Easter weekend

For the Easter weekend we headed up to MN to see Uncle S and Aunt S. It was a long drive Thursday, but we made it in only 3 stops. C and I were very well behaved until the last 30 miles and then C started complaining about being in her seat for 13 hours! So for the rest of the weekend, M&D tried not to put us in the car at all. So to honor that promise, only M headed down to Minneapolis on Friday to meet up with one of her high school friends and go to a Good Friday service. It was a short but sweet time together.D stayed in Fergus with C and myself, so that we could play with L all day long. It was pretty rainy all day, so we just stayed inside and hung out. G&P also showed up Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning we headed to Bethel church for their Easter Egg hunt. They hid 2000 eggs, so we were each allowed to find 12 eggs. It took C a little while to warm up, but once she found a few eggs she was eager to find more. We found all our eggs in one corner of the nursery.

After getting back home and eating lunch, we started to dye our Easter eggs.

C even dyed one when she woke up from her nap.

After egg dyeing, D decided it was time to go get ice cream. It was only a short distance from the house, so we headed out on a walk to get our treat.

Hurrying along to get to ice cream!

Taking a short break while waiting at the street corner.

Since it was so nice outside we continued to stay outside and play. We played catch, rode around in the wagon and L even taught me how to ride his scooter.

Sunday morning we found our Easter baskets on the dining room table.

I had the princess basket. M let me wear all my new jewelry to church because I was truly a princess that day--My King has Risen!!!

Once we were all ready for church, it was time for pictures. What a cute family I have.

Hanging out with cousins....

Host family.

Aunt M and Uncle B came to church with us Easter morning. Then they headed down to M's cousin's house for dinner while we headed back to S&S for dinner and Easter Egg hunt.

Pretty Easter girls!

C needed a little help from D to get some of the eggs that were hidden.

Even L got some help from P.

A very full basket. Since I was told the day before I could only get 12 eggs, I listened and picked my 12 eggs on Sunday too.

After dinner, we headed down to spend the afternoon with M's relatives. When we got there, a good game of Bocci ball was going on.

For every game, you need a cheering section!!

We also played a mean game of croquet......

mean because 3 of the contestants ended up across the driveway.

Teamwork to help stop the ball from rolling back down the driveway again.

The Easter egg hunt on Saturday at church.

The great outdoors hunt!

We had a really good time. It was too short, like every vacation is. But after a 14 hour car ride Monday, we were all ready to be home and out of the car!!

Growing up and having fun

C is busy growing up. M can't believe she is already 16 months old. We usually have lots of fun together, although sometimes we end of fighting. Currently C's favorite thing is shoes. She loves finding them and giving them to people to put on. Usually she gets the right shoes with the right people but not always. As for herself, she hasn't quite figured out how to get her whole foot inside them.

Last night we tried to put C at the table with us. It worked for a few minutes and then I think everything was too distracting and she kept trying to climb out of her seat. C actually giggled when I brought out her tray again. I guess we'll try again in a few days.

C already thinks she has M&D wrapped around her finger. She thinks that if she asks for something and then blows you a kiss that she will get whatever she wants. Usually this technique is reserved for those items she KNOWS she isn't supposed to have. The ask is a cross between open palm "gimmie" sign and the American sign for milk. Sometimes the blowed kiss is not so much directed towards you as just sounded out. In the video below, she is eyeing D's cellphone.

In our house, running is always the preferred mode of transportation. Now that C is old enough to walk, she is quickly learning how to run everywhere she goes. Hey, she has to keep up to me and I'm not waiting for anyone!!

Hanging out before bed, just enjoying each other's company and making lots of noise.

Day at the musuem

Saturday morning, we headed to the local children's museum in town to spend some time discovering with C and S. It was mostly local history, floods and settlement, but there were also a few other items of interest. C discovered the dinosaur nest with eggs.I sat in the chair and pretended to be a dinosaur.

I also discovered a really cool ball blower. This kept C and I occupied for a good ten minutes or so. I kept it up in the air and when it did fall C ran after it to have M put it back on the chimney.There was a cool tennis ball race track that taught about inertia. We also learned about artifacts.

C and S had fun with the coyote puppet.

After seeing everything there was in the museum we went outside to the park and had a picnic lunch. Then we played on the the slides and swings, enjoying the 70 degree weather.

Teddy

M thinks that C has found her attachment. M has noticed for a few days now that C has tended to play with the same teddy bear. So M tried to put it in her crib one evening and C got mad because she still wanted to play with it.Well, she slept with it that night and the next morning she had it in her arms when M went to get her out of the crib. She refused to let go of it.

Mom remembers when I became attached to my first stuffed animal. Click here to read my first days with George. I still sleep with George most nights.

Bible without Pictures

I have been asking for some time for a Bible without pictures. So Wednesday night at church D asked our local Gideon for a new Bible for me. He even let me choose what color I wanted. So now, I really am a big girl with a big girl Bible that is just my size.

Aunt and Uncle visit

Aunt M and Uncle W came out to visit us last weekend. W was on leave prior to his scheduled deployment later this spring. M kept them very busy. In the short week W was here he visited friends at the Y, attended a friend's graduation, slept in one day, ATVed, skied 3 days, visited hot springs, snow-shoed, had supper at 2 friend's houses, and took part in our church's Lent Soup Supper. What a busy week!Siblings!

Uncle love!

Aunt adoration!

Sibling Ski weekend

M took Uncle W and Aunt M skiing 2 days while they were here--so I will let her tell you about their time.
Sunday morning we left early to head to Winter Park. It was pretty windy at the top of the bowl, but the skiing was great with light snow falling pretty much all day long.

After spending a nice evening relaxing at the local hot springs and spending the night in a cabin, we woke up to at least 6 inches of fresh snow on the truck.

It continued to snow as we left the Y to head over to Copper for another day of skiing. This is where our luck started playing out. It was a little later in the morning than we had planned to leave. After stopping to check out and use a quick bathroom break, we passed the Mary Jane turnoff at 8 am. The drive over the pass was slow with about 10 cars caught behind a slow camper. Once we finally passed, the snow continued to get worse and at the top of the pass the visibility was down to less than a 1/4 mile. When we reached the bottom just before 9 am the road was closed--we found out later it closed just after 8 am, which made us one of the last cars through. It took us another hour & 20 minutes to go 30 miles further west on the I-70--passing about 3 accidents along the way. Finally Copper came into sight and we quickly got unloaded and ready to ski another day. Since we weren't heading back to the SMR that night we didn't have a 3rd pass and had to purchase a day ticket. Here again we got lucky. Apparently the staff passes that had always been unlimited access had been changed this year to only include 4 days at Copper, which we didn't know had already been used up for the year. The first guy that scanned us let us through after commenting that his scanner said we were out of days. Was it because he wasn't aware of the rule change and assumed his scanner was acting up or he knew that the road was closed and we couldn't ski at WP that day or because we had bought one ticket he was just being nice. Who knows, but we decided to ski the top of the mountain most of the day and not head back to the bottom chair lifts. What a wise choice! The snow was awesome--at least a foot of fresh powder--as seen by M's ski pole she is holding up.

We spent 2 1/2 hours skiing the blacks (and at least one double black) at the top of the mountain. Most of the runs I wouldn't do in normal conditions, but with a foot of powder it didn't matter if you fell.

W cruising down the moguls which were buried under all the new snow.

M coming down through the powder.

Falling was almost as fun as the skiing!!! We headed into lunch at about 1:30 which means we didn't get on another lift until after 2. After scanning our passes the attendant asked if we had been using them all day. After saying Yes, he let us on the lift. We found out the next day (after a call to the HR office) that another staff had been turned away 2 days before for expired days at Copper and this change was something they weren't even aware of.

Finishing up the last run of the night.

Enjoying some adult beverages after a long day skiing. Then we headed back home with a detour to drop off the staff passes through another snowfall. Again we were lucky because one of the roads we were on that evening was later closed for avalanche control.

It was a wonderful sibling ski trip. The next two days, M and W went snowshoeing and went skiing one more day. A tiring, busy but very fun-filled week.

ATVing

The first day Aunt M and Uncle W were here we took them to the Eastern plains to go ATVing.D cooked our hot dogs for lunch.

C and I hid in the truck to stay out of the wind, while we were snacking on some Cheetos.

Uncle W's friend from the Y came down to join us for the afternoon (after having a little trouble finding us).

After lunch while the boys were still out ATVing, we took a short walk by the parking lots.

C even found some "dessert" on our walk--cow pies!

15 month girl

C turned fifteen months in March. She is growing up so fast.Serenading M&D to Jesus Loves Me one Sunday before church.

We have a new puppy in our house--only when she wants to be one that is!!

Sometimes, like this evening, when it is a cold and rainy day outside and I can't go outside to run off energy I get really hyper in the evening. So tonight before bed D ran me through some workouts.