Easter 2014

Happy Easter!!! At last, the girls' countdown was at an end and we woke up bright and early to see what the Easter Bunny brought. Thankfully, not too early. Connor was up at 6am, but the girls were content to sleep in another 30 minutes, while Connor and I cleaned the kitchen to pass the time.

But, once they were up, they were up and eager to see. Within moments the Easter Bunny's careful arrangement of toys and candy was destroyed as they held up and announced each new surprise: A fairy doll! A new necklace! Look, chocolate! Jelly beans! Mommy, what's this... a jump rope! Yay!!!

Then, once they had seen everything, they eagerly dumped their baskets and ran to the back door to explore the patio and back yard for the hidden Easter eggs.

Megan showing off Rosetta

Look how OLD he looks!!! (He figured out how to open the jelly beans)

A little more exploring

The hunt begins on the porch

No, he didn't put the eggs in the basket. He wanted to keep them.

Searching for eggs the Easter Bunny put at the end of the side yard. Beau's helping.

This picture was too sweet to not share.

New dresses and shirts were bought for Easter Sunday, but unfortunately, Cadence's cough devolved into a fever and extreme sleepiness in the middle of Sacrament, so we hurried everyone home before we could take pictures and stuffed the kids in casual comfort clothes for a quiet afternoon. A long nap and some quiet time was all Cadence seemed to need and she's back to normal, more or less.

However, I have an appointment to get some updated pictures of the kiddos next week and I'll put them back into their new clothes and share those pictures when the time comes. Tomorrow is swimming lessons! With Easter over, the girls couldn't be more excited!

Kiddie Acres in Austin

We took a day trip to Austin today to visit with Uncle Jon. Normally when we plan a visit we get a hotel and stay overnight to make up for the 3-hour one-way drive, but with Beau waiting for us at home (stuck on the porch), we made it a day-trip instead and set off right after breakfast.

As always, we stopped at the BucEes about 30 miles outside of Austin to stretch our legs. Before that, all three kids did remarkably well for the just over 2 hours of driving. Connor napped for about half of it, but was content to talk to his sisters and play with his socks for the other half. Once in Austin, we collected Uncle Jon and stopped for lunch at Firehouse Subs, then headed off to a "children's amusement park" google had led me to. It was... quaint. Overall, I was unimpressed, but the girls were wide-eyed over the small walkway of various rides, so there were plenty of pictures to be had and lots of giggles:

My own cheeks hurt from grinning as I watched Cadence unable to stop grinning while perched on her pony. She wants one for her birthday. Ha!

For once, Megan is not as photogenic as her sister, but she was equally fascinated by the new experience.

Next up was the mini ferris wheel. No fear as both girls climbed into the cage without parents for a spin.

When I more or less refused to let them ride the carousel (we ride one at the zoo EVERY time we go), the boats were their next choice.

Then the planes with working propellers (which is why Megan's hand is over her face)

Afterward, we all climbed aboard the only ride with a weight limit adults could ride: The train. (You cannot tell the two of them are brothers, can you?)

Even Connor got to ride this time (he had more fun then this picture suggests).

After the train, we took the rest of our tickets and cashed them in for two balls and two child-sized putters so the girls could try their hand at the simple miniature golf course. They didn't quite get the hang of it. Cadence used hers more like a hockey stick, rolling the ball with the putter at a slow pace and guiding it to the hole. Megan would hit the ball toward the hole then crouch and use her hands to make sure the ball didn't go farther than she wanted.

Connor pointed to every hole we passed.

This is almost like a Bigfoot sighting. It's a picture of Uncle Jon. (He DOES exist!) Of course there is an earlier picture, and more close-ups after this one, but this was the point we started teasing him and he lamented no longer being just an elbow in our digital library.

Trying to coax Cadence into gripping the putter correctly and golf properly.

Celebrating after a successful hole-in-23!

Mad golfing skillz!

Even Connor got in on the action!

Though he quickly decided Megan's version of golf was better.

Maybe we should put him in basketball?

It was a mini blue bonnet field. I couldn't resist snapping a picture before my camera died.

Once we were out of tickets, we climbed back into the car and followed directions to an ice cream shop and a Barnes & Noble visit. Then, we kicked Uncle Jon out on the curb and drove ourselves home.

Again, all three kids did well. They slept for the 45 minute trip from Jon's apartment to the BucEes, where we topped off the gas tank, grabbed bottles of water and started the final trek home. Connor snagged a second nap, which made the whole thing easier and with it being Good Friday, "rush hour" was no worse than any other hour once we hit the snarl where two of the most popular driving routes intersect. A long day, but a good one. Not sure we'll do another Austin day-trip any time soon. As I've lamented before, Austin is not really a family city, so the tourist options are a little limited. Still, it's always nice to visit with family and try something new, even if it is only for a few hours.

Dentist Visit

The girls had their first dentist visit yesterday. Of course, I was in the corner with  my head hung in shame that they were so old during their first visit ever. Not that anyone noticed. They were busy charming the pants of the girls and making it a great experience for them.

Both girls did excellent. Cadence sat in the chair for her x-rays and did everything without needing me in the room. Megan behaved well, but her hyper-sensitivity made her a difficult, yet still cooperative, patient. She couldn't handle the squirting and mini-vacuum for rinsing her teeth off after her cleaning, so they had to grab a napkin-esque thing to wipe her teeth clean instead.

I meant to get pictures, but Connor was a dead weight in my arms for the first half of the appointment than an over-eager explorer for the second half.

I was very pleased when the dentist announced "no cavities!" for both girls. Huge sigh of relief on my part.

Our biggest concern going in was Cadence's curved front teeth, which she's had since she was 1. The dentist told me at this point it was entirely cosmetic. It wasn't ideal, obviously, but there was no exposed nerves or anything, so the plan is to just wait it out. They should fall out in the next year or two anyway.

Our biggest concern leaving was Megan's teeth. She inherited my mouth, poor girl. Already, her baby teeth are crowded in her mouth and she will need orthodontics when permanent teeth start to grow in. In fact, there's already an orthodontic problem in the positioning of her bottom molars that will need to be corrected, but there's nothing they can do until her 6-year molars come in.

Cadence might also need orthodontics, but it's not a for sure thing yet. At least it won't come as a shock if both girls need braces, though. And, while we're at it, we'll add Connor to that "probably" list, since he's my child as well.

However, for now, the girls loved their dentist experience. They both picked out toy wands from the treasure chest and skipped out of the office with their new toothbrushes, happily discussing their squeaky-clean teeth.

Easter at Bass Pro

There are days I can't tell if James is a willing participant in my "family outings" or if he only goes along with my plans because he loves me and the kids. Either way, it took little cajoling to get him to agree to a trip to Bass Pro shop for their Easter egg hunt. We chose to go this past weekend instead of Easter weekend to any major crowds.

Plus, the craft was cuter last weekend. Little plaster eggs with magnets on the back. This weekend is just a photo frame. Lame!

First order of business? Meeting the Easter Bunny! I feared a long-line, so hopped into the line as soon as I saw it, even though the bunny was not out yet. It turned out to be paranoia on my part. Once he walked out and started taking pictures, the line was gone and we could have just walked up whenever we wanted. Probably because, unlike Santa, there was no talking involved. Connor was fascinated by the bunny when I was holding him, but once I handed him off and stepped away there was no making him happy. Poor Easter Bunny!

Afterward, I released James from his prison sentence and let him scamper off upstairs to look at the guns and ammunition section. The girls and I wandered over to the craft table to await 2pm when the Easter egg hunt would start.

As 2pm drew closer, we tucked our colored eggs in my purse and rode the elevator to the second floor. Eggs were aplenty and, after rounding up James, the girls were released. Unfortunately, Bass Pro employees are not very skilled in hiding eggs (must be an Easter Bunny speciality). In the time it took me to pull my camera out of my purse, the girls already had their allotted 5 eggs. So, I did what any document-every-experience-with-pictures obsessed mother would do. We staged them.

Then we rode down the cool elevator to swap the plastic eggs for tootsie rolls and smarties and escaped.

The girls are super excited about Easter and frequently ask what I think the Easter Bunny might get them. He was supposed to bring Frozen, but I bought that for them awhile ago, so I told them he's still thinking about it and they'll just have to wait until Sunday to find out what he decides. There will be new Easter dresses and I'm hoping to get James a matching tie so I have a reason to shove him into a few pictures so I can have them. And I suppose I'll have to find myself something pretty to wear so I can be in the pictures as well (with my new haircut). Those pictures will (obviously) be up sometime next week. ;-)

Also, the girls start 2 weeks of swim lessons next week. They're excited about that as well and both have new bathing suits. Shopping for those was difficult, especially trying to find one that would fit skinny Miss Megan.

In other news, the girls are acclimating to their new primary classes well. Both of their primary teachers have nothing but good things to say, though it was implied both girls are extremely talkative and eager to share every bit of news. Too much energy in those girls! We're all suffering a little without anything to do in our new part of town. We're used to getting out of the house and meeting up with friends 2-3x a week. I am hoping we find lots to do over the next month or so.

Froberg Farms

Froberg Farms has been on my to-do list since shortly after moving to Houston, but we never got around to it until today. It helps that we halved the distance to the place. It also helps that friends from our old ward (who still have to put up with me, since I'm in transition and don't have any friends in the new ward yet) arranged a little get-together there.

So, off we went to a farm known for its strawberry fields and tasty smoked sausage. And after such a pleasant experience, we'll likely go more often in the future for some freshly picked strawberries whenever the mood strikes.

Rows upon rows of strawberries. The girls wanted to pick all of them, so I had to do some quality control and be sure we only got the ripest ones possible.

Megan would have picked every strawberry if I let her.

Cadence was a tad picker.

Even Connor got in on the action.

Getting a decent picture of Cadence is a tough task, but Megan looked so fabulous I had to share.

Megan was upset Cadence was on "her side" so she refused to be in the picture. At least Connor was happy.

Connor refused to let go of the ones he picked and most of his contributions were squeezed in protest as I tried to pry it loose from his fingers.

Showing off their final haul. Each girl picked just over 3lbs of fresh strawberries.

Many complaints about how heavy the buckets were led to this set-up as we walked back.

The final verdict. Keep in mind, this is pretty much the largest mixing bowl I own. There were lots of BIG strawberries. 7 and 1/2 pounds!

We ended the day with lunch at the farm with our friends, sampling the tasty summer sausage. I ordered a bit of original, but another friend ordered the jalapeno and cheese that my spice-wimpy self had avoided. I ended up going back to get an order of the jalapeno and cheese after sampling hers. Mmm, super tasty.

We had to leave a little early, though. Poor Cadence was not herself and I discovered she was running a mild fever, though she felt warmer at the table from being in the sun so long. Poor little girl was so tired, she fell asleep in the car, something she hasn't done in a long time. She even came home and took a nap and THAT is very unusual for her.

Maybe some strawberries are just what the doctor ordered. ;-)