Easter egg hunt

This morning we had our egg hunt at home!  Oliver and Buttercup were so excited and couldn't wait until it was time to get started. This year we decided to do 3 separate egg hunts for the kids. We started with Theodore first, and he was so excited to hold his basket that at first he didn't even care about looking for eggs. :-)  

We put his eggs out in the open, but he needed some help from his sweet big brother to find the last two. :-)

After Theodore found all of his eggs, it was Tootie's turn! She made short work of hers, although she did need some help finding a few of them. :-) (I don't know why I have so few pictures of her!)

Then it was Oliver's turn. Dennis and Granddaddy hid them very well and made him work for his eggs! It's fun that we get to use good hiding places for him. :-)

Toward the end of the egg hunt, I noticed a ladybug in the grass. Theodore came over to investigate it and poked it with his chubby little finger . . . 

. . . and then he stomped on it. :-/

Dyeing Easter eggs

This week I bought some cute Easter egg decorating kits at Target, and the kids couldn't wait to use them! This morning we were at home by ourselves, so it was the perfect time to test them out. :-)

(This was the first year that Oliver and Buttercup pretty much took care of the egg-dyeing by themselves, with very little supervision! This was also the first year that I finally got wised up and used a towel to protect our countertop . . .)  

I can't believe how tall they both are now. Neither of them needed a step stool this year. :-(

To my surprise, Theodore didn't ask to be involved with the egg-dyeing process! He was content to watch and smile for the camera. :-)

I did end up giving him an egg to hold, which he thoroughly enjoyed. 

This is when he tapped the egg on my camera lens, ha ha!

And . . . this is right before he threw the egg across the kitchen and then threw a massive tantrum because I wouldn't give him another one. :-)

Imagine these next few pictures with a screaming toddler in the background . . .

This is one of Buttercup's eggs. :-)

These next two are Oliver's eggs. It's interesting how Buttercup was so careful about making her eggs look exactly like the ones in the picture, and Oliver was more abstract with his. :-)

This is one of the eggs that Oliver dyed. I'm not sure how it ended up looking like this, but it was really neat! He wanted to save it as long as he could (before it went bad), but then he dropped it on the floor, so it ended up being the one that he ate first. :-)

Buttercup's finished eggs.

Oliver's finished eggs.

Pork and Sausage Jambalaya

I found this recipe in a cooking magazine a couple of months ago, and it's quickly become one of our staple recipes. I don't remember which magazine it was or who even supplied the recipe -- I took a picture of the recipe with my phone, and printed it when I got home! It's not the best jambalaya I've ever had (that award goes to Big Ed's jambalaya at Milldale Baptist Church), but it is very good and it does taste like an authentic Louisiana recipe. :-)  (And, as an added bonus, it takes about half the time to cook as Big Ed's recipe.) 

Here's my fine-tuned version of the recipe. :-)

Pork & Sausage Jambalaya
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large green or red bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 lb smoked sausage, sliced (beef, pork, turkey, etc all work fine)
3 cups uncooked white rice (brown rice doesn't work that well, but is okay to use)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups diced cooked pork or chicken thighs (chicken breasts will be too dry)**

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, green or red pepper, and celery. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. 

Add sausage to the pot, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Add rice, paprika, red and black pepper, broth, tomatoes, and pork. Stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 18-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Enjoy!

This is a really horrible picture, because it doesn't look appealing at all and actually looks kind of slimy, but trust me, it's GOOD. Try it for yourself!! 

**I usually cook the pork or chicken thighs in the crockpot the day before, so I don't have to deal with that extra step on the day that I'm making the recipe. I usually use 4 large boneless pork chops or 4 or 5 boneless chicken thighs, and cook them on high for 4 hours. Shred the meat when it's done, and set it in the fridge until you need to use it. 

A bunch of pictures :-)

Here are a bunch of phone pictures from the past month or so. Enjoy!

Oliver proudly displaying his swim school graduation form :-)

Theodore stacking blocks! (I love his look of concentration!)

Theodore talking to the "psshh" [fish] at the Nature and Science Center. :-)

A person dressed up in a mechanized T-rex suit at the Nature & Science Center. It was pretty realistic, and some of the little kids were terrified! One little girl scrambled up the side of the rock overhang to get away from it, and ended up getting cactus needles all over her legs. :-( 

Rwar!

Trying to buckle his own helmet :-)

Anna and I went bowling one night! Beer and bowling don't mix (well, for me anyway)! She won by a lot!

Biking with me at the trail one Sunday afternoon

I love this picture not so much because of how it looks, but because of the memory of what was going on -- Buttercup was being very silly, Theodore was chasing Oliver with a giant pinwheel, and Oliver was dodging Theodore, laughing at Buttercup and trying to throw the ball to her.
One of those sweet moments when they were all having fun TOGETHER. :-) 

We had one of Buttercup's friends over to play one morning, and everyone decided to play dress up. :-)

This is one of my favorite memories! I wanted to go running one afternoon, but we really didn't have time to drive to the trail and back, so I decided to push Buttercup and Theodore in the stroller to the trail near our house, while Oliver biked next to me. When we got to the trail, Buttercup asked if she could get out and run. So I let her run the length of that trail, then she wanted to run more, so she ran the length of the next trail. We stopped for 30 minutes or so at a playground, then headed back home. Altogether Buttercup ran 2.8 miles! It was really awesome because 1) she got to do something she LOVES to do, 2) everyone got plenty of exercise, and 3) I only had to push 35 pounds of kid instead of 80 pounds of kid for those 2.8 miles. :-)  

Riding the carousel at the mall

The 5 of us went bowling last weekend, and Theodore bowled a spare on the first frame! Ha ha ha!

Storytime :-)

We went to a science show at the library, and Buttercup was chosen to be the first assistant :-)

Riding a hovercraft

Hanging around at the playground

Apparently they wore themselves out!

Oliver (in the middle) waiting for his turn at swim practice

Freestyle

Backstroke

Taking pictures of her big brother. She's so sweet!