Easter Fun

Easter was so fun with a toddler this year! I am finally finding the time to write about it, more than a week later! (What else is new?) =)

The Saturday before Easter we were pretty busy running errands all day and doing some stuff for our (almost-finished!) house in Saratoga, but we did take time to get some Gandolfo's sandwiches and have a little picnic lunch at the park near our new house. It was pretty windy and there were lots of people there flying kites, which was fun to watch. Kites always remind me of spring and Easter, because I remember being so excited about getting a kite for Easter when I was young. That was the kind of gift we would always get for Easter each year...something simple. Tommy had fun on the playground and I'm so glad we will have one so close, since we probably won't be putting in our yard for awhile! I had wanted to color eggs with Thomas that night, but we were gone so long that it was bedtime and he was quite grumpy and tired when we got home. So, I had fun coloring eggs with my little brother Jared. It was probably better that I didn't involve my very curious and busy toddler with something that involved breakable eggs and cups full of vinegar and staining dyes!

Sunday morning we have church early, so we hurried to show Thomas the basket the Easter Bunny had brought him. He got chocolate of course, some cool new crayons (that will hopefully last longer than the previous set!), stickers, a cute fluffy yellow chick (or "duck" as he calls it!), and a beautiful book with pictures of Jesus. Then we got him all dressed up in a brand new outfit I bought him just for Easter, and he looked so handsome! I loved his classy blue dress shirt with the striped yellow tie and slacks, but my favorite were the dapper new Sunday shoes. He looks so grown up when he's all dressed up! I also decided, last minute the night before, to buzz his hair. He just barely got his hair cut around Valentine's Day, but I must not have had her cut it short enough because it was already in kind of an un-manageable state. So, I got my buzzers and just cut it all one length. We did this a couple of times last summer...He looks really cute with his hair buzzed, but it always takes me some getting used to at first. Its no big deal though, since his hair obviously grows so fast!

After church and after his nap, we took Thomas outside for his very first Easter Egg Hunt! (We would have done it Saturday, but we were gone almost all day and didn't get back til dark.) The weather was perfect and I was so excited to watch him now that he's old enough to really hunt around for eggs! It was fun hiding them all around Grandma & Grandpa Kotter's yard. We showed him the first few to get him going, and then just kind of led him in the areas where the others were. He got really into it, and it was so cute to watch him run when he spotted another egg! After he had found them all we were sad that it was over so quickly, so we re-hid them all for him to do it again! We showed him there was candy inside, and it was funny to watch him pop open each one, scarf the candy, and then open another one, eagerly looking for more. I only put a few M&M's or Reeses Pieces in each egg (so he wouldn't gorge himself on sugar!) but in some eggs I put in one of the Hotwheels cars he already had. Since these are usually lost around the house, I figured he would be happy to see them! It was such a beautiful day and perfect for Easter. After the hunt the boys (my Dad and two brothers, Ryan and Thomas) went over to the school nearby to play catch. My mom then fed us a fabulous Easter dinner, highlighted by her famous chicken casserole and lots of my favorite, yummy rolls! I gorged myself and it was great. =)

So, it was a lovely Easter holiday! I am so grateful for my Savior, and for the chance to remember the sacrifice He made and all He has done for me. I know He lives and loves each one of us! I hope I can teach my children to know Him and to follow His example. I am so grateful for His gospel and for the peace and happiness it brings into my life!

My Lil' Leprechaun

I've been really slow at getting around to posting my photos of cute Tommy from St. Patrick's Day. The funny thing is, for the couple of weeks leading up to St. Patty's day, Thomas got really into the green Leprechaun top-hat I bought him a year ago, just for a fun photoshoot, when he was only 8 months old. Of course the hat doesn't really fit on his head anymore...he has to pull and squeeze it onto his little noggin...but he loves it! He has been wearing it all over the house while he plays and often insists on taking it with him on car trips. He's done all this with no encouragement from me whatsoever, and I thought it was so funny that St. Patty's Day just happened to be coming up! So I took some fun pics of Tommy the Leprechaun making mischief in his cute hat. I thought about getting him a new, bigger hat, but he loves this one so much I figured why try to replace it? We'll get one next year when his noggin will definitely be too big to squeeze that hat on! =) I did get him a cute, silly green bow tie, but he wasn't a big fan. Too bad I didn't really have a green shirt for him too! (I'm actually beginning to notice that there is a lot of orange in his closet...I must like it on him!)

The last two are my lil' leprechaun one year ago...how he has grown!

Top o' the mornin' to ya! =)

The Girls

Yesterday I got together for lunch with three of my girlfriends from my old ward in Provo--Aubrey, Marisa and Laura. It was so great to see them! Aubrey and I actually visit taught Marisa and Laura for a long time, and we all became good friends. I have really missed seeing them all and it was fun to have a little reunion! Marisa and Laura both have cute lil' babies that were born only two weeks apart from each other in October and November, and Aubrey and I had never come by to see them yet. So we got together at Laura's house, and it was wonderful to finally meet Marisa's cute boy Corban, and Laura's darling daughter Marne (pronounced Mar-nay...its actually spelled with an accent over the "e", but I don't know how to do it)! Aubrey brought her cutie, 14-month old Lucy (or Lucy Ruth, as I like to call her!) and I brought Thomas along, my crazy 20 month old. And he was CRAZY! It took a lot of energy to keep him from getting into everything and tearing Laura's house apart! He was running all over the place, and at one point he noticed Laura's cupcakes on the counter, which she had made for a birthday party later that night. He kept saying "Cookie!" and really wanted one, but I kept telling him "No buddy, those aren't ours!" Well, while I was distracted visiting with the girls, he pulled over a little stool to the stovetop, climbed up and grabbed a cupcake! When I caught him he had already taken a big bite. I laughed 'cause he is such a stinker! I can't turn my back on him for a second! Thanks for being so nice and patient with my crazy boy Laura! =)

Despite Thomas' antics, it was fun to have all the kids together. The babies were so sweet and really made me miss that time when Thomas was so little! (...and immobile!)

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon girls! =)

Hockey Boy

Yesterday Thomas and I got back from running some late afternoon errands and we ended up staying outside while Tommy played hockey in the driveway with Uncle Jared. Tommy loves to play hockey! He discovered a toy hockey stick in Grandma's toy bin a week or two ago and has been carrying it around everywhere ever since, hitting around balls and toys...we have to watch to make sure he doesn't get carried away! But last night it was so cute...it was the first time he had played hockey outside and he really handled the little stick pretty well! He totally went after the puck and swung that stick at it hard. At one point he got a hold of Jared's full-size hockey stick and wouldn't give it back! They were having a great time and I let Thomas play until it was almost dark, but he of course threw a fit when I brought him in. Even though the day had been so nice and warm (woohoo, c'mon spring!), it was getting pretty cold by that point...but he just wanted to keep playin'!

So I think we might just be adding another hockey player to the family! Jared and my other younger brother Travis are big hockey players and have been since they were little. Jared is in youth hockey practically year round and Travis is a junior at BYU and plays on their hockey team, the Icecats. Travis was on his mission when Thomas was born, and they didn't meet until Thomas was about 8 months old. When Travis finally met Thomas he told me, "I will bring him up in the ways of hockey!" I laughed then, but I think Thomas really is growing up to be a hockey boy!