Easter Fun

Easter is one of my most favorite holidays. Not because I'm religious (because I'm definitely not), but because of everything it means to ME. To me it symbolizes new beginnings, a much needed climate change (warm weather please!), and all the happiness that spring brings. The sunshine finally appeared today and over and over I heard Brett's sweet voice ask, "It's spring now, right Mommy? The snow is gone and won't come back until Christmas!". Oh do I hope he's right!  One of the best things about this holiday (or any holiday really) is the activities that go along with it that make the season come alive.  Our first adventure, at the beginning of the month, was to go with our friends to visit the Easter Bunny at the mall. Last year, Brett nervously insisted I sit with him for the picture - and this year - he was one year older and took one look at the creepy "Easter Bunny" and said "no way!". Okay, he didn't really say those exact words, but his expression said it all. I can't blame him either. The fake Easter Bunny is scary. He still kinda freaks ME out!! But hey, atleast I tried. Our next Easter activity was at the library here in Chelsea. They brought out real rabbits to show all the kids - and they even let one hop around! Brett's face lit up as soon as he laid eyes on those sweet bunnies, and although he was shy at first, he quickly warmed up and sat with all the kids as the rabbit hopped around. He gave him nose kisses, pet his soft fur, and was one of the last kids sitting there before the Easter story time began. He reminded me so much of myself - his love of animals is so apparent and my heart melts when I see how happy they make him :-) Kyle is lucky we have two cats and a small house - because otherwise we would already have a home filled with all sorts of pets like when I was a kid! 

Our next activity was to make Easter cupcakes! Brett helped measure and pour the ingredients, waited semi patiently while they baked, and then the best part came....decorating them with SPRINKLES!  Here are some pictures :-)

Later that day we went outside to enjoy the sunshine and make "Bunny Dust. This has become an annual tradition of ours, and Brett loves it! He mixes all the ingredients together and then the night before Easter sprinkles it along our walkway and sidewalk to help the Easter bunny find out house. That's important, ya know :-)

Unfortunately, Brett came down with the flu today (Saturday) and felt miserable. The poor kid always seems to get sick on holidays! Since he felt so yucky he asked if I could sprinkle the bunny dust outside for him tonight, so that is what I did :-) We had plans to do an Easter egg hunt today and dye eggs, but I guess that will have to wait until he is better - which will hopefully be tomorrow!! 

Fun at Home

During the week when Kyle is at work, Brett and I have many things to do to keep us busy....preschool, errands, play dates, the library, outdoor play, gymnastics, etc.. But some times it's fun to just stay home and play! Here are some of Brett's favorite things to do at home.

Build with Lincoln Logs,

Puzzles,

Play in his "fort" that Kyle made for him,

Practice learning letters and their sounds with these words puzzles,

And, of course, art projects and crafts!

He also spends lots of time building with legos, playing with his cars and trucks, and setting up his space station :-). Recently Brett has really taken an interest in letters and the sounds they make --- and he has even started writing! I will definitely have to take some pictures of that to post later :-) Board games are another favorite in our house, and family game night is always a big hit!

More Snow Fun!!

The snow has continued to bless us this winter, and we have been enjoying it to the fullest! Last Sunday my friend Heather who lives out in the country here in Chelsea, invited us over to go sledding down their huge hill. My best friend Rachel, her husband, Kevin, and their sweet little Molly joined us as well. Rachel and I have been friends since the 7th grade, and except for a little reprieve during college, have been friends ever since. The crazy thing is that her daughter Molly was born exactly 3 years after Brett -- that's right, they have the same birthday! Just another bond we will have forever :-) Heather and Rachel have known each other since they were toddlers, so they have grown up with each other as well. It's so fun to get together as adults now and share the next chapter in our lives -parenthood. :-)

Somehow we were able to get the kids to sit still for a few pictures. They may not all be looking at the camera or smiling at the same time, but priceless nonetheless :-)

Here Brett is holding Molly's little hand. SO sweet!

Katie joined in for this picture...but woops, Molly lost a glove!

Another close up of Brett holding Molly's hand! Hopefully we will have many more pictures like this in the years to come!

Love this one!

Luke finally decided to join, but sitting still for a picture was not what he had in mind :-)

Then it was time for some FUN! On your mark..

 Get set...

GO!

Lucky boy got a ride up the hill!

But he did his share of pulling the sled up too :-)

After going up and down the hill many times, Kyle was ready for break! 

Okay, maybe one more time!

And here they go!

After sledding for a little while, the kids were cold and hungry, so went inside to play and order pizza. Molly found the perfect spot to chill and watch all the big kids run around :-) Love that little girl! 

We had such a fun time and are so thankful for wonderful friends!! 

A Michigan Winter

I've lived in Michigan my whole life, and as a child I remember the winter's being frigid cold with lots of SNOW. My brother and I would spend hours outside sledding, ice skating on the frozen pond across the street from our house, and building snowman and snow forts never got old. When we could no longer feel our fingers and toes, we would race inside, strip off our winter clothes and thaw out by the heat vents in our kitchen. My toes would tingle from the warmth, as my mom made us real hot chocolate with milk, sugar, and cocoa. Ahhh, those were the days! Now, fast forward about 20 years, and you just never know what kind of winter you will get here in good ole Michigan. It could be a winter like last year where it was so mild we only got one good snow fall, and I have pictures of Brett outside in a t-shirt in February. OR, it could be one like this year where Mother Nature decided it was time for a real winter again, the brown and grey days often disguised with a blanket of white crisp snow to brighten up your soul. Of course, because it is 2013 and Global Warming is in full affect, there have also been a few gloomy, wet days where the temperatures reach a high that is unexpected (or at least once was) for this time of year. But overall, this winter will be remembered like the one's when I was a child - with snow and all the fun activities that come along with it. Even as an adult, there is still something special about a fresh blanket of snow outside your window, just waiting to be played in...a refreshment of the spirit that energizes you like no other. The smiles and laughter I have seem on Brett's face this winter are priceless. Really, this is the first snow filled winter he has gotten to experience to the fullest, and I have loved being along for the ride as he embraces what a good ole Michigan winter should be all about :-)

By next month, I am sure I will be ready for the snow to melt and spring to come, but in the meantime, we will continue making winter memories for our family to hold on to, despite what Mother Nature throws at us in the future :-) 

A trip to the Firehouse Museum!

A couple weeks ago we decided to have a family afternoon and head to the Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti. Kyle looked online to make sure they were open, and according to their webpage they would be open all day. We were all very excited, especially Brett! Well, just as luck would have it, as soon as we arrived and walked up to the door, we saw what no parent wants to see...a "Sorry, We're Closed" sign. Before we could say anything to Brett, we saw all the lights on and assumed it must have been a mistake -- I mean, their website said they were OPEN! So, we walked inside. Brett's eyes lit up as he saw all the firetrucks and toys and we were just about to take a sigh of relief when a woman quickly walked our way, and before she could say anything we knew what was coming. She explained that the museum was closed today for a private event and that we would have to come back another day. And to try and make things better, she handed us over 3 free passes for the next time we made the trek out there. Kyle informed her he had checked their website and it said they were open, and you know what her response was? "Oh yeah, we never change or update that page". WHAT?! What kind of business are you guys running here!? When we told Brett the news, the tears came instantly - and as heartbreaking as it was to see those tears, I felt a little better knowing that this lady had seen how upset he was. Maybe, just maybe, this was a learning experience for her and she would talk to the boss about keeping up with their webpage! But...probably not.

Now, fast forward a week, and we were ready to try again -- but this time Kyle CALLED. And they were OPEN! Yeah! We also got to use our free passes which was nice. Here are some pictures from the day :-) I wasn't able to get many good ones because Brett was so busy exploring there was no time to stop for a picture - but I did get a few action shots :-)

Brett had fun making noise by ringing all the different "fire bells" that were used long ago! They actually sounded pretty, much better than the sirens today!

 Although the place was filled with many old firetrucks, Brett got the most entertainment by looking at all the collectible firetrucks and stations in the glass display cases. It was so cute to hear him tell little stories about what was happening :-)

After looking at everything in the museum, we ventured to the basement to play! There were puzzles, books, games, and even real helmets and jackets to try on (but of course our little boy wouldn't have anything to do with that part!). The plastic firetrucks and large puzzle were his favorites :-)

I highly recommend checking this museum out, especially if you have little ones who love firetrucks! And just to be safe, call ahead to make sure they're open!