Happy Easter

Yesterday we celebrated Easter with Nana, Papa, and Grandaddy over some shrimp and grits (yum!).  Nana brought the boys some awesome Easter goodies and we've all been on a sugar high ever since. This mama is notorious for stealing jelly beans.  And M&Ms.  And Reese's Pieces.  We got to enjoy some beautiful (and finally spring-like) weather and some good family time, and after everyone went home we spent most of the afternoon out back digging in the dirt.

My back is now turned to my sweet boys (literally, not figuratively), who are laughing hysterically as they blow bubbles and Sadie jumps in the air to eat them.  Reece's belly laugh is contagious, and the rest of us fall victim to it every time.

We just got back from G-Ma's house a little while ago, and there we dyed and hunted for Easter eggs (Davis hid them, and then promptly found them--his choice, of course), ate a delicious meal outside, and got to hang out with G-Ma, Aunt CC, and Uncle MooMoo.  A good time was had by all, except for when Davis had a little accident and broke off half of his toenail...ouch!  As usual, the four of us enjoyed breathing the country air and exploring the farm.

On the hunt...shouldn't be too hard, since he just hid the eggs.

Examining his booty

Grass!

Davis is riding Pluto, which Mommy and MooMoo used to ride at his age.  Reece is after his tail.

Doing a few one-armed push-ups to stay in shape

The Easter Bunny brought D a scooter "like Cooper's"...lucky dog!

Deep in thought

Daddy must've said something funny.

I think blue is G-Ma's color.  And coffee is definitely her drink.

I. Love. This. Picture.

Spring Festivities

On Saturday we got a chance to participate in two fun spring activities:  the annual "Spring Eggstravaganza" at Lake Benson Park and Papa's birthday gathering!  Here are a few pictures to document our wonderful day...

Handsome boys

More handsome boys

The Reece Look

Davis loved "driving" the tractor and the cement truck

D trying to decide if he liked the musician or not...

Lollipop lover

On his play set at Nana and Papa's

The best toy of all time--a stick

Climbing on Papa's fort

King (and Queen) of the castle

Sweet John Reece

The very first pair of shoes Davis picked out and actually cares about...he loves his Chucks

High on life

My happy baby boy

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Perspective

Davis and I were sitting at the dining room table, and Reece was looking out the front door.  We went and joined him and for a few moments we all sat by the door looking out at the cold, gray, drizzly evening--an appropriate ending to a cold, gray, drizzly day.  As Davis gazed pensively at the front yard he muttered, "Hmmm...It's a nice rainy day."

So proud of my boy's first independent "people" drawings.  This one is Papa.

And this one is Nana...I think...or maybe it's the other way around.  We asked him to write or draw something on Papa's birthday card, and this is what he came up with.

Broccoli

KidWatching

In graduate school I read about a method of child observation called "KidWatching".  It's pretty self-explanatory in that it involves observing children's behavior in a natural setting and recording those observations using various coding techniques.  I absolutely love KidWatching in my own home.  Watching my children play is one of my very favorite things to do, and I learn so much about them when I drop everything and just focus on being in the moment as an observer.

Today I watched as Davis played on a pile of plywood that was stacked in the backyard.  Derek had put a tarp over the pile, and there were lots of puddles on it from the rain we got last night.  I stood and watched as my son splashed and jumped and laughed, testing his physical limits and erupting into fits of laughter each time his little body got sprinkled with the cold water.  Watching my child discover things -- about his body, his environment, about other living things -- is one of the greatest pleasures of being a mother, and the fact that he was having a blast doing it was just icing on the cake.

Cloud Dough

Two posts in one day...wow!  Davis is finishing his supper (he takes foreeeeever to eat!) and Reece is happily splashing Sadie's water out of her bowl, so I thought I'd share a little bit of our afternoon.

This is our second experience with cloud dough; the first was during one of our art days at Cousin Anna's house.  It's so simple, yet so fun.  Eight parts flour to one part oil (any kind--today I used vegetable) and you're done.  Just mix and play!

Glad I used vegetable oil instead of baby oil...probably wouldn't taste as good.

They always play this well together.  Davis always shares his space and toys; Reece stays engaged for at least twenty minutes; Mommy is always patient and energetic; and an entire cup of cloud dough certainly didn't get dumped on Reece's head at any point during the activity...

D's sea turtle

Workin' hard

This stuff feels soooo cool!

An even better one!

Happy boy

Another happy boy

Phone Pictures

Here are a few pictures I just uploaded from my phone.  These are often the best and most up-to-date documentation of our life...

This is several weeks old, but it was a really sweet moment--Davis and Grandaddy making freshly squeezed orange juice together.  A week or so later, Davis and I made lemonade at our house.

Trampoline hair 

Derek and Reece at our friend's engagement party.  Reece took a nap so Daddy got to drink a beer.

The Wilson girls at Lillian and Ken's party

Mommy and Reece at Marbles.  Don't know how I'd manage if I didn't babywear.

Davis and Sawyer cutting up at the mall.  So much fun to watch these two grow up "together".  Their interactions with each other mature as they do.

Hunting for Easter eggs at Anna's house.  

Love watching these two start to play together!

Reece and Elmo trying to figure each other out