There's a First for Everything!

First of all, this post is dedicated to my friend Alissa, who once had a similar incident on a train with an orange tic-tac. Alissa, if you read this, know I thought of you today! :-)

Today the boys were eating lunch, and I was finally getting to preparing my own lunch. I turned around and Drew appeared to be picking his nose, so I said, "Do you need a kleenex, Drew?" He said, "No, pea in there." It took me a second to realize and process what he had said. "You have a pea in your nose?!" And Drew replied, "Yeah. Pea in there." So I told him to stop putting his finger up there and let me see, and sure enough, there was a pea in there! I have no idea what possessed him to put it in there. We tried using a kleenex to blow it out, but Drew just doesn't understand the concept of blowing his nose yet. He sort of blows through his teeth to make the noise of blowing his nose, but no air actually comes out of his nostrils, so that didn't work. I told him we needed to get it out, and after sending Mike a quick text to share the news, I went upstairs to look for the bulb syringe and to get the tweezers. Drew took one look at the tweezers, which were used on him last week to extract 4 splinters (with much screaming and struggling) from his hand, and he was having none of that! I thought he'd have a similar reaction to the bulb syringe, so I didn't even bother. I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it right then; I'd let us all finish (or start, in my case) our lunches and we'd see if the pea came out on it's own.

Drew was pretty much done eating at that point. I think he lost his appetite or something, because all he ate for lunch was peas with cheese on them. I asked him why he put the pea up his nose, and he said, "No talk Mama. No talk pea." Apparently he didn't want to talk about it. So he went into the living room and played, and I contemplated my options. I have a friend whose daughter got a popcorn kernel stuck up her nose and didn't tell her parents about it, and after months of runny noses and my friend thinking her daughter had halitosis, they finally figured out that the kernel was up there. By that point tissue had grown around it, and the poor little girl had to be put under to have it removed. I didn't really think that would happen with the pea, since it's softer (though I don't know why that would matter), but still, I was hoping to avoid that situation completely. At one point Zach said, "Drew, either Mom has to get that pea out or the doctor will have to get it out." Drew said, "No doctor!" Then Zach said, "Well, if the pea stays in there and you can't breathe for a long time, you'll die. Do you want to die, Drew?" And Drew said, "Yeah, die!" It cracked me up, but I still had to explain to Zach that a pea in one nostril wouldn't keep Drew from breathing altogether.

Just this morning I noticed that Drew has been sneezing more often lately. So in the midst of this pea incident, I thought maybe we'd get lucky and he'd just sneeze it out. But as we were coming upon Drew's nap time, I thought the chances of him sneezing on his own might be rare. And even though he had kept his finger out of his nose since the pea went up it, I was worried that when alone in his crib, he might put that finger back up there and push the pea further up. So then I thought about what makes a person sneeze. Do I get out the pepper like in cartoons? No, I knew Drew would not go for that. I remembered that my boys frequently sneeze when they get out into the sun, so I took Drew outside. No luck. Then we found a feather and I tried tickling his nose, but nothing happened. I told him I needed him to sneeze, so he obliged by saying, "Ahh-choo!!" Alas, it was a fake sneeze, so still no luck.

So I decided to take the advice that Mike had texted me and enlisted Zach's help to pin down Drew's right arm. I pinned down the other arm and the rest of Drew's body, and although he was crying and squirming, and I was definitely nervous, I grabbed those tweezers and managed to pinch just a tiny bit of the pea, but enough to pull the whole thing out! Success!! Through his tears, Drew said, "Great job, Mama!" How sweet. Then he said, "Go upstairs. Night-night time." He was happy to not have to go to the doctor, and I was happy that I didn't jab those tweezers into the side or back of his nose.

So, in almost 5 years of parenting, this was my first up-the-nose experience. I really hope it's the last. I wish I had seen him put that thing up there or that he was able to explain to me what he was thinking when he did it. Despite the slight worry that I felt about getting it out, Zach and I couldn't help but have a little chuckle about how funny it was that Drew put a pea in his nose!

It's Grandpa's Fault

Zach was a little disappointed after his soccer game today because he didn't score any goals and didn't really even get a shot on goal. This was our conversation in the car on the way out of the parking lot:

Zach- "Grandpa didn't even give me any protein today!"

Me- "He didn't?" Smiling to myself.

Zach- "No! Just Grandma did, but just one cheese!"

Me- "Oh, that's too bad." Not really feeling too worried about this, because Zach still confuses

fruits for vegetables and vice versa, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what constitutes

protein and what doesn't.

Zach- "Yeah, he didn't give me any protein, and that's why I didn't get any shots today!"

Me- "Well, Zach, I didn't get any shots in my game today, either. Some days it's just like that.

I don't think it's Grandpa's fault."

Zach- "Well, I asked him for some oranges, but - hey, there's my coach!" Case in point about

not knowing what proteins are, I guess.

The funny thing is, and this is just dawning on me, I always have a little protein with my breakfast, either bacon or some almonds or walnuts or something, and this morning, I didn't. I had a lot to get done before leaving for my own game, so I just ate a quick bowl of cereal and got to the stuff I needed to do. I felt kind of weird not getting my protein in, but I didn't stress too much about it. But I didn't have my best game ever, and now I'm wondering if Zach wasn't onto something...

Backhoes and Diggers and Forklifts, Oh My!

Well, it's construction season, and that is great news if you're a little boy. Normally I wouldn't wish for any construction areas around our house, but with 2 little boys, one who especially loves trucks and the like, construction areas are fascinating. So lately on walks, if we happen to come across any sort of heavy machinery, Drew wants to stop and check it out. Generally I don't mind- the first time it was my idea to get Drew out of the stroller to check it out.

So here is Drew the first time we were out for a walk and came across an abandoned backhoe loader. Drew was happy to pose for a couple of pictures for me.

Notice Lightning McQueen is checking out the backhoe loader, too. Did you expect him not to go on the walk with us?

When Drew and I were looking at this backhoe, we noticed a big hole in the ground right next to it. I figured it was a bunny hole. Then we decided to walk around the backhoe to see all the parts of it, and as we got back around to the side we started on, I suddenly sunk knee-high into the ground upon which I was walking. It seems the ground there wasn't real solid, and what I thought was a bunny hole, was actually the spot where some other unsuspecting person fell. It was pretty funny, and I was glad we appeared to be the only people around.

Last week on our way home from preschool we noticed two big excavators working just a few blocks from our house. So we parked the car, ran inside to get the dogs, got Zach on his bike and Drew in his stroller, and off we headed on a short walk. Since it was about noon, I was worried we'd be getting there just as the guys were taking their lunch break, but they weren't. We got there just in time to see a little bit of action, and then we had a long wait while it seemed like there was a guy in the hole with a jack hammer or something. Finally, just as we were preparing to head back home, the jack hammering stopped and the backhoe started up again.

The latest walk that Drew and I took by ourselves while Zach and Mike were golfing was just this past weekend. We were walking through an area where there are a fair amount of new houses being built, and there were quite a few various machines there. Drew kept asking to get one on, but mostly they looked locked (doors were shut, anyway) or inaccessible to us. Mostly Drew was taking the news pretty well, but he really wanted to get on a forklift. Finally we saw one that was wide open, and though we were short on time, we took our opportunity and climbed aboard. This time Lightning McQueen waited in the stroller, though.

I remember a couple of years ago when they were widening the road one block over from our house. Drew was just a baby, but Zach, Drew, the dogs, and I would go for a walk in the afternoon and allow extra time to go over and watch all the dump trucks, rollers, and other machines going in and out, doing their work. I was pretty surprised by my own interest in watching these machines. Good thing I don't mind it too much, I guess, since my boys are so into it!

One last, totally unrelated picture here. It's been so nice lately that we've been playing outside a lot. The boys like to pretend that our playground is their pirate ship, and the other day Zach decided they should really get into it by putting on their Halloween costumes. So here they are, giving me their most menacing pirate looks. This picture just cracks me up- Drew looks like he's meant to be on a Harley, and Zach looks fierce aiming his guitar at me!

Zach, the All-Sports Boy

I think it's pretty safe to say we have at least one boy who totally loves sports. With Drew I think it's still a little early to tell, although he definitely shows an interest in sports as well, but Zach is quickly becoming a sports fanatic. The past few days have been filled with soccer, golf, and even a little baseball, but his love doesn't stop there. Of course there's the racing he did a couple of weeks ago, and basketball and football from earlier in the year. I'm so glad he likes so many sports and does pretty well at them, too.

Saturday was Zach's first soccer game of the spring season. He has 2 boys on his team that he played with in the fall, and all winter long, he has talked about how Cade is the most aggressive boy on the team. Well, Zach must have learned from Cade, because he now is about as aggressive. He definitely is more focused and aggressive than he was last season. Maybe it helped to play a season of football and basketball to help him develop his ability to focus; I don't know.

The soccer team is U6, which means that there are kindergartners on Zach's team, and he's about the youngest one on the team, which is something we're getting very used to by this point. He still hung in there, though, and even though they don't keep score, Zach's team scored more goals than the other team, something Zach was quick to point out to us. The adults don't keep score, but the kids sure do! Zach even had his first hat trick, thanks to some quick thinking. He stepped in and intercepted 2 goal kicks to score 2 of his goals. The other goal, his first, was scored on a break-away, starting in this picture below.

You can kind of tell by this picture how Zach's size compares to some of the other kids. He and Cade (who is not in the picture) are definitely the smallest on their team. This picture is just before Zach shoots the ball and scores.

Never one to be too modest (something we're working on!), Zach quickly ran back to where Drew and I were to tell us all about the goal he had just scored. If you look closely, you can see that I'm pointing and telling him to get back up to the mid-field line, because the other team is about to kick-off and Zach is not in position. That's typical of Zach- he gets so caught up talking about his accomplishments (or anything, really- he's a talker, in case you didn't already know), that he nearly misses the next thing that's coming.

The most hilarious part of the game, which was not caught on tape, was when Zach showed us just how aggressive he has gotten. He and another boy (or probably all the boys- this is 4 & 5 year-old soccer, remember) were battling for the ball. Then the ball got away from Zach and this boy from the other team, and just as the play was barely moving on, Mike and I saw Zach throw an elbow! It was hard to tell if he actually made contact, but Mike and I both saw it and gasped and started laughing, hoping that nobody else saw it. I think Zach has been learning some dirty tricks from his Aunt Becky. Next game, he'll probably start pulling his opponents' shirts and taking dives.

It was a lot of fun to watch Zach's game; much more fun than last season, honestly. I would be lying if I said I don't care if he plays soccer when he's older (like high school age). Growing up playing soccer and still playing now, I really, really hope my boys develop a love for the sport like I have. If they don't, I know I'll get over it, but I still hope they just love it and excel at it, I really do.

Mike, on the other hand, would really love our boys to love and excel at golf. As much as I love soccer, I'm not nearly as obsessed with it as Mike is with golf. To Mike's great pleasure, Zach seems to be developing a great love for this game as well. I've been to the driving range with Mike twice this spring; Zach has been there at least 3 or 4 times. Zach has also been out to play 9 holes with Mike already, and I haven't even done that yet! Mike and our friend BJ went out to golf on Saturday afternoon, and as I was coming down the stairs just after they left our house, I heard Zach say to Drew, "Drew, Zach really wanted to go golfing with Dad and BJ, but Dad said Zach couldn't." Sigh. Well, lucky for Zach, he got to have a golf date with Dad the very next day.

This isn't the exact order in which these pictures occurred, but by putting them in this order, you get a nice little swing sequence.

Here is Zach addressing the ball with his driver. I think he totally looks the part in his little khaki shorts and his visor!

According to Mike and our neighbor Brad (who is a very good golfer), Zach has a great back-swing in this picture.

This picture is neat because Zach has just hit the ball, but it isn't out of the frame of the picture yet. Not a bad picture for a cell phone!

And last, the follow-through. We think this picture is cool just because of how the shaft on Zach's driver is bent.

Zach will be starting a Mighty Mites Golf Program early this summer, and he is very excited. It won't be long before he's a better golfer than me, though that wouldn't take a whole lot.

Finally, baseball. Baseball is one of the sports that I really could care less if Zach picks up. When I was a teacher, I heard so many stories from boys' parents about the long nights/weekend at baseball games, and that just doesn't appeal to me. I need a game with more action, like soccer or basketball. But, if baseball is the sport Zach decides he really wants to focus on, I will support him.

Zach LOVES our neighbors Chuck and Joyce. They are retired and in their 70's, I think. They spend the winter in Arizona and just came back before Easter, and boy, was Zach excited. They are wonderful to Zach and Drew, treating them like they are grandsons. Anyway, today we were outside and Zach asked if he could go visit Chuck, who we could see was working in his garage. I told him sure, and the next thing I knew, Zach and Chuck were outside, Chuck pitching balls to Zach to hit. We had to take a lunch break, and later on, after I'd put Drew down for a nap, Zach and I went out for some more baseball. Chuck was out again and immediately came over to do the pitching.

Zach did pretty well hitting the ball. T-ball starts in June, I think, and of course, Zach is excited. So Zach is currently in soccer and will be starting golf and t-ball in June, and I assume will get back into soccer and football in the fall, just before basketball starts in the winter. I realize this all sounds like a lot for an almost five year-old, but the good thing is that the seasons are short (usually a few weeks long), and there's never more than one practice and one game a week, and aside from golf and t-ball, the seasons don't really overlap at all yet. We never put Zach in something he doesn't want to do, either. I'm just so thankful Zach is able to have all these experiences so he can figure out which sports he enjoys the most, and hopefully Mike and I can keep our wishes not too obvious. Some sports I don't plan on introducing my boys to include hockey (nothing against it- I definitely enjoy hockey) and wrestling (even though Iowa seems like wrestling Mecca), and judging from the way Zach plugs his nose just to put his face half a centimeter into the bath water, I don't think he'll be one for swim team or water polo or anything like that. Originally I hadn't planned on football, but Zach sure does love it, so we'll see. I love to think about the future and wonder what, if any sport, he'll end up playing. I definitely can't help but picture the stadium my high school soccer team played in or my own high school gym where my sister and I played basketball, and I imagine Mike and me sitting up in the stands cheering Zach on. I'm not there yet with Drew, but give me a few years. I'm a little worried that if Drew can't take Lightning McQueen with him onto the field, he may never play any sports! :-)

Beer, anyone?

I'm not sure what the deal is, but Zach has been mentioning beer a lot lately. Not like he wants to try it or anything about us drinking it, it's more like just random stories that involve beer. It's not like Mike and I never drink beer, but we drink a lot less than most people we know. And actually, we rarely drink around the boys. We're not against drinking in front of our kids or anything; it's just that usually if either of us are drinking, it's a social thing, and we're out for a kid-free night with friends or something. This isn't always true, though. Sometimes I have a delicious Boulevard Wheat or Blue Moon just because I like the taste.

Anyway, Zach has shared 2 funny stories with me lately involving beer. Here you go:

1. A couple of weeks ago, the letter of the week at Zach's preschool was X. So one day Zach was telling me how X says "ksss." Then he made the hand motion like opening a can and said, "Mrs. Graen (his preschool teacher) says she thinks of the X sound like opening a beer. Kssss!" I was more than a little puzzled, because it wouldn't surprise me if Mrs. Graen is someone who does not drink at all. Also, I thought it was a little weird that a preschool teacher would use beer as an example in a story to a 4 year-old student. So I asked Zach, "Beer? Or root beer?" Zach said, "Beer." Then I thought some more and said, "Did Mrs. Graen say beer or pop?" Then he decided it was pop. The funny thing about this story, too, is that when I drink beer, I drink it from the bottle. Obviously we don't drink a lot of pop, either, or that probably would have been forefront in his mind.

2. The second story just occurred this morning. It was a nice morning, and the car was a little warm, so I rolled down Zach's window a bit. We turned a corner and he asked me to roll it up. I said, "Is the sun too bright if the window's down?" Zach said, "Yeah. Grandma told me your eyes turn to beer if you look at the sun." I thought for sure I misunderstood him, so I asked him about 3 more times what he said, and eventually realized that he really said your eyes would turn to beer from looking at the sun. I've heard things like you'll burn your retinas by looking at the sun and stuff like that, but never that they'd turn to beer. So, Zach clarified for me which grandma taught him this valuable piece of information, and though some of you reading this may think it was Grandma Cynthia, who seems to drink all my Boulevard whenever she baby-sits (just kidding, Cynthia!), it actually was Grandma Linda. So Linda, I'd love to know what you really told Zach would happen to his eyes if he looked at the sun, because I'm pretty sure he got confused. It gave me a good chuckle on an otherwise somewhat stressful morning, though, so thanks!

First Race of the Season

Well, it's race season again. Zach ran in his first race Saturday, the same race that was his first ever race last year. He was excited going in, and I think Drew was, too. Thankfully this year the weather was much warmer than last year, so we didn't mind getting to the race site a little early. Finally they said it was time for the Little Lakers race to begin, so the boys and I headed to the start line while Mike went and got into a prime photo-taking position.

They had the kids separated by age groups- 6 and under, 7-8 years, and 9+ years, so Zach was in the first group. We were at the end of the group walking to the starting line, so Zach got a good spot right in the front of the starting blocks. About 10 seconds after he got there, the guy said go, and Zach seemed to be the first person for whom the word registered, and he was off!

Now, it could have been Zach's lightning-fast reflexes out of the starting blocks, or his prime front-row position, or maybe even the fact that in the 6 and under age group, there were not more than a few kids Zach's size or bigger, but either way, he started fast and kept a huge lead the whole 100 yards.

If you asked Zach, he'd tell you that what really helped him win was squinting his eyes (which, thankfully we can see since Mike made him take off his sunglasses for picture purposes). He told Mike after the game that the eye-squinting helps him run faster. The eye-squinting seems to go hand-in-hand with his mean face that he uses in football, basketball, and soccer.

At least he smiled as he got closer to Mike and the finish line. Sorry for the darkness of the pictures- the sun was right behind Zach.

After Zach and a bunch of kids finished the race, Drew decided he wanted to run, too. We put him down and he ran across the finish line, through the roped-off finishing area, and on down the path. He just kept on running, enjoying every minute of it. Seems like we might have a couple of racers on our hands, which isn't surprising, since the two boys run laps around the house all the time.

We went straight from the race to my soccer game. True to being a second child, Drew is already showing skill in things that Zach probably didn't at age two, just because Drew is more exposed by having a big brother than Zach was. So, here's Drew showing his ball-handling skills with his little soccer ball.

This was my first outdoor game since the fall, and I was a little nervous. First of all, the fields we play on on Saturdays are terrible- incredibly lumpy, hilly, etc. This particular field today had a manhole cover right smack in the middle of it and was practically as long as it was wide. Since I sprained my ankle playing indoor soccer on March 1, I was feeling nervous about the lumpy field and the contact with other players. This is co-ed soccer, so each team has to have at least 4 females playing at all times, which generally means there will only be 4 females per team at all times, unless we are short guys. Some of the guys on our team are very serious about their soccer, and they're young and single and somewhat prima-donna-ish, and that all makes me feel insecure and nervous, too. There are only a couple of people on the team that have been on it since its formation about 3 years ago, and I am one of them. The team has definitely gotten more skilled and more competitive players, and while I'm a competitive person, I just know that this is "Over the Hill" soccer, so it's not that big of a deal. Anyway, I didn't have any major screw-ups and my ankle survived, and we won 2-0, so I guess it was a successful first game of the season!

Mike had the camera since we'd been at Zach's race, and I told him he really didn't need to take pictures of the game, but he wanted to. I was embarrassed, but I hope nobody noticed. He never actually got any shots of me near the ball, which is kind of funny. It's funny to me, actually, that he took pictures when the ball wasn't near me. There I am, #15 in white.

The boys were excited to go to Mom's soccer game, though you'd never know it from this picture. I guess the game itself just didn't live up to their expectations.

Later in the day we just played and rested, and Drew and Mike enjoyed a good book on the couch before Mike went out to the driving range to hit balls.

We ended with dinner out with Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Cynthia and some playing in the basement. All in all, it was a pretty great day.

Back-Seat Drivers

It seems Drew and Zach have acquired the back-seat driving gene that may or may not run in my family. Zach used to be really bad about telling me what to do while driving, and it got very annoying. I'd say he did this more when he was 3 years old until he was in the early months of being 4 years old. I got to the point where I'd say to him, "You don't know all the rules of driving, so don't tell me what to do!" It seems the message finally sunk in, for the most part, anyway.

Well, yesterday the boys, Mike, and I were all in the van together, and I was driving. We were entering the interstate at the "West Mix-Master" (where there are multiple entries/exits in one area) at about 5:15 in the evening- rush hour. I was speeding up to merge, and Drew says, "Slow down, Mama!" Let me remind you, Drew just turned 2 a month ago! Zach said, "Drew, you can't go slow when you're getting on the interstate!" I had to chuckle. I said to Drew, "Do you think Mom's going too fast, Drew?" He said, "Yeah. Too fast, Mama." We went to our destination and when we got on the interstate to go back towards home, Drew reminded me again not to go too fast. It's so funny to me that he thought of this all on his own, because there's never usually anybody but the boys in the car with me the majority of the time, and Zach doesn't tell me to slow down. Every day that kid is able to verbalize more and more of his own thoughts, and I just love it, even if he is being a back-seat driver!

Drew Counting

While we were in Colorado, I discovered that Drew can count. Often times he gets up to 12 without messing up, but sometimes he misses a number here and there. I believe his counting skills come completely from playing hide-n-seek. Zach and Drew sit on the stairs and count while I hide, or else Drew and I count while Zach hides. I love to hear him count- I think it's just so cute.

We also sing the ABC song every time we wash hands, which is at least a couple of times a day, but as you can see from this video, that's not transferring quite as well. That's ok, though. We've got some time before he needs to know his ABC's!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Easter Weekend

We have been blessed to have some beautiful weather lately, so the boys and I have been spending lots and lots of time outside. We've been throwing the frisbee for Maggie, blowing bubbles for Foudy, and going on lots of walks/bike rides with the dogs, too. Mike and Zach have gotten out to the driving range a few times, and of course, Mike's been on the golf course more times than I can count already. I've also been getting up early for runs again, which feels great. Here's Drew one day last week trying out his new Lightning McQueen helmet and Zach's old tricycle, which I hate because it is very hard to steer. Either way, we made it around the block and Drew loved it. If you look closely, you can just see the edges of his elbow pads, too. Gotta be safe!

Thursday it was very windy, but it was still over 80 degrees. Zach had his first soccer practice, and after dinner, we dyed Easter eggs. This was Drew's first time coloring eggs, and actually, it was the first time we'd ever done this in our house. The past few years Zach has just dyed eggs at Grandma Linda and Grandpa Curt's house. We didn't think to put down newspaper, so our table now has a few lovely dye stains on it. Oh well- they're fading, I think. The boys had a lot of fun dying eggs and even got to do it again the next day at Grandma Linda and Grandpa Curt's house.

On Saturday morning Mike and I got to go to an extended kickboxing class, and then we hit up the driving range before picking up the boys at Curt and Linda's. It was my first time on the range since last summer or even the summer before, and it wasn't as disastrous as I thought it would be. I'm considering taking some golf lessons so I can enjoy Mike's favorite sport more.

We decided to go to church on Saturday afternoon so that we could have Sunday free of formal obligations. We knew that the church would fill up early, so we got the boys down for early naps. I got Drew down first, and Mike was reading to Zach when I headed downstairs. Suddenly I realized it had been a really long time since I left Mike up in Zach's room. I snuck up there to find this adorable scene.

Both boys, dead asleep, snuggling each other. Thankfully the camera only woke up Mike, and Zach took a good nap and woke up in time for church. Zach, Mike, and Linda went to church early to save seats and so Zach could greet/usher with Grandma Linda. Drew, that stinker, never did seem to sleep during his nap. He pooped twice during his nap time, and otherwise just talked happily to himself. Any other Saturday and that would have been no big deal, but I was really hoping he'd be well-rested so he would be better behaved at church that afternoon. He actually did pretty well, thankfully.

Zach has really been wanting to wear a tie lately, so I got him a new tie for Easter, and I decided that Drew would wear an old one of Zach's that seemed to go nicely with the tie Zach was wearing. So was I surprised when I was getting Drew dressed and he threw an absolute fit about wearing a tie? No. This is Drew we're talking about. He and I had talked in the past week or so about him wearing a tie for Easter, and he said he wanted to, but when the time came, he was having none of it. I'm glad I didn't but a special tie for him to wear! I decided forcing the tie on him wasn't important to me, so instead I found an old sweater vest of Cam's (one that is actually a 12 month size, but must be made for a giant 1 year-old) and gave Drew the choice between the sweater vest and the tie. He chose the sweater vest, which was fine with me. I actually think it was pretty darn cute on him and even looked nice with Zach's tie!

We had a delicious dinner, played, and got the boys' Easter baskets set out that night before bed, and they went to sleep excited about the morning.

They woke up very excited, too. Actually, we had to wake Zach up because we didn't feel like we could stall Drew any longer. They loved checking out their Easter baskets and seeing what the Easter bunny left for them.

The egg hunt started and Zach was quite focused, but Drew was a little more distracted. He still had fun, though. Mostly Drew wanted to open his eggs and eat whatever was inside of each egg.

Later on Grandma Cynthia, Grandpa Kevin, and Aunt Katherine came over. They brought some Easter goodies (including some delicious but incredibly melted chocolate). Here's Drew enjoying a little chocolate bunny. It seemed like Drew was constantly saying, "Eat? Eat?" all day on Easter!

After a while we had the Zinn family brunch of souffle, caramel rolls, and grapefruit. I nearly botched it all, though. Well, all except the grapefruit. The souffle took way longer than usual, and I thought that although the caramel rolls tasted delicious, they seemed a little doughy on top (they're made in a bundt pan, so the tops of the finished rolls are on the bottom in the pan). After discussing the whole situation later with my mom, we determined that the problem was probably the fact that I had placed both the souffle pan and the bundt pan the rolls were in on top of cookie sheets to prevent the food from spilling over their respective pans onto each other and the bottom of the oven. My mom said that the cookie sheets probably absorbed much of the heat, thus increasing the baking time. The souffle recipe calls for an hour and a half at 300 degrees; I baked it for 65 minutes at 300 and then turned it up to 325 (the temp at which the rolls cook) for another 45 minutes or so. Then I turned the oven up to 350 and baked the souffle another 20 minutes or so. It turned out delicious, but I was frustrated by the timing of it all. Thankfully my mom, ever the knowledgeable cook, was able to solve the mystery for me! Thanks, Mom!

Kevin, Cynthia, and Katherine stuck around for a while, but had to leave to get Katherine and her boyfriend Sam back up to their college a few hours away. So I went for a run while the boys napped, and then the boys and dogs went to the park for a while. After dinner we headed out to Curt and Linda's house for some more egg hunting.

So far the boys are definitely enjoying all their Easter loot. Zach kept asking if he could have some of the M&Ms Grandma Linda and Grandpa Curt got me, and so I tried to negotiate a trade- I'd give him some of my M&Ms for a packet of his PEZ that the Easter bunny left him. No deal! I wish that Easter bunny had left some PEZ for me. I wonder if Drew would notice if I made a trade with him...