Easter: Part I

I hope everyone has enjoyed Easter weekend! We've had a fun time celebrating with family on several sides. On Saturday, my cousin Suzanne came over with her family and it's always fun watching the boys be silly together.

We dyed eggs, decorated and ate sugar cookies and hid eggs over and over for the boys to hunt. Luke had fractured his arm the day before on the monkey bars, but it didn't seem to slow him down. We missed having Holten at the table and are looking forward to seeing him in a couple of months.

It's getting more difficult to get pictures of the boys without at least one of them making a silly face. I have a feeling that's not going to end anytime soon!

Getting ready to dye some eggs

Anyone interested in a cookie with their icing?

Hey dads, try to relax a bit.

The hunt is on! Jack insisted on wearing a batting helmet the entire time he hunted eggs. It was given to Gray by his adult cousin John in Mississippi. What is it about boys loving baseball? 

Awe...a brief moment of sweetness.

Love these silly boys!

It's in the genes

It's safe to say that Gray has been bitten by the mountain biking bug. Michael couldn't be more thrilled about our son's excitement for hitting the trails. They picked out some new "knobby" tires and we tested them out at Sutton Wilderness over the weekend. The trail is relatively flat, so it gave Grayson the perfect opportunity to get used to his new tires and practice kicking up some dirt. They are looking forward to a daddy/son day on the mountain bike trails out at Lake Thunderbird soon.

All the elbow and knee pads were actually Gray's idea, but I wasn't going to argue. 

Thumbs up for safety!

First trip to the circus

The circus came to Oklahoma City last weekend and Grayson and I enjoyed an impromptu mommy/son date. He had never been before and I hadn't been since I was a child, so we were both excited to see the spectacle.

I must admit, the circus is quite different when viewed through adult eyes, but Gray loved every bit of it. We kicked off the fun with a ride on the elephants. I wasn't sure if he would go through with it once it came time to climb onto the large beast, but Gray was brave and seemed to be having fun.

Waiting to ride an elephant!

The brave boy climbing up to get loaded onto the elephant

Hi mama!

Next up, it was time for a snocone! 

We had great seats, right in the middle of the three rings

My cute date!

Let the show begin!

The tigers got Gray's attention 

We happened to run into Luke and Suzanne at intermission. I couldn't believe we saw them in an arena of hundreds of people! 

The boys trying their best to look mean and tough with their light sabers.

Library Fun

Gray and I enjoy frequent visits to our local library and we recently stumbled across a really cool (and free!) class. We just so happened to be in the children's area when one of the librarians came out and called for any kindergartners, first or second graders.

They all ran into one of the meeting rooms and Gray followed them without looking back. It turns out, they have a weekly class where the librarian reads a handful of stories, shows a short video and then leads the kids in an art project.

We didn't really know what we stumbled across, but it was really fun! Here's the art project they did at the end of the class:

This is shaving cream in a tray and then you drop in water with food coloring. 

Once you are happy with the drops, you swirl it around with a toothpick and then lightly press a piece of paper against it.

It looks like this, kinda a mess. Then the librarian came around with a squeegee and wiped the shaving cream off. 

Here's the final print. So cool! Everyone got to make two. Gotta love the library!

Perks of the Job

Michael and I are extremely blessed to have flexible work schedules that allow us to spend a lot of quality time with Grayson and doing fun things as a family.

A few weeks ago, Michael needed to pick up some brochures at a local printer so we took the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes tour with the print rep. He is extremely nice and showed us all the different machinery. It was like a real-life version of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood when they do a factory tour.

Gray loved learning all about the print process and as you can tell, I think the print rep (also named Mike) was having some fun too. 

We are also able to enjoy spontaneous play dates at the park. I know we're not making the most of climbing the corporate ladder, but it's moments like these that reinforce we're doing something right.

Taking the long way home

After our Mississippi trip, we drove home through Fayetteville, Ark. to visit some friends who used to live in Norman. They have a new baby girl (well four months-old anyway) who we were excited to meet and it was nice to catch up with this beautiful family.

It was a quick, one-night stop, but we're looking forward to seeing them again next week in Norman.

Gina, Julianna, Grayson and me on our way to eat dinner.

Gray and Julianna

Matt taking care of diaper business. 

Such cuties!

Sweet little Magdalena

It just doesn't get any cuter than this!

On our drive the next day, we took the back roads and went over the Lake Eufaula dam

It was a pretty cool view and I didn't realize that President Johnson dedicated it back in the 60s. 

Spring Break Continued

So, yeah. I'm really behind on blogging. As usual, I have about five different posts floating around in my head and lots of photos piling up, but a shortage of time.

Here's the second half of our spring break pictures which I am just getting around to sharing. Most of these Michael captured during his adventures tromping around on my grandparent's land and they nicely capture many of the things we love about going to Mississippi.

This is Cedar Lane. It connects the original farmhouse that Aunt Ide lives in to my grandparent's house.  It's picturesque and tranquil. 

This is an old, abandon cabin where a ranch hand lived long ago. There are all kinds of postcards from the past on this land and I love hearing all of the stories. 

Here's Gray sleeping while sitting up. We found him this way one night as we were going to bed. He's sitting right next to the sleeping pallet we made for him. 

We lovingly call this guy crazy horns. It looks like he's had a rough day.

When we're not in Mississippi, Michael has dreams about fishing in the lakes around the land. His dreams turned into a reality this trip when he scored some of the best fish ever. Here's one of the 13 large mouth bass he caught. 

Here's another one...not even the biggest one!

Michael trying to capture his biggest catch, but can't quite get it in the frame.

Sorry for the blood...probably should have warned you about that. This was the largest fish he caught during the week. It was 22 inches long! And for all you wildlife lovers, he threw them all back and they lived on, even this guy. 

We also stumbled upon some cool eggs near Aunt Mimi and Uncle Mike's house. So much nature!

Meanwhile, Gray enjoyed Pappa supplying some quarters for his new obsession, race car video games!

Here's one of the cabins that Susu's grandfather built. It overlooks the lake behind my grandparent's house and my parents are fixing up the inside to have as a fun place to hangout. Don't mind the shower stall sitting on the side...that had just been delivered while we were there. 

Mama Lou and Grayson...partners in crime!