Easter Fun!

I was a complete slacker with Holy Week activities this year. I think we did 2. I knew we were driving to Odessa on Thursday after school pick up, so that left Sunday-Wednesday. So at least I did half the days, right? Life gets busier and busier the older the kids get. It makes me a little sad for this guy that he doesn't get as much toddler fun activities as his big brother and sister did at his age...

Good thing he's the favorite kid or he might feel neglected. :)Just kidding!! He is so cute, though...

 

One of the activities we did was to read about the night of the Passover Meal and Jesus washing his disciples feet afterward. Then we washed each others feet. I only got a picture of Grey washing James's (because Grey went last and I complete forgot about pictures until he was doing it!) 

He thought it was so funny that we were washing each other's feet! But the big kids had a great talk with James and I about serving each other and how Jesus was a servant king and asked for us to be servants of each other when he left.

 

We also made resurrection rolls one night, but I didn't get any pictures of those at all. I didn't realize I was almost out of cinnamon, so we had to substitute with nutmeg and all spice. It's not nearly as good that way...I definitely don't recommend it!

 

Thursday after school, the kids were so excited to get on the road to head to Odessa to spend Easter with their cousins. They just had fun hanging out and playing with each other. We did Easter baskets and an egg hunt at their house on Saturday...

Hunter loves to photo bomb!

 

The kids waited in Mel and Bob's room while we hid eggs outside. Then the hunt was on!

Saturday morning we headed to church...

 

And then came home to a yummy Easter lunch that Aunt Melanie made for us. 

 

We hit the road right after lunch so we could make it back at a decent hour. We are thankful for Jesus' life, death, and resurrection!

Jump Street

On Saturday Hunter celebrated his 9th birthday with some of his best buds. He wanted to have a sleepover party, but I told him no for this year, so he settled on Jump Street. We drove 6 friends out there in our cars and 3 more met us there. The boys had a blast jumping, playing dodgeball on the trampolines, and riding the mechanical bull.

 

After they had all worked up an appetite, everyone came back to the table for some pizza...

Ronnie, Hunter, and Benjamin were the first ones back to the table (and Grayson on the other side!)...

I attempted to get a photo of everyone, but it was pretty impossible...

So I decided to take some shots from both sides of the table while the pizza was getting passed out...

They inhaled their pizza and then it was cupcake time!

 

Ephrem was in such a hurry to go back to jumping, that he literally put the ENTIRE cupcake in his mouth in one bite. I've never seen anything like it!

After snapping that picture, I braced myself behind him ready to do the Heimlich if needed! Thankfully, he managed to swallow the whole thing down safely....whew!

The rest of the boys ate theirs almost as fast...

 

Grey couldn't jump on the big trampolines, but liked to pretend play the video games...

At one point while I was watching Grey, I looked over and saw Benjamin on the mechanical bull, so I snapped a few pics...

 

I was kind of far away, so they are grainy since I had to zoom.

Hunter had asked if he was going to be allowed to do the bull when we were planning the party, so I went to find him and tell him that Benjamin had just ridden. I called him over from these trampolines with Joshua and Grayson...

Grayson's Mom rigged up his broken arm underneath his shirt pretty good...

Hunter was having too much fun jumping with his friends to be pulled away to the mechanical bull right then. He told me that his friends told him that it hurt, anyway, so he was just going to skip it;)

 

Grey riding the kiddie rides...

Hunter, Joshua, Adriel, and Kris waiting in line to play trampoline dodgeball...

And one of the 4 of us...

Charlotte was having a play date with Benjamin's sister, Savannah (we just swapped kids for the afternoon!), so she wasn't at the party.

After the party, we drove the 6 friends that rode with us back to our house and they played for a while before their parents came. They were pretty loud and crazy, which confirmed to me that I made the right choice holding off on the sleepover this year:)

After everyone finally left and Charlotte was back home, Hunter opened his gifts...

 

We had a great time celebrating our 9 year old! Thankful for the sweet friends that Hunter has been blessed by in his new school, church, and boy scout pack. And more thankful for the old friends that we've been able to stay in touch with even after moving.