Easter Prep

We had a fun-filled busy day.

Hubby did great in his 5k.  Lacrosse and softball were fun for D&E.

Then, both my Sissys came over and we did a little Easter egg coloring.

And tonight all of our families enjoyed some pizza together.

It was a great day!

D coloring an egg yellow.  Sissy brought over one of the PAAS kits that you do tie dye eggs with.   Don't bother, stick with the regular coloring method.  And just trust me on this.

E clipping back her cousin, M's hair.  I have decided that M & D have the same bangs.  And so I said M needed a clip to hold back her hair so we could see her!  E was happy to oblige her Mom.  M was a good sport.  And she kept the clip in until just before she left.

Cape Cod Sissy.  She is not very cooperative when Sissy & I try to take pictures of her.  I am sure she is not going to like this picture.  I like it because she has such a great natural smile.

D sneaking a mini egg with CC Sissy.  They are wily, those two.

My niece, M, coloring eggs.  Clip and all.

D&E with their cousins, K & M.  There was a lot of grumbling about this picture. Lots of complaining that it was too bright.  Mind you it was cloudy out.  Wimps.  So, none of the pictures I took had all 4 girls with their eyes open.  This was about as good as I got.

Nothing more Easter-y than an Easter Lily with some colored Easter Eggs in the background.

The only thing that would have made this day any better is if it had been a tad warmer.  Otherwise it was pretty great.  Good times with family.  Love it.

potd #95.  D&E.  In their berets that CC Sissy crocheted for them.  They came out great and the girls look so darn cute in them.  E is looking at me & D is looking at Sissy.  Love the expressions on both their faces.

Ready To Color

Busy weekend ahead.

Tomorrow hubby is running a 5k here in town.

The girls have lacrosse and softball practice.

I need to get my cooking done for Easter Sunday dinner at Sissys' house.

My other Sissy and her family from Cape Cod are visiting for Friday and Saturday.

Both Sissys and their families over for dinner tomorrow. Yay! Better yet, pizza will be served.

36 eggs were bought today to get some egg coloring done tomorrow afternoon.

potd #95.  White eggs.  Today.  Brightly colored eggs.  Tomorrow.  Egg Salad. Monday.

Poor Little Bunny

Hubby came home from a business trip yesterday.

Usually this is a good thing.  Except this trip he came home sick.

Not "oh, I have a cold" sick, but "yuck, think I am going to puke" sick.

I do feel a bit bad for him.  Normally he flies in & out of the airport that is about 25 minutes from the house.  This trip the airfare was so crazy expensive that he decided to fly out of the airport his business partner flies from, which is 90 minutes away.

Luckily he did not start feeling sick until he was driving home.  That doesn't sound like it's a good thing, but at least he didn't start feeling yucky on the plane.

He stopped for some Tums at a rest stop.  That helped a little.  Enough for him to manage the rest of the ride home.

I started getting texts from him while I was at knitting.  To let me know that he was not feeling good.  Uh-oh.

One text that he sent me said, "Laura!!"

In case you haven't seen it, there is a skit from a funny British show called "The Man Cold".  The skit is about how pathetic men are when they are sick.  It is so very funny and so very true.

The wife in the skit is "Laura".

Enjoy.  So that is my Hubby right now, my very own "poor little bunny".

By the time I got home at 9, the poor guy was miserable.  Lots of stomach pains.

We are still not sure whether it was food poisoning from the bagel & lox he ate in the Minneapolis airport or if it is an actual stomach bug.

Either way, the girls & I are steering quite clear of him.

He did have a rough night.  Today, he didn't feel too bad but was really not feeling well at all.

A little bit of toast has been eaten and some Lipton Noodle Soup.

Hubby aka Poor Little Bunny has been on the couch resting and napping all evening.

He did have to go into the office late this afternoon for a conference call that could not be rescheduled.   Luckily his office is less than 10 minutes from the house.

Right now he is ensconced in the "cozy corner" watching Gladiator.  I have already teased him that he is contaminating the "cozy corner" and I will have to spray it with Lysol tomorrow.

He did not find that very funny.  Obviously when he is sick he loses all sense of humor.

potd #94.  Easter Lily.  I bought 2 at the grocery store today.  I just love these flowers, their scent is just amazing.  It's just not Easter until I have an Easter Lily in the house.

On a side note:  R bought me a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs after reading my blog. Thanks R, you're the best!  And it was just in time, we had about finished the other bag!

Celebrate Reading

In case you didn't know,  March 2nd is Dr. Seuss' birthday.  In celebration of Dr. Seuss, March 2nd is also called Read Across America Day.  It is a day(and the month of March, really) which is used by educators to celebrate and promote the importance of reading.

Where am I going with this, you may wonder?

Well, our elementary schools like to celebrate Read Across America Day. Unfortunately it falls just at the start of a 2 week period of time when there is statewide mastery tests given in all elementary schools.

So, we just postpone our celebration of reading until the beginning of April.

Our town has 2 elementary schools.  One holds grades K-2 and the other is where the children in grades 3-5 attend.

Each year on our towns' Read Across ________(in trying to keep some anonymity I won't name the town I live in!) Day, children from the older grades go to read to the children in the younger grades.

As the girls are in 3rd grade this year, it was their first chance to go back to their old elementary school and read to the little kids.  D&E have been excited for the last week in anticipation of this day.

A few weeks ago, E's teacher asked me if I would like to go with them to take some pictures.  And of course I said yes!

E picked out her books last week to bring with her today.  She brought a Skippy JonJones book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Pickle Chiffon Pie, a Mercy Watson book, and Edwina.

D picked out 3 books to bring with her to read.  She picked A Frog in the Bog, Ten Apples Up on Top, and a Skippy Jon Jones book as well.  Her class went to a kindergarten class.  She told me after school that it was lots of fun.

E's class went to a 1st grade classroom.  All of the kids were very excited and a little nervous.  It was so cute to watch both the 3rd graders and 1st graders get paired up.

 
There was a little shyness on each part as they made their way around the classroom to pick a spot to sit and read together.  So cute.

All of the kids enjoy this day so much.  It's fun for the little ones to see the big kids. And the big kids get such a kick out of going to read to the little ones.

E was so happy when we passed her old 1st grade classroom.  Her former teacher, Mrs M.,  gave her a big smile and wave.  That was just as exciting as being the big kid and reading to the 1st grader.

The time went by quick and before the kids knew it, it was time to get back on the busses to head back to their school.

I think it's great that the schools participate in a day like this one.

It's days like this that the kids will remember for years to come.  Even this morning at breakfast the girls were remembering last year when they were in 2nd grade and what grade class came to read to them.

Good school memories being made for all the kids.

potd #93.  Such bad lighting in this picture, but I haven't yet figured out how to get around bad fluorescent light.  But, here is E reading the Skippy Jon Jones to her partner.  

Geared Up

E was so excited to play goalie tonight at lacrosse practice.

She talked to me about it this morning when she woke up.

She talked about it at breakfast.

She talked about it on the drive to school.

She talked about it at school when I picked the girls up this afternoon.

She talked about it on the drive home from school.

She talked about it when we got home.

She talked about it at dinner.

She talked about it on the way to lacrosse.

Think she was excited?  Think she likes to talk?

If you answered yes to both questions, you get a gold star!

I was so glad to finally get to lacrosse so she could actually get the gear on and play.

Yes, that is actually E under all that gear.

Her only complaint after practice tonight was that the gloves were smelly.

E attempting to block a shot.  I can't remember if she got this one or not.  I was busy taking pictures.

Getting some goalie instruction from K, her coach.  K does a great job with the girls.

D taking a shot on E.

In the beginning of practice, K had the girls line up and take turns shooting on the goalie.  E did a pretty good job at making some stops.  Some got by her, but she stopped a bunch too.

After practicing for a bit, K had them play a little scrimmage.

E played goalie.

At one point in the scrimmage, E's friend M(who also happens to be K's daughter) took a shot at goal and E attempted to stop it.

Well, she stopped it alright.  With her forearm.  The only part of her body not covered with pads of some sort.

Ouch.  Those of us on the sideline could hear the thump as the ball hit E.  Ouch.

K and the girls other coach J went over to see if she was ok.  I watched.

The helmet came off and I could see them looking her over and checking to see what exactly got hit.

Perfect time for a water break.

E was, for the most part, fine.  She came walking off the field with some tears.  I could tell she was trying to hold it together.

She came over for a little mommy reassurance.  I told her it was a hard hit.  She seemed to be recovering, so I urged her to get a drink of water.

K was there at the sideline too.  She said that she had asked E if she wanted to come out as goalie.

E's response?  No, I want to go back in.  Thatta girl, E.  Climb right back in the saddle.

So, she went back in and did great the rest of the practice.

Tonight when we got home she was checking her forearm out.  Already wondering when the bruise will come out.  I am thinking she wants to have a "battle" wound to be able to show Hubby.

And then I joked with her that even though she got hit & it hurt, she did what she was supposed to do as goalie: stop the ball.  She giggled.

And she said, "You're right mom, I took one for the team!" and held up her forearm proudly.

Funny E.  Something tells me she's going to want to try goalie again.

potd #92.  E, all geared up as goalie.  I love that you can see her pink mouthguard sticking out of her mouth.

Mid-flowering

I ran a few errands today with my Sissy.

We both needed to do some last minute Easter shopping.  

At this point I think I have all I need but who knows, I am sure when I am out tomorrow I will pick up a few more things.  You can never have too much Easter candy, right?

While we were out we talking about how all of the flowering trees seem to be stuck in mid-flowering.  I am sure "mid-flowering" is not a word, but this is my blog.  I can make up words as I may need them if I want.

So, anyhoo.  It seems that with the nice weather we had a couple weeks ago, all the trees started to flower and even some of the flowering bushes as well.  

Then it got cold last week.

And everything seems to have stopped "mid-flowering".  Which isn't a bad thing. Everything looks very pretty right now.  Especially the trees that have large poofs of white flowers.  I call them the "cotton" trees.  I am sure that is not what their name is, but it's all I've got right now.

After getting home, I had some time to go for a walk in the yard with Lucy.  She loves it when I go out with her. She gets so playful and always finds something(a ball, Mr. Duck, or Mr. Chicken) that she wants me to play with but really doesn't want me to have.  

All you dog owners should get what I mean.

It's a great game for her.  And she expends a great amount of energy playing keep away with me.  It's a win-win for both of us.  

While I was out with her I took my camera with me to get some shots of what is blooming in the yard right now.  Or I should say what is "mid-flowering" right now. See, that word will end up in the dictionary before too long.

The weeping cherry tree off the back deck.  Some flowers, lots of buds just waiting for some more warm weather.  This is my favorite tree in the yard.  Last year we had robins build a nest in it and have babies 2 times during the spring.  The babies were so sweet.  The tree is in the corner of the house so we are able to see it out a back window in our family room.  It was perfect viewing for the nest.

One of the many lilac blooms that we will have this year.  Can't wait for these to be in full bloom.

These blue flowers are just the perfect color to have in early Spring.  Have no idea what they are called so I call them, "little blue flowers".  So original, I know.

I was so excited to see these shoots today.  They are Lily of the Valley.  One of the prettiest smelling flowers.  I think I may plant more Lily of the Valley this year.  It does well in shade, so I have a few spots where it would grow well.  I love it.  

We have an early blooming azalea on the far side of the house.  It was nice to see that the blooms are starting to pop.  It's a bit overgrown and I need to prune it this year.  After it is finished blooming.

After a nice walk in the yard, I had to go in and prepare for the rest of our day. Mondays will be a bit crazy for next little bit.  D&E have jazz and now we also have lacrosse practice.

So before picking up the girls from school, I got everything ready for us so I wouldn't have to do everything after getting home from school.  

Today I also had a short meeting with D's teacher so that made our time home from school before jazz even shorter.

Clothes were pulled together for both activities, dance shoes, cleats, water, hats & gloves in case it was cold, my camera, and dinner packed.  Phew.

At jazz they finished up learning the last of their dance for recital.  They are dancing to Footloose and have very cute little cowgirl costumes.  Complete with white hat. And lots of red sequins.  Very, very cute.

They are absolutely loving lacrosse.  E is excited because at practice tomorrow she will be attempting to play goalie.  

D scooping up the ball.  

D passing to E.  Note the cleats.  She loves them.

E getting ready for a pass from D.  Love the stance.

I will be sure to get pictures of E in the goalie gear tomorrow.  

potd #91.  This picture just makes me laugh.  I was trying to get the girls' attention from the sideline to let them know I was going to sit in my girlfriend, A's car for a bit(it was a bit cold and A was being a wimp & didn't want to stand out in the cold).  They had no idea what I was saying to them.  So the caption on this should be, "Huh???"  I gave up.  And went to A's car.  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.

Sunday Songs on April Fool's

Today is Palm Sunday.

We had a wonderful service.  I always enjoy listening to our Pastors' sermon on Palm Sunday.  He does a wonderful overview of what Holy Week was like for Jesus and his disciples.

It's a good reminder of what Easter is really all about.

Here are the songs we sang today:
In The Name of The Lord
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
Agnus Dei
All is Well

My favorite from today is All is Well.

Enjoy.

Today is also April 1st.  April Fool's Day.

The girls concocted a great idea yesterday on how they were going to get Hubby. Lipstick was to be involved.

So, they were up bright and early.  Emphasis on the early.

I shooed them away and told them to come back in a few more minutes.

Barely a few more minutes went by and they were back at my bedside.  I told them where they would find my lipstick.

Now, I will say that Hubby should win the Oscar for being able to lay still while lipstick was applied to his lips.  Applied by 2 very shaky, giggly 8 year old girls.

And off they went back to bed.  For a few more minutes.  Thinking they were letting Daddy sleep a little more.  Ha.

Hubby was most definitely awake and let's just say bright red lipstick is not really his color.

The girls came back in after a bit and Hubby was great at playing dumb.  D&E were so giggly.  They really couldn't contain themselves.  After not much convincing, Hubby was coaxed out of bed to go look in the mirror.

And the shriek he gave only let loose even more giggles by D&E.  They were so funny thinking that they had really "fooled" Hubby.

All day they waited for Hubby to pull his own April Fool's trick.   And Hubby let them sweat it out.  He thought that was much better than any trick he could pull on them.

Finally late this afternoon he switched up most of their stuffed animals they have on their beds.  This was done while they were at a birthday party for their friend, T.

All the way home I was peppered with questions about what I knew about the trick Hubby was planning.  Luckily, I knew nothing.

Once they figured out what Hubby had done to trick them, they were not very impressed.

Something tells me a more elaborate trick will be planned by both Hubby and the girls for next year.

potd #90.  Hubby started painting the trim in the bathroom today.  He read my blog. And he admitted he knew what my plan was as soon as I said I would pick out a new color.  Guess after 16 years of marriage, he really does know me!