Grandpa's Easter Visit

The kids were excited for Grandpa (Jason's dad) to come over on Easter. They haven't seen him since February, so they went a little nuts showing off and vying for his attention. I'm sure it was just terrible for him (*nudge nudge, wink wink*)!After dinner, Grandpa went out to his car to bring in a little surprise for the kids. They waited on the couch by the front door, peeking out the front window with eager anticipation of what might be coming their way!He first brought in this box, which turned out to be a prank gift. Weston's reaction was priceless (as shown by video below).

On to the real gifts...You'll notice that Weston is much happier now!Sophie was pretty much thrilled with her Elmo phone. The main gift that Jason's dad brought for the kids was front row tickets to go see Sesame Street live and also special tickets to MEET Elmo before the show! They don't yet grasp how awesome this gift really is, but they are going to have the time of their lives actually going. I'm kind of excited to meet Elmo too... I wonder how tall he is?On to the Easter egg hunt... the funniest part was watching Sophie. She was so ambitious and fast! Weston, on the other hand, seemed to not see eggs right in front of him. It was pretty comical. The kids had a little Easter egg hunt at my mom's house a couple of days earlier, and it was the same thing there, too. She had been concerned that Sophie wouldn't get enough eggs, but that concern quickly melted away. Sophie has always been a real go-getter though, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised!Here I am giving Weston some hints to help him find the egg right in the basket ball hoop, and he's giving me this funny look!They ended up very happily since they both made out like bandits! Here's Weston enjoying one of his eggs with Grandpa.Sophie examining her loot... they both got Jelly Belly jelly beans (the only true and living jelly beans if you ask me!), gummy bears, gum, and money for their piggy banks. Sophie got some chap stick, and Weston got a couple of match box cars. I'd say they did pretty well!Yeah, it was a pretty great time. This was Weston's expression when he opened one of his eggs. I honestly don't remember what was in that particular one, but he was obviously happy about it!

Bright, Sunshiney Day!

Today while we were outside waiting for the bus to come pick up Weston, I snapped these pics of the kidlets. Wow, what a bright day! I can't remember the last time it was so bright and sunshiney that the kids had "squinty" eyes in a picture! Ever since then I've had that song in my head. (Definitely better than a lot of other songs I've had stuck in there!) I love that Weston squatted down to be next to his sister for a picture. He is so sweet.

Lovely Patient

The kids have been sick all week. Weston is almost better, but this poor baby had a rough day yesterday! While I was in the kitchen, she fell asleep in my chair. I was struck by how pretty she was, even at her worst. To me she looks like a porceline doll, with perfect little red lips, and crazy hair! Sweet girl.

Our Flowers

For Valentine's day this year, Jason bought me a lovely big new pot and some heirloom seeds of various kinds of flowers. He said that way I could have flowers to enjoy for months! Sweet. We planted them in the new pot, an old pot, and in several spots in the back yard. Every evening the kids are anxious to help daddy water all the seeds. Sometimes they fight over the hose, but for the most part, I think it is a good experience for them! It is fun to watch the plants grow, and it will be especially exciting when we eventually get some beautiful daisies, poppies, and Sunflowers, assuming that Sophie doesn't dig up all the seeds before they have a chance to grow...she really likes playing in dirt. :)

Sophie's Bike

Sophie got this bike at Christmas, but it was just too big. The other day she determined that it was time to ride! It's still a bit too big, but she sure had fun trying!

No worries, Weston is more than willing to give her a ride...

They now do this almost every day!

Funny Kid

Weston makes me laugh every single day. Today he told me that his best friends were Marc, Owen, Evan, and Calvin Klein. What? I was aware of the first three, but the last one? Where did he even hear the name Calvin Klein?

He has now said three prayers all by himself. His first one was a week ago yesterday. Tonight he insisted on saying the dinner prayer. He is so sweet when he says, "Jesus Christ, thank you," and "keep safe mommy." But the best part of that dinner prayer had to be when he asked for privacy from Sophie while he is in the "bloom-bloom." Translation: he prayed for Sophie to leave him alone while in the bathroom. Jason and I kind of glanced at each other mid-prayer and tried not laugh out loud!

Here is a recent picture of Weston, wearing Spiderman pajamas and his ghost pack... I'm pretty sure he believes that he is Spiderman half the time and I know for a fact that he wants to be a ghostbuster when he grows up.

Go Weston!

The Package...

Grandpa Knapp, who lives in Nebraska, sent the most awesome package for Weston's birthday. It was so great that it deserves it's very own post! I feel the need to issue a disclaimer: although Weston appears disgruntled in these photos, he was actually just serious, and seriously stoked about the contents of his special package! (YES, I did just use the word stoked, something I probably have not done since 1998.) Item #1: Duplo Legos! Very cool... but what lies underneath in the great mass of white packing peanuts?

A card, two slinkies, two flashlights, 4 cars...and PLENTY of adult vitamins! As a child, my dad repeatedly took advantage of my trusting naivete by telling me that all candies (especially chocolate candies) were actually "adult vitamins," and that it would in fact be dangerous for kids to partake of them! I think I was 15 before I realized that chocolate dipped Keebler cookies and chocolate covered wafers really wouldn't hurt me! So I guess I missed out on some candy as a child, but on the flip side, its pretty great. Every time my dad sends us a package of any size, it is always surrounded by oodles and oodles of chocolate candy!! Adult vitamins for Jason and me. Sweet! Grandpa was thoughtful in that he sent 4 cars - two for Weston and two for Sophie. I let Weston choose which two he got to keep. Sophie didn't care which ones she got anyway... she was thrilled! Plus, they each got their very own retro slinky, flashlight, and little carrying bags they can wear around their neck, kind of like a lanyard. Kids love that stuff, you know.

Oh, and Sophie also had a special little bunny waiting for her in that big box! She was pretty excited to try out the flashlight, and for some reason she thought this would be a good idea... but not for long! Happy little camper!

The package from Grandpa was long anticipated, and it did not disappoint!!