Easter!

Still working about a month behind here.

We dyed Easter eggs after we got back from the zoo.  We had a couple of friends over who helped.  This year we tried a different method I had discovered on Pinterest.  We used Kool-Aid.  (It was just a packet of KoolAid and some water.)  This method made for a fruity smelling room!

Our three boys and a couple of neighbors.

That evening, Ajay put out a note for the Easter Bunny along with a treat:

Not the best photo but these are our eggs.

Here is our family photo for Easter 2013.  We never get good Easter photos because we wait until after church when everyone is ready to change and eat lunch!  This is the best we got this year:

Easter at the Zoo

The Saturday before Easter we took the boys to the zoo for their Eggstravaganza.  There were all sorts of activities and fun to be had.  Plus, there were candy stations!

The boys were lined up and posed - and then a sneeze overtook Ajay.

On the way to Candy Station One - buckets ready!

They had an "egg hunt" - there were big wooden painted eggs throughout the zoo and the boys were supposed to count all of them.  At the end of the trip they were to give their guess and if they were close enough to the actual number they would get a prize.

One of the games they played - bean bag toss.  For this and other games they won stickers, candies, tattoos and those little plastic "mazes" where you try to get the little bead into the center.

Face painting!!  Alex chose an Easter Egg.

Ajay chose the bunny face.

I chose a bunny face for Aren.

Right before leaving the boys gave their guesses.  I'm not sure what the real number of eggs was but they all "won" these cool bunny glasses.

Silly cousins

My sister had a birthday at the end of March so on a day early in April she brought her girls over.  The girls got to play while her husband took her out for a birthday dinner. 
It was on a Boy Scout night so we only had all 6 for a brief time.  After Ajay left with Biju I was left with these five root-beer-float-drinking monkeys.

I had picked up some crafts while at playgroup and let the boys do some bunny art.

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Biju also busied himself with a little craft project.  Here is the start of it:

More later :)

More art and such

Hand held puppets made by Alex and Mama

Aren building a tower

Ajay showing his play dough creation (monster, if I recall), Daddy "attacking" Aren

Alex showing his play dough creation (turtle)

Memory.  We used too many cards and never finished this game.

Alex was the photographer for this shot.

Ajay drew this crab on the beach.  I love the texture and detail :)

How low can you go??

 A few weeks back the boys were looking for a little fun.  I taught them how to do the Limbo.
(If I remember correctly this was a snow day - but as you can see by looking out the back door there is no snow on the ground.  The snow came later in the day but in my opinion it still wasn't enough to call off school.  But hey, it's pretty hard to know that when the school officials need to make the call the night before!)

Just sayin' hello

40th Anniversary

One month ago today my siblings and I helped our parents celebrate their 40th anniversary.  Mom had told me during a previous visit that she would like the whole family to go to church with them on their anniversary.  We worked out a plan and we had everyone at mass except for two spouses. 

Most of us hung out the Saturday evening before -

Aren petting Fergus - Mom's hairless puppy. 

There was a nice blessing for Mom and Dad at mass then we took pictures afterwards.

The happy couple.

Parents and children.

All 12 grandchildren.

Aunt Tina and Aunt Theresa came to celebrate, too.

 We then went out for breakfast/lunch.  (We were sure to make a reservation since we had over 20 people!)

Opening the card from their children.

All 6 kids - Shelly's three and my three - in the back of our van - grateful for the DVD player on the 3 hour drive home!