Happy Easter

Here's a recap of our Easter weekend.  Be prepared for lots of pictures!

On Friday, Camden and I did some Easter baking.  She loves to help Mommy bake so we do a lot of it.  We found this recipe for making chocolate nests.

 Camden had a lot of fun shaping them into nests and putting the "eggs" in them

On Saturday, we headed up to Ankeny for our church's annual Easter Egg Hunt.  Both kids were terrified of the Easter Bunny this year.  Camden has never liked anyone in costumes, but Kade loved him last year.  This year...notsomuch!  You can see the fear on both of their faces.  And neither one would take their eyes off of him! 

 Grandma Mema came with us to the Easter Egg hunt.  She helped Camden hunt for eggs while Daddy helped Kade.  I was volunteering with the event so I watched as much as I could and took pictures.

 It was really cold and windy on Saturday morning.  We had to dig out the winter coats and hats again.

 The 2 and under age group was first to search for eggs.  We practiced a little in the morning so Kade would know what to do.  He did a pretty good job, but he got distracted easily.  He did end up with a basket full of eggs by the end.  Thankfully everyone in that age group gets distracted easily.

 Camden is an Easter Egg Hunting pro now!  She ran as quickly as she could and gathered a basket full of eggs in no time at all!

Sunday morning we woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had visited our house and left us all sorts of goodies. 

 Kade plopped down right in front of his pillow pet, looked him in the eye and said, "hi".  Once introductions were out of the way, he proceeded to look through the rest of his basket. 

 And of course the Easter Bunny left them candy as well.  

 Then it was time to get dressed and go to church.  But of course we had to take advantage of both kids being dressed up and get some pictures.

I may be a little bias, but I think they look beautiful!

Hoppy Easter every bunny!

Easter Eggs

We have been doing a lot of Easter prep work around here the past week.  Everything from coordinating outfit for the kids to wear on Sunday to buying things for their baskets and collecting recipes for Easter baking.  But it wouldn't be Easter without the dyeing of eggs!

 Yes, I dress my kids in black from head to toe when they are doing a messy project like this.  I don't do well with the mess therefore dressing them in black and taking the project outside makes me a much happier person.

 Kade has developed a new smile face.  When he sees the camera comes out, he says 'cheese' with his eyes closed and a goofy grin.

Chantal came over for the Easter Egg dyeing fun.  I didn't mandate that she wear black too, but she must have instinctively known.

 Kade didn't have the patience to dye more than a couple of eggs.  Camden was more interested in mixing colors to see what she could come up with.

 We learned a great tip about putting the egg inside of a whisk to dye them.  It worked like a charm and the kids didn't end up with dye all over their hands!

 Easter activity number 1 was a success...and now we have a weekend full of more Easter events coming up. It should be a fun weekend!

Sunday Fun Day!

After a weekend of dragging the kids around to look at appliances, we thought some fun was in order for Sunday afternoon.  So we skipped nap time and took them to the Science Center instead.  I wondered if most of the stuff would be a little advanced for them, but they loved every bit of it!

We started in the Small Discoveries room which is intended for the youngest visitors.  Both kids were fascinated by this giant pin screen.  It's like the toys we had as kids where you press your hand into one side and see the imprint on the other side.  Only this one was big enough for their entire body.

 Here is both Camden and Kade's impressions in the pin screen.  I love that Kade's belly sticks out farther than anything else!

 Then it was on to the bubbles.  Camden loved the bubbles and was great at making perfect bubbles.

 Kade thought the bubble wand was a baseball bat.

 Next it was upstairs.  The kids got to experiment with the green screen where Channel 13 broadcasts the weather.  

 And they got to see themselves on TV and thought that was pretty cool!

 They also experimented with the water tables and dammed up the rivers.

 Kade's favorite part of the visit was the ball wall.  Kade loves ball, so to see an entire wall of balls put this little boy in heaven!

 Daddy's favorite part of the Science Center was building a rocket.  Daddy and Cam worked on one while Kade and I constructed one of our own.

 Our rocket was definitely prettier than theirs, but unfortunately looks don't count when it comes to how it flies.  Daddy and Cam's rocket flew much father than ours did.

 3, 2, 1, Blastoff!

 The Science Center was a lot of fun for the whole family!  It is definitely a place we will be visiting again!

What a difference a year makes

It's amazing what a difference a year makes.  The kids have drastically improved on the t-ball skills since last summer.  For starters, Kade actually holds the bat with both hands and has a swing that resembles a baseball swing now.  Click here for a refresher on last year's skill level.

 And he's quick to tell whoever is watching to get the ball and place it back on the tee.

 Daddy thinks he is giving Kade batting lessons.  But in actuality, Kade is telling Daddy how it should be.

 Cam had a great swing last year and it's even better this year.  You had better back up when she's getting ready to hit!

 Hopefully she will follow in her Mommy's footsteps and be a softball player.

 And of course Kade wouldn't let Camden outshine him.  He had to show us how he can ride a bike too.  But unfortunately for him, the only bike and helmet we own happen to be pink and princess-themed.  I think a boy bike might be on the wish list for this little man for his next birthday.

 Poor Kade.  We'll get you a boy helmet someday.  I promise!