Easter Happenings!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us this weekend and we started off by dyeing eggs. Each year, there are always new kits and ways to color the eggs. We love trying them out!

Everything is more fun with Grandpa around!

Easter morning....wow, the Easter bunny didn't miss our house!

The boys got SkullCandy earphones....pretty cool!

Brooke got a Dora Mermaid that dives into the tub and swims. She saw this commercial on tv where the little girl grows a mermaid tail when she plays with Dora. The first time she used it, she kept looking and examining her feet and wondered why she wasn't turning into a mermaid! So cute!

Their egg haul after the hunt....

I made a Easter morning breakfast from Pinterest.....Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake....yum!!!

Everyone looking beautiful and ready for church!

After church, we met up with our favorite family, The Pottorffs....we love them! Our first pic. with all of us together :)

It was POURING when we went to Easter brunch, but they had Easter eggs laying out on the lawn and the kids couldn't resist. You can't see the rain in the picture, but the kids were soaked and freezing. They got as many eggs as they could and it paid off.....inside were free kids meals!! Woo Hoo.....we'll be back at Bridlewood soon!

More from paradise.....

Is this the CUTEST nephew EVER?!?!? He is going to be a big brother in a few months!!! His first time at the beach and he loved it!

Almost every night, Papa and the boys went to the beach for some beach baseball. Even Nana got in on the action one night and caught one of the boys pop flies....pretty impressive. Here are some action shots...Drew going for a diving catch!

Jackson ready for the wiffle ball...

And Brooke.....insisting that I bury her....she loved it .

This year, Brooke really warmed up to the beach. She was not hesitant like she was last year, but instead explored and played for hours. Here she had gotten some beach debris and was twirling and dancing around the beach. It was so cute!

We love getting canoes and going thru mangrove trails. This year, Papa and Brooke were a team. We always say we're not going to "race", but it always ends up that way!

This is one of my favorite things we do....we see all kids on wildlife back there and it is so quiet and peaceful.

Nana and Drew were a team....Nana ended up doing most of the paddling because Drew was not quite up to fully committing himself to the task at hand :)

And....here is the winning team!! Jackson and I in our self portrait. We got the groove of paddling down and were in the lead in no time.

One night, we went on a sunset cruise. All the kiddos getting ready to cruise!

I know Drew looks really weird in this picture, but I wanted one with each of them and this is what I got...

And with Jackson....look closely and you will notice that Jackson in smooshing Drew who was kind of laying on my lap. Geez!

Watch out for that shark!

Our last night....Nana and Papa with all the grandkids. We had a wonderful vacation and thank you Mom and Dad for everything!

Rest and Relaxation

We had another great trip to Captiva Island. Jason couldn't make it this year because of his new job and we missed him! But, that didn't stop us from having a litle fun :) Our first day fishing with Capt. Jim. We caught some big groupers, trout, and snapper! We had dolphins coming up to our boat as we caught the fish hoping for a free handout.

Papa and his grandsons making a "tough guy" face on the beach.

Just me and the kiddos....it felt weird being there by myself.

If Papa was in the pool at the same time Brooke was, she was on his back! She would practically choke him with her grip and she loved every minute of it!

See the choke hold???

Now, it was also time to make our basketball picks.....everyone took some time to seriously contemplate their brackets :)

Brooke insisted on doing her brackets as well....

Jackson sprawled on the floor to study the whole situation...of course making sure KU would be champ!!

One of our favorite restaurants we go to on Captiva is Cheeburger Cheeburger....

Look who's taking the challenge of eating the 1/2 pounder for kids...can he do it?

He did it!!!! And he was still hungry!

Drew caught a little turtle in our bushes on our way to canoe.

The kids in front of our FAVORITE of all time....The Bubble Room! Our house is just across the street from this place and we end up eating there (especially desserts) a lot!

Double Digits!

Jackson turned 10 this January! I cannot believe we have a "tween!" Jackson had his besties, "the brothers" over for a sleep over. They started the night with a little basketball....

 Jackson requested "taco in a bag" which is basically a bag of Doritos with taco meat and cheese in it. We had it at our cousins house once and it has been a hit ever since! The boys loved making their own creation.

Half of "The Brothers".....Tate and Grant!

The other half.....Will and birthday boy, Jackson ...

Here is the gang (plus Drew and Brooke who snuck in the picture) before they headed off to the Harlem Globetrotters fame!  I am so thankful that Jackson has found a group of boys. I love these kids and it was such a fun night!

A few words...

A few cute stories from the kids.....

DREW- Drews teeth have been stubborn in wanting to fall out, but they are finally making their move and he lost his 2nd one the other day. When he lost his first one, he did not want to put it under his pillow because he said he wanted to make a mouthguard using his own teeth?!?! Say what?!?! That's right....he is collecting his teeth to make some weird creation. I think the tooth fairy should be happy that she's gonna save a little money on this one!

JACKSON-Jackson is not a morning person. He gets up, gets dressed, eats breakfast while maybe using 5-7 words. Lately, Brooke really wants us to call her "baby kitty cat" and she likes us to "meow" to her. She also refers to members in the family as "Mommy Kitty Cat, Brother kitty cat", etc....so the other morning on the way to school, she was prodding Jackson to PLEASE meow at baby kitty cat.....he was silent, silent, until her pleas grew more intense. Finally, as he got out of the car, he said in the most monotone voice "meow baby kitty cat, I love you." She was so happy and it was hilarious!

BROOKE-This girl is a crack up all the time! Seriously. Even Jackson asked me to write down all the funny things she says during the day so he can read them when he gets home. Her prayers are hilarious....she looks around the room and prays for everything she sees...sippy cups, carpet, forks, whatever....sometimes she throws in Frosty the Snowman.
This morning, I was on the treadmill and baby kitty cat came in and needed my help with something. I told her I was on the treadmill and couldn't help her right then. She meowed and said "Stop treadmilling mommy kitty cat!" Oh my......this girl is hilarious (or crazy..in a good way!)

Christmas, Part 2

We headed to my parents for the second part of Christmas. We had only been there for an hour when the doorbell rang and Cinderella was at the door! Brooke was beside herself and the boys were pleasantly surprised. She sat Brooke down on the couch and had her open a treasure chest which had an invitation in it. I love Brooke's face when she hears that she is invited to Disneyworld to meet the princesses. Yay!!!

 She was so overcome with happiness, she just leaned over to give Cinderella a big hug!

Disneyworld.....here we come!!!!

After she left, we got a shot of all the grandkids with Nana and Papa.

I just love this canvas that we gave our parents. They love it and it is so pretty! So many memories....

 Papa showing the kids videos of Disney and getting Brooke super pumped up to see the parades, ride the rides, and eat at the castle!
Cooper is not as impressed....

Brooke got an ice cream set for her kitchen and she and Papa had lots of fun playing ice cream shop. I can't believe these are all the pictures that I got at my parents house...I think I was exahusted by the time we got there...I was done with pictures! We had a wonderful Christmas season with both of our families!