A new kind of Easter egg hunt

All our kids have known up to this point has been great spring weather come Easter time with egg hunts usually taking place in warm weather attire. Well this year was a different story. Our neighbors and myself decided to put on a neighborhood Easter egg hunt this year to get to know more of the kids in the area. We chose to do it two weeks before Easter as Spring Break preceded the week before Easter and many families would be out of town for that. We had planned to do it rain or shine as there really wasn't any other good days to move it to in case of inclement weather. The weather report had shown a chance of snow but with no accumulation.




Well snow it did for three days and it all stuck. There was 6+ inches on the ground and more was falling. We really hadn't planned on the weather being what it was but the kids all enjoyed it nonetheless. They came dressed in their snow clothes, participated in a few activities in the warmth and dry conditions of the garage while waiting for all to arrive, and then it was a mad dash to find the eggs hidden in the adjoining yards.




We did move the 0-2 age group indoors for their initial hunt but the rest were not slowed by the conditions. It made it easy to hide some of the eggs as we'd just drop them in the snow. I'm sure we'll find a few once all the snow melts. We had 40-50 kids show up and I'm sure there would've been more if the weather was better. Maybe it will have to be a new neighborhood tradition.

This is how you get all the marshmallows...

Jonas found that somebody left a box of Lucky Charms out on the table and decided to take advantage of the situation and fix his own breakfast. He did great at pouring it into the bowl but just didn't stop once it was full. I think he thought he hit the jackpot with easy access to so many marshmallows. He was happily picking them out of the mound of cereal when caught.

Februrary- March 2011

Visitors: Uncle Jon, Aunt Tara, and cousin Eva (one day younger than Jonas)

Grammy and Pops-making cookies with Grammy



Nana-san and Papa-san and had dinner with friends from Misawa



Jim demonstrating how to cook dinner when the power is out when you get home from work



And the skiing was phenomenal!

Whitney baby book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Dance class

The girls have been wanting to take dance classes for a few years but we were never interested in a year round program. We found a six week program that fit great between basketball and soccer seasons through the school district's community education program. Their grandparents gave them the money to sign up for a class as part of their Christmas gift.



The girls loved going to their class each week and learning new steps. They frequently love to put on dance shows for us at home now using their newly learned technique. They even pull out a lamp to use as the spotlight. Jonas even picked up a few moves to try out (shh,don't tell his daddy! )

Jonas' antics

Our little man keeps us on our toes on a regular basis. He is a climber that will go to whatever heights it takes to get what he wants whether it is a DVD, food on the counter or in the cupboard, or just a more direct route to where he's going (i.e. up and over the couch). He almost always has a spoon in his hand so he's ready to eat at a moments notice. He loves to draw with his most favorite canvases being the walls, windows, and floors. He prefers spending his time outdoors and will sneak out whenever possible to wander the neighborhood. Water is a favorite to play with whether it is in the sink or the puddles outside. Here a few pictures of his many antics:



Luckily he's so darn cute that we keep him around!

My little birdy

Maren is so funny as she loves to make nests. She'll find all the blankets and pillows she can and make them into a big pile and snuggle down in the middle of them. Even in her bed at night that is how she sleeps. Just makes for a lot of laundry when she had the pukes one night. Here she is playing with her friend Dallin.