Just us.

The past few years, our Outer Banks trips have been shared with family.  And what a joy it has been to enjoy such a beautiful place with all of the people that we love.  This year, for a whole host of reasons, it ended up that we would be spending the majority of our week in Corolla without anyone else with us.  As it turns out, we were all a little uncertain about how that would work out, and whether or not we could all entertain each other for that period of time while still keeping the "beach pace" that we have come to enjoy over the past few years.  Well, I'll cut to the chase and just share here now that we absolutely did just fine as a five-some!

For us, the pace of our vacation week at the Outer Banks is such a departure from the norm for us.  We aren't up super early (sadly, 6:30 am is sleeping in for this crew), but our 6-7 am wakeups were certainly a far cry from the 4-5 am ones that have come to be normal at home.  We usually enjoy a leisurely breakfast and I savor a cup of coffee while listening to the waves crashing from the deck.  We try to have something hot and cooked, like muffins or pancakes or baked oatmeal or eggs or something I don't normally have time for in the mornings before the school/work rush.  And then it is straight into bathing suits so that we can hit the pool or beach before mid morning.  Lunch is usually around the pool.  We swim or play at the beach until someone has had enough and then head back to the house to clean up.  And then we figure out about supper-- are we cooking in or going out. At home,  I typically operate off of a meal plan that is spelled out a week in advance.  There are few places and times that I "wing it" in terms of suppers, but our Outer Banks week is certainly one of them.  We have found some safe places that we feel comfortable with down there in terms of their handling of Josh's allergy needs, and so we enjoy eating out a few times while we're there.  It's a pretty rare thing for our crew, so just going to a restaurant is a treat for them. 

During this trip, we explored a few new areas with a little ride through parts of the Outer Banks that are south of where we stay.  We didn't see much down there that we liked better than our own little community, so we didn't stay long.  We also walked around the cute little town of Duck and enjoyed a beautiful sunset along their soundside boardwalk.  (I'll have to share those photos from my iPhone pictures in another post.)  We climbed to the top of the lighthouse in Corolla (15 flights of stairs on my Fitbit thankyouverymuch) and enjoyed that.  Well, most of us did. That is one of those activities that Daddy participates in that he would prefer not to do.  He doesn't love heights, and heights + the kids = torture for him.  We did a small amount of shopping where I managed to buy exactly nothing for me.  We got the kids a few tshirts and a few trinkets that they were going to die if they didn't get (insert sarcastic tone as you see fit).  I just enjoyed walking around and seeing what all was there.

I managed to read an entire book on this trip, and honestly, I think it is deserving of a separate post because I have a whole page full of notes about things that came to my mind when I was reading it.  For anyone who loves to laugh, loves Jesus and wants to serve Him right where you are in your life, I cannot recommend Sophie Hudson's new book, "Giddy Up, Eunice" enough.  I am fully planning on re-reading it very soon.  The premise of the book is how women need each other, apart from their ages or stages of life, and how much blessing and encouragement we can offer to others if we just keep our eyes open and share our hearts.  It was wonderful...seriously, a whole page of notes and that barely scratches the surface.

We took a lot of walks, played a lot of games of "Eye Found It" (like Eye Spy, but with Disney pictures), colored a lot, giggled and told stories, made ice cream sundaes, snuggled and danced a whole lot.  The ocean was our nearest neighbor, and I think she understood that dance parties were just a part of the deal.  I'm certain we weren't the first, nor will we be the last to enjoy an impromptu dance in the living room.  This was a trip that filled my heart right back up-- when I was feeling more than a little run down by sickness and circumstances and just too much of all the wrong things in my world.  The end of the school year, it seems, has a way of doing that to me.  Maybe you too.  Somehow, this week seemed to reset the priorities and shine the light on exactly where our focus needs to be right now.  And if that isn't a successful week away, I wouldn't know what would be.

The advanced reservation is in for our same week next year.  I am already looking forward to it. 

Corolla-- We're battered and bruised. But we made it!

If I could say it plainly, the past two weeks have kicked.my.tail.  We had a blast on our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend, but it has started a whirlwind of sickness in our family that we can't seem to shake.  Add to that the fact that we had less than a week to turn this crew around from a camping family to a beach-ready crew of 5, and I was certainly overwhelmed.  Jason had come down with some sort of stomach virus while we were camping that rendered him bed-ridden for 4 days, and the kids and I weren't feeling the best either.  I figured it was the same virus and was playing the waiting and praying game, hoping that things would turn around in time for us to make the 9+ hour drive to the Outer Banks this weekend.  Friday morning, I had prayed that God would give me a clear answer to whether or not we were well enough to travel.  Within an hour, I had a text while at Kiwanis that Lauren was way worse than she had been.  That afternoon, we had a confirmed strep throat test as well as four prescriptions for antibiotics.  Mara, Lauren and I began medication and I held on to Josh's because he wasn't really feeling sick at all.  But, as all things go, we were blessed by the doctor who was kind enough to prescribe something for us to bring along with us in case he took a turn into the club with the rest of us.

By some miracle, between Friday afternoon and Saturday at noon, I managed to pack and prepare this crew for a week in the Outer Banks.  Impressively, we have yet to find anything REALLY important that I left without.  That, my friends, is a miracle.  I joked before we left that we were testing the theory that the only thing you really need at the beach is a bathing suit.

Our travel was broken into two parts, and that turned out to be a blessing as well.  Lauren's stomach was still very upset, and we made more stops than either Jason or I care to count between Turbotville and Richmond where we stayed the night.  Sunday morning we got up to make the last 4 hours of the trip, and had a few situations where she was sick at our stops.  We were all very relieved to arrive in Corolla at our beach house around 2:00 on Sunday afternoon.

It didn't take the kids long to get into the pool!  The house we are staying at has a private pool and sits right on the ocean, so it's possible to sit at your pool (without any sand!) and listen to the waves.  I call this perfection!  We do love spending some time at the beach, so we usually go back and forth a few times during the day.

We were blessed on this trip to get to spend a few days with one of Jason's friends from college.  Evan was one of the groomsmen in our wedding, a fraternity brother of Jason's, and we really had a great time with them.  They have a sweet 1 year old named Jackson, and the girls were especially smitten with him.  They were here with us from Sunday until last evening when they had to return home to Durham.

The only strike of bad luck has been that Joshua has gotten sick in the past 24 hours, so I've started his medication that came along with us in the hopes that we can kick it and get him back to feeling better and enjoying the trip as soon as possible.  It's no fun being sick, but certainly no fun to be sick while on vacation!  This family has HAD IT with illness in the past few weeks--- so we're hoping this is the end of the line for us.  All we want in the next few days is fun, and sun, and some beach time.  I'm dreaming of a few hours alone on the beach with my Kindle and Sophie Hudson's new book.  We'll see if we can manage that in the next 4 days of beach/pool time.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures.  More of those to come, I am sure!

Mother's Day

It was quite a weekend.  As has been our tradition over the past few years, I had planned to travel to Lewistown to attend the Mother Daughter banquet at my parents' church.  But suddenly things got complicated when we received an invitation to attend a surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary party for Jason's aunt and uncle in Lebanon.  I was really torn, but ultimately decided that given the fact that we haven't had too many opportunities to get together with Jason's side of the family, and that there would be a buffet that Joshua would need to navigate, and that it is pretty rare to hear of a 50th wedding anniversary anymore.  I hated having to back out of attending the dinner with my Mom and sister and Freda, but I think it was the best choice we could have made under the circumstances.

The kids had a blast meeting all of their cousins on their Daddy's side of the family.  There was a lot of giggling and playing from all of them.  The oldest boy pictured below was the same 3 year old who served as the ring bearer in our wedding, and the baby (Julian) is the son of our flower girl.  That was a little surreal since we haven't seen any of them since our wedding.  The surprise party was a huge success and I think Jason's Aunt Kathy was very happy that the whole family was together to celebrate them. 

Sunday was Mother's Day and the kids and I went to church in the morning.  The kids all sang with the kids choir and had me in tears.  There's something so sweet about them singing up there together.  And I'm telling you-- Mara and Kinley standing there together being sweeter than two little girls ought to be together just about did me in.

We had to snap a picture of our own version of the Gymboree catalog (if there was such a thing).  This is apparently a sign that Emily and I shop at the same store, have the same taste, but miraculously avoided buying the exact same dress--- just three from the same grouping.

Sunday afternoon, the wheels fell off the train for sure.  The kids apparently cannot handle the pressure of a holiday meant to honor their mother.  There was a whole lot of disobedience.  A bunch of fighting and zero patience with each other.  More than a few episodes of crying over absolutely nothing.  We ended up spending the afternoon outside playing because it seemed the only chance we had of merely surviving the afternoon.  At one point I mentioned in a text message to my Mom that I would definitely be calling her to talk to her on Mother's Day, but that it might be until after supper time when I ran away from home that I would have any kind of peace and quiet during which to talk to her.  We ended up having takeout from Ciro's for dinner at 7:30 pm because we hadn't made up our minds about what to do for dinner until then.  Although I had been given some sweet cards for Mother's Day, I found it ironic that the non-glamourous work of a mother was certainly not done just because of it being a holiday.

 

My one wish for Mother's Day, as it has been every year I have been a privileged member of the Mother's Club, was to have a nice picture of me and the kids together.  This is what we got.  With half of my face missing.  After all of the rest of the madness, when this was literally all that was important to me, I am embarrassed to admit that I may have had a moment with tears in the kitchen when I looked at the picture that was quickly snapped and non chalantly crossed off of the list of the things that were done for me in celebration of Mother's Day.  I know, to some, it might not be a big deal.  But to me, it was just the icing on the cake.

We tried again...no longer in our nice church clothes...after tubs and dinner and when we were all snuggled on the couch together in the evening in our pajamas.  I'll count it a win because no one was having a fit, all of our faces are visible, and it even looks like we all love each other.  I guess, at the end of a looooong day, that's all that matters.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there who worked their fingers to the bone on Mother's Day just like every other day.  But who feel blessed to have little mouths and hands that need them so much.  Who press on despite their weary bodies just wanting to take a nap because their work is a labor of love for their families.  Who referee fights and love toddlers through meltdowns and unpack the church bags and put away the laundry and on and on and on. 

This Mother's Day was a day to learn that despite the expectations we may have for the day, the reality of motherhood is quite enough.  To have been blessed with the gift of hearing a child call you Mommy is more than any of us deserve.  And with each passing year, I feel like I grasp the magnitude of the gift a little more.  Of all the things I have ever been called, there is no title that I cherish more than being a Mom to these three precious children.

National Conference Widow

This week, over the past 8 or so years, has become a tradition of sorts for me and the kids. Jason is away at his National Conference, which this year is located in Nashville. While he is away from last Sunday to this Friday night, the kids and I are on our own. So far, we are managing things OK.  

The toughest part of the deal is the morning routine. Jason usually drops Josh and Lauren off at school before he leaves for the office. Mara and I are up and dressed, but aren't always ready for public consumption (aka face not done yet or still working on chores around the house before I leave). But this week, it has pushed the schedule into the "uncomfortable" level.  A reasonable person would forego a morning workout so as not to have to get up with the roosters. But I am just stubborn enough...and just close enough to a major weight loss milestone...that I am not about to let a 4:00 am wakeup call stand between me and a goal. So I have been on the treadmill around 4:15 each morning so far and have gotten my 50 minutes and 6500 steps and my plank time in before 5:30 am. That sounds like utter insanity as I type it. If it makes it any less insane, I should note that I have been sleeping in my workout gear to eliminate that hurdle at such an hour where even the smallest excuse to get up and get moving can turn into a good reason to just take a day off. 

The only time the wheels fall off of the Dugan family train is around 5:30 pm when I walk in from the office to a chorus of "Mommy can you...?" and "Mommy, I need..." and "What's for supper?" followed by "What's for supper?".  I then question my own sanity because, didn't I just answer that question?  But low blood sugar for the kids evidently affects their  hearing and also their ability to wait 5 cotton-picking seconds while I get to the business of making their supper. At least one more time I am interrogated about what we are having for supper. Usually by the same person who has already asked twice no more than three minutes earlier. 

This (sideways...seriously, Blogger) picture is about the extent of communication with Jason for the entire week. I give him credit because he always manages to find time to Face Time with the kids for a few minutes.  I say hello but it isn't the same as a real conversation. And we have already covered how the children don't exactly fill that gap.  I actually keep a list of things to tell Jason about when he returns.  Right now it includes things like weekend plans that I have finalized for a few weeks from now, the fact that I was #89 to vote in Turbotville this afternoon (I'm usually in the single digits...although by the looks of the news reports tonight it appears that my efforts made no difference whatsoever) and the fact that Mara can now read the names of all of her classmates in the hallway at school by sight.  Fascinating list, huh?  The fact that my list only has those three things on it doesn't say much about the conversational skills shared between me and my husband.

The kids and I try to do things that are fun while Daddy is away-- things that don't really require too much extra effort because...well, go back and revisit that part about 4:15 am and the roosters if you need a memory jogger.  We played outside literally all afternoon on Sunday even though I had 8 million things that needed my attention inside the house.  The kids seemed to enjoy that, and frankly, so did I.  We also took an opportunity to go out to eat at Ciro's.  The big deal there was that we stayed there to eat in the restaurant.  Normally, we grab takeout and bring it home where behavior can be addressed without making a scene.  But they did wonderfully, and we actually had the entire restaurant to ourselves.  Monday night we had a very fancy dinner, at the kids' request, of pancakes and bacon.  They all gobbled it up, which made for a happy Mommy and happy kids.  And let's face it-- that is the name of the game during weeks like this.  I expended some extra effort tonight and made us some meatloaf and macaroni & cheese (which I did not partake of because did you know there are 10 Weight Watcher points in one serving of low fat Velveeta Shells & Cheese...good grief).  But I've already resigned myself to the fact that tomorrow will be a Subway night so that we can make it to ballet on time without a huge kitchen mess to deal with when we get home. 

I am always hopeful that weeks like this are useful and productive for Jason, and help to fill his tanks with ideas and connections to move the business forward here at home.  In any event, we are almost to the half way point until Daddy's return on Friday night.  The house is locked down like Alcatraz (don't think I'm kidding) and this tired Mama is headed to bed.  4:15 will be here before we know it.

Things I've been loving lately...

I think it is only appropriate to begin this post with a little cheer for the fact that I have now posted something three days in a row.  And in case the six people who normally read this little blog haven't completely given up hope on me, I'm hoping you've all enjoyed some new material.  I am still in the "random iPhone photo" post mode at the moment, which means that nothing of real consequence has taken place over the past few days, but there are still some good things here.

So I thought I'd list a few things I've been having fun with lately, and that have brought some pleasure and happiness to our family over the last couple of weeks.



PIE FACE!

I'm pretty sure that, like the Fit Bit and skinny jeans and everything else that is cool, we are late to the party on this one.  But Jason came home a hero last Friday by buying this silly, silly game for us to play over the weekend.  We had such fun.  And the giggles were too numerous to count.  Essentially the point of the game is to earn points by NOT getting pied in the face with whipped cream.  But I think we all had more fun watching everyone get hit in the face with the mess than we cared about who was winning.  This will be a super fun game for a long time.  Grandma even got in on the action with us one night that she was there for supper.

COOKING THINGS THAT I WOULD NORMALLY CLASSIFY AS "TOO HARD FOR ME"

There has been a long running joke between my Mom and me that every time she makes pot pie for dinner, she doesn't tell me because she knows I would show up and plop myself right down to enjoy the one meal that makes me feel like my Grandma Mary is at the table with us.  There were a lot of special meals and memories of special meals that I cherish, but there was nothing that said love like her homemade pot pie.  So, on Jason and my anniversary, when we weren't able to find a babysitter so that we could go out to dinner together, I decided that I was going to make Gram's pot pie.  Which included the use of a rolling pin, which I have always said is against my religion.  (Until I started working on sugar cookies, which has made me rethink my opinion of the rolling pin.)  Anyway, I got to work on this little project in the morning and really had fun with it.  By supper time we had some delicious pot pie on the table and everyone gobbled it up.  I know Gram would have been pleased.  I'm not sure it was as good as hers always was, or Mom's is now, but it was a start.  And I will definitely try again.

THIS GIRL

I've been in utter amazement at the way Lauren has been growing and changing lately.  Physically she has grown inches.  In responsibility and independence, she has grown leaps and bounds.  I'm just so proud of her that I almost don't even know what to do.  Well, this past week she took another step into the land of being a big girl when she lost her very first tooth.  I had to laugh at the contrast between her and her older brother.  When Josh lost his first tooth, you'd have thought he was going to die--- from the screaming and the terror and the utter earth-ending way that he acted about it.  He was petrified of losing the tooth.  Lauren, on the other hand, was determined.  She wiggled and wiggled until she fell asleep one night.  And when she woke up the next morning and the tooth was still wiggly, she gave it a few more twists and soon was holding it in her hand.  She was so proud of herself and not one tear was shed.  

PAINTING

Jason's office hosted a client event at the Barn Owl studio last week (the same place we had Lauren's birthday party a few years ago) and I was lucky enough to get to attend-- it was a Ladies Night Out with wine and a catered supper from a local food truck caterer.  What a treat to get to go and do something like this while he had charge of the kids for the night.  We were working on a slate painting project and were told to pick anything we wanted to paint.  So I went to Pinterest and looked at all of the things I had pinned and ultimately picked this to paint.  It certainly isn't perfect, but I was awfully proud of how it had turned out (after I had a glass of wine even).  

CAMPING COUNTDOWN

We are all looking forward to the first camping trip of the season which will be here before we know it.  We have had such a great time camping, and are looking forward to about 5 trips this summer that will be great chances for us to get away and spend time together without the responsibilities that go along with being home.  I find that when I'm home, I have a really hard time disconnecting from the things that need to be done there-- the cleaning, the laundry, the projects that I never seem to get around to or have enough time for.  But when we're camping, we're just away together, with nothing to do except maybe a little bit of straightening or prep work for whatever we're having for dinner.  The work leading up to and following our trips is staggering, but I'm trying not to focus on that, and instead to be grateful for the time we'll get to have doing things together as a family. 

So...those are a few of the goodies I found on my phone to share today.  Lots of baking coming up in the next few days to get ready for some birthday treats Josh has next week, Teacher Appreciation Day luncheon that I'm helping to chair at the school that is going to require a whole lot of carrot cake cupcakes, and another birthday party where Josh will need some cupcakes to bring along.  How I'll manage to stay on track with my diet is going to be tricky, but I'll do my best.  Or just walk on the treadmill more.  I'd put my bets on the latter.

Proud Aunt Meg

Last weekend, the kids and I had an opportunity to make a flying trip to Lewistown to watch this sweet girl play in her very first piano recital.  We left church in a hurry, grabbed some Subway to gobble up in the car on the way, and even managed to squeeze in a little play time at Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig's house before it was time to head off to the church for the recital.  The kids all enjoyed the time with their cousins.

Brooke did a fabulous job with her song.  She has just started taking lessons not more than a few months ago, and marched up to the front and played her song like she was fearless.  I was so proud of her and I know her Mommy and Daddy, and Nana and Pap and Freda were as well.

I have to say that I felt like I was a little overwhelmed while sitting in the church as I was quite literally surrounded by all of these people who I knew from high school.  As I thought about it, I thought it only makes sense given the fact that we're all about the same age, which means our kids are all roughly around the same age, and doing all of these things together.  For anyone who has always lived in their own hometowns, I guess this sounds silly.  But I was literally excited/confused/flabbergasted to have a friend from high school sitting directly behind us, one sitting directly in front of us, the parents of another beside us and the shoe store clerk that I recognized as having fit me for one or thirty pairs of Stride Rites, Keds and all the way up to my beloved K-Swiss at Tom Johnson's Shoe Store with the little animal shaped seats that I used to love.  (I have a lot of memories of TJ's apparently-- we must have bought a lot of shoes.)  There were others that I knew I recognized but couldn't for the life of me put a name to their faces.  So I smiled and tried not to stare as I tried to figure out how to approach a conversation if one happened to come up.  You know the kind-- where you talk about general things enough to get through and just hope like heck you get a clue and can finally put all the pieces together.  Libby was kind enough to help me connect the dots after the recital.  There were a lot of "OH YEAH!" and "NOW I remembers" in that conversation.  And then I told her that living in Lewistown and running into all of those people all the time would take some getting used to.  I guess I'm used to some level on anonymity where we live-- where people may know me from what I do professionally, but who don't know anything about the kind of nerd I was in high school (who am I kidding-- I'm still one) or have any connection to those years of my life that I'd probably not be inclined to want to go back and do again. 

We ended our day with a little Gus's Pizza party at the Wray's house...always a treat to be able to enjoy that when we're home.  (It goes on the list with Southside Hoagies, OIP Taco Salads, Angelo's Salads and Bel-Vue Fish and Chips.)  Before we knew it, we were packing up and pointing the Suburban in the direction of home.  These days always seem like such a whirlwind, but I wouldn't miss it.   I want Brooke and Hayden to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'll always be there for them, no matter what.  Super proud Aunt Meg day, for sure!



Spring!

This weekend was the kind of weekend we have been looking forward to-- beautiful weather and nothing critical that we needed to do. It was perfect!  We spent most of our time outside, went to two playgrounds and got Toby out for a nice walk twice. Tired kids and a tired pup equals a lot less struggles in the evenings!

We got to go to a birthday party for a while on Saturday afternoon, and the kids were thrilled to find a bounce house there for what little energy was left over after the playground and a walk and the first part of the afternoon having been spent outside. We got into the hot tub in the evening-- that's always a treat for them because we allow it so rarely. 

After church on Sunday after a harrowing experience in Wee Worship (with 17 2-5 year olds) in which I vowed to drink wine to drown my sorrows, we opted for a nice long walk to the kids' beloved "orange playground" (so named because the equipment there is...you guessed it...orange).  Then we cooked some yummy steaks and potatoes and also a concoction that my waistline never knew existed-- the glory that is called a chocolate chip pie. I was nervous up until the moment I cut into it that this was going to go on my board of Pinterest fails...but seriously, this was to die for. Which is precisely what I will need to do on the treadmill to burn that little sliver of pie off before Friday's weigh in. 

Easter 2016

When I looked back and realized that last Easter, we were battling some terrible kind of stomach bug, it is safe to say that THIS Easter was MUCH happier and healthier.  What a beautiful weekend we were blessed with-- and I feel like we did everything in our power to take advantage of it.

I started Friday with some fantastic news on the scale.  I was shocked to see the number that I did when I weighed in post workout on Friday morning.  It hadn't been a great week of working out (they'd been shorter and less intense than usual) and I felt like I had been sloppy with my eating.  But nonetheless I was very happy to see what I did.  When I looked back in my weight tracker through my Weight Watchers app, it was the lowest recorded weight since I started tracking there in Feburary 2011.  I still have a long way to go to reach my own personal goal, but I can say that the early mornings on the treadmill and the choices I have been making with my food intake seem to be working.  And for that I am very grateful.

Neither Jason or I had to work on Friday, but we were waiting at home for a delivery of wine and olive oil from one of the wineries we had visited in Sonoma.  It may seem as if we have now started taking our wine VERY seriously...but we haven't.  We just had horrible timing on the ordering of the wine, and didn't realize it would require a signature when it arrived on our doorstep via the UPS man.  I swear the UPS guy must have thought he was holding a box of money for us by the way the kids ran up to the truck when it came down the street.  Really, they just knew he was the last thing we needed before we could hit the road for Nana and Pap's house.

When we arrived Friday afternoon, the kids made very quick work of destroying all semblance of order that Nana had to her toy stash.  The play kitchen became a restaurant, and there was an intense game of "the Easter Bunny is coming" that was going on upstairs.  I absolutely love that the kids jump right into playing together as if no time has passed since they last saw each other.  We had a super dinner from the Downtown OIP (can you say Taco Salad....oh my word...and their Party Packs are a huge hit with all of our crew).  This supper was the beginning of a slippery downhill slope with my healthy eating...but I will hit the treadmill as hard as I must this week to undo it.  I don't know why food always tastes better when it comes from your Mom's kitchen, but it certainly does.

Saturday morning we decided to take the kids to blow off some steam at the playground.  Dad wasn't feeling so hot, and so we thought it best to limit the amount of thumping and giggling that he needed to endure.  The name of the game....pace ourselves.  So while the kids played on the playground, Libby and I did a few thousand steps around the track that she walks on during her kids' recess during the day.  I now have a full appreciation for why she kicked my behind every time we were in a step competition with our Fit Bits.  I call that an unfair advantage.  HA!  Really...I call it awesome that she can work some workout time into her work day.  We came back and had some lunch, and then got ready for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Nana and Pap's. 

I've got photo evidence of the fact that we had super happy kids.  And probably a few cavities.  But what's Easter without some sugar?  I will say, I did not count any of the points for the things I swiped out of their candy stashes.  Or the peanut butter egg I swiped out of Mom's fridge.  I swear I was like a drug addict in withdrawal when I got to eat that peanut butter egg after the kids went to bed.  I then had to undergo an entire hazmat cleanup before we went to bed to make sure no peanut butter ended up on anything that could impact Josh.  So worth it!

We ended up spending some play time at Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig's so Hayden could have a quiet nap time.  Jason and I actually walked down to their house from Mom and Dad's.  I figured keeping up on my walking would help to undo the damage from the less than stellar eating.  The kids had a blast playing down there, and we had much conversation about their impending new arrival who will be joining their family on Wednesday--- a little chocolate lab puppy named Buck.  We all can't wait to meet him.

Mom cooked a fantastic Easter meal for all of us on Saturday evening.  There was laughing (as always) and lots of yumminess, and my favorite....pickled eggs.  We all worked at cleaning up the kitchen and getting the mess put away, and then enjoyed the rest of the evening there together as a family.  The kids were all playing so nicely together.  Age has definitely been our friend in that department as none of us are chasing children or keeping constant vigil over them.  We have resident tattle tales (Lauren and Mara) to make sure no one is trying to get away with anything.

Sunday morning, the kids were all thrilled to find out that the Easter Bunny had arrived.  We got all decked out in our Easter gear and headed to Sunday School at Nana and Pap's church and then enjoyed the worship service there together.  There is something about being home for church on Easter that I always love.  I missed our FBC family this weekend, although I was blessed to have been there for the Maundy Thursday service (with the kids) on Thursday night.

We were so blessed to have a wonderful weekend with our family in Lewistown.  The kids were all sad to leave-- Mara was even in tears over the idea.  The only thing that helped to slow down a total meltdown was the promise that perhaps we could make a flying trip this coming weekend to meet Buck.  So we'll see how that pans out and whether we're up for it after the week.  Hoping everyone had a wonderful weekend surrounded by family and friends.