Easter!

We had a CRAZY Easter weekend and I took yesterday as a day off to watch chick flicks all day and relax.  :)  It was heavenly. 

We did an egg hunt on the 17th at my mom's house, which helped to remind my kids what to do when they see plastic eggs lying around.

The craziness started Friday.  I spent the entire day baking and cleaning-getting ready for the weekend.  It didn't help that Shane was an invalid so I was a single mom of 4 kids.  Ugh.  Men are such babies.  ;)  

Saturday morning we started out the day by going to Roy City's egg hunt with my sister and her family.  We didn't get any pictures there because it was all over way too fast.  Kaden was overwhelmed and didn't move to get any eggs when the kids rushed in.  He finally got an egg when the hunt was over...and it was empty.  He was really sad about it.  Poor kid.  We're hoping preschool in the fall will help him with his shyness.  Lexi barged in and got a whole bunch of eggs (I helped a little), but then saw that they had candy inside and didn't want to pick up any more-just eat the ones she had.  

After that, we headed to my dad's house for yet another egg hunt with the cousins.  My dad hid plastic eggs as well as the colored hard-boiled eggs and Kaden didn't get the concept that the real eggs didn't have candy and did NOT like giving the eggs back after he'd worked so hard to find them.  So that was a total fail.  I'm going to wait until he's older to include real eggs in our own egg hunt.  Lexi, however, had a ball!  She LOVED finding the eggs!

Kaden, Lexi, and their cousin McKayla.

Ready, set, GO!

Bags full of sugar!

After my dad's house, we went straight to my friend, Hillary's, house for a BBQ and another egg hunt.  This was Kaden's favorite part of the day.  Wanna know why?

Best swingset ever (according to Kaden).  :)  He LOVED it!

We really need to buy a swingset for our kids.  :)

Lexi "the princess" made the boys push her on the swing the whole time.  hahaha

Kaden tried out the monkey bars....or whatever they're called.

Egg hunt!  The hot preggo woman is Hillary (Kim, how did I not get a picture of your preggo belly?) and then there's Kaden, Kassi (Kim's oldest), and Harrison (Hillary's son).

This is Tyler (Kim's youngest....for the next 3 weeks until #3 comes!).

 It was SO much fun!!  After a delicious lunch, we colored eggs.  The kids didn't really get into it, but the adults did!  hahaha  It was really fun catching up with these two.  AND it's the first time in a really long time that I'm the only one NOT pregnant when we get together.  :D  YAY ME!

After that, we headed to Shane's parent's house for dinner and (yes another) egg hunt.  The only nap my poor kids got was in the car going from one place to the next.

We got to see the only other grandchild on Shane's side, Ryley.  She is SO cute!  We hadn't seen her since she was a week old (she's almost 4 months now!) because of RSV-Ari wasn't allowed within 100 yards of her.  Anyway, even though I've had HOW many kids recently, I couldn't believe how much she'd changed.  She went from newborn to baby!  She is darling!

Lexi kept taking the burp cloth and putting it over Ryley like a blanket.  :)  She's a good big sister.

After dinner, it was time for another egg hunt!  This one was hand's down Kaden and Lexi's favorite.  Not only did Grandma and Grandpa Porter spoil them, there was no one else to fight for the eggs!  It was a free for all and they were in HEAVEN!

Mom, it has DORA!!

Lexi wanted NOTHING to do with the bag we had for her to put her eggs in.  She found a much better basket for her eggs.  :)

We got home late Saturday night and Lexi slept in late Sunday (I thought she would since she missed her nap).  But Kaden was still up by 7:30!  And the Easter bunny had come!  (I'm not sure it needed to, though, with how much candy they got on Saturday.)  Shane and I decided that next year the Easter bunny is only going to bring summer toys (bubbles, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, etc.) since they really don't need THAT much candy.

Baskets!

Kaden quickly found his (the only one with a new Thomas the Train!).

He didn't even glance at the candy, just wanted to play with Thomas all morning.  This one goes on it's own (without him having to push it) and says little phrases the whole time.  He loves it more than I thought he would.  :D

Ari got some fun new toys!  She loves them!

Lexi got her very first Barbie!  (Well, it's a Belle Barbie, but still.)  We were at our friend's house a couple of weeks ago and had to pry their Barbie out of Lexi's hands, so I knew she would love it.  :)

She has carried it EVERYWHERE since Sunday and makes sure she sleeps with it, too.

The kids in their Easter clothes!  Lexi loved her "princess dress."

Ari in her very first Easter dress!!  :D  I LOVE matching my girls!

We have 1:00 church, so I spent the morning getting ready for our Easter dinner.  I invited my grandparent's over because I found out they had no one to eat with and were going to have MRE's.  Uh, yeah.  Not on my watch!  We had roasted garlic and onion chicken with special Easter rolls, deviled eggs (of course), and carrots.  I was going to do steamed asparagus, but somehow all of my asparagus vanished so I had to improvise with the carrots.

My special Easter rolls.  :)

I got the idea for the rolls from a blog, but I can't find the link anywhere!  I will keep looking and post it when I find it.  The rolls represent the tomb and are empty because Jesus has risen and is not here.  It was a great little Easter lesson and Kaden loved hearing about it.  If you want to know how to make them (it's easy), let me know and I'll do another post on it sometime.  :)

I hope everyone had a great Easter!!

Not it!

I am so very, very glad to be writing this post right now.  I thought I'd be writing a VERY different post a month ago, so I'm just happy as can be.  Wanna know why?

A month ago, Shane and I thought I was pregnant. 

Uh, yeah.  For reals.

Here's the short(ish) version of what happened:

I had some very light spotting two weeks after my period ended.  Since I started having periods when I was 12, that has NEVER, EVER happened, so I was concerned.  I called the doctor's office and a nurse told me it was most likely implantation spotting....oh, or it could be stress.  

Her: "Are you stressed more than normal right now?"

Me: "WELL I AM NOW!"

Anyway, I was planning my little sister's wedding and the day of the wedding, I was certain I was pregnant.  THANKFULLY, I finally started last week (a week LATE-which also never happens, but better late than never!).  I guess I was just crazy stressed from playing wedding planner for my sister.  *WHEW!*

The good news is this:  When I told Shane it might be implantation spotting, he laughed.  We both just started laughing.  What else can you do, right?  

We talked very seriously about it and I thought about it a LOT.  I knew if I didn't have to nurse, I could handle it.  Not nursing Ari has been one of the best decisions of my life.

BUT, I couldn't imagine our family with another child.  I tried to fit someone else in and it just didn't feel right.  I knew we could if needed, but Ari really does feel like my last.  The day I started was also a wake up call for me that Shane needs to hold up his end of the bargain and go get fixed.  I called while he was at work and made him a pre-op appt as well as a surgery date.  When I told the receptionist my story of having my tubes tied twice, she said, "Oh, well, it's definitely his turn."

Amen, sista, amen.

So, this last Thursday, Shane got fixed!!

Someone at work told him it feels like being kicked in the junk.  

Really hard.

I've tried to feel bad for him.  I really have.  But as he lounges around with his ice pack, playing Angry Birds and eating Skittles, I remember my last tubal and how it felt like I'd literally been hit by a bus for a week after.  I was in so much pain I wanted to puke.  So, as much as I know he's hurting (slightly), I'm having a really hard time saying, "Oh you poor thing!"  Y'know?

So, yeah.  That's my news!   I'm NOT pregnant (how many times have I written that?  Um, never!) and Shane finally got fixed!  YAY!

The doc told him it will take a certain number of, um, times before his little swimmers all get out (I guess his body stores them?) and to come back in three months for a follow-up so they can make sure all the swimmers are gone.  Shane heard the number of times and said, "Oh, we won't need THREE months for that."  I'm really glad I wasn't in the room.

Happy Easter!!

Too nice

Today was Shane's last day at work for the week (more on that later...check back Friday if you want to know why he gets an extra long weekend), so I made some Easter treats for his coworkers!  :)

(And, P.S., it's really not that big of a deal because there are only about ten people that he works directly with so it's not like I'm making hundreds of treats or anything...)

I got this idea from a blog, but I can't remember which one.  But she (that blogger) probably got it from here, since we all know all good things originate from The Pioneer Woman.

Sorry, yet again, for the crappy phone pics.  I couldn't find our normal camera.

The world's most adorable helper.

I loved his pose in this so much that I had to post it.  :D

Cute lil' guy....er, um...girl (since there are eggs).

I accidentally touched this guy with chocolate fingers, so I thought I'd go with it and make him a speckled bird.  Kaden said he just looks muddy and needs a bath.

Because I had chocolate all over my hands from arranging the "nests," Shane had to do the birds and eggs (while the chocolate was still warm and melty), so that's why the eggs aren't arranged all cutesy.

Yummy!

What I changed:

-The blog I saw used chocolate covered chow mein noodles, which just straight up didn't sound delicious at all, so I got some stick pretzels and broke them in thirds.  I had a pretty handsome helper, too, who was great at breaking pretzels.  ;)

-The other thing I changed was to add the lil' peep bird.  It's not like it's all that creative (a bird in a nest, NO WAY......*cough*), but I liked what it added to the look of it.  :D

Shane's coworkers loved them and once again were posting pictures of it on Facebook (they did that with my Angry Bird cupcakes, too).

Now I've gotta think of something amazing to do for the 4th of July.  

Any ideas?

I can take a hint

I wasn't going to post this story, but after telling it to my sisters (and mom) last night, they told me I had to.  

Just be grateful I'm not including pictures.  ;)

Sunday morning, I was wearing a pair of Shane's gym shorts around (makes it easier to bathe all the kids instead of wearing my skirt).  I had my legs up stretched out on the couch and Lexi walked up to me, layed her head on my knee, and started stroking my hairy legs.  

She was petting them like the dog she'll never have.

And, yes, I shaved after that.

Happy Monday everyone!

Angry birds

Have you joined the rest of the world in having an Angry Bird addiction?  

Our family sure has.  Especially the boys.

I came across this link while blog hopping a couple of weeks ago, and Kaden happened to see it over my shoulder.  For the next few days he would ask me 100 times a day to please make the angry bird cupcakes. 

I finally did over conference weekend.  It was the perfect thing to have the kids help with and kept them as quiet as you can get two toddlers during conference.  ;)

Look at those lonely, naked cupcakes.  Just waiting to be turned into something cute.

Kaden said this little guy (the top center) looks sad.  He carried him around and refused to eat him.  :)

Can't forget the dang pigs!

All together!

They tasted pretty good, too.  ;)  Kaden loved them and Lexi loved eating them.  hahaha

This is how Lexi has been eating her food lately.  Doesn't matter what it is.

Yummy!!

To do

I really shouldn't post this, but I thought it was so hilarious, I have to share it somewhere.  :)

Almost everyday I make a "to-do" list because I'm a freak and love crossing things off as I do them.  It helps me stay productive throughout the day.  I just walked by my "to-do" list for today that I put on the fridge last night and there was an addition I hadn't added.  At the very, very top of the list, it said:

****Shane****

(yes, there were lots of stars by it)

:D  I love my man.