Easter Day

BASKETS

 You just have to smile and be happy when it is both your birthday and Easter!

 They make me smile.

 They were such sweethearts!

 The "attempt bunny ears in a picture" shot.

 SUCCESS on the bunny ears!

 I just love this picture of Cormac. 

(Who won't button his shirt - "I'm always too hot, Mom.")

 I love this one more.  Had you been there you would have heard a conversation about how he's getting girl germs and yuck...and even more yuck.

 It was stuck right there, Mom.

Ha ha, not really sure what she was trying to show me.

Kiara finds her basket with a little help from Daddy. 

 Gotta dip into that candy right away.

 Brigid found hers with no problem.  I think she would have ate the candy out of there even if it wasn't her basket.  She acted like an old pro at this Easter basket thing.

 Gianna found hers before her brothers even got out of bed.

 She was one happy birthday girl!

Rex was grumpy.  It was a good thing someone else stumbled across his basket or he might not have even found it.  Sometimes that kid just wakes up on the wrong side of everything. 

 Brech's basket was hidden in the blanket box, under a blanket.  He had looked in there once before, but missed it.  Cormac gave him a little help and Brech was grateful.

 The funny thing was that Brech had found Cormac's basket, so the favor was returned.

I didn't get a picture of Stephen finding his basket, in that blue box.  This was Blase looking for his basket.  No, Blase, it isn't in there.

 No, Blase, it still isn't in there.  (About the third time he's looked at this point.)

 No, Blase, not under the piano bench.

At this point Mom gives him a hint.

"If Dad was the Easter bunny, where would he hide it?"

Blase immediately runs into the bathroom.  I didn't get a good picture of him looking under the sink.

 No, Blase, probably not in there.

 Second time's the charm.  He found it under the sink, under a towel.

 The twins enjoying a drink of applesauce. ha ha

 Candy.  Chocolate, More chocolate.

 Kiara and Brigid both carried their baskets around for half an hour after that.

CHURCH

 The traditional dressed-up-for-Easter picture.  This time we all got in it.  Brigid wasn't letting her daddy go so one of Blase's friends took the picture for us.  I should have taken off my chapel veil, didn't even think of it.  I'm just trying to look like Blase I guess.

 My girls...pretty....

 and sweet!

EASTER EGG HUNT

 The rules are...let the twinnies get the eggs on the ground.

 On your mark....get set.....

 GO!!!!

 Kiara's first egg.

 Come on, Brigid, I see one...hurry up, Brigid...Cormac is gonna get it.

 We got it...we got it...fa la la la la.

 That's a baseball.  It is just as a good as an Easter egg, right??

 Cormac found the last egg, thankfully.  I thought we might have lost that one to nature.

KIPPING!

 Youngest goes first. Winner - Kiara.

 Gianna's egg was a casualty.  It hit the floor before it got kipped.  Winner - floor.

 Kiara and Gianna (with a new egg).  

 Winner - Kiara

 Brech verses the very tough egg of Kiara.  Winner - Kiara

 Rex takes on Kiara.  Winner - Kiara

 Cormac thinks he might have a chance.  Kiara is to the point where she is closing her eyes with every kip.

 Oh...one of Kiara's sides has broken...

 Oh man....both eggs broken.  Winner - no one, double loser 

Bring out the eggs.  Blase verses Stephen!  Winner - Stephen 

Stephen thinks he can conquer his mom's egg. Bring it boy!  Winner - Stephen 

 Stephen's getting a bit excited now.  Dad's egg won't win (it was the all-the-dyes egg).  

Winner - Dad

 Father Johnson's first time kipping.

 Turn it around....kip again....

Winner - Father Johnson

We had a great day.  It was great that Fr. Johnson was able to join us for supper, Easter egg hunting, birthday cake for Gianna, and kipping (in that order).  We were blessed!

Happy Easter season!

Four Years Going on Fourteen

Today our sweet Gianna turned four years old.

 "It says Happy Birthday, Gianna from....ummmm.....I don't know.  I can't read."

(It was from Grandpa and Grandma Gebes.)

 From Brech

 (found these secondhand and at a great price)

 From Rex

 From Kiara

 From Brigid

From Cormac (secondhand bargain)

 From Mom and Dad

 From Mom and Dad

 From Mom and Dad (amazing secondhand find)

 From Mom and Dad

 From Mom and Dad

From Blase 

 From Stephen

 From Mom and Dad

 (All three were great deals at the secondhand store.  I washed them and she got to pick one to wear to church. Nothing like getting your Easter dress, secondhand and for your birthday.  Win, win for Mom.)

 From Bella, Jenna, Aunt Mauri, and Uncle Peter (THANKS!!!)

 What a lucky lady!

 Her little lamb cake.

 The boys were not thrilled that they had to have cake on Cinderella cake.  Their one consolation was that they were eating "lamb's butt" cake.  Or as some were calling it "Ramsbottom".

 A birthday phone call from her Bestgen grandparents.  This was her finding out that Grandma has a present waiting for her in South Dakota.

This was Gianna deciding that she was done talking on the phone because she wanted to watch a movie.  She decided that mid-sentence.

We love you very much, Miss Gianna!  Stay sweet, stay adorable!!

Coloring Eggs and Fingertips

 Cardboard - check

Dye - check

Paper towels - check

Boys - check

 Girls - check

 Almost falling asleep since it was 10 PM - check

 Eggs - check

 Purple egg for Brigid

 Pink egg for Kiara

 Umm, not quite the smile I was looking for, Brech Earl.

Only two eggs were harmed during the evening.

No picture of this year's "Amazing-all-the-Colors-Mixed-Together" egg.

Where Have We Been?

We have been busy.

We have been sick.

We have been working.

The boys started piano lessons again.  This time Cormac and Brech decided they wanted to join Blase and Rex.  Stephen had no interest in having to practice. ha ha  They are doing well, though we haven't had much time to practice.

Darren took Cormac, Rex, Brech, and Gianna for an extended weekend trip to the ranch.  They had a great time.  I made Brech promise me he'd come home. "Brech, you are so cute and Aunt Courtney loves you so much that she might ask you to stay with her forever.  Promise me you will come home 'cause I'll miss you if you don't come back to me."  "I promise, Mom."  First thing out of his mouth at 10 PM when they got home - "See, Mom, I came home."  Gianna's thrill of the weekend was getting to feed the bucket calves.  

Not that many days after Darren and the kids returned we started in on the week of frustration.  Everyone, except Rex who started it two weeks beforehand, took a turn puking and sitting on the toilet for hours.  The carpet cleaner saw a lot of action, as did the washing machine.  The worst day was probably Monday because that was the day that it decided to hit both Darren and I at the same time.  Long day.  Then that afternoon it started in Blase.  The three most capable people, out for the next two days. Thankfully the twins had already had their run-in and were recovered.  I am not sure how we would have been able to handle it if the twins were sick as well.

School has been going slow, but steady.  The kids have four scheduled weeks of school left.  I am certain that Blase and Stephen will need to work into the summer, if not through most of the summer on their math and science.  The other kids are doing great.  Brech could probably finish in 3 hours if I let him just work on his books.  I probably should find something else for him to do, but he is kind of burnt out on school right now.  I suppose the rest of the school days could just be watching school movies and doing fun things, like P.E. outside and nature studying as he runs by.

The kids are all back in swimming for the last session of this school year.  We have missed two session, one because of the SD trip and one because of the puking.  I am sure they will enjoy getting back in the water on Monday.  Cormac has been bumped up to the deep end, though he freaks out every time.  He is capable of swimming there, but he thinks he is going to sink to the bottom and freezes up.  His teacher has been working with him to get past that fear.  I have to say that watching him in the water gives me more panic feelings than he probably gets.  Nothing like fearing the water and panicking just because you hear your kid freaking out.  I've had to remind myself to breathe, relax and remember that I am not in the water.

So that is why I haven't posted lately.  I am sure you didn't want to see us while we were sick.  I'm sure a picture of the boys working on school would not be worth a blog post either.  Thus sums up our lives during the last part of March.

I do hope your Holy Week was full of blessings.  We had a quiet Holy Week and for that I am grateful.  

Three Going on Four

Today is the last day this sweetheart is three.

 She's off to the store with her dad to get a birthday cake. (No one ever wants me to make them a homemade cake anymore.  Sniff, sniff.)  She is looking for a chocolate Olaf cake with rings and flowers.  Ummm, good luck Dad.  I hope she can settle for something less specific.

 Mom, that's enough pictures of me.

Never, Gianna, never!!!

She giggled all the way out the door.  I just want to squeeze her and tell her not to grow up. Stay little, stay cute, stay sweet.