Easter

Last year, we were driving home from California on Easter and aside from a bunny visit, skipped our Easter traditions. The kids, particularly Cole, were not pleased about this and have been excited for Easter this year. 

So, we dyed a bunch of eggs...

...refused to look at the camera for pictures...

....participated in about 20 egg hunts (yet still didn't manage to get any egg hunt pictures)...

...and rollede/threw a bunch of eggs down the hill.

Molly seemed to catch right on to the plan of attack.

There were also Gator rides, which is a new addition to the Easter festivities. It has quickly become necessary,

But don't worry, we aren't total heathens. We also watched some church videos and talked about Christ. I'm grateful for the online videos that do such a good job of capturing my children's attention and helping them feel the power of Christ's life and atonement.

In Stitches

Ward Ski Night turned adventurous this year. Molly, the only family member not on skis, ended up with 20 stitches through her eyebrow. She was walking on a bench and fell off, slicing her head on the edge of the radiator as she fell. Sometimes, our kids get hurt and I wonder if maybe they'll need medical attention. There was no wondering this time. When I picked her up, I took one look at her head and passed her off to Floyd. He quickly took her down to the first aid room while I loaded our stuff to the car. There was no question we were headed for the ER.

Molly settled down pretty quick once we bandaged her head and gave her a little milk. She was smiling, talking, and laughing while we waited in the ER.

She cried pretty hard while they numbed her head, but settled down quickly and fell asleep while they were stitching her up. She was quite a trooper. 

She was pretty proud of her stitches and told everyone the story. 

When we went to get them out, she really amazed me. Floyd held her and you could tell she was a little nervous, but she didn't even flinch. 

As of now, her scar is pretty faint and right through the middle of her eyebrow. She still loves telling people about it and doesn't seem at all bothered by the experience. What a little trooper!

Birthday Benny

Benny was the perfect age for birthday excitement this year. I think he planned 17 different birthday parties. Anything fun that happened all year long quickly made it to the party plans. 

In the end, we took some friends and family with us to the Sports Academy pool and swam, ate pizza, cake, and ice cream, and broke a pinata. 

And opened way too many presents, of course. 

A little about 6-year-old Ben:

-He's very social. He has made friends with pretty much every kid on the street and just makes his way through them every day until he finds someone to play with. 

-He's not a huge fan of school. He doesn't hate it, but sitting still and paying attention aren't exactly his favorite things. It gets a little boring for him. 

-He loves babies. He is incredibly tender with them and knows quite a few of the babies in our ward.

-He wants to be one of the guys. Floyd is the Webelos leader and Ben usually gets to tag along. He really admires the older boys and always seeks out opportunities to hang out with them.

-He still loves working and wants to be outside doing stuff all the time. 

We sure love our Benny Boy and can't imagine what our family would be like without his enthusiasm, intensity, and humor. He's a keeper.