Happy Easter!

I loved holidays growing up. My mom made them so much fun for my sister and I. I remember going to my Aunt Patty's house to color eggs with my cousins and then bringing the eggs home and leaving them out for the Easter Bunny to hide. I hope that my boys have just as great memories and I do...although I really don't think anyone can top the magic my mom created around holiday. But I will try!

This year I broke out of the traditional Paas coloring kit and went with something called a spill proof kit. Seemed like a good idea with two little boys, one not even being one yet. So we started coloring eggs with our "spill proof" cups...more about those in a minute.

Jack and Graham all excited to color eggs

While Jack put eggs in the dishes for Daddy...

...Graham ate a place mat. Glad he's able to entertain himself.

This year was especially exciting for the boys. The Easter Bunny mailed them a letter with Magic Seeds inside.

So of course we rushed right outside and planted them in a pot. We decided the pot would be a better idea than the yard since it's been raining for like 40 days here. We didn't want these magic seeds to be washed away.

Jack planting the seeds

Every good gardener knows you have to water your seeds...

Okay...back to those "no spill" egg coloring kits. Um...yeah. If you see these in the stores...DO. NOT. BUY. THEM! They are not spill proof. You cannot tip them over and you cannot get the eggs out without staining your hands, your table, your clothes, your children...trust me on this one.

So, after cleaning up a little mess and running to the store and buying some more egg dye, we got down to business. This time even Graham put down the place mat and enjoyed some egg action.

This is what the boys left for the Bunny. Jack wrote him a nice little note...

And this is what the Bunny left for the boys! There are bites out of those carrots!
I didn't get a photo of what the magic seeds grew. But the boys were excited to see lollipops sprouted up in the pot. I hope next year it isn't raining so we can see how the seeds work out in the yard!

After finishing up Easter festivities it was time to head over to Aunt Patty's house for dinner with my mom's large extended family. My boys were pretty much the only little ones there, but never fear...they enjoyed hunting eggs there with the help of Patty's granddaughters.

Hunting for eggs

Uncle Robert's hidden egg...

Jack's face when he saw Robert's egg

Getting the egg

Sierra helping Graham find some eggs

Sierra spoiling Graham

After Aunt Patty's house we went to my mom's house where the Easter Bunny had shockingly visited. There instead of hiding eggs for the boys he hid baskets for me and Jason. The boys had baskets out in the open thankfully because I'm not sure we could top three egg hunts in one day next year!

56. Go to Indianapolis' Earth Day Celebration

Today was an awesome day to celebrate Earth Day. It was overcast and there were a few showers, but it was warm and so much fun to be outside. This was another item on the good ol bucket list which seems to have taken over the blog! But in a good way! I'm keeping it way more up to date and you still get to see all the fun things there are to do in our fantabulous city!

So while today was supposed to be about teaching the kids to be kind to the Earth and helping teach us adults how we can lessen our carbon footprint, it turned out to be more of a play fest for Jack and Charis. Charis' mom works with Jason at the Marion County Health Department. These two have only met one other time but that didn't stop them from having fun with one another.

They enjoyed the beautiful tress down in White River State Park and liked running back and forth along the big stone steps. I guess you could say there were enjoying the gifts the Earth gave to them.

We parked at The Indianapolis Zoo and walked along the canal to get to the celebration. Along the way we stopped to enjoy the artwork that lines the canal.

Brothers. (Don't let this fool you...Jack never lets Graham this close unless it's to entice him over for big brotherly shove)

Momma and her boys.

This marked the second year we've taken Jack down to the Earth Day festival. There really are some neat booths and lots of kid friendly activities. Jack got to color a shirt that promoted water quality and we got to bring home a new sapling and three different flowers...plus lots of flower seeds. They had a kids' stage where kids could show off their musical talents using rain sticks they could make from reusing old items. The Zoo was also there showing off some of their animals. I think this will continue to be a family tradition for us. We try to do our part by recycling, using reusable containers instead of baggies and having a garden...but there are so many other things we could be doing as well. Perhaps each year we should just try to focus on one more things we can do. I know Jason's been wanting to make a rain barrel to water the garden with...maybe that should be our focus for this year.

Wormmy

Who would have known that this little face...would bring so much joy to this little face.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

In honor of Jason's 37th birthday, Jack made his daddy some of his famous "happy cakes" as cupcakes have now come to be called in our family.

Putting the cake mix into the mixer

Adding the eggs, oil and water

Mmmm...cake batter

Happy Birthday to the bestest Daddy, husband and friend a family could ask for

A Real Train Trestle

By now I hope that everyone realizes that we have a bonafide train fanatic on our hands. And I am guilty of feeding into it. What good mother wouldn't indulge her tiny love with what he loves? So anytime we can, we point out real trains, train tracks, train bridges and the like. Today one of Jack's besties had her birthday at a park with tracks running along next to it. This is the park I grew up with and I knew there was an old train trestle leading over the creek that runs through the park. So along with Jack and his two best buds, Lincoln and Bowen, we ventured out to experience the trestle for ourselves.

Walking out to the trestle

The view from the trestle

Jack was pretty excited to be walking along the tracks and was pumped to know that we were going to see a real train trestle...until we got out there! Unfortunately we have no pictures of him out over the water because as soon as he could see through the ties to the water below (and when his foot slipped through the ties) he sort of got freaked out. All the boys did really. So we had to turn around and go back. Since then we've built our own trestle on his train table so no harm no foul. He still loves everything trains...even the trestle.

8. See a movie at the IMAX

My wonderful friend Julie read my bucket list and saw that I wanted to see an IMAX movie so she hooked us up with free tickets from the zoo for a special showing of Born to Be Wild downtown at the State Museum's IMAX. It was the first IMAX that either boy had been to and it was a 3D one. Jack was pretty into the movie, but wasn't so sure about wearing the 3D glasses. The chairs flipping up were a little concerning to him as well. He couldn't figure out why we wanted him to sit on a "broken chair". And he had to go potty half way through the 40 minute movie. He also wanted to go all by himself (as he loudly stated) down the steps to the door. But other than that...he sat the last 15 minutes on my lap and watched "the movie about elephants and monkeys".

Goodbye Sucker

On my birthday this year, my sister convinced Jack that he was big enough to give up his pacifier...otherwise known as Sucker. We had been talking to him telling him that the Sucker Fairy would visit him and bring him a very nice surprise if he left Sucker for her. I showed him a video of another little boy who gave his Sucker to the Sucker Fairy. That little boy got the Sodor Steam Works for giving his up. This struck a cord with Jack who from that moment on told everyone, including the dentist, that if he gave up Sucker he would be getting the Steam Works as well. The first two nights didn't go so well. Jack cried at bedtime for his beloved Sucker. When we told him Ashley gave it to the Sucker Fairy he cried and said, "No! She has to give it back to me!" On the third night Jack asked about Sucker and the Fairy and the Steam Works. We told him that the Sucker Fairy had to go far, far away to get the Steam Works. The fourth night he did not mention Sucker at all. When he woke the next morning...guess what the Sucker Fairy had left on his train table?! I'm sure you can guess.

Goodbye Sucker, hello Sodor Steam Works. Yes. We are not above trading one addiction for another in this household.

79. Donate to PBS

PBS. Those three little letters have been there for me more times than I can count. When we had no cable we watched more PBS than network television. When Jack started watching TV we had PBS on all day...Clifford, Curious George, Super Why, Dinosaur Train, Sesame Street, Word World and (gasp) even Barney. I accredit Super Why to teaching Jack his letters by time he was 18 months. We even got to meet Super Why at PBS' Let's Meet in the Park. So when Jason and I decided that we should practice more civic giving...supporting PBS was a natural choice. And as of today...we are card carrying, supporting members of our local PBS station...WFYI.

Our member card!

Jack with Super Why at 2010's PBS' Let's Meet in the Park

And now we've also checked another item off the old bucket list.

Little boy knees

These are not the knees of a newborn, an infant or a toddler. These are full blown scabby little boy knees. Sigh. Where does time go?

Teeth

Jack made his second trip to the dentist today. They counted his teeth...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom. Dr. Walker happily announced no cavities and immediatly asked how we were doing on getting rid of the sucker. I said he gets it for naps and bedtime and that's it. Which is mostly true. Sometimes I let him have it early mornings while watching TV and sometimes he gets it on long car rides...like more than four hours. So Dr. Walker talked to Jack about how he's a big boy now and how he needs to give the sucker to the sucker fairy. I showed Jack a video of another little boy getting the Sodor Steam Works for giving up his sucker...so Jack thinks that's what he should get too...and he told Dr. Walker that! She looked a tad confused...but oh well...Jack said he was ready to give it up. He looked at her and said, "I promise!"

So fast forward to tonight. We put sucker under his pillow. He giggled and asked if the Sucker Fairy was going to open his door and come into his room. I said she probably would. I gave him a hug and kiss, told him I loved him and left the room. After 20 minutes of him in there talking to someone he comes out of the room and tells me, "Mommy. There's something back here in my mouth." "Oh yeah Jack? What is it?" "Well...I lost a tooth back there. I lost a tooth and now I'm counting them. I lost a tooth. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...oh wait. It's just a popcorn kernel..."