Easter 2015

Let's just preface this post by saying Easter left me EXHAUSTED, and more tired than I've been in...my life!

 

I love Easter, and this year was fantastic...with wonderful weather and lots of family time.

 

We started things off Friday, coloring eggs with the boys.

I figured 5 dozed should suffice.

 

 

They had a blast until about 3 dozen in, and then they were off with their light sabers.

 

We spent some time up in Alpine that night, with the Warnick's and Brandon's families in town.

 

Saturday morning, we were back it!

We all headed down to Mapleton to Tana and Matt's, where they hosted a PERFECT day of fun, relaxation, and EATING!

 

It was truly the ideal place for kids and adults alike to play and have a great time.

 

An Easter egg hunt was part of the craziness.

I mean... look at ALL these kids (boys!)

 

I think Jack found about 2 pieces of candy he'd even think of touching, and the rest got discarded to little brother:

 

 

We were there until almost 10:00 pm as we waited for all the menfolk to get back from the Priesthood session. 

 

Probably the best part of the day was Tucker taking an unexpected 2 hour nap with me on the couch.

Hea-ven.

 

 

 

The next morning was EASTER, and every year is a real treat, because my kids forget that the Easter Bunny comes.  There are no high expectations, and they are genuinely surprised when we tell them to go find their baskets for a surprise.

 

 

They were elated.

 

They got Legos, pj's, water bottles, robotic fish, books, movies...

Man. Easter is a second Christmas, I swear.

 

 

Jack was also pretty pleased that the Easter Bunny only included candy he likes in his basket.

 

Mornings like this are one of my favorite parts of being a mom.

 

 

 

We headed over to my moms for the rest of the day around noon, and it was another incredible day of family, great weather, and delish food.

 

We had the traditional egg hunt down by the pond, and my parent's truly outdid themselves.

 

This face says it all.  My sweet mom and dad made special "Jack" eggs that only had Starbursts and Smarties in them for this crazy weird eater.

Jack is so used to not partaking in food-related celebrations.

Once he realized they were catered to him.. he sat and opened every single on in amazement.

 

 

We are the absolute luckiest to have both families to spend time with and enjoy.

My kids are so lucky to grow up with such incredible COUSINS who they adore.

 

 

 

We threw eggs, played ball, I felt crappy... yadda yadda.

 

 

 

And, by about 6:00, I called it.

 

We were all like this:

 

 

It literally took me a couple of days to recover from the non stop fun...but, it's a problem I will gladly accept in exchange for so much family time.

Mama's Birthday

April 1st is one of my favorite days all year.

We get to celebrate my incredible mom!!!

She turned 62 this year.. and man, I can't imagine a day without her.

She's not only a best mama to me, but a best friend.

A lucky gal to have this mug in my corner:

So inappropriate...and when pregnant... definitely more than a handful!!!!

These kids worship their grandma... just like everybody does!

Tucker the 3 Year Old

And so, a little post dedicated to my second born... as he has just reached the ever crazy, ever unpredictable age of THREE.

 

 

Oh, my Tuck man.

He packs a tight punch this one.

He's hot or he's cold, but either way... he does it all the way!

 

This little turkey is as smart as they come.  Nothing gets passed Tucker, especially anything with SUGAR in it! This kid will not only eat ANYTHING (and a lot of it), he can sniff out a piece of candy from a mile away.  Total sweet tooth, and the disposal for everything his older brother refuses to eat!

 

 

 

Tucker is used to playing second fiddle to Jack in the category of toys/costumes/crazy shenanigans.

I feel like since he was super tiny, he always just kind of looked at Jack with a combination of adoration and just shaking his head at Jack and all his wild eccentricities. 

 

 

Give Tucker an ounce of his own attention, or access to any random costumes and accessories that Jack isn't using at the moment, and man this kid is as happy as they come.

 

Tucker also knows EXACTLY how to deal with his older bro, and when he wants... he knows EXACTLY what buttons to push.  Intuitive little bugger knows just how much he can get away with!

 

 

Tucker talks really well for his age... and like everything he does, it comes as a bit of a surprise because he's so small in size! It just seems like he shouldn't be able to do everything that he can!

 

He is Mr. Independent, and has to prove that he can do everything by himself.

 

Tucker loves books, and can hardly wait for preschool with Miss Molly.  He knew that once he turned three, he'd be old enough to go...and not a day goes by where he doesn't ask to go to school.

Such a little brother.

 

Tucker is also INCREDIBLE at building.

I mean...it's impressive.

Give him a block or Lego of any type, and he will build a perfectly symmetrical structure with no help.

His favorite thing to make is a "spaceship."

His Legos are always broken apart and immediately made into new things... unlike his brother who would rather die than have one piece out of place in a set.

His creativity is exciting to watch for such a little bugger.

This is a quick shot of a little something he threw together during Sacrament Meeting one day at church:

 

Tucker is taking after his brother in many areas (he doesn't have a choice, right?)

He isn't scared of anything (zombie/Halloween related), he loves STAR WARS and knows all the characters, and he drags a blankey around still... just like Jack.

 

Tucker also still drags around the blasted BOTTLE!

Ugh.

It's an embarrassment as a mother... but, he drinks water ONLY

(after having 4 cavities filled in December from a milk bottle...ooopsies), and he requests this darn thing multiple times a day and when he goes to sleep.  It always has to be accompanied with his blanket, and it immediately makes my self-sufficient, independent man child a little tiny infant all over again!  We gotta tackle that habit and get this boy potty trained STAT.

 

Tucker is going through a MEGA mom phase.

He always keeps me at an arms distance, and clings for dear life whenever I leave him.

I'm not going to lie... I kind of like it.

 

Tucker is mellowing out a bit in his old age... not quite as wild.

However, he's still capable of plenty of shenanigans and will pick a fight with any sized kid if he feels like they are a threat.

 

He still manages to make an impressive mess, and can still get into some mischievous trouble.

I never blogged about this yet...

Just a couple of weeks ago, Tuck stuck this little plastic piece up his nose and got it stuck!

Never in a million years would have Jack done that.

I didn't realize it was even up there until I laid him down to change a diaper.

I had to pin him down, while Brett fished it out with fishing pliers!

 

 

 

 

Tucker can keep anyone on their toes, but he also loves his down time, and is becoming more and more sensitive.  He gets super embarrassed, and hates negative attention. (wait, he might love it too...)

 

His dimple makes my world go round.

I mean seriously.

Tuck has avoided many a beating because of that smile!

 

 

I cannot image for one second our lives without this little firecracker in it.

Jack would be lost, that's for sure.

They are the best of friends... loving each other and bickering like old men just the same.

Tucker wears me out and picks me up all the same with his silly, lovable, and unique personality.

 

 

After 3 years to assess the situation, it's official.

I'm so completely, totally, 100% smitten with this boy.