Our Easter Weekend

The husband and I have decided that holidays are infinitely more exciting now that we have kiddos. It's true! Everything holds so much more magic and charm when you're simultaneously enjoying a family-laden holidays while watching your children discover new things, open packages and participate in new experiences with wide-eyed delight.

This Easter started off first thing Saturday morning as we whisked the kids downstairs for a quick breakfast and then off to our church for a tot-friendly egg hunt. They got to see the Easter bunny, sing fun songs in the sanctuary and even watch a brief performance by a bubble lady before we headed outside for the goodies. We had to remind them not to open the eggs as they went but rather toss them in their baskets and move on to the next one then look at their loot later!

We'd already done more in a morning then we typically do on a weekend so we opted to head for the park and enjoy the sunshine. I've got one handsome husband! He loved getting to see how great the kids had gotten at climbing, sliding and swinging.

Kailey tried giving momma a push on the swing and I think I only knocked her over five times. She's a feisty one!

We picked up fried chicken on the way home for an indulgent lunch, then put the kids down for naps while the husband and I tackled a few things around the house. He put down new grass in the whole front yard last week! It's looking awesome, and he put the leftover grass in the backyard while I baked a cake to take to my mom's house. The quads refused to nap and it was a rather painful afternoon, so we finally gave up, got everyone dressed and grabbed our 96 stuffed Easter eggs for an evening at my parent's house. They were thrilled to see their cousin Rayne and put their egg hunt skills to the test again!

It was a late night, but one well enjoyed, and the kiddos fell asleep super fast—thank God! There's nothing worse than a cranky, overtired toddler. Or momma, for that matter. I got some sleep then woke up early to put their Easter baskets together, bake another cake for our dinner later in the afternoon, pick up the house, run some laundry, clean the play room, stuff Easter eggs for one last hunt and so on. A mother's work is never done or so the saying goes right!?

The Easter baskets were an awesome gift from my sister-in-law and I filled them with lots of good finds from Target's dollar section as well as some homemade bunny crayons, a Paw Patrol toy for Harrison, cute little straw fedoras from Target and bandaids. Which were arguably the top gift in the lot. (We're crazy about bandaids in a major way over here.)

We made hash browns, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast and let the kids go through their baskets as soon as they came downstairs. Pure excitement!

Despite running late, we made it to church in time for a wonderful worship service that literally brought me to tears. There was a song that told the story of Jesus' sacrifice and I became so overwhelmed by His love for us. I felt reminded that He sees each of us in our daily lives, with both our small struggles and our big ones. He is aware of everything and never leaves our side. God is truly good...

After church, we snacked for lunch and the kids went down for naps while I frosted a homemade Peeps and egg cake with shredded coconut, which the kids were pumped about having!

The husband's brother, Uncle Mark (below left), joined us and their parents for Easter Sunday dinner. The guys all hid eggs in the play room while the quads napped since it was rainy and muddy outside. Didn't seem to matter one bit, the hunt was a hit! They loved finding hidden goodies among all their toys.

The kids all got super cute Easter bags with more fun things from their grandmommy, including some adorable stuffed bunnies, books, coloring pages, a bunny movie and more. 

It was really a great Easter weekend and we continued to talk about the reason for the season with the quads on and off throughout. We want them to have fun and enjoy all the mainstream stuff, but to also understand who Jesus is, what He did for us and how much He loves us all. 

DIY Bunny Shaped Crayons

So there was a phase that Kailey went through during which she preferred not to color, but rather to tear all the paper off the crayons and break them into pieces. It kept her extremely occupied—sometimes as long as 20 minutes—so I endured because it provided the opportunity to throw dinner together or finish cleaning something. Over time, though, the broken colors all just got shuffled into the mini buckets of crayons I keep handy for the kids to use. I got fed up with it eventually, though, and sorted through everything and tossed all the broken pieces into a ziploc and shoved them into my craft closet.

Thanks to Pinterest, I hung on to the broken crayons so I could try making new ones with them. I found  this Wilton bunny silicone mold, stripped the paper from any pieces that Kailey hadn't already torn off, broke or smashed larger crayon pieces and filled up all the bunny molds. 

I put it on top of a lined baking tray just in case something spilled or melted over, because I had no idea how this would actually go. Turns out, I could have really packed the molds full because the crayons melted waaay down and turned out thinner then I wanted. Next time!

They took 30 minutes on 180F degrees, then I carefully put the silicone tray in the fridge to speed up the cooling but you can just let them cool down on the counter, too. I popped them out and tested them on some paper and they worked great! I'll be putting a handful of bunny crayons into clear cello bags with an Easter gift tag to put in my kiddo's Easter baskets as well as some for cousins and friends.

Check out these free Easter gift tag printables as well as more Easter crafts and decorating ideas on my Easter board on Pinterest!

Update: I put together a page of printable gift tags of my own using some free clipart from the web, you can download them for free right here!

St. Patrick's Day Tot-Style

Last week, the crew and myself loaded up in the 'burb after naps and headed to our BFF's house for an early St. Patrick's Day celebration! Amber was sweet enough to host since we were in dire need of getting out of the house after being cooped up for so long due to the Great Sickness that plagued our home for over three weeks. (Here's Amber's post about our themed shindig!)

I did my best to dress my kiddos in green but we were mostly sported mint and turquoise since that's the color I buy most clothes in. (Pink and purple are still at the bottom of the totem pole!) I had plans to look festive but time and effort didn't work together so I threw on a scarf and made do. We arrived just before dinner was ready so all the kids plopped down at the table for a spot of painting, thanks to some dollar paint pads I'd grabbed a few days earlier at Target. Love that stuff!

Next was a delicious meal that Amber made included pesto chicken with broccoli and rice and key lime yogurt bites for dessert. Total success with eight toddlers who wolfed it all down—that's impressive for any momma and cook! 

I just love Amber's babies, I've known for them for awhile now and she and I have been fast friends since we were pregnant with our quads—we had our crews seven weeks apart, mine being the first to arrive. But I do have to admit that her little Mason (below) always has a special place in my heart. He's just so sweet and loves to cuddle and is so easy to tickle, which is one of my favorite things to do to toddlers!

After dinner, the group got a little impromptu story time on the kitchen floor when they brought over books to Amber's husband, George, who didn't bat an eye when eight toddlers clambered on top of and around him. That's a quad dad for ya!

Next we headed to their play room for some free play time and eventually stripped down to diapers so the Shawver kids could show their friends their "naked dance" they perform each night. Eight babies in diapers shakin' their booties is a sight to see! 

One of my favorite moments was when Amber read a couple books to the kids after everyone had donned their PJs and they all grouped together to listen. It's just so sweet to see these healthy, happy kids play and learn together after all we've been through with their premature births, NICU stays and intense first few weeks at home. 

So that's how we celebrated, albeit ahead of time! Today hasn't been much of note, I'm not sure anyone even has green on and we've spent our day making a trip to the gym, playing outside in the water table while it's actually warm and dry out and ate our lunch al fresco as well. 

Here's an oldie but goodie of the husband and I in Chicago one St. Patty's Day, as we've always loved the holiday and downing our fair share of green beer. 

One day again someday!

Getting on the Valentine's Day Bandwagon

I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day. Not because something happened that made me dislike it or because I don't like hearts or something weird. I probably fall into that category of folks that says "I don't need a certain day of the year to celebrate my love" because the husband and I do small things for each other at random throughout the year. However, I'm not one of those people that says "every day for us is like Valentine's Day" because that would cause me to gag on rose petals, heart-shaped chocolates and pink tissue paper. Ha.

So a happy medium had to be found. Because now I have these cute little toddlers that make every single freaking holiday infinitely more exciting than it ever used to be—except my birthday. My birthday has always been a very exciting time of year for me, plus this year I want a big party to ring in turning 30! The husband is already feeling the pressure.

Christmas this past year was awesome—the kids were able to understand the concept of gift giving, Santa Clause and all the fanfare. Which means their upcoming birthday at the end of May, when they turn three years old, will be even more amazing than the ones prior. So I decided to get over my dislike of all things Cupid, Valentiney and heart-shaped and to begin incorporating things for the holiday for the sake of my children. The things we do as parents!!

We started off by handing out little treat bags with mini M&Ms and fruit roll-ups to everyone in the kiddos' class at Mother's Day Out on Monday. And handmade Valentine's Cards to their wonderful two teachers!

Then my mother-in-law brought over a super cute Valentine craft she did with the kids this week while she watched them so I could get out for a little bit by myself. (Alone time is one of the most valuable things anyone can ever give me!!)

Then we got an awesome surprise in the mail when I opened up these paint-your-own-cookies from my triplet momma friend, Mary! She even included two maze cookies for the husband and I—and they really work! Her sweet treat biz, Sugar Coma Cookies, is the best and we use her delicious, rockstar-status desserts to celebrate all sorts of occasions in our household.

I added the cookies to the quad's Valentine's bags I'm giving them this Saturday. They turned out super cute and I can't wait to see the kids pull everything out. The girl's peach baskets came from Hobby Lobby, only about $2 for each on clearance! They love having their own bins or containers to haul around so I know they'll love these. I also scored pretty blue princess nightgowns—which they're all crazy about right now—for less than $7 apiece on sale at Carter's—as well as coloring books and mini sticker books for a buck each at Wal-Mart (a brave day that I went there, eek) and puzzle packs and board books for a dollar each at Target.

Harrison is getting a similar gift, but in a manly Transformers bag with the cuuuuutest button-up shirt ($11, also from Carter's) and boy-themed stickers, book and puzzle. I can't wait for the weather to stay warm so he can wear his new shirt with khaki shorts and his Sperry-esque boat shoes!! Until then, jeans will pair just fine. 

In my efforts to establish Valentine's Day as an officially recognized holiday in our house now, I told the husband we should each exchange gifts and a card. His gift came in the mail earlier this week and I just know he's going to love it. But since he actually reads my blog from time to time (I know, right!?) I won't share it here. You'll have to wait for our Weekend Recap to find out! I'll also be sharing the recipe and photos of a special meal I'm making for us, that we'll be enjoying with wine and candlelight after the kids go to bed Saturday evening. 

Now it's time to get a quad-worthy lunch on the table and then cut out paper shapes while they nap later so we can put together a simple Valentine craft this afternoon. Yep, I told ya....I'm really committing to Love Day celebrations! Be impressed.