Dying Easter Eggs

Today Braden was supposed to have a playdate at our house with his friend Hannah. We were going to dye Easter Eggs and go on an Easter Egg Hunt! Unfortunately she got sick in the middle of the night so had to cancel. Braden was pretty bummed so we dyed the eggs anyways and will go on a hunt after lunch.

He made comments about how bad the vinegar smelled and it brought me back to when I was young. I remember being at my grandma Snyder's house. Easter was always such a big deal at her house. We dressed up(with new dress up clothes she got us), dyed eggs, and ate yummy ham. I clearly remember though how awful I thought the vinegar smelled. It's funny how smells can take you right back to a long-ago memory!!

Four Seasons

I now feel like we've officially experienced all four seasons in less than a month.

A few weeks ago we all felt the natural high as spring started to pop up. Some of our plants peeked out of the ground, the sunshine was plentiful and the temperatures slowly became warmer. I found myself wanting to do spring cleaning and we spent a lot of time outside in the yard and on walks.

After that, we hit record highs at 75 degrees. We spent the entire day outside, got pink cheeks from the sunshine and were all feeling the glorious happiness that summertime brings.

Fall came when some last leaves (which held on all winter) fell from the trees or were found hidden among the plants which I finally cut back. We found ourselves raking them up and dropping them off at the Tosa dump.

Today ... we woke up to WINTER. UGH. I really thought we were done with the snow and how vastly wrong I was. There are about 2-3 inches of wet, heavy snow outside and a pure white sky. I would have found today exhilarating if it was November however it's almost April and so I don't find myself welcoming this cold, damp, fluff.

We knew we couldn't sit inside all day so we bundled up (hopefully for the last time) and headed out. Magnus had never seen snow before so he wasn't real sure what was going on. He liked it at first but quickly got cold and wanted back inside. After shoveling we decided to make the most of the WINTER weather and go sledding. We got down the sleds which we had already packed away for the SUMMER that we thought was on the way last weekend. Braden climbed into one and Olivia in the other. We trekked to the hill a few blocks from our house and had a blast. We raced down the hill and hiked back up. Olivia was even brave enough to go by herself most of the time. We warmed up with some hot cocoa when we got home. It was the perfect way to turn a dreary day into something fun. We laughed and really enjoyed our time outside.

So... although I am really excited to once again move on through the seasons (I'm ready for spring!), today was one more chance to make fun winter memories.

Easter at GMR

We went into Steve's work yesterday for an Easter party. Braden loved the Easter Bunny but Olivia wanted NOTHING to do with him. She was petrified and kept her eye on him as he walked around the room. We ate treats, visited with friends and then went on an Easter Egg Hunt around the office. It was really fun. They each found 5 eggs with chocolate and candy inside. Olivia unwrapped every piece and ate them before I knew what was happening. Like mother like daughter?

This was as close as Olivia would get to the Easter Bunny. She kept her eye on him at ALL times to be sure he didn't get too close!


Braden was excited about meeting the Easter Bunny.


Pretty spring flowers.


On the lookout for Easter Eggs!


Olivia... the chocolate munchkin!

Singing in the Rain

Braden and Olivia enjoyed a rainy day!

Mister Magnus

Magnus is doing well and growing fast as you can see. He is a great sleeper at night but has had some trouble with potty training unfortunately. We'll keep trying and know that eventually he'll realize that he has to somehow tell us when he has to go potty. It's hard to guess when he potties 15 minutes after taking him outside! :) Patience is truly a virtue sometimes.

He still loves to snuggle and is very playful. Braden and he enjoy playing tug-of-war and keep away. One of his favorite games is fetch. He loves to go get a toy that's been thrown and somehow he knows to bring it right back.

We took him for his first walk this week. He wasn't sure he wanted to put any effort into it at first but since he weighs 6 lbs and I'm obviously much bigger I won the stand off. Once he got going and had the encouragement of a few treats he did really well. We can't wait until it's nice enough to take him out again.

Puppy classes will start in a few weeks which should be good for all of us!!

Biking Buddies

I can already tell Braden and Olivia are going to spend a lot of time this summer on their bikes. Last weekend we enjoyed playing in the sunshine. It was so warm in fact that Olivia had on short sleeves and insisted on wearing Braden's sunglasses. She can't pedal yet but Steve, bless his heart, pushed her back and forth down the alley.

Braden's new Buddy!

Braden has a new buddy. He and Magnus have had sooooo much fun together. It just validates why we got him. They run, jump, chase, and pounce around the yard. Exactly what you'd picture when you imagine a little boy and his puppy.

We're still working on potty training but he's doing very well. I am glad that I don't really have anything on my agenda but him for the next few weeks because as long as he's our focus we don't seem to have any accidents. It's been very helpful having Steve home this weekend so keep your fingers crossed that the next few days go as well with just me.

Night before last he got up twice to go potty with Steve but last night he didn't make a peep ALL night. WOW! What a good boy. He ate more yesterday, drank more and played more so maybe all of that helped.

I will update with some pictures later today.