. They hated me for taking so many pics but one day they will be grateful for all this documentation.

At church Steven actually had a verse of the song "Beautiful Savior" that he sang with a few other boys at the microphone and oh boy, he forgot the lyrics. I had asked him that morning about it and he said he didn't know if he was doing it. I tried to practice with him  because I was sure he was doing it but he wasn't interested. So when he got up there, he sang about one line of the verse and then he looked at us and shrugged. I kid you not, he shrugged at us, and then he proceeded to alternate from not singing to mouthing made up words. Oi. He still got a thank you card from the Primary Chorister for singing that I am not so sure he deserved. He's got another school choir concert this Monday so we'll see how he does but I am not sure performing is in his future. 

Church was really nice though. My friend who has had two miscarriages gave a talk about her testimony of our Savior and it was really touching. I also got a little choked up during my Primary lesson and one of the kids was keen to point out how I almost cried. 

After church we had our traditional kidified  Jerusalem food for dinner (Pita chips, hummus, fish sticks, fruit, Fig Newtons, grape juice). The kids look forward to this meal and I love the simplicity of it and the way it gets our focus on the meaning of Easter. It ties us right into the Last Supper and the events that happened afterwards.

Monday Tyler was off work and the weather was absolutely beautiful so after cleaning the house in the morning, we went out to lunch and then enjoyed a couple hours at the zoo. I could have stayed their longer but we ended up just doing half of the zoo because Tyler's back was bothering him. Of course part of our zoo excursion had to include cotton candy. Penny was not complaining. We also saw my friend Corinne and her family there. She came running at me to give me a hug and nearly gave me a heart attack since I was not expecting to see someone running towards me, ha ha.

Penny was real tired afterwards and passed out like this in the car. Don't worry, after snapping a pic I fixed her position in the seat so she wouldn't die if we got in an accident. It just amazes me the positions kids can fall asleep in.

My Tuesday was full of volunteering- Lucy's class in the morning and Ben's in the afternoon. Then Wednesday Penny had her speech class, which she still loves and then we went shopping for Bunco prizes. I always think this going to be easier and more fun than it actually ends up being. I end up getting to hung up on what people will like and worry too much that I am getting lame prizes. I still have one more prize to get and am being super indecisive about it. That's typical me.

After shopping we met up with Corinne and little Lucie. The girls biked from Corinne's house to a park in their neighborhood and we had a little picnic. It was another beautiful day and great outing.

Wednesday night I didn't sleep super good and then I woke up having started my period so I was not in a super great mood Thursday. I am feeling frustrated at not being pregnant yet. I had such strong feelings that we are supposed to add another kid to our family that I guess I assumed it would happen quickly. There is still the part of me that is relieved but there's a part of me that is getting excited about the good things that a baby brings. I also am having trouble planning the next school year not knowing if I'll be pregnant yet or not. I figure if I am I don't think I want to work at the preschool (where some church friends work and I could possibly have a position too) because I think I'll want to enjoy a little break before we add a 5th. But if I don't get pregnant then I might want a consistent job so I don't feel like a lazy bum with all my kids in school. I guess I can always sub but subbing has felt a bit stressful this year. So right now I am just trying to have faith that the Lord has a plan for me and he can see the big picture and his timing is perfect. It's just really hard sometimes.

Anyways back to Thursday, I ended up hanging out at my friend's house that morning so Penny could help her entertain her kiddo. She had just had Gallbladder surgery and was pretty confined to the couch. This friend drives me a little crazy because the only reason I found out she had the surgery was because when I texted her to see if she was going to story time, she told me she couldn't drive there. She hadn't told anyone she was getting surgery this week. I don't know why she is so opposed to having others help but at least I was able to help some.

Friday I ended up subbing and I felt a little like I was loosing my mind. I was teaching 3 digit subtraction and kept making ridiculous mistakes- how can I possibly make mistakes with 3 digit subtraction!? Fractions and physics- that makes sense but subtraction!? All I can say is- ugh! And then I was taking my friend's son home because she was watching Penny and I lost him. He was in line behind my class and then disappeared. I went to the office to have them call for him and as I was telling my story (and they were looking at me strangely) I turned and he was literally right next to me. I felt so ridiculous. But besides failing at teaching subtraction and losing someone right next to me...it went well. 

Friday night Tyler took his scouts (including Steven since he's been working with the 11 year old Scouts) on a camp out. It was chilly last night and I am eager to hear how they survived. Also that night, Ben had his first Soccer Skills class of the season. When the class ended he kept telling me how much fun he had. I love his good attitude. Lucy has been taking a Basketball Skills class on Tuesday nights and she seems less enthusiastic. She is not so great at it and she doesn't ever ask for help and I am just not sure she is enjoying it. But at least Ben is liking his class!

Scary Bunny, Egg Hunts and Dyeing Eggs

Below is Penny's usual reaction to pretty much everything I make for dinner. We don't force her to eat it but she also doesn't get any snacks or treats (if it's treat day) until she eats it. Life is rough for a picky eater.

On Tuesday Steven and I had the joy of going to the Eye Dr. I do not enjoy visits to the Eye Dr but it was nice to have Steven with me. I was telling him that I hated the Eye Puff test and he tried to tell me he loved it- until he had to do it. It took him forever to get it done because he kept blinking. He also suffers the same indecision that I do on "Better 1/Better 2?" In the end my prescription remained the same and his slightly changed in one eye. We decided to order him new glasses and he basically picked the same frames again- only a slightly different color. That style looks nice on him so I won't complain too much.

Tuesday evening Lucy had her first basketball skills class. She definitely has much to learn when it comes to basketball- namely dribbling (the ball kept rolling away). She did alright at shooting hoops- she just got a bit too close to the hoop, like right under it. It was fun to watch her though and I think she enjoyed it.

Wednesday morning I went over to Corinne's house so we could bake a cake for a friend. It was that friend's birthday and her husband was out of town so we thought it would be a nice gesture. I am still unsure if it was...When I delivered it she didn't seem exceptionally happy about it. She had been having a rough week and I think she is one of those people who would rather be left alone when having a hard time. It was sort of awkward but she still chose to hang out with me the next day so maybe it did cheer her up?

After the cake baking I was going to head to a sub job- Corinne was going to watch Penny for me. As I was nearing time to leave I got a phone call from school saying that Lucy wasn't feeling well. Ugh. After feeling stressed out because I needed to go to work, I called Tyler and he said he could get her and just work from home. While as I was driving to work I got another phone call from the school saying that Lucy was found singing and dancing in the Health Room so she was sent back to class. When I confronted her later that day she looked real guilty. I can't believe she's already trying to connive her way out of school.

Besides the stress of thinking that my kids always get sick when I have to work and being relieved to find out she wasn't in fact sick- it was an easy sub job. And the perk was Tyler had just decided to work from home anyways so he was home when I got home. That was good because I needed to go help stuff eggs for our Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt shortly after I got home. It was nice to go over child free and help out. The "bus stop moms" (as I call them) are all real nice but they were making plans for ladies night on Sunday nights at the beach- and of course these plans included wine. If they follow through with these plans I probably won't be part of this gang much longer but that's cool. Just one of the joys of being a peculiar people.

Thursday was a social day. We went to the Story Time and hung out with Corinne and little Lucie after. We even attempted to play at a nearby park until the rain and wind really picked up. Afterwards I came home and my friend I talked about earlier randomly texted me that she was in the area and wouldn't mind hanging out for a bit. Then we squeezed in picking up groceries before getting everyone from the bus stop.

That night as we were eating dinner Ben's friend Jacob came over and he said he was fine to stay while we taught our church lesson. We were talking about the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal and it was neat to hear that Jacob knew the stories too. 

Tyler was off work Friday and we had a pretty lazy morning. I got some cookies baked for the Ward Easter Egg Hunt and then I made this awful cake. I did my usual greasing and flour but the cake still refused to come out. So I thought I could "paste" it together with melted frosting. In my head it sounded like a genius idea. In reality it looked like a hot mess. The kids still had a blast decorating it and giving it angry eyebrows. I am not sure they will ever be able to forget this creepy bunny ;)

After the cake fiasco the Mays came over for a few hours. They left when it was time for our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on the beach. Caroline decided it was too cold and she'd rather not join us. I don't blame her, it was cold. The kids still had fun gathering eggs and they got WAY too many- their baskets were stuffed full! So much candy that we will definitely be donating some to the Bishop's Office.

Friday evening we watched "The Kid Who Could Be King." The villain in the movies was super creepy when she turned into her dragon form but besides that I think it was a pretty fun movie and I really enjoyed it. I think the kids did too.

Saturday morning I had to play the piano at a baptism so we all went and afterwards was the Ward Easter Egg Hunt. They actually hid the eggs around the church so they kids had to work to find their loot. I think they had a good time even though Steven got  a little frustrated that some kids were taking more eggs than they should have.

Our last Easter tradition of the day was dyeing Easter Eggs. We tried some different methods- painting, shaking the color on in a baggie and these q-tip looking paints. I like the Q-tip paints best. The color showed well and it dried fairly quickly. The kids liked trying all the coloring methods, got super messy and super creative and lots of fun was had. 

Also I never order Spring Pics but they sent them home for us to buy and suckered me in. I liked Lucy's smile in this picture WAY better than in her Fall pictures.

A Walk, A Cold, Chuck E Cheese

Monday was Grams last day with us. I asked Penny what she wanted to do with Grams on her last day and she requested a trip to the mall- mostly because she loves pretzels. Grams and I also love pretzels so we were on board for that. After getting the older kids on the bus we headed to the mall and got there before the pretzel place was open. That meant Penny had some good quality playing time at the play area before it opened- especially since it opened later than it was supposed to due to cash register issues. When we finally got our pretzels Penny and I wolfed ours down- Grams was a little better at savoring hers than we were.

When we came back home after the mall I worked on packing away snow pants and snow boots because I was wildly optimistic that there would be no more snow. Plus they take up so much space and I get tired of all the clutter. Well there was more snow. On Thursday. Thankfully it melted quickly. After I was done organizing clothes and Grams was done checking in for her flight, we went on a little walk at Proud Lake State Park. The weather was perfect for a walk and we had a good time. 

Monday evening Grams and I snuck out after dinner and got dessert at Nothing Bundt Cakes (my friend Stacy had recommended it to me). I got a strawberries and cream bundt cake and my mom got a lemon bundt cake. They were really really delicious and I am sure I will be back there in the near future. We ended up taking them home and eating them on the back porch. It was a real nice way to end the day.

Monday night Penny came down with a fever and was coughing tons. This girl just seems to keep getting sick. After the sad task of taking Grams to the airport Monday morning, Penny and I ended up staying in for the next few days to try and keep from getting others sick. The only big thing that happened is that I went in to Country Oaks to drop off paperwork to register Penny for Junior Kinder. I am having a hard time comprehending that all my kids will be in school in September. It came too fast.

Thursday Penny was still snuffly and coughing but she did seem a little bit better. I had two friends who needed me to watch their kids that day and I had planned to host book club that morning so I stuck with plans. We had a lot of people over that day and we are probably terrible and sent them all home with germs but it was a real nice day. Penny played so well with the kids I was watching that they basically entertained each other. Below is Jessie pulling the girls- after a failed attempt by Penny to pull Jessie and Eliza. He's just so strong ;)

As for book club Ashlee and I had 2 other friends join us so that was really nice- slightly better turn out then the last time. While those 2 friends only stayed a couple hours, Ashlee ended up staying until it was time for me to get my kids from the bus stop. Her husband has been working late nights so I could tell she needed the company and I really enjoy chatting with her so it was a good way to spend my afternoon. 

Friday was another low key day at home. After contaminating everyone the previous day, I decided against doing it again. I did some good rooting through things but we still just have so much stuff- the curse of having 4 kids.

Saturday I was looking forward to having a free day to do whatever so inspired me but someone needed some babysitting help in the morning so that changed things. I wish I was better at serving willingly and that I didn't feel so disgruntled by it sometimes. After babysitting we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese to reward them for being so good during conference (the boys even listened this time and were able to tell us things the speakers said). Unfortunately it wasn't the greatest time for me. Tyler was crabby on the way over and then the girls were extremely whiny and kept fighting over who got to go first and who got to pick the next ride. Not pleasant. But I still got some cute pictures of them. Steven and Ben seemed to have a really good time though and were raving about how awesome they did at the Jurassic Park Game and some Alien Game. They racked up over 600 tickets in the end and were able to buy 3 things of cotton candy. The girls only got 250 (they like the rides- which don't give tickets-best) and they ended up getting one thing of cotton candy to share. Of course they were cranky about that. We still have some of the gift card left so here's hoping next time the girls exhibit better behavior!