Easter Party

The boys wanted to have an Easter party and invite all their friends over. Instead of my usual planning and preparing and little details that I stress over, I thought I would let the boys plan most of it, and I assist. :) In less than a weeks time, we planned, prepared, and invited his friends over.

A party must: Duck, Duck, Goose. {They did start out playing Bunny, Bunny, Rabbit, but were confused. So we switched the words back!}

Craft: Painting with Peeps and Pudding. And the best part? Eating the peep afterward.

Game: Egg Races. On your mark! Get set! Go!!! Don’t drop the egg! {or hold onto it!}

 

Game: Bunny Hop Race. {Hop! Hop! Hop!}

Game: Don’t Eat the Peep. {Instead of Don’t Eat Pete!} You would think the kids would scarf down those jelly beans…instead they chewed and chewed and chewed. The game should have gone by a LOT faster!

 

Easter Egg Hunt: The boys hid the eggs earlier that morning. They were super excited to be the Easter Bunny and couldn’t wait to find the eggs!

The whole gang. Yes, the boys are out numbered by girls. But, if you know my boys at all, you shouldn’t be surprised!

For dessert: Bunny Cupcakes. Yumm!

 

The End.

Sometimes

You don’t always get what you want.

You would think it was the end of the world. And to them, it probably was.

{Truth: They wanted to go with their father, and instead were left behind to stay with me. }

{Truth: The crying lasted less than a minute.}

guess what?

That’s what!

expressions

At two months old, you never know what kind of pictures you’ll get!

egg hunt and such

Here’s my happy girl. All grown up. So independent. You would think she would be ready to be potty trained. She tells me, “I poopy, mommy. New diapy mommy.” {Every word in her vocab has a –y on the end. No lie.} You would think if she got a super cool princess potty and a barbie as a reward for {pooping} or {peeing} in it she would.

The “I’m not amused” mom look combined with the “I’ll sit on this thing but don’t expect me to go” look combined with the “Why is everybody looking at me” look.

The kids had a primary activity on Saturday. At the end was the easter egg hunt. I’m the mom who forgot their easter baskets. Cause I’m cool like that.

I swear my brain is fried. So fried that at any moment it’s going to spontaneously burst. Or just blow up. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way. In the mother’s lounge at church {where I spend most of my Sunday}, the other mother’s were talking about how they haven’t shaved their legs in weeks. In weeks—not days. I don’t think I’ve ever gone two days without shaving my legs. No lie. So, at least my legs are silky smooth. Just my head's going to explode. I forget things all the time. And words come out of my mouth, take that back. Sentences come out of my mouth and I think—that’s not what I intended to say. Where did that come from? I think it’s why they call it the Baby Haze. Now I understand. Lack of sleep will do that to you.

Like—putting the wrong YEAR on your baby’s birth announcements. Oops! I need to get those in the mail. So, when you do get one…just remember she was born in February of this year, not 2010. Honest mistake, right?

Speaking of which…Parleigh is now 2 months old. Her check-up was on Friday. {Can I just say how much I love her Doctor?} He said she’s perfect, unmistakingly a Lineberry, and allergic to dairy.

2 months old

Weight: 12 lbs. 10 oz

Height: 23 Inches

Sugar Rush

I made these beauties for our ward social tonight. The young men and young women are having a dessert auction to raise money for their camps they’ll be attending this summer. I racked my brain trying to come up with something to make. I almost went with something semi-healthy for the diabetic/health conscious crowd. Then I thought, what the heck. I’ll make something with 7 sticks of butter in it. 7 sticks! That’s like a heart attack waiting to happen! But, it’s all for a good cause, right?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. They are a {get ready for it} brown sugar-chocolate chip cupcake base, filled with eggless cookie dough, topped with cookie dough buttercream and decorated with a teeny tiny version of a chocolate chip cookie. Pure heaven.

Recipe found on one of my all-time favorite blogs: Annie’s Eats.

Picnic

Yesterday was such a warm and sunny day. There is no better cure for grumpiness and feeling bla than having the sun out and blue skies. My friend Robin and her kiddos came over to play, and we ended up eating lunch outside. I’ve forgotten how much fun a picnic is, even if it is just in the front yard.

Spring has Sprung!

A few years ago we planted a small dogwood tree in our front yard. The first year it bloomed, there were only 3 flowers on it. Now, it is a gorgeous tree with such beautiful flowers. I always anticipate spring time for when the dogwoods bloom!

Growing up in Idaho, I don’t think I had ever seen a dogwood. I may never have noticed them, or they just don’t have them out west? I don’t know. Apparently, they are the state tree of Virginia. {a random tid bit that you may not have known."} Also, Ben told me about the legend of the dogwood, and I have been intrigued ever since!

The Legend of the Dogwood

In Jesus' time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong and firm it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony." Author Unknown

Last fall Ben planted pansies. They are in full bloom now!

The first spring we moved into our house, the first flowers Ben planted for me were gerbera daisies, my absolute favorite. Our neighbor gawked at him saying, It’s a waste of money because you have to buy more every year to plant, since they don’t come back every year.

That was 7 years ago. We proved her wrong, didn’t we?