Coloring eggs

Just some random pictures from our little Easter egg coloring session. We all went over to Ann’s house and lots of people showed up. The kids did most of the coloring with some help from the adults. They were a little bummed that we only had two dozen eggs to color. they went through them in record time.  Afterwards we all went outside and played some games. Bocchi ball, basketball, Frisbee, and sidewalk chalk were all involved. We had Easter dinner the day prior because not everyone would be able to be there on the day of. The kids had so much fun and were really kept occupied and busy at all times thanks to their cousins Courtney and Dave and their significant others.

Jack did really good with the handling of the eggs and the dye and all. He had a very steady hand and hardly made a mess at all.

 

Alex tried his hardest, but he was bound to spill the dye. luckily we had newspapers spread out everywhere to catch the spills.

Alex just wanted to get a closer look at all the eggs he colored.

Jack drawing a dragon.

Bocchi ball!

Uncle Mark told Alex that he has to keep his eye on the ball to hit it, so he put his eye as close as he could get it!

Jack really looks like a pro!

Alex just posing like he is baby GQ or something. He is so adorable and he knows it!

Spring has Sprung

I could not wait for this day to finally come and even though it only lasted for just the one short day (it was cold again by about six P.M.) I could not resist just going outside and enjoying the warmth and the sunshine. The fact that it was windy didn’t ruin it at all for me.

 

The boys were so excited to be able to wear their shorts and t-shirts and sandals again, although I think I need to get them some more sandals as their feet have gotten a little bigger.

They didn’t even mind when I asked them to sit and take a picture for me. We have all these really cool big rocks all around the perimeter of our yard and they make for great pictures. I wasn’t even the one who posed them like this, they did it themselves. I guess they are used to me and  my camera.

Jack even ate his breakfast outside. He grabbed a pop tart and his snow tube and sat in the middle of the back yard and said he just needed to enjoy some time by himself.

 

It is funny how just a couple of weeks ago there was snow on the ground and now the grass is so green and there are blossoms on all the trees. I love it. I have never really had a spring before and it is so nice! Alex could not even stand to come in when Jack and I did. The cold wind finally drove us indoors. Alex stayed out in the front yard just playing on the rocks and dirt. He was so good. He stayed right where I could see him from the picture window in the dining room.

The rest of the spring and summer is going to be great now that we finally have a backyard that we can actually do things in and enjoy. I am loving Wisconsin!

A Walk in the Park

While Andy and Mark were both in town we decided it was high time to get out doors and do something. So Ann suggested a park that was only about a mile down the road from our house and we took it upon ourselves to go for a walk. The park was nestled right in the middle of a bunch of houses, though you would never be able to tell when you were walking through it. It looked like we were deep in an enchanted forest somewhere.

It was quite a big park and there was a Frisbee golf course that surrounded part of it as well, but this again was kept from view by the massive amounts of trees, even though they were still bare from winter.

 

The kids had fun running and jumping and being loud, but they had the most fun playing with their Daddy and Uncle Mark.

It was still pretty chilly this day, but it was still nice to be able to get outside and away from being cooped up inside constantly.

 

There was actual park equipment as well that the kids got to play on after our walk. I’m not sure who had more fun on the equipment though as it seemed that the older brothers seemed to keep themselves pretty amused just as much as the younger brothers did.    

We didn’t stay too much longer after our walk because it did become increasingly cold, especially out in the open without the trees blocking the wind.

They miss Daddy

I guess we didn’t realize just exactly how much the kids missed their Daddy until on one of his visits with us we walked into the living room and saw this laying on the floor. Jack had gathered up a number of different things that represented his Daddy and built a Daddy facsimile. He told us that now Daddy could be here all the time. It would be so sad if it weren’t so darn funny.

On the same idea, this is Jack’s impersonation of his Daddy. They both really do miss their Daddy and will be over the moon when he finally is able to move in with us permanently.

Dinosaur Museum

I had not realized how much my kids were into dinosaurs until Jack asked me if he could set up  a “Dinosaur Museum” in my craft room while I was working. When I said okay, both Jack and Alex proceeded to find every single dinosaur in their possession and bring them in to make an exhibit. What is pictured here is about half of what they actually have.

After getting them all set up, Jack then proceeded to walk Alex through and talked all about each of the different dinosaurs. He would say their name and whether they were carnivores or plant eaters and even mentioned that some of them lived during the Jurassic Period. They both are very smart when it comes to this particular topic, although I should expect nothing less when one of their favorite TV shows is called Dinosaur Train.

Snow much fun with the Dupires

 

My best friend Josie and her two kids Alena and Hector along with her mom Beatrice got to come up to Milwaukee for a short visit. We were incredibly busy within those few short days they were here. They had to fly into Chicago because they were travelling on my buddy passes and that was the only way to get them here. So I made the hour and a half trek down Midway airport to pick them up after I got off work around 8:45 at night. We didn’t drive back until the next day. Instead, we stayed the night in a hotel and enjoyed a little of Chicago for the night. We stayed in the Silversmith Hotel which is right on Michigan Avenue next to the El train. I thought for sure we were going to be up all night with that train going by non stop, but turns out that they have that hotel pretty much soundproofed and it was a very enjoyable experience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay while in Chicago.

We checked out around one the next day and drove back to Wisconsin, making one stop at the Mars Cheese Castle to do a little cheese investigation as well as getting a little something to eat.

Josie’s kids had been hoping for snow, but it didn’t seem likely considering we were well into March and the weather was continually getting nicer. However, at midnight the weatherman predicted it would snow and  it did. By morning we had about two inches on the ground, which was enough for the kids to spend the entire day outside in and a little enough that it was gone by the time the sun went down.

While the kids were outside playing, the adults were inside talking, cooking, and eating. It was fun to be able to catch up with my friend and her mom. I had not seen Beatrice in a long time and even though I ad just visited Josie, we still had tons to say.

The next day we went to the Jelly Belly Warehouse in Pleasant Prairie and took the tour there and then we went downtown to the Milwaukee Public Market to eat and walked along the river walk.

   

The Dupires were supposed to go home the next day, but the flights looked really bad and they ended up staying another day. It was nice because we didn’t get a lot of time to do a lot of things, so the extra day was a bonus. Although Jack didn’t get to join us on our outing to the Harley Davidson Museum because he had to go to school he still got the rest of the day to play with Hector and Alena.

The Harley Museum was pretty neat and the kids really enjoyed it. They even did a scavenger hunt and won a prize at the end. After the tour of the museum we ate at Motor Bar and Restaurant which is located in the Museum.

All in all it was a very fun, whirlwind visit and the kids were sad to see their friends go.