:: here comes peter cottontail ::

Easter morning brought excitement as the boys searched for their Easter baskets.

Traditional Easter baskets are cute. Yes. But, these tin containers, I can use again :-). And what, might you ask, would you find in them? Magic coloring for Alden, magnetic words for Owen, Nerf balls, and eggs filled with  jelly beans, malted milk balls, gummy bears and yogurt pretzels.

They searched.......for thirty minutes!

Then, it was time for Easter brunch at Grandma Lou and Grandpa Dave's. Plus, we were looking forward to the debut of Seth, taking on the Easter bunny role.

First sight of the bunny. "The Easter bunny!!! I saw him!"

"It's true! It's true!! The kids were right!! There is an Easter bunny!!"  - Dom

"We saw him!!!"

Everyone wanted to see what the commotion was about.

And, then....there he was, heading to the chicken coop!

After waving goodbye to the Easter bunny, the kids went to hunt for eggs!

Awesome day with family!

:: dom is 5 ::

Dom turned 5 years old! It was such a fun time with family! Kelly really outdid herself with a hunting theme:

First, the kids went on an animal hunt; a plastic animal hunt, that is.

Next, the kids lined up for blindfolded target practice.

Owen won! Got the deer right in the heart. Then, it was time for goodie bags!

Super goofballs. Totally normal.

Finally, it was [cup]cake and present time:

You're welcome for all the awesome Dom facial expressions. :-)

And a big hug for Auntie Krystal and the new baby!

Sisters! [plus one awesome mama]

It was such a fun day! Happy birthday, Dominic!

:: jesse moon ::

We got together to celebrate what would have been Jesse's 35th birthday. We had our family favorite, haystacks, and for the second year in a row, we enjoyed some delicious lemon cake. His favorite.

Then, on the way home, we drove over the hill onto the freeway and saw the most incredible moon, shining over Duluth. 

We dubbed it the Jesse moon.

Brother, I still miss you every single day.

:: dirty, naughty food ::

I attended my first board meeting last night as the new concessions manager for Woodland Hockey. I took on the project with the intention of providing healthier concessions options for our kids, athletes, and families. And after my idea was squashed and kicked under the rug, Owen and I talked about it:

Me: Guess what, O.....I talked to the board about bringing healthier food to concessions and they told me I had to keep the candy and pop.

Owen: Well, at least you tried, mom.

Me: (smiling) Oh well....

Owen: Hey mom....you could just make the price higher on candy so nobody would want to buy it. Liiiikkee, $20 for Starburst. And mom, if they just want to buy dirty, naughty food, they will have to pay lots of money for it.

Who is this child? Thinking well beyond his years.........

Thanks for your support, O.   :-)