We talked to the boys and it was decided.  We were going canoeing/camping over Easter weekend.  We packed up after soccer and headed out.

Across the lake we go and set up our site!

We headed down to the lake to do a little fishing.  The boys went through a bucket of worms and caught between 20-25 fish.  Ethan was the first to say, “I’ll throw him back.” and stuck his thumb in the fish mouth and tossed them in.  He was also our worm wrangler and carried the worms around like they were gold.  Tyler fishes like I did when I was a kid.  Boring quickly and needing to move around, I know how he felt and tried to keep things fast paced for him.

As the sun went down, we headed up to start the campfire.  Hotdogs cooked over the fire, it was Tyler’s choice and they were perfect.  About 10:00pm we headed in to the tents, well some of us did.  My dad went with us this trip and he doesn’t usually use a tent.  Tyler asked if he could sleep under the stars too.  Why not?  After a cool evening, a little sleep, and some beautiful stars gazing from the tent, it was time to start our Easter!

Ethan wanted to go out in the canoe so, while they headed out, I packed camp.

When we arrived back home, some friends invited us over for an egg hunt.  Showers first and then we’ll join in.  We added some eggs to their pile and the kids had a blast hunting eggs.

When they finished hunting eggs, it was time for war.  First, silly string.  Second, water balloons, with over 200 balloons filled, the kids split up.  Each team took a driveway and the pitching began.  It took them about 10 minutes and they were out of balloons.  It was so much fun to hear the kids laughing and enjoying the time together.

After a yummy lunch of ham, black eyed peas, rice, crecent rolls, broccoli salad, and deviled eggs, Ethan and I needed a nap.  A bit later we were up and back outside.  We washed the cars and the dog and hung out until dark. 

It was a very relaxing and pleasant day.  I would have to say one of the Best Easters ever!  I hope you all had a great day too!

I stepped away for about 20 minutes.  When I returned, I peeked in and saw small movements, I watched and waited.  About 10 minutes later the movements got bigger and bigger.  I called the family in to see it.  Todd happened to be working from home and just stepped down for lunch when it happened.  The real time video is around 14 minutes.  I did a time alteration to it and made it 1:00 long.

I hope you enjoy it!

This year, my garden parsley didn’t do well, I put my potted one on the porch to get rain. I just walked out to dump standing water out of my pots and much to my surprise, there are four of them on one plant.

I am going to need to track down another parsley plant otherwise, there will not be enough food for all four of them.

I am so excited, I love getting to watch them grow and really enjoy the experience with the kids.

I have watched Ethan bowl with a golfball, knocking down apple juice boxes he found in the fridge.

He came running with a bug on a game box and it was a baby firefly. Next, he located a string of tiny little ants coming in through a window in the living room. (Guess it’s time to call the bug guy.)

Now, they are playing baseball in the living room with a tennis ball and couch cushions for bases.

Tyler has spent most of the day playing with the DS and watching tv. Although he is now pitching to Ethan and just beamed me in the foot.

I did however, finished another recital dvd this morning. Now, I have two to proof and only two more to edit.

Then I am going to attempt to paint a large piece of muslin for a photo backdrop.

We have baseball practice tonight, a game on Saturday and Soccer camp next week. Fourth of July will be spent in our usual fashion.

That about covers my day.

I have filmed over 100 tapes and edited 17 of the 20 dance recitals I filmed over the past month. I have been working non-stop and it is so much fun. I couldn’t ask for a better job.

Ethan celebrated his third birthday. Photos will come soon. We had a small but, fabulous pool party with only a few guests. It was a blast.

Soccer season ended and we are now in the middle of baseball season.

Ethan went camping for the first time. We had a Cub Scout campout and there around 100 people in attendance. It was great. The boys crossed over and are now Webelos.

We are planning another campout soon, just a few families this time.

I highlighted my hair, fushia. I love it. I’ll post pictures of that soon too.

Let’s see, what else?

The boys spent father’s day camping in Cohutta. They had a great time and I sent a small video camera with them. I was told Tyler took control of the camera and would run ahead of everyone to film them hiking towards him. Maybe a career in film making here? Who knows.

I purchased my first camping item of my very own. A nice little dome tent for Ethan and I to use. Tyler bought his first tent with his birthday money. He bought an orange Marmot two person tent. It’s fabulous and he is so very proud of it.

Tyler has attended Vacation Bible School and starts Soccer Camp next week.

I think that about covers it.

And, Aunt Karen, thanks for reading and the pictures from your trip are fantastic.

This was Tyler’s Ninth Birthday Party. The kids were divided into 3 teams of 4 with 2 adult partners. They all had race shirts and colored bandanas to identify them with their team.

They had to do an assortment of challenges. They even ate dog biscuits from the Three Dog Bakery. (That was optional for extra points.) It was point based followed by time. Each challenge had a question, they had to answer on an answer sheet and turn it in at the end. So, just because you finished first didn’t mean you won the race. The prize was getting your dinner served first. Team Orange Crush were the winners.

They came in first and answered all of the questions correctly.

This is the short version. I hope you enjoy it.