egg-cellent easter

I think the best part of Easter this year was watching Colin try to understand all the egg-related activities. I told him that we were going on an egg hunt, and we would find plastic eggs and open them. But when I asked, "What's gonna be inside?" he confidently answered, "Easter!"

I think he started to get the hang of it Saturday afternoon. We took Mae and Colin to an egg hunt at my parents neighborhood playground. Mae went for quantity and got quite the haul of eggs. Colin was a bit more particular about his egg hunting, and got a few little trinkets and some candy. The weather was beautiful and we stuck around to play for a while!

On Sunday we went to mass and then had brunch. The weather was perfect for taking family photos outside! (Haven't my stitches healed nicely?)

We dyed eggs and then hid them in the yard. Colin found out that not all eggs have candy inside. Some just have egg.

Colin enjoyed the egg-hunting and candy-eating, but his favorite part was the lawn mower-sitting.

columbus, here we come

Mae's spring break was back at the end of March. She spent the first part at a day camp at the rec center. She had tons of fun swimming, playing games, and doing crafts. They even took a field trip to the Opening Day parade!

After picking Mae up from camp on Wednesday, I took the kids to the playground. Unfortunately, I fell while climbing on a piece of equipment and hit my face really hard! I chipped two teeth and had to get stitches in my chin and my lip. Dan left work and met me at the dentist for x-rays and then drove me to the plastic surgeon for the stitches. I was very swollen and sore all over the next few days, so I was glad we had a fun little spring break trip to distract me from my boo boos.

We finished spring break with a weekend getaway to the tropical paradise of Columbus, Ohio. This is our third time visiting. Mae absolutely loves the museum there, and both kids are always excited to stay in a hotel! We checked into the hotel and went for pizza at our usual haunt. I promise I'm smiling... my mouth is just really swollen.

Friday we went to COSI. We spent quite a while in the Kidspace play area and then went to the Oceans exhibit to play in the water and check out the submarine.

After a complete change out of their soaking wet clothes (and shoes), we ate lunch. In the afternoon we played in the gadgets room, visited the dinosaurs, and managed to all stay awake for the planetarium show. We stayed until the museum was closing!

Saturday, we checked out of the hotel and spent the day at the zoo. The highlight was definitely petting the sting rays. They love being touched, so they eagerly flap along the walls and splash water everywhere as they pass by. Mae was a little worried about getting "stung" by the tails, but Colin was all about it! We should have brought a change of clothes for the zoo also!

I bribed the kids with snacks to take this surfing picture again this year. It's my favorite!

Mae went back to school with lots of good stories and photos to share with her class after spring break. She made a "Flat Violet" (based on the Flat Stanley books), who accompanied us on our adventures.

colin's new best friend

Colleen and Bobby finally made it for a visit! They were supposed to come see us back in October 2021 and had driven 90% of the way when Colin tested positive for COVID. Colleen visited for Mae's birthday last year, but Bobby wasn't able to make it. I'm glad we finally got to host them together!

Leading up to this, Mae had a few rough weeks. First, we found a tick in her hair that she probably picked up during a school field trip to the nature center. It was really buried, and I think the removal was equally traumatic for her as it was for me and Dan. Then the next week, she ended up at Urgent Care with an infection. The week after that, she was back at Urgent Care and an ENT after smashing her face into a table while playing tag. She really needed a fun weekend, so she was ecstatic when Colleen and Bobby surprised her at school pick-up on Friday!

Friday night we went to a local brewery for drinks and pizza. Colleen and Bobby collect growlers and stickers from breweries, so we had to introduce them to our favorites. Mae and Colin occupied themselves with crayons and paper airplanes.

We had a lazy Saturday morning. Colin just wanted to follow Bobby around everywhere. The first words out of his mouth each morning and after nap were, "Is Bobby awake yet?" Every time we got in the car to go somewhere, he asked, "Bobby coming with us?" I asked him if he liked Bobby and he said, "Bobby's kinda silly" (his highest form of compliment).

Later in the afternoon, we went to the conservatory for "Bunnies and Blooms." It was nice and warm, there were lots of pretty plants to observe, and they even had some cute bunnies on display. Colin just wanted to run between all the rooms. We lost Mae for a second, but she was just curled up on a bench with one of the bunny books they had sitting out.

In the afternoon, everyone had fun playing Nintendo Switch. I like the assisted driving feature on Mario Kart that lets Mae play without getting frustrated by driving off the track or going backwards. She's also enjoyed watching Dan and Bobby play Hades and is now surprisingly well-versed in Greek mythology.

Sunday we went to the market to get lunch and pick up some fresh pasta for dinner. Dan, Colleen, and Bobby then visited another brewery downtown while I took the kids home to rest. In the afternoon we played outside and Colin helped me pull some weeds.

Of course Colleen had to re-create her photo of Mae on the slide (ages 2, 3, 4, and now 6). Thanks for making the drive, Colleen and Bobby. We had so much fun!