Easter

Easter is always a fun filled holiday for our family.  This year the kids received so much candy that it should last until Halloween!  First up is always decorating eggs - 2 dozen of them.  I will be eating hard boiled eggs for awhile!

Ethan and Olivia with their finished eggs.

The kids enjoying Easter cake.

Easter morning - and the Easter bunny arrived even though Ethan swears he stayed awake the entire night and didn't see him.  We had our Easter basket reveal, egg hunt, and breakfast all before 7:30 a.m.  Lots of coffee was needed!  Here are the kids with their Easter basket goodies.

This year Easter had perfect weather - dry and in the 70s.  The kids enjoyed their outdoor egg hunt for 34 eggs.  They were mostly filled with money this year to cut down on their sugar high.

The kids searching for the final egg.  Do you see it?

A bucket full of eggs makes for big smiles.

The family in their Easter outfits.

Part of what makes Easter so fun is having someone else do the cooking!  We went to the Illini Country Club brunch and egg hunt with Grammy, Grandpa Brett, and Uncle Brennan.

Olivia and Ethan searching for eggs.  There were so many kids this year - so much fun for Olivia and Ethan!  Olivia was lucky for the 2nd year in a row and found a golden egg, which she redeemed for a board game.

After brunch we all enjoyed time at the Lincoln Museum.  We first went to the Lincoln movie sets in Union Station and walked around the park.

We mainly went to the Museum to see the new Annie Liebowitz exhibit, which was very interesting.  But, we have learned that a perk of visiting the Lincoln Museum on Easter is that it is EMPTY.  We practically had the entire place to ourselves, which makes for a nice leisurely visit.

The final stop is always Mrs. Lincoln's Attic for dress up fun and games.

Sports Weekend

Baseball season has begun!  We celebrated by going to St. Louis for a weekend of sports fun.  First up is always a picture in Kiener Plaza.  We  have to walk through this park every time we go to a game and this remains one of my favorite St. Louis photo-ops.

Ethan, Olivia, and Joe showing off the 3 stages of nachos at Busch Stadium - regular, supreme, and pulled pork ridiculousness (but delicious!).  

This game could not have been more perfect - temperatures in the 70s, great seats, and Cardinals defeated the Cubs.  All is well.

After the game we walked through the new Ballpark Village and went to the Cardinals Hall of Fame.  There is a little section that allows you to hold actual game used bats from some of the Cardinals' greatest players.  Here is Ethan holding a Stan Musial game used bat.

Olivia with an Ozzie Smith bat.

Kate with a Lou Brock bat.

Joe picked the Willie McGee bat due to wearing his jersey.

Joe was at game 6 and 7 of the 2011 World Series.

Next we took the kids to Fitz's Brewery in The Loop, and we were lucky enough to have a table directly next to the brewing process.  The kids stayed occupied the entire meal watching root beer being bottled.

Yes, we each ordered a float, and no, we did not even come close to finishing them.  The waitress gave us a strange look when I told her we would not be sharing and would each get our own.  We decided to just go for it!  Joe ordered a root beer shake, Ethan a creamsicle float (orange soda/vanilla ice cream), I got a black forest (cherry soda/chocolate ice cream), and Olivia got the Ghostbuster float (root beer, vanilla ice cream, marshmallow fluff, caramel and chocolate sauce, and whip cream).

We ended the weekend by attending the kids' very first professional hockey game.  Unfortunately, the Blues lost to the Red Wings, but the kids still enjoyed the action.

Olivia Takes the Stage

Olivia has been participating in a theater program through the local Hoogland Center for the Arts and their big production was Shrek the Musical.  This production was no small event - professional costumes, all 6 performances sold out (a sell out is 400+ people each night), and unbelievable acting by the kids - all characters were in grades 4-12 with the exception of Shrek who was the theater class instructor.  Olivia was cast as a guard - she was on the stage for about 6 numbers which included singing and dancing.  

I was the backstage mom for one show.  Turns out there is a lot of waiting for your turn to go on stage!  The girls stayed busy with lots of card games, books, electronic devices, and overall silliness.  Joe, Ethan, and I have seen the performance 5 times; Olivia has performed it 8 times and has never seen it from start to finish!

Olivia's first appearance on stage - chasing donkey into the forest and then being scared by Shrek.  The kids loved shouting as loudly as possible!  Olivia is directly behind the ogre sign with her hands on her face.

Lord Farquaad arguing with Gingie.  Olivia is the farthest on the right.

Guarding Farquaad while he waits for Fiona.  Olivia is second row on the right.

Shrek stopping Fiona and Farquaad's wedding.  It was difficult for the guards to keep straight faces for this scene - Farquaad was hilarious!

Olivia singing the finale - she is the third guard from the right.

The entire cast singing the finale.  Our seats were typically within the first three rows, but for one performance we traded seats with another family and I actually took much better photos of the performance from a distance.  I will need to remember that for next year's performance!

Olivia (middle) taking her bow.

The entire cast singing the grand finale of "I'm a Believer".  Olivia is difficult to see in these photos - she is in the top towards the right side.  This was a fun number to watch, and Olivia said it was her favorite to perform since it was basically a big party song for the cast - lots of singing and silly dancing.

Olivia was so lucky to have so many friends and family members come to watch her perform!

The family with Shrek.  I'm guess this is a Christmas card photo!

Our fantastic "guard #9".  This was a lot of hard work, long nights, and tricky dance moves for Olivia.  Each time we saw her on the stage we were overwhelmed with pride and joy!  Joe and I cannot tell you how proud we are of Olivia for her performance!  

The Winter That Would Not End

This year the winter weather would just not end!  Springfield had the second snowiest winter of all time, and one of the coldest winters on record with wind chill temperatures of -30* on more than one night!  This meant many days off of school, cabin fever, and taking advantage of the above 0* days when they happened.  The following pictures are what we have been doing since Christmas.

There are a few good sledding hills in Springfield.  The kids most enjoyed the hill at Pasfield Park this year.

Ethan attempting ice skating with his friend Simon.

The cold temperatures did mean that my parent's pond froze solid for the first time in many winters.  This allowed the kids to walk on the pond for their first time ever.  The kids loved playing hockey and exploring the ice.  These pictures were actually taken during a warm stretch this winter, so the ice was beginning to melt, which made for a very slushy experience that did not allow for ice skating.

Ice and snow days are beautiful when you do not have to drive in them!

Our traditional Valentine's Day supper - make your own pizzas and ice cream sundaes.

The winter did not stop the kids from playing sports - basketball for Ethan, volleyball for Olivia, and indoor soccer for both.

The girls from Olivia's class were featured singers in the grades 4/5 music program.

Ethan and his best buddy, BumBum Rhino.  This stuffed animal has been at Ethan's side for the past 5 years.

Olivia and her cat Enid.  Enid has slept with Olivia every night since Olivia was 1 1/2 - Enid would even sleep in Olivia's crib.

Family night selfie!

In early March Joe and I were lucky enough to go to Vegas for 5 days with no kids.

Waiting for the Springfield St. Patrick's Day parade (which lasted over 2 hours!).

Ethan's toothless grin.  I love it when both top teeth are lost at the same time.  Ethan's came out within days of each other, and he has 3 more very loose teeth.  He is hoping they grow in before corn on the cob season!