Sunday Egg Hunt

To end our weekend full of fun and all things Easter we met Matt's family, the Keller, side for good food and the annual egg hunt. When we arrived there were what looked like hundreds of eggs hidden, and not so hidden, around the yard. The kids were eager to get started picking them up. Parker knew exactly what to do and before I knew it his basket was overflowing. Grandma Kerry had to get him a bag to dump his eggs in so he could continue gathering the rest of the eggs. Paige knew what to do as well, but she was a little more selective in the eggs she gathered. When she first went out she was picking up one or two here and there and then she went to the garden area where there were a ton of eggs. Instead of picking up all the eggs she could see, she would pick an egg up, shake it to make sure there was something inside before she put it in her basket. It was hilarious to watch. She also ended up with an overflowing basket. In fact all of the kids got spoiled and had a great time. Inside the eggs were toy cars, parachute toys, squinkies, and plastic bugs. Both Parker and Paige got some of each and Paige shared her squinkies with Parker. Now they are both obsessed with them. Is it okay for my 5 year old boy to be playing with and wanting to collect squinkies?? I see no harm. We had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and created some more memories.

On a side note, Parker gave a talk in Primary on Sunday. I didn't know he had a talk because no note was sent home or a phone call received. I sat down in Sacrament meeting and saw in the bulletin that he was giving a talk. WHAT??? So much for being prepared! So I hurried and wrote a little something for him to share. We had been talking the past week about Easter and it's true meaning. The kids even watched an Easter video about Jesus Christ and the Resurrection. I tried to explain why we celebrate and how lucky we are that we are on the earth and given the opportunity to be in a family. I think Parker understood because from them on the rest of the week when someone would talk about Easter he would reply, "It's not all about the candy, it's about Jesus". So something got through to him. Anyways, that was what his talk was about, in his words it's not all about the candy...It's all about Jesus.

Sunday Outfits

I love that my mom gets the kids new Easter clothes. They all looked so nice this last Sunday in their brand new clothes. Paige is all girl and get very excited about new clothes and accessories. Parker doesn't seem to care one way or the other, he just wears what I tell him to. They all looked so cute together, I couldn't ask for better kids. (sometimes I say I would trade them, but I really wouldn't!) I love them all to pieces. I am so lucky to have each of them in my life. I look at little Paxten and feel so much joy and love for him, it is amazing how much your heart grows each time you have a new baby. I love that Parker and Paige love him so much too! Our family is growing and I love it!!

Easter Morning

The kids were just about as excited about the Easter Bunny as they are about Santa Claus. Matt and I tried not to go too overboard this year. Parker and Paige each got a bucket and shovel, a set of sidewalk chalk and a set of plastic lawn tools along with candy in their baskets. Paxten got a teething toy and some candy, even though he can't eat it, he will share with mom and dad. I figured between all the events of the weekend we would have more than enough candy to last for a long time.

Saturday Egg Hunt

After a wonderful lunch the kids were anxious to have their egg hunt. Jackson, Parker and Paige all hid a special hard boiled egg for their dads that they had to find and then Charyn and I hid all the rest of the plastic eggs and a special hard boiled egg for each of the kids to find. After about 20 minutes of hiding eggs, we sure had a lot of eggs for 3 kids, the kids were off and finding eggs. Each of them found their "special" egg, although it took Jackson quite a long time to finally find his. The kids each had a basket full of eggs. Some were even lucky enough to have money in them. Paige was the big winner, she found an egg with $5 in it and two other eggs with $1 in them. The kids will have candy to last them for months! They all had a great time and we enjoyed the sunshine outside hanging out and visiting with each other. We are so excited for the weather to get nicer and to be able to be outside more often. Paxten wasn't too sure of being outside and the sunshine. It sure felt good to us and I am sure he will like it by the end of the summer!

Treasure Hunt

I am trying to get caught up on my Easter posts, but Paxten hasn't been cooperating lately. I finally was able to put him down for a nap and he has stayed asleep for a while. Thank goodness! So here I am trying to get the last of Easter posted before the end of the month!

To keep the kids occupied and entertained while the boys were golfing we made up a treasure hunt for the kids to do in order to find their Easter basket from Grandma and Grandpa. We were blessed to have good weather this year, which hardly ever happens, and so we were able to do the hunt outside. We had about 8 clues hidden around our yard and my parents yard and the kids found the clues quickly. When the last clue was read to lead them into my parents front room the kids all ran for the house and ran inside but were still looking for a clue and right in front of them was the treasure, their baskets. It was pretty funny, they finally noticed and were excited about the goodies grandma had gotten for them. They each got a new spring outfit. Paige got a new Easter dress complete with hairbows, socks, and sandals. The boys all got a new shirt and shorts. Parker also got shoes. They also got candy and a new toy to play with outside. So the goodies in their basket kept them entertained until the boys got back from golfing.

Matt was the winner of the golf game and was pretty excited to have been able to go. He had been looking forward to being able to golf for about a week. He even pulled out his shorts to wear. (I didn't think it was that warm!) After they got back we had a yummy dinner of 7-up chicken and salads and then it was time for the egg hunt.

Egg Dying

We are keeping the tradition alive! We dyed eggs again this year and the kids had a great time. They were both (Parker and Paige) old enough to do it themselves and to have fun with it. (Paxten was napping) Charyn and Jackson were here as well (the boys went golfing in the morning). We dyed about 5 dozen eggs all together. We are all going to be making potato salad and deviled eggs this week. Hahaha. It was fun to so how creative we all can be and for the kids to have something fun and memorable to look forward to each year!

Easter Bunny

I took the kids last Friday to an Easter Egg Hunt here at the swimming pool. They had the area roped off for different age groups and Parker and Paige happened to be in the same group. Thank goodness, because I was by myself and didn't want to leave one of then all alone. When the whistle blew and all the kids ran, poor Paige dropped her bag and about got trampled all over. By the time she got up and got her bag open most of the eggs were gone. I kept yelling to her to "pick up an egg" but she looked confused and afraid out there by herself. She kept looking at me like "mom what do I do?" I wasn't allowed to be out there with her and by the time I got Parker's attention to have him help her all the eggs were picked up and she didn't get one egg! Poor thing! Luckily Parker did good and managed to get about 10 eggs and he was nice enough to share with Paige, I think he felt bad for her too. Inside his eggs was a family pass to go swimming, and when we turned the empty eggs in the kids each got an individual pass to go swimming. So we scored at that egg hunt, now we will have something fun and FREE to do for family night! YAY!! We also had the chance to meet the Easter Bunny while we were there. Paige was hesitant to stand my him and seemed a little afraid, but I talked her into standing by Parker so I could snap a picture. Poor little Paxten missed out on all the adventure. He was asleep in the car seat for most of it and then it was so windy and cold that I didn't dare take him out. I don't want any more sick kids. So he missed out a lot on his first Easter, next year will be funner for him anyways!

Relief Society

I was recently put into Relief Society as the Relief Society Meeting Committee member. (the one that does Thursday night activities) and last Thursday was our first activity that me and the other lady that is on the committee had planned. We had a fondue party and had a guest speaker on Relationships. Then we made journals to help with those relationships. It was successful and a fun night. A lot of work goes into those meetings, but I am glad that we have a few people that share this calling so that it isn't quite as overwhelming. Since it was our first activity we overlooked a few things and two nights before we realized that we didn't have centerpieces for the tables. I had seen a cute craft project on HOW DOES SHE and immediately thought of the idea to do. So I was busy the day before putting together these cute Topiaries. I thought they turned out super cute and they were very easy to do. They ended up costing a bit more than I anticipated, but when we had 5 tables to decorate that happens. So we have cute little topiaries all over our house decorating for Spring time now. I just wanted to share how cute and easy they were. Go Here for instructions to make your own for next year.

Matt's Birthday

Matt turned the big 29 yesterday! Whenever he has a birthday it helps me get mentally prepared for mine in the fall. We are getting closer to 30 and that scares me a little bit. Anyways, Matt is a wonderful husband and father and we all love him so much an appreciate all that he does for our family. We hope he had a wonderful days and that he knows how much we all love him.

His parents had us over for dinner last night and we enjoyed ribs and cheesy potatoes and strawberry shortcake. It was so good, one of Matt's favorites. Tonight we are celbrating with my parents and having Steak and baked potatoes and cheesecake. (Matt's choice dinner) Happy Birthday Honey!!

Scrap Weekend

I got home last night after 3 days of scrapbooking with my mom and sister and a bunch of other ladies. We went to Lava again and had a good time getting away. Paxten was super fussy the entire weekend and we all took turns holding him. Some of the other ladies even helped out and held my little man. I wasn't able to get as many pages done as I usually do (50) but I did get 14 pages done and they turned out pretty cute. It was just fun to get away and spend time with my mom and sister and to just be able to relax and hang out. I look forward to next time and just hope that Paxten will be better then!

Kindergarten Shots

I took Parker into the Doctor last week for his last set of shots until he is 11. I have been telling him for the last few months that he will be getting shot to start school and also that they will hurt a little bit. But we also told him that if he was good he could pick out a new toy, he already had a particular weapon in mind. So when we were in the drs. office he did so amazing. I felt bad for him because we had to hold him down for a minute while 2 nurses each gave him two shots in his thighs. I don't think he knew quite what to expect even though I had told him it would hurt a little bit and that it would feel like a pinch. When the needles when into his little legs he had this horrible grimace on his face and I felt so bad for a second, but I love him and I am doing it to protect him and keep him safe. I was holding his arms and told him it would be over soon. The nurses were quick and before he knew it they were done and it was over with. NO TEARS!! not even one, he did so awesome!! I couldn't believe it, after they were done he jumped down and patted his legs and said, "they don't hurt any more mom." I was amazed at how well he did. I am so excited for him to start Kindergarten in the fall, I know he will love it. My little boy is growing up, I love him so much and can't imagine life without him. He can be so sweet and caring and he is full of energy. He has so much excitement and curiosity about life and I love that about him. There are days when he test my patience, but I love him anyway!

2 Months Old

Paxten was two months old on the ninth, but we didn't get into the doctor until last Thursday the 14th. He weighed 10 lbs 3.5 ounces and is in the 19th percentile. So he is still pretty little. It was quite the adventure taking him to the dr. I had made the appointment for Thursday, forgetting that I was leaving later that night for a scrapbook weekend with my mom and sister. So I was nervous about taking Paxten with me know he will have just been immunized. But we went ahead with the appointment and took Parker with us as well to get his Kindergarten immunization. We had out appt. scheduled for 3:00. After 45 minutes in the waiting room, we finally got in to the room. Another 20 minutes to see the Doctor, and another 15 waiting for the nurse to come back and give shots. I was so ready to leave and walk out the door early, but didn't want to have to come back another day and got through that again. It was ridiculous to wait that long, why did I even schedule an appt if it was going to take that long!!!

Anyways, Paxten is growing and becoming more and more alert. He is smiling quite frequently and LOVES to be held. He is such a sweet little spirit and brings so much joy to all of our family. I can't imagine life without him and he has only been here a short time. I can't believe he is 2 months old already, it is going by so fast!

Paige Turns 3!

Yesterday my little girl turned 3! I can't believe it, where has the time gone? It is amazing to me that she is already three years old, I so remember the day she was born and it feels like a few days ago. Now we have another baby and Paige is growing up into a beautiful little girl. Matt and I convinced Paige that she didn't need any toys for her birthday (our kids have WAY too many toys!!) and so she said that all she wanted was REAL makeup and a big girl bike. She told my parents that she wanted a bike, so that left Matt and I to handle the makeup part. She is all girl and loves to watch me get ready and always asks me to put makeup on her too. I am going to be in trouble when she is a teenager if she is already that into makeup!

Paige wanted a Dora cake for her birthday party and I was able to find a Dora pan so I thought that decorating would be a breeze. Well I was wrong. It wouldn't have been too bad if I didn't have a whiny baby that thinks he always needs to be held and 2 other kids that seem to always need something as well. I was about to have a breakdown when one of the piping bags sprung a "leak" and almost messed up all of my previous work. But somehow I managed and 5 hours later we had a pretty darn cute cake. Amidst all of the work I kept wondering why I was doing this, and what I had started with making my kids homemade decorated cakes for their birthdays. Now that I have started this tradition, they look forward to it and love to watch the progress of the cake. I guess it is something special and will be something they remember as they grow up..I hope!

We just had my sister and parents over for a quick little celebration. I semi-homemade pizza and salad for dinner. I say semi-homemade because after all the work on the cake from the day before I was tired of a messy kitchen and doing dishes so I bought the pizza dough from Papa Murphy's and did our own topping. What a lifesaver! It worked out great and was half the mess! We had pepperoni pizza, Hawaiian, and tomato basil pizza. All of which were so yummy. I even made homemade croutons for the salad, just for Matt! We had cake and Neapolitan ice cream for dessert. Paige only wanted the chocolate ice cream.

We opened presents in between pizza and ice cream and Paige was outfitted with a whole new summer wardrobe. She got a cute brown zebra print dress, 2 pair of shorts, 2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, and a cute pink velour sweat suit from Matt and I. Along with the clothes we got her 24 mini nail polishes, lip gloss, chap stick, and some eye shadows. She also got a Dora swim suit (which is too small) and Dora flip flops and beach towel that is also a bag. From Aunt Charyn and Uncle Mike she got a Purple flowered rain jacket and goulash's. My parents got her a cute new pink and orange outfit and a NEW BIKE and helmet!! It is adorable with a pink frame and polka dots all over. It even has a seat for her baby to ride in. She loves it, but it will take her a few weeks to figure out how to ride it. She was spoiled and didn't even miss the fact that she didn't really get any new toys for inside. I am so glad that I don't have one more thing to pick up!

Here are some fun facts about our little Paige:
1. She loves all things girly. Makeup, purses, shoes, dresses. She doesn't like hair bows or having elastics in her hair.
2. She love to watch Dora the Explorer and Max & Ruby
3. She loves the colors pink and purple
4. She love to have her clothes match. If she is wearing black pants, the shirt must be black as well.
5. She is feisty and can hold her own against her big brother.
6. She is a great big sister and love Baby Paxten Wayne...when referring to him she always uses his full name.
7. Her favorite food is a hot dog and cheese
8. She loves the movies Cinderella, Tinkerbell, and Tangled
9. She loves to sing Intsy Winsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wise Man and The Foolish Man.
10. She loves to give hugs and kisses, but at her own discretion, you can't force this girl to do anything.

We love her so much and can't even remember what it was like in our family without her. Happy Birthday Paige!!