Busy But Fun

We didn't travel back to our families for the holiday weekend this year.  It was just the 5 of us celebrating together.  I think I "might" have over-compensated for that...for the fact that the boys wouldn't be with their cousins for egg dyeing and egg hunts...for the fact that last Easter we were so overwhelmed with their sister's diagnosis(both DS and heart defect) that we didn't do much or go anywhere.  Saturday, we enjoyed 3 egg hunts...the boys did...Hailey went along for the ride :-)  The last one of the day was with our local Down syndrome association.  This event was better for me.  I knew a few of the months...familiar faces definitely help at those events.  On his own, my middle son made friends with a little boy that I had already made plans for a future play date this summer.  It was funny.  Hailey didn't seem to mind the crowd or the people she didn't know.  She took to one mom (almost jumped out of my arms) and had a ball on the swings.  She didn't even whimper at the Easter bunny (which has me hopeful for Mickey at Disney this summer!!)

Why do you keep putting me in the grass?

And giving me things I can't eat!

Think he is excited?

He found 3 prize eggs!

Hailey's lonely egg was a prize-winner too!

Seriously...another egg hunt?

Me & my beautiful children

I told you...she will eat anything!

Still not fond of releasing!

My hand is yellow

Coloring eggs is hard work!

This morning, the kids checked out their loot from the Easter bunny...nope...I'm not posting pictures because yes, we over-compensated.  We headed to church to celebrate the meaning of Easter.  Last year we missed Easter mass.  Hailey had just been released from the NICU and diagnosed with a heart defect.  We weren't sure how fragile she was and didn't want to subject her to that many people at once.  Today, we happily sat shoulder-to-shoulder in a warm, crowded church to celebrate Easter and thank God once again for the blessings in our life.  After church, the boys hunted eggs one last time in the yard and then we played the remainder of the day low-key.  The boys played in the neighborhood with friends, I visited with a friend, we piddled around the house, enjoyed a nice dinner and ended the day with peanut butter pie and family movie night in our bed.  Two out of the three of them were asleep by 8:05.

Looking forward to a low-key spring break with the boys.  No real plans, taking it day by day!

Soccer & Easter Egg hunts

Ahh...the time is upon us again.  The time of running nuts between two boys' sports practices and Brayden's religion classes as he prepares for his first communion.  Both boys decided to play soccer this spring...the first year we haven't had baseball in 4 years.  Part of me is sad and will miss baseball.  The other part of me says enjoy it...Ian will be playing it next year.  Soccer ends earlier in the year than baseball.  I'm very grateful for that.

Friday night we attempted to go to a "moonlight" egg hunt.  Crazy Midwest storms had other ideas.  The skies darkened as the great hunt neared.  The egg hunt was then moved inside but that turned crazy with a couple hundred people!  It was mass chaos but the boys managed to get some eggs.  Hailey didn't partake in that one...she would have been trampled!  Saturday the 5 of us layered up and loaded in the van for the first games of the season.  The temp was 49 degrees at 9:45 for the start of Brayden's game...the temp was still 49 degrees at 12:15 for the end of Ian's game.  It was dreary and chilly...the chill to the bone kind of temp.  We had our picnic lunch in the van and I had to crack up at Hailey.  Eating her lunch out of a tupperware container while sitting on the van floor with mom.  Poor 3rd child...I think I need to devote a blog post...what life looks like being #3 (atypical or typical!).  She's a trooper though.  She doesn't complain about it much.  Both boys played well, tried their hardest and had fun...that is all I ask of them. 

Uhhh...here we go again!

We then drove to the egg hunt with our local developmental disabilities agency.  They set up an event for the early intervention group.  The boys hung out with friends and Hailey got a few eggs.  It was chilly so they cut some of their activities but they all seemed happy.

What do you mean, I'm not supposed to eat them?

You really want me to pick these up out of the grass?

This week is a short week for both boys at school and then they are on spring break.  I keep thinking back to a year ago.  We didn't go to any egg hunts last year...we didn't "live" much at all last year.  We were still in shock...we were scared to do too much...we didn't know how to live with Hailey's heart defect...with Down syndrome.  We are making up for it this year.  We are back to "living" and enjoying life!!