An Easter Egg Hunt

Last night, we stayed up late hiding eggs all over the first floor of the house for the kids to find this morning. It's been rainy/snowy all weekend, so an outdoor egg hunt wasn't an option. Once everyone was awake, we had breakfast, then gave a basket to each of the kids, and they found all 50 eggs in less than 10 minutes. This was Connor's first official Easter egg hunt, and at first, he wasn't sure what to do. With a little bit of coaching from me and Dave, though, it didn't take him long to catch on. Soon, he was scurrying around the house as fast as he could trying to find more eggs. He got so excited every time he spotted one and was very proud of the contents of his basket by the time the hunt was over. :)

Connor, Brenna, Tyler, and Taylor--ready to hunt for eggs!

And we're off.....

The kiddos showing off the fruits of their labor.

Portraits and the Easter Bunny

We took the four kids to Sears this morning for a Spring portrait together. We usually have their photos taken every year around Christmastime, but decided to do something a little different this time. They did great--for about the first 5 minutes. The photographer was able to get all of them to pose (standing) long enough to take 2 or 3 shots, and luckily one of them turned out okay, because getting the kids to cooperate for the next 20 minutes was futile. The photographer placed them in some really cute poses, but once a few seconds passed, they were off and running again. That's the frustrating part about photo shoots--once the kids decide that they're done, they're done. And no amount of bribery or begging is going to change that (at least, not with MY kids!). So, we settled for the one decent photo that we had--and when I say "decent," I mean that all four kids were looking at the camera, but not necessarily smiling.

Next, it was off to visit the Easter Bunny, which neither of the two younger ones wanted any part of. Tyler and Taylor both hopped onto the bunny's lap, but Connor and Brenna weren't interested in getting any closer than about five feet away. Maybe next year. :)

My handsome boys and sweet nieces

Happy Easter from the English/Lunning kiddos!

The kids loved riding the carousel at the mall, although Connor screamed and squirmed until it started (??). I think maybe he was scared of the animal that he was sitting on.

Tyler and Taylor catching some March Madness hoops together.

Early Easter in Chicago

We arrived at Debbie and Dave's house late this afternoon (about a 4 1/2 hour drive). The boys did TERRIFIC in the car, as they always do. Tyler watched DVD's most of the way and Connor passed the time by either looking out the window or sleeping. They've always been the best travelers, which I'm sure is mostly due to our LONG commute to/from work everyday. Rarely do we hear the words, "Are we there yet?"--at least not until we're in the last half hour of our drive. That's usually when Tyler gets excited because he knows that we're close to Taylor's house; from this point on, he asks, "How much longer?" about every 4-5 minutes.

We had grilled hamburgers for dinner and the kids played until it was time for bed. One of the highlights for Tyler is getting to sleep next to Taylor's bed. :)

Party Time!

Today, we invited everyone over to our house for Connor's 2nd birthday party. He really likes Elmo right now, so I decided to go with that as our "theme." I actually used it for Tyler's 2nd b-day party as well, so it worked out great. I was able to re-use decorations, favors, etc., so I saved some money in the process, which is definitely a good thing. :)

Dave's parents have made all of the boys' birthday cakes so far, with the exception of Tyler's 4th birthday (Mickey Mouse was our theme that year and I had absolutely no luck finding a Mickey-shaped cake pan). Don't the two of them do a great job?

Dave's sister, Debbie, her husband (another Dave!), and their cuties, Brenna (2) and Taylor (5).

Brenna, Connor, Tyler, Taylor, and Ava

Tyler and Taylor hanging out; a very smiley Ava; Connor and Brenna reading a bedtime story together.

The kids loved the pinata!

This is what happens these days when I ask the kids in our family to pose for a picture. Are they trying to send me some kind of message?? What a bunch of comedians. ;)

Papa Dave and Mama Carol with four very lucky grandkids!

Happy Birthday, Connor!

Dave and I met at the daycare just before lunch today to celebrate Connor's birthday with him. We stopped by Tyler's room and nabbed him for a few minutes so that he could be a part of the fun. Connor was SO happy to see all of us and was actually already sitting in a chair at the table waiting for us to arrive. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him, along with his classmates and teachers, then watched 20+ toddlers wolf down cupcakes. What a mess that created! Connor wasn't too sure about blowing out his #2 candle, so big brother Tyler helped him out--and got to enjoy a cupcake of his own right next to his little bro. After the brief festivities, Connor went down for a nap (though he initially wasn't at all happy about us leaving him), while I returned to work to finish up a few things. Dave and Tyler headed home for a Tournament Day. They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the sofa and snacking while catching some basketball action.




We also had a small celebration for Connor's birthday when we got home from work. One of my little traditions is that when the boys' birthdays fall on a weekday, we invite our parents over for dinner (usually pizza), then sing "Happy Birthday" and eat cake. I always pick up one of those little "personal" cakes from Schnuck's and add a few little decorations to it. Nothing fancy or expensive--but very yummy! Then the boys get to open one small present from their grandparents. It's very low-key, but I'm glad that we do it; I couldn't let their special day pass without a little bit of fun! :)

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Opening up gifts from Mama Neanie/Papa Scott and Mama Carol/Papa Dave.

The birthday boy got lots of lovins from g'mas, g'pas, aunts, and uncles!

Happy St. Pat's from The Lunning's!

Uh-oh. Someone just got in trouble.

Connor's 2-year photos

New Wheels

Dave's parents recently purchased a Dodge Grand Caravan--now it's easier for all of us to go somewhere together. We enjoyed our first ride in it tonight when we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. And Tyler LOVES it--he now thinks that we really need a minivan! :)

Tyler is enjoying his ride in the "way back," as he calls it.

Stroller Ride

Today was a "lazy day" for us. We spent the whole day in our PJ's and just hung out at home. Don't get the chance to do it very often, so it was kind of nice. Dave and Tyler spent a lot of the day watching basketball together and Connor had fun playing cars and pushing his umbrella stroller around the house. Occasionally, he would climb into it and just sit and wait for one of us to notice him; then, he'd say, "Go, go? Walk?" It was too cute to resist, so we all took turns pushing him through the house. Oh, and notice that he's wearing his shoes in this picture. On the weekends, sometimes the first thing he says in the morning is, "Shoes, shoes!" Guess he wants to make sure he's ready to go if we decide to head out somewhere. He'll even wear them with no socks; he's not picky! :)

Home Depot/Last SLU Game

We started our day off by heading to The Home Depot for the monthly Kids Workshop. This month's project--The Home Depot Motor Speedway. Below are pics of Dave and Tyler working hard while Connor and I supervised. :)



After doing some grocery shopping, we headed back home, had lunch, took naps, then took Tyler to the last SLU b-ball game of the year. This one was extra fun for him because the annual Billiken Kids Club Bash was also scheduled for today prior to the game. He was also super excited because we invited Lucas (one of Tyler's friends from school) and his parents to join us. We all had a great time! We enjoyed pizza, soda, and a variety of other snacks; the boys also played basketball on an inflatable goal and enjoyed a visit with the Billiken. They had a great time in the stands watching the game, too, even though the Bills lost to LaSalle. :(