Happy Easter!

Step One: coloring the Easter eggs. These pictures look more cooperative than things really were. It was survival of the fittest in getting the desired colors.







Here they are trying to sing "Easter bunny" so I could get a photo of them smiling, but it only half worked. Josh's flapping hands are cute though.





Lucas is proud of his Easter artwork and trying to give a good camera smile, note the raised eyebrows.




After some late afternoon naps due to our trip to Dallas' Deep Ellum Arts Fest yesterday (with naps lasting as late as 6 pm), we finally got everyone to bed by 10:30 (!!) and the Easter Bunny got to work.


First, the baskets and table layout:




Then, finding some clever egg placements:

Josh came to our bed at 3 am, telling us the Easter bunny didn't come. Obviously the dead dark of night kept him from seeing the tell-tale signs. We told him it was the middle of the night and he should go back to sleep to give the Easter bunny more time to arrive. We let him stay in our bed -- big mistake. Every couple of hours he'd ask if it was time to get up yet. I needed another long nap today!

Then around 7 am, we heard the knocking on our bedroom door. Lucas. We opened the door and found him standing there with 3 eggs in his hands, proudly announcing he'd already found 3 eggs. We had a short family meeting to go over the game plan: walk back to your rooms with no egg-hunting; change Lucas' diaper; meet at kitchen table to get egg baskets; then begin egg hunt. Said plan fell apart the second they left our room, though we did eventually get all those tasks done. But seeing the eggs just laying there waiting to be found was too much temptation for little boys! They had to collect a few on the way to their rooms!

My Skyhawks

Here is my U6 soccer team. We are 2-1-1 so far, though only unofficially, as the league does not keep score at this age. In fact, there is no goalie either. As you can see from our not-so-large roster, we only play 3 at a time -- 3 on 3 with no goalie.



Josh nevertheless spends much of warm-ups being the goalie as his teammates take shots on goal.



But he gets his shots in too:



They are cute kids. Now if only I could get them to listen to me!

Darn.

Josh has picked up a few funny new phrases. If he feels complimented, sometimes he'll shrug and say, "shucks" with a smile. And very often, if the answer to something is "no," he'll respond simply, "darn" and then move on. It's like a reflex.

"Do we have any popsicles?"
"No."
"Darn."

"Is there a new Big Time Rush tonight?"
"No."
"Darn."

Last weekend we went to check out the new amphibian/reptile/etc museum at the Fort Worth Zoo, which is quite impressive, especially since it is brand new and still all sparkly. After working our way through the turtles, fish, (many) snakes, frogs, tarantulas, (disgusting) salamanders, and too many other things to remember, the exhibit concludes with a komodo dragon. It was so sand-colored it almost blended in with its surroundings. I called to Josh, "Did you see the Komodo dragon?? Come see, come see!" He ran over and said "cooool." Then he asked, "Will fire come out of its mouth?" I had to tell him no, it was not a fire-breathing dragon.
"Darn." And off he went.
The people next to us nearly died laughing. I could hear them repeating "darn" between chuckles at the unfortunate lack of any fire-breathing dragons.

Spring in Texas

It has been gradually warming up and we have found ourselves reluctant to think it is really spring, after 12 years of the fake Portland "spring" whereby it warms up for a week or two, just long enough to get your hopes up, and then rains again until July 4.

But by yesterday, it was really nice. Sunny, wide blue skies, 70s. We ate lunch outside. We wore shorts. We grilled our dinner outside on the BBQ.

Today, for the official "first day of spring," snow.

Seriously, either climate change is real or we are jinxed. Since arriving in Fort Worth on September 27, they have had their rainiest October, record snowfall (12"!), and now this. Where is the sunny weather we signed up for???

That said, of course Josh and Lucas loved it.






Still getting in their spring training:



And, of course, (tiny) snowballs!

Lego Tower

It's all about building and stacking big towers these days. Here, Josh models the very tall Lego tower he and Lucas built:



Lucas thinks they can add one more Lego petal:



Josh thinks they can add TWO more! (and Lucas looks on with anticipation):



CRASH!

Those beautiful boys

My otherwise beautiful boys have broken my camera. I still haven't quite accepted that life with two very active boys means things will get broken. So we will be without new photos for the blog for awhile, until I get a new camera.

In the meantime, after a very long absence from the blog, I'll post the ones I do have.

Cuddle:



Botanical gardens (on a winter's day):



Tent! (and cookies!):



Ready, set, go! (Lucas will line up like this, posed for the start, before saying "ready, set, go" to start a race with me):



Self-portrait:

Sleeping like a baby

Since having babies I have really hated the phrase, "sleeping like a baby." What a misnomer. Whoever coined that phrase had not slept in a house with a baby. They aren't good sleepers! They are terrible sleepers! They toss, turn, cry, and expect to be held and rocked at all hours. Whenever I hear the phrase, I am reminded of the very painful 5 months of Lucas' infanthood during which he would only sleep on a moving body. Even at 3 am, if I laid down, even propped up diagonally so it would seem like I was still standing and walking him around, he'd know and he'd wake up. We had to Ferberize him, it was so bad. So I can't stand that phrase.

But sleeping like a toddler, now there is the sleep of angels. Look at this cherub:

Basketball

Josh has started youth league basketball through the YMCA. I have to say, they get nicer uniforms than the cotton t-shirt he got for soccer in Portland. They have blue and gray reversible tanks, and switch out depending on whether they are home or away.

Here is Josh after his first game. He wore his team shirt all day and all night. Which was fine, because we went to the Mavericks game that night (a full theme day of basketball events!) so it was kind of like team spirit. He would have worn it all week if we'd let him. He is very proud.



So proud, in fact, that he willingly posed for mom's cheesy photos (these two are from the second game; note the intervening haircut):

Josh plays tenacious D (even when his team is on offense, as in this picture):

But also eventually learned to play offense too, and scored three baskets in his first game. This is the (very blurry) photo just after his first basket. Under all that blur is a cute smile:

Christmas!

The boys opened a few gifts on Christmas Eve (they get so overwhelmed that we find it helpful to space things out a bit. Plus, who doesn't love opening at least one gift early??!!).

One of their presents was a kung fu instructional video from their cousins Logan and Sela. (Logan studies Karate herself, and was named student of the week at her dojo. Congratulations Logan!). They are practicing their stances here. It got crazier once they got to blocks and kicks!

I love the looks on their faces.



Once the boys went to bed, our stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and St. Nick cleaned off the cookie plate and the milk and left the boys a nice note, along with PRESENTS!!

But first, upon waking up Christmas morning, they were just excited to have their Christmas doughnuts (by request) with the wished-for snow still giving us a White Christmas outside:

Lucas surveys the two gifts from Santa:

And Josh makes sure Sammy gets his stocking stuffers:

The boys inspected and emptied their stockings:






And then got down to the real order of business -- gifts from Santa:




It's the remote controlled monster truck Josh asked for!




And a shark truck for Lukie too!

Much fun was had with the trucks!

The light sabers were a HUGE hit:





Though eventually Josh ended up with both of them (the hip holster and the one in action):



Lucas finally got the hang of unwrapping gifts, after beginning the morning pulling confetti-sized pieces of paper at a time:

And received a cuddly polar bear!

Josh also received a Nintendo DS and a couple of games, which was excited to try out:

As if all of that weren't enough (not to mention the many gifts not photographed), Josh received a new skateboard (now that he is ready to try a full-sized board):







Which meant Lucas inherited the Spiderman beginner board:







AND, both of them received new BIKES! Josh has moved up to a 20" with trick pegs, and Lucas has graduated from tricyle to two- (or four-, with training wheels) wheeler!







And of course Josh had to give Lucas' bike a test run (with a power assist from Lucas too!):




Thank you VERY MUCH for all the wonderful gifts, and we hope you are also having a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!