Easter Egg Hunt

There was a thunderstorm in Visalia at three am that woke Jeff and me up.  We decided to leave for Portland rather than sleep for an extra hour.  We were home by 4:30!  It was our best drive and the kids did awesome.  It was great to be home in time to run to the grocery store, and to have an Easter egg hunt!

 

Ronan and Nora darted around the yard racing to find eggs as quickly as they could!  Clare was also on the hunt, but nervously approached each egg before adding it to her basket. 

The kids loved opening their eggs.  Some of them were even filled with money (pennies)!  It was the perfect way to end Spring Break.

Skyline

On Saturday we went for a hike at Skyline.  It was a beautiful day and we brought a picnic lunch with us. 



 

It's either running or sitting on the trail!  Our kids don't really understand the concept of pacing.

The trail had a small watering hole at the end.  It was perfect for the kids to splash around!  Ronan loved it the most and jumped in over and over again.  I forgot sun screen so we weren't able to stay for very long, but I think Ronan would have spent the entire day here.

On the way back we came across about 20 horses!  It was the most amazing thing Nora has ever seen- and there was even a baby foal!  The picture makes the foal look larger, but it was definitely a very young horse.  Nora insisted that we take 100 pictures!

Slip N Slide

I ran out and bought the kids a Slip N Slide for my parents' backyard.  They had a blast running through the water!  It was nice to have warm weather and we really took advantage of it and played in the yard all week.

Chuck E. Cheese

My dad wanted to do something with the kids so we took them to Chuck E. Cheese.  The kids love running around and playing games and trying to win tickets.  Ronan is all about a jackpot!

 

Clare loves the rides still!  She doesn't always like to sit through the entire ride before moving on to the next one though...

My dad and Ronan played a few games of ski ball together.  It looks like they have the same move!

 

And of course we had to do the final ticket count.  It's a very serious time at Chuck E. Cheese, almost as serious as spending the tickets on a prize.

Easter Nests

My mom planned a special Easter project/snack for the kids.  They covered noodles in chocolate to form a nest and filled it with eggs and topped it off with a peep.  The kids enjoyed eating them as much as they did constructing them.

 

Clare loves to help in the kitchen, and she made sure to have her hands all over this project too!

The finished project!  So easy, so cute!

Woodward Park

We spent the afternoon at Woodward Park.  I think it's the only time I have been there and didn't run a race!  The kids had a great time playing at the park and looking at the ducks in the pond.

 

Nora climbed onto this tree and watched all the different types of ducks in the pond.  She is always happy in Nature and appreciates everything she sees. 

They LOVE each other so much.  Look how close they are to each other.

Sacramento Babies

My friends finally had babies! 

And they trusted my little monsters to hold their babies.

More than once.

Gymnastics

Ronan took a gymnastics class at the Recreation Center.  He really enjoyed the class and learned some new skills.  I don't think it was fast paced enough for him though....too many lines and the skills weren't back flips!  It was so much fun to watch him on his last day and he was very proud of the award he received.

Hoops

Where did this kid get his athletic abilities?

Science Fair

Nora entered her school's science fair.  She came up with the experiment all by herself and we worked as a family on the project.  She wanted to see if various toys would sink or float.  She did a great job and was so proud to see her project displayed at school.

Grammy

Grammy came out to visit while Jeff was in Belize with his dad and brother.  I was so grateful for her help and company!  The kids love all the quality time they spend with her and the special adventures they go on together.

Grammy spends hours reading books to the kids and I think she was rewarded greatly when Clare fell asleep in her arms.

Volcano

 

 

Ronan's preschool has an extra enrichment class called Fun for Fours that he takes on Thursday afternoons.  The class is structured to allow for specialized themes and in depth discovery.  Ronan's class did a lot of earth related projects and even built their own volcanos.  We brought his home and erupted it over and over and over and over.....

Chinese New Year

Jeff went to the Chinese New Year Celebration and Parade for Nora's class.  Nora loved learning all about China, especially pandas, and was so excited to create her dragon, Tinsel.

Mt. Hood

What a difference a camera makes!  We went sledding up at the mountain and took some amazing pictures of the kids.  They are at an age where they really enjoyed playing in the snow and independently sliding down the hills.

 

Tye Dye Playdate

We had a tye dye playdate.  It's so much easier to make a huge mess when you do it with friends.
The kids love doing this project and feel like artists and fashion designers at the same time!