The Easter Bunny Came!

Early Sunday morning, painfully early like 6 something, Gavin came into our room wide awake for the day. I think his entrance may have been fuelled by a certain 5 year old telling him to wake us up so they could go and find their Easter baskets... Both boys were told to go back to bed and not come out until 8 (we recently put a clock in the boys room so they knew when it was really morning). As soon as it was 8, Cameron came in and told me that he thought the Easter bunny had brought him a gun with darts that stick on stuff. Hmm, how did he know that? I asked him if he had already been downstairs and he said no, I just think that's what the bunny brought me. Soon he confessed to sneaking downstairs to just take a quick peek. Then he said that he thought the Easter Bunny had also brought Gavin a gun like his. When I asked if he had also found Gavin's he gave the same response that no, he hadn't found it, he just thought that's what the bunny would do. Sneaky kid... Sure enough, both boys got Nerf guns with the suction cup darts, new videos, and way too much candy. It certainly isn't easy getting the kids dressed and ready for church by 9 am on a regular day, but on Easter Sunday it is so much harder. We gave in and let them each have a piece of candy after breakfast, but that did not stop them from begging for more until church was over. My sister Becky and her family came for Easter dinner and we feasted on ham and all the fixin's. We also had an egg hunt (twice) which was a big hit. I am sad to say that this will be the last holiday that we will be able to spend with them for a long time. They are moving to Colombia in July, so we were grateful to be able to spend this special day with them.

Coloring Eggs

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way! Tonight we dyed Easter eggs in anticipation of tomorrow's excitement. I found the coolest gadget at Walmart that ended up being the perfect coloring kit for little ones. It's this special spinner that you just put your egg and some drops of dye into and then put the top on and let the kids have at it! Soooooo much better than the messy cups we usually use and our kids loved it. Not to mention the eggs came out really pretty all 18 of them... Anyone want to come over for egg salad next week?

Inner Harbor and Chaotic Egg Hunt

My oldest sister Lisa, turns 40 next month. When she was out here in January she told us that she wanted all of us sisters to get together in celebration of this major milestone. I laughed because I knew in April I would be in no condition to travel. My other sister Kristin decided that all was not lost, we could get together before her birthday somewhere closeby, in case I should go into labor. Kristin planned it all out and we went to the Baltimore Inner Harbor this past weekend. It was the first time that my sisters and I have ever gotten together by ourselves and I have to admit that despite my fears of all of us being at each others throats, it was an absolute blast! I haven't laughed so much in a long time and I realized that I don't give them enough credit! Lisa flew in early on Saturday and we stayed at a hotel just two blocks from the harbor. The highlights of our trip included attending an "inner-city" farmers market, paddle boating (thanks to the beautiful weather on Saturday), a trip to the aquarium, and makeovers for all of us! Lisa then flew out on Sunday evening and we came home. For four sisters we are all so different, but get us together and the inherited similarities really become obvious, and this trip really showed how related we are. What a blessing that we were all able to come together for a few days without our families and bond once again as sisters. Thanks to our husbands for holding down the forts and giving us a weekend off!

So while I was gone this weekend, Jeremy was such a great dad and took the boys to an easter egg hunt. Cameron had been begging to go ever since we got a flyer in the mail because a helicopter was going to drop the eggs for the kids to find. Pretty great in the eyes of a five year old and admittedly pretty intriguing for adults as well. It was put on by a local church and held at an elementary school. Jeremy said that when they got there they had to park so far away because it was soooooo crowded. They had anticipated 1-2 thousand people, but 3-4 thousand showed up. As they were walking to where you have to register, Gavin fell in the mud and got a big scratch on his nose and mouth so they had to reurn to the car to try to get him cleaned up and stop the bleeding on his face. Poor Jeremy didn't have any baby wipes so he was trying to just use the few napkins we had in the glove compartment. But he did not give up. The kids anxiously awaited by the field, already littered with thousands of eggs, for more eggs to be delivered via the anticipated helicopter. The moment came and the kids watched on in awe and then were patient for the cue to be given when they could let loose and gather the eggs. Jeremy held Gavin's hand and had Cameron close by him as the stampede began, but there were so many kids and soon Cameron was nowhere to be found. Cameron tells me that he ran fast to get more eggs and when he realized he couldn't find daddy, I am proud to say that he put into practice what we have taught him at home. He found a mommy and told her that he had lost his dad. This kind woman took him to the event staff (and gave him two eggs which Cameron was the most excited about) and they announced over the speakers for Jeremy to come and get him. Jeremy, who had been searching frantically, was relieved to find him safe and sound. That night when I called to ask about how the day went, Cameron told me he had gotten lost, but he was most concerned that he only got 4 eggs. Jeremy said that the crowd was so massive that many children were crying because they did not get any eggs at all and Cameron said he would've shared, but he was saving his extra eggs for mommy. What a sweet boy! In light of what happened, I seriously doubt we will return next year for this egg hunt, no matter what gimmic tries to lure us! I will just have to be sure to hide the flyer before Cameron sees it!

Sprinkle!

Last night I got together with some close friends for my baby "sprinkle." We went out to eat at one of my favorite restaraunts, PF Chang's and just had a nice night out. It wasn't supposed to be a shower because after all, this is my third boy, but my terrific friends brought gifts and all went in on a gift card that will definitely come in handy for the new carseat we need to buy. My dear friend Angie that organized the evening also had these adorable little fortune cookie favors and brought one of those yummy chocolate Costco cakes. It was such a fun night, I am so lucky to be surrounded by such a fun and sweet circle of friends. Thank you ladies!

Big Boy Bed!

It's official now. For a few weeks we've been experamenting with Gavin sleeping in the bottom bunk in Cameron's room and now he will actually stay in bed, even during naptime! The first few nights I would find Gavin up in the top bunk playing while Cameron was sound asleep and then he would yell for me because he couldn't climb back down by himself. We would then "punish" him by putting him back in the crib which he decided he was too big for. I'm glad it ended up being his decision and yesterday I took down all the stuff in the nursery to start getting ready for the new baby. I was a little bit sad the whole time, wondering if Gavin would really suffer from that "middle child syndrome" since he was moving into a room that is really Cameron's and making his old room into one for this new addition. Would he feel like he didn't have a place of his own anymore? I think I am overly paranoid about all of the stigmatisms that come with birth order, but I just want all of my kids to feel individually loved. We will be tweaking the big boy room a bit by changing the decor some, hopefully that will be enough to make Gavin feel welcome there too and change it onto Cameron and Gavin's room. We sure are proud of our big boy and this big step!

Great Wolf Lodge

Well, after our exciting weekend, we picked right up on Monday with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. After hearing all of our friends raving about this place, we decided to give it a try. Plus, we wanted to take one last trip with the kids before the new baby arrives. It is an enormous indoor waterpark, reserved for lodge guests only and our kids had an absolute blast! We even stayed in a camp-themed room that had the normal hotel amenities, and also a "tent" area with bunk beds and fun murals on the walls for the kids. The first day Gavin was all gung-ho until he did a face plant in the water and then he was pretty much done for the day, but that didn't stop Cameron anf Jeremy from going to town on the water slides. After a good night's rest, both boys went from 9 to 4:30 without stopping on Tuesday. I could not believe how much energy they mustered. All was forgotten from the previous day for Gavin, and he relentlessly tackled the little slides, especially the "Lellow Swide" which I honestly think he could've gone on the whole day. He also loved to watch the huge bucket that dumped water every 5 minutes on the climbing area. Cameron of course loved the big slides that he got to go on with daddy, but he also really enjoyed the wave pool and the huge hot tub that wasn't too hot for little ones. Once we got in the car to drive home, it wasn't ten minutes before both boys were sound asleep and once we got home, Jeremy and I found ourselves crashing as well. It was a nice retreat and every one of us had a great time, and Gavin keeps asking to put his "swimsuit on" today.

Weekend Away

This weekend was a real treat for Jeremy and I. We shipped the kids off to Grandma and Jeff's for the weekend and had a little get-away in DC. On Friday night we actually stayed local and went to dinner and a movie. It was so strange to come home and not have the kids here! The next morning we went on a brunch cruise on the Potomac. It was the perfect day, so clear and beautiful, and it wasn't too cold to walk on the outer deck of the boat. We ate great food, enjoyed a live band and also got to know the people sitting beside us. Later that day we went to the Kennedy Center to see a show called "Shear Madness", a murder mystery/comedy that was really quite funny and entertaining. That night we ordered dinner in at the hotel and just relaxed. Sunday morning we slept in, had breakfast and toured the George Washington Masonic Memorial which was incredibly fascinating. We learned all about the Masons and got to ride in their diagonal elevator, one of two in the US. We then fetched the kids and heard all about their fun weekend too. They didn't even want to leave! We feel very fortunate to be able to live so close to family that are willing to help out with the kids and give us a much needed holiday!