Eggstra-special Easter pictures

Yes. I know. It's almost Memorial Day and I'm just now getting around to the Easter blog. Don't let the date of this entry fool you either. I STARTED writing it on the 28th. Today is the 3rd of May.

Be warned. Plethora of pictures lie ahead.

First.
The traditional coloring of the Easter egg. Also referred to as the "Why didn't we remember LAST year that we decided we weren't going to dye eggs anymore?" Atleast we remembered that Easter grass, even on clearance at 90% off isn't worth the mess. After Easter clearance of M and M's or chocolate eggs on the other hand......bargain and a half!

The kids did have fun putting silly face stickers on the eggs. I think they said the purple one on the left in the front was supposed to be me. Sadly, it's probably pretty accurate. We'll see this particular egg again later......

Second.

The staging of the bunny tracks.

Per my family tradition, magical bunny tracks, or Gold Medal flour if you will, are strategically placed on the floor leading the kids to their baskets. This also alludes to the use of the front door when your too-smart-for-her-own-britches five year old asks how the bunny will get in the house. Because duh. Chimneys are for Santa. And he's not here to make sure the bunny doesn't get burned.

Third.

The finding of the eggs. Erik actually found the last egg that the rest of us couldn't find due to the Easter bunny's memory loss.

Fourth.
The counting/hording of the loot and other OCD tendencies. Can you find "my" egg?

Fifth.

Getting ready for church and the showing off of how adoreably cute my children are. Erik was napping so there are only pictures of the older two.

Awe. Sweet.

Right back at 'cha!

Like Father, like son....

I've discovered something about my boys. They are A LOT like their dad.

Here's a few things that I've noticed:

Dad: Engineer
Jack and Erik: Future Engineers

Dad: Can sleep anywhere, anytime

Jack and Erik: Can sleep anywhere, anytime

Dad: His keen fashion sense
Jack and Erik: Their keen fashion sense


Oh wait. That's the Mad hatter. Not my husband. But you get the idea.


But those are just a few. Aside from the obvious inherited blue-eyes, blonde hair, and big second toe, I've noticed another similarity that my boys share with my husband. One that still has me wondering if it is a learned behavior or hereditary. Maybe it will skip a generation? All I know is that my husband's dad and his brother do the same thing.

I'll show you what I mean and see if you can guess what it is....

Oh wait.....this one is from the teacups ride. Nevermind.

Figure it out yet?

If you guessed the thing they do with their tongue....you would be correct. I usually can catch them doing that "tongue thing" as I affectionately call it, when they are focused on something intently. Not always, but most of the time. It's pretty funny. And pretty freaky that both of my boys do it too.

What would be a habit that my daughter picked up from me?

Hair twirling.

I guess I'm glad she just does the hair twirl. If she did that AND the tongue thing, she'd probably look pretty silly.

Why didn't I think of that?

I was watching "the Wiggles" on Jimmy Kimmel the other night and found it humorous that a group like "the Wiggles" were even ON a show like Jimmy Kimmel. As I was watching them sing and dance to their hit "Fruit Salad, Yummy! Yummy!" or something equally as grammy award winning, I couldn't help but think, "Why didn't I think of that?" I could be a multi millionaire if I had just thought about putting together a kid's show with a singing Dinosaur ( where have I seen THAT before? ), a Pirate ( ? ), and a Big Red ( made out of a refrigerator box ) Car. Why oh WHY!?!

So maybe I'm not smart enough to invent something like plastic or the surface insulation tiles on the Space Shuttle. But surely I could have come up with a singing Dinosaur because clearly, that never gets old.

If I had thought of it ten years ago, I could have set up a video camera in my basement, picked some Bach or Beethoven highlights from my CD, and filmed a bunch of baby toys in action. I could have filmed a neice or nephew with a stage name like Aspen or Willow, in their latest Gymboree line outfits singing the "ABC" song. Maybe I wouldn't have named them "Baby Einstein". But I think I could have thought of something equally catchy like "Baby Watch-and-Learn" or "Baby, Tell Your Parents To Pay $20 For A Video I Made In My Basement".

I'm pretty sure I could even write a children's book. I mean, there's what? Like 10 words total in a Children's book? My daughter has a book about Cinderella. It is a counting book where each page says a number and then the picture shows how many. "One slipper". "Two Coachmen"... Oh for the love of all things Seuss! I could write that!

Since having kids, I have found myself saying "Why didn't I think of that" with regard to some baby inventions. Disposable diapers, the battery operated swing, the all-in-one crib/toddler/child bed, individual formula packets, the snap-crotch onesies, the "Miracle Blanket", Boppie pillows, exersaucers and Bumbo seats. Absolutely brilliant!

Other inventions, on the other hand, I might put in the same category as "Boobah" or "Teletubbies". These would include such items as the "Why Cry" baby cry analyzer, the diaper genie and the baby wipe warmer.

I'm smart enough I could invent some uber cool baby gadget that would rank up there with the onesie or the "miracle blanket". I told my husband ( the engineer ) that one of these days, I am going to invent a better baby lock for cupboards. A gadget that uses something other than screws that not only ruin your cupboard but causes the above mentioned engineer to say naughty words. Or a high powered magnet that eventually will disappear and make the cupboard nuclear bomb proof.

I WILL do it one of these days. You can see me on the next "American Inventor" right next to the lady who invented the restroom door clip. That thing would have come in handy at the Big-D Gas 'n Fill the other week instead of counting on your 3 year old, who was more interested in the feet he saw in the stall next to us, to hold the door shut. Again, not rocket science. Yet I find myself thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I'll be famous one of these days. You'll see. You'll all be impressed and think how cool it is that you know the person who invented the greatest baby locks ever. You'll all be thinking, "Now why didn't I think of that?"

For now, this genius of a mother needs to change a stinky diaper.

How do you spell trouble?

E.R.I.K.


Just look at that face. Where have I seen those eyes before? Oh yeah. Right before the folded laundry in the laundry basket were emptied all over the floor. I remember now.


Sure, he looks cute and cuddly.

And yeah, he likes to be held...most of the time... only by mommy. And of course his attention span is the same as a fly. And naturally I have little messes throughout my house that I spend much of the day cleaning. And yes, sometimes I don't have a chance to sweep the kitchen floor before he will go ahead and do it for me. And naturally that would be a whole roll of toilet paper that he put in the toilet. And a ball. And a sock. You're right! That IS a new tube of Desitin that is squirted all over the floor. And who wouldn't think it was fun to rearrange a towel cupboard in the kitchen? Or a tupperware cupboard? Or the bottom shelves of a pantry? Isn't it normal to read a Parents magazine with half pages torn out here and there?

He's just my little spring cleaning helper. ( As I keep telling myself as I clean up the Corn Pops he spread all over the kitchen floor. Must have thought he'd help me out by getting a head start on breakfast? )

Because it has just been one of those crazy crazy weeks, and I just don't have the brain capacity right now to think of anything blog-worthy to blog about, I decided to just show you some pictures and you can see for yourself what I'm talking about.

A tale of two teethies

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times......

Either way you want to look at it, my baby has teeth. And if you have ever nursed a child, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, then the rest of this entry will probably be way more information than you really wanted to know.

I've known it was coming for a few months now. First there was the constant drooling. Oh the drooling! Who knew one little creature could drool so much!? We could always tell where he had been because he always left a snail trail of drool around the house. Then there were the irritable evenings and fevers. Then there was that first time. Those of you who know, already know what I'm about to say. I sense you cringing just at the thought.

There's that first time which comes when you least expect it....

(MUNCH!)

EEEOOUUUCCCCHHH!!!!

That scream, by the way, will scare the bee-jee-bees out of your 3 year old who is sitting next to you.

Let me explain what the next few seconds are like for those who have no clue what I'm talking about. As you sit there wailing back and forth mumbling some kind of inaudible naughty words, the child suddenly develops lock jaw. Nothing and I mean nothing seems to loosen the grip.

And the pain! This shooting pain starts around the chest area and travels to your toes hitting every nerve on the way down. One day, my husband came close to understanding what it feels like. I heard him screaming like a baby so I looked over to see our little "munch"kin using his leg as a chew toy and pulling his leg hairs out at the same time.

That's pretty close.

Two teeth have now become four. We've affectionately nicknamed him Spongebob. Still nursing too. Masochistic? Probably. I have had to come to the understanding that I nurse at my own risk. I just hope that the twitching jitters I get everytime he nurses will go away once he weans. I would hate to think that they are permanent. Unlike my sagging body parts which I'm pretty sure are.....permanent.