Oops, Easter…

So I was feeling pretty good that I was caught up on the blog.  I was going to do a quick random post from the last 2 weeks, and then I realized…

I never did an Easter post.

The Easter Bunny was generous this year.  Each girl got candy, clothes, shoes, and extras.  It looked a bit like Christmas. 

 

After baskets and the egg hunt, everyone got ready for church.  I was stressing because usually I at least have a color scheme for girls clothes.  This year it seemed everyone had something different.  In the end, they all looked beautiful and the colors seem to blend just fine.

We met the cousins at church, and that was way too many colors!  I opted for black and white for this one…

That’s a six pack of beauty right there folks.

After church we went back to our house.  It was like the most perfect day.  The babies napped, the big girls played, the boys went to look at the new house, and Anne, Em, and I had coffee and chatted.  Eventually we all ventured outside(because it was actually a decent day).  Sof got some bubbles in her Easter basket that she was anxious to try.

 

 

It was so nice we ended up changing out of the dresses and really enjoying the weather:)

 

We played this fun game where we sent Natty Bug down the sidewalk with her baby stroller, then we sent Sof after her on her bike she can’t control.  Em and I stayed in the driveway and laughed while Aunt Anne went chasing after them to try and prevent Natty from ending up with bike tread on her back.  Hilarious.

 

By the time evening came, Uncle Rick was off work and joined us.  The ham came back out for nighttime sandwiches, and our group had dwindled down to just 3 of the 6 kids.  The 3 middle girls were spending a few days with Grandma Linda and Papa Curt, so they were already gone. 

We really enjoyed every inch of that day.  The freedom of knowing we had the whole spring break ahead of us took all the pressure off.  

     We sucked the life out of that day:)

Spring Break

Last week was spring break, and let me tell you, EVERYONE we knew was someplace warm.  Not only that, but they had the nerve to Instagram and Facebook pictures of themselves on beaches and by palm trees.  Jerks.  We were home and it might as well have been called winter break.  This cold weather is dragging on and on and on.  I’m done with it.  Okay, I’m done being bitter.

We spent the week getting our house ready to put on the market.  We cleaned rooms and closets, had the carpet cleaned, and the bathroom grout cleaned and sealed.  Amazing what a difference that makes!  I actually really like my house now! 

In cleaning out my girls rooms I realized we have enough plastic thinga-ma-jigs to last a lifetime.  I vow never to buy another holiday thinga-ma-jig just for the sake of buying it.

(That’s a garbage bag for the record)

Although those tasks didn’t qualify as “fun”, it felt really good to get them done.

We couldn’t let the whole week go by without some real fun though!  Lexi spent a few days with Grandma Linda and Papa Curt.  When they brought her back we took the opportunity to have a dinner out.  All 11 of us(6 of them kids) at Hibachi!  Dinner was fabulous, and the kids were very good(just don’t ask the people around us). 

Sof spent a day with Aunt Anne and Uncle Rick at the farm and playground.  It was not warm, but Sof doesn’t ever care about that.  Props to Aunt Anne for braving the playground!  She came home with a name plaque for her room and couldn’t wait to do it!

 

We went to lunch and the children’s theater with my partner Amy and her daughter and niece. 

We went to see “The Velveteen Rabbit”.  It was very cute!  We love this little theater.  In fact I’ve seen this play once before there when the big girls were little.

Big girl and I squeezed in a lunch date and hair cut.  She’s super cool.  Like I’m lucky she lets me be seen with her.  Oh yeah, I have the money

We celebrated Grandpa Culley’s Birthday on Sunday afternoon.  Early dinner of kabobs, and some hang out time.

 

After that we headed over to Em’s for a quick celebration of Natty’s Bug’s birthday!  I really mean quick!  Got there at 7, had a brownie, open a present, and out by 8:30!  We just couldn’t pass up her day, and lately it’s hard to find another time to do it. 

Who is this big 2 year old girl and what did you do with my baby Natty?

This girl is obsessed with 2 things…baby dolls and daddy.

What she’s not into is attention.  She did not particularly care for the singing and candle thing.

 

She had no problem eating the brownies though!  Happy Birthday Little Bug!  No matter how old you get, you’ll always be the baby:)

With that came the end of spring break.  We squeaked out some fun right up until the end.  At some point on Sunday Amy texted me to tell me her and her husband both had the stomach flu.  This is bad for 2 reasons.  One, we were out on the town with them the night before(and I shared a coffee mug with her), and two because she is supposed to show up at work to relieve me half way through the day. 

We’ve determined it was food poisoning.  We all ate the same thing, but her and Chris both had Caesar salads, and Mark and I didn’t.  It was painful for both of us.  She was puking for 24 hours, and I had to work ALL day on the first day back from break!  I think she could have sucked it up and come to work, but now she owes me, so that’s nice:)

With that, it’s been back to the grind.  At least I’ve found some time for blogging!  Cold, rainy days are to thank for that…grrrrrrrr.

Celebration Times 2

There’s two big celebrations at the Culley house in March…Sof’s Gotcha Day and Lexi’s Birthday.  They just so happen to be a day apart.  This poses the age old dilemma…how to make each feel special even though they are sharing their day.  I don’t know why I worry about these things.  Cultural mama guilt I suppose.  Once the day gets here I remember it’s special enough in itself to have a sister to share with.  There is nothing lost and everything gained for these two.

Blurry, but too sweet not to include…

We did a simple dinner (actually it was breakfast for dinner per Lexi’s request) with family.  Aunt Anne and Uncle Rick had another commitment that day, but they made sure to stop by.

They brought Sof a bear who has since been dragged many places and ridden around on bikes and jeeps.

   Emmy also had a present hit, dress up clothes!  You can’t go wrong with those these days:)

It’s a shame no one loves this kid.  Hee hee.

If I had written this post on that day, or even close to it, I would have written all sorts of things about the miracle of this child.  But I didn’t, and I’m kinda over it now:)  Anyway, Adrienne pointed out in the last post there’s 32 pictures of Sof and only one of her(and Sof’s in it:).  That’s what happens when you’re a teenager and never home, or constantly say, “ Don’t post that, I look awful”!  So, I will assume our adoration is implied(for both children:).

Lexi turned 11.  Such a different birthday for her!  Her gift list was very different.  She wanted clothes and accessories!

   

Livy was so sweet and wanted to buy her some earrings with her own money.  She wrote a special card and wrapped it up just from her.

Lexi’s gotten so much taller now that new golf clubs were a must!

She’s already been to the range a couple times.  Now if we could just get a temp over 50 we’d be in business!

The biggest thing she wanted was a new look for her hair.  She’s been begging me for “side bangs” for months.  My answer to that is NO!  Unless you can really get up and blow dry/straighten/curl your own hair, you may not have any funky lengths!  She’s getting there, but not quite ready yet.  We agreed on a little face framing and some highlights, which I think turned out beautiful!

 

Of course we had to have lunch after!

Her other request was dinner at her favorite restaurant on her special day.  I love that she eats with chopsticks!

  

If you had asked me in August how I felt about Lexi being in her last year of elementary school, I’d have said she was no where near ready!  At some point this year though, she made the jump.  She’s looking, sounding, and acting like the preteen she is!