Meeting New Cousins

We were recently blessed with the opportunity to meet some new members of our family.  Dad's Uncle David was married recently.  His wife has a four year old and they just recently had a baby together.  The whole family was in Tulsa for a couple of days and we were able to fit in a short visit with them between dinner and bedtime.  The kiddos are technically Dad's cousins, but we are all claiming them as new cousins.  Firsts, seconds and once-removeds are just too confusing  Elizabeth was really interested in the baby, but was not a fan of sharing toys with the four year old.  She held it together until bedtime though and tolerated it quite well for most of the visit.  Ben was a little shy, but very interested.  He had a lot of questions about his new family and looks forward to seeing them again soon. 

Mom's cousin had a second child and the kids are dying to meet him.  We are going to wait until he is a little bigger, but Mom got to see him at the hospital.  He is a doll just like his big brother!  We are so grateful to have new young family members for the kiddos to grow up with.  It gives Elizabeth her baby fix as she loves visiting babies and thinks that two new babies at church are her cousins.  We will take them for sure, but now she legitimately has some new cousins to claim. 

Kid Funnies

Random things that Mom thought were funny and didn't want to forget....

Ben -Mom, can you buy those BFF things?  Remember those chips I like? 
Mom-Hmmmm...... oh do you mean BBQ chips?  Sure!

Ben - Is that a fire truck or an ambulance?  Oh, it is where the old people live - probably an ambulance.
E - Where?
Ben - Over there.  Sister, that is called a nursery home.  It is where old people live.
E - Yes, I know, a nursery home.

Ben - Mom, there is a bad word in my new book!
Mom - (panicked!!) Put the bookmark in and please wait until I can get there.
Ben - It is right here, Mom.  Look - stupid! 
Mom - (sigh of relief) Good job, buddy, I don't want you saying that word.  I think you are getting old enough that I still don't like the word but you are learning right from wrong and know not to say that to anyone.  Right?
Crisis averted.......

Mom - What?  I am sorry - I didn't hear you. 
E - Mom, skunks talk very slow.  I got pushed yesterday which gave me a cough and I had a very small voice.  And now I talk slow.  

Mom - Elizabeth, you are a spitfire!
Elizabeth - I am not a spitfire!  (in a crazy growl/yell)
I am a shouting skunk!

Ben (when "trash talking" to another team on TV) - Where's your daddy now?  Yea!

Elizabeth-isms
Lasterday
The Chatters (Globetrotters)
Mom, did you know what a mudder and a fadder is?  It is you and Dad!
Hanitizer (hand sanitizer)
Mom, I can put these Lifesaver Gummies on my thumbs like pickles!  No idea what she really meant - hopefully she does not really do that with pickles.....

Another funny lately with Elizabeth is the things she has been bringing home.  She has stuffed her coat pockets with treasures like rocks and sticks for a while.  After the egg hunts at school there was a leftover egg that E found.  She called over two special friends and fed them the candies secretly so she could have the egg.  She told them to hide until they were done eating so the teachers wouldn't know......oh boy......

She has also come home with foot pains lately.  When asked to look at her foot, several small toys were found in her shoe.  It was amazing what she had been able to tolerate in her shoe all day.  She didn't want to share and stashed the toys away for safe keeping.  What a little pack rat!

 These were both in E's shoe one day.  On other days we discovered a plastic doll's boot, a handful of Legos and many other things. . .

Easter Fun 2013

The kids enjoyed lots of Easter fun this year.  We dyed Easter eggs for the first time.  It was entertaining.  Ben selected a glitter kit and a tye dye kit.  Both were just about as messy as they come.  We only did 4 eggs per kid and let them take turns.  The creations were lovely and there was only minimal drama when Mom or Dad didn't help them do it just like they envisioned.  We'll probably even try it again next year!  

Elizabeth had the first egg hunt of the season with her class at school.  It was quite the event on the playground.  She fully enjoyed it for the first time this year.  The last four years she has cried as she gets overwhelmed by all of the action and all of the parents.  This year she made Mom hunt alongside her, but was running and hunting with a mission!  After the hunt, the families got to enjoy picnic lunches which equated to Lunchables for most of the kids.  It is such a rite of passage and treat to enjoy a Lunchable and it was all the talk about who got which one.

Grandma and Grandpa came in town for the weekend.  Elizabeth was off of school on Good Friday so they were able to stay home with her and have a fun day together.  On Saturday we got up and tried making resurrection rolls for the first time.  They didn't turn out perfect, but the lesson was great and they were so yummy!  We will definitely be doing this each year as both kids loved making them and loved hearing the story and, of course, eating them.  Saturday afternoon we geared up for the big Coweta egg hunt.  The kids had been talking about this event for weeks.  Elizabeth had gotten a photo book out of sugar cookies she had decorated two years ago so she would have instructions for Grandma to follow.  They were both chomping at the bit to get there.  We got to take their Kansas Grandma and Grandpa for the first time this year so that was an added treat.  It had rained in the morning, but the sun came out and made for a beautiful hunt.  The kids hunted eggs and raced all over the property.  They filled their buckets and then went for a walk while some of the grownups prepared for round two with the emptied eggs.  We went to feed Cinnamon the horse on the walk and Elizabeth took charge.  "I will hold the carrots and I will line the kids up and give them each one carrot for one turn to feed Cinnamon."  She can go from super shy to drill sergeant in a matter of sections.  Just watch out when she has a bag of carrots.  The kids really enjoyed the horse time and Elizabeth soaked up the spotlight of carrot rationer.  We went back for more egg hunting and playing and then enjoyed the infamous cookie decorating.  The kids piled frosting and candies like mountains on the egg and chick sugar cookies.  We all enjoyed pizza and yummy snacks and played until there were tears.  That is when you know the party is nearing its end.  

On Easter Sunday, Mom had decided to write the Easter Bunny a note to come while we were at church.  Dad had to go to church early and would have missed the egg hunt. So we asked if the bunny would come later in the day so we could all be there.  Mom did not run this idea past the kids first.  It was not a popular move - not cool, Mom.  Not cool.  We all got over it and enjoyed a beautiful morning at church celebrating Jesus's resurrection.  We enjoyed some Mexican food out and then went home to see what the bunny had brought us.  There were some really fun eggs this year in cute animal shapes for E and Star Wars shapes for Ben.  Way to go Easter Bunny!  The kids also got fun baskets full of small toys, books and candies.  It was a wonderful few days with lots of old and new traditions. 

 Hunting for eggs at school!

The coveted Lunchable!

 The Coweta hunt!

  

Cookies just like she wanted!

 Two happy Coweta kids!