Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend was non-stop!  We started our celebrating on Saturday with a few games for the boys.  Max had his first soccer game of the spring season and did awesome as usual.  They faced some pretty stiff competition and played their little hearts out.  Hank had a practice baseball game and pitched amazingly well.  It's going to be an exciting season for Hanksta.  He's going to get tons of playing time.

In between games, we had time to squeeze in the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.

Hank opted to sit the hunt out to help Sam find eggs.  What a good big bro.

Sam loved finding his eggs, in fact we had a hard time getting him to stop at his 12 egg allotment. 

He agreed to stop finding eggs once Hank showed him the candy inside.

He pretty much ate all his candy before he made it back home.

Man we have a lot of kids in this neighborhood.  I think there were 76 kids participating this year and it's probably not even half of the kids that live here.

Who's that stud?

I'm not sure what he found in this egg but he was impressed to say the least!

We also crammed in a little Easter Egg coloring before Hank's game.

Hank and Max are getting pretty good at coloring eggs.  I hardly had to help them this year.

This chocolate faced goober on the other hand, had to be watched constantly!

I'm not sure who the genius was that bought 5 dozen eggs to color.

Ok, well maybe not all 5 dozen eggs survived our coloring.  We got hungry.  The kids did a mighty fine job.

Later that night Jeri had us over for pizza and fun.  It was really relaxing, so much so I didn't take one picture.  The kids love playing at her house.  Makes my job pretty darn easy.

On Easter morning, the kids were pumped to find clues from the Easter Bunny.

Sam tried his hardest to keep up with his big brothers.  They were running furiously to each clue, outside, upstairs, downstairs, and in the kitchen.  Why do my boys suddenly look so old?  I dread the day they are "too old" for the Easter Bunny's treasure hunt.

Sam was stoked for his sidewalk chalk and bubbles however Hank and Max enjoyed them just as much, if not more than he did!  We quickly showered and headed up to my mom's for Easter Brunch.

Look at this beautiful table!

My mommy dearest really outdid herself this year.  The food was absolutely as divine as it looks.

The kids even gave it a thumbs up.

My kids looked so adorable in their new Easter duds and I tried my hardest to get a cute picture.  It just wasn't in the cards.

Sam refused to look at the camera and the second he opened his new swimming suit from grandma and grandpa, he wouldn't wear anything else the rest of the day.  His shades really add to the outfit.

I can always count on Max to take a cute picture.  I love Sam strolling in the background.

My parents set up an Easter egg hunt down by the pond. What a perfect setting for and Easter afternoon.

Next, the annual Easter egg chuck!

Everyone got in on the action.  Of course it had to end with egg yolk in Hank and Max's hair.  So gross.

Even though I didn't manage to capture one good pic of the family together, I did get a few great photos.

These kids could play Survivor next to this stream all day.

If Sam wasn't on the 4-wheeler...

he was throwing rocks, 

playing in the mud,

or finding sticks 3 times as big as he is.  He was in heaven.

This was my view from the pitchers mound during our softball game.  She was a pretty intimidating batter.

The stakes were high in our Griffin Family vs. Everyone else match-up.

I don't think I need to even tell you who completely dominated.  I think Hank alone could have taken the entire family.

He was so good even Tucker needed a cuddle from the all star.

Sam made it approximately 5 minutes before completely passing out on our way home.  He may have slept in his dirty swimming suit.

Despite the fact my dad took 8 Zyrtec earlier in the day, my parents hosted the perfect Easter celebration.  It was relaxing, fun, delicious, and full of memory making experiences. (I promise I was there, no photos to prove it though.)  How did I get so lucky to have these two as my parents?  I appreciate all their efforts so much.  Love them!

Spring Break

With Randy traveling down to Cedar City a lot lately, we didn't have any huge Spring Break plans.  We opted for a bit of a "stay-cation" if you will.  It wasn't my first choice but we made the best of it and managed to have a great break from our routine.  Some of these pictures didn't happen during Spring Break but close enough.

The new Living Aquarium finally opened so we tried it out with the little tykes on Tucker's birthday.

Sam looks a little unsure of the fact there are two sharks on the other side of the glass.

But trust me, he was so entertained by everything.  We need a membership, just for Sam.  He could be occupied for hours there.  He loved watching the sharks, jellyfish, penguins, and otters.

I couldn't seem to pry him away from the glass.

Nice try getting a picture of these three!

Mom looked fab though!  

My personal favorite moment of the day was when Tucker decided to eat 3 suckers at the same time.

Natalie and Isaac had us over for dinner one night during Spring Break to celebrate Isaac's birthday.  I snapped this gem of Sam and Rambo which captures perfectly Sam's love for dogs.  Makes me feel a little guilty we don't have a dog of our own, not that guilty though.  Max decided to go home early that night and when we got home we found him like this on the couch.  He had freshly showered, brushed his teeth, and put on his jammies all by himself.  This kid is genius.

Why am I paying for babysitters?  Pretty sure Max can take care of himself pretty well.

Speaking of Max, the only thing he wanted to do over the break was go swimming.  We invited Jack, Tucker, and Isabel to join us and we had a great time.

We were far too busy having fun to be bothered with picture taking.  I don't think there was a day during Spring Break that my boys didn't hang out with their cousins.  They are their best friends and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Cousins are the best!

Hank's one request during Spring Break was to have a sleepover with Colby.  They stayed up late and woke up early just like you're supposed to.  The next night my mom invited the older kids to come sleep at her house.  She went all out with catering from Chick fil A, games, movies, and late night conversation.  The kids are still talking about how much fun they had.  Hank informed me he wants to live there for most of the summer.  I'd say that was a successful sleepover.  

Max has perfected the "grandma Jackie dance".  It's hilarious!  These are some pretty lucky kids right here.

The next pictures are examples of how much fun you can have by going through your old Halloween costumes.  There are some classic videos that go along with all these pictures.  I was crying I was laughing so hard.

MJ

Waldo?

I must admit, Max can pull off the black curly wig better than everyone else.

Who wore it best, Mario style.  I can't pick, they are all amazing.

We had some gorgeous weather all week, perfect for a little lunch at the park.

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Also perfect weather for a trip to the zoo.  Shorts and tank tops, yes please!!

These two sort of have a "thing" these days.  I love it so much!

It was so fun to spend some time with Kate and the girls.  We don't get to see them nearly enough.

Sarah and her crew always make the trip more exciting.

Sarah snapped this little gem of Max and Jack.  One of my favorite pics of the day.

I'm so glad Natalie and Wyatt could join us.  Wyatt is such a happy little baby. 

Here are some other random pictures from the day.

These two troublemakers would've been content throwing wood chips the entire afternoon.

You can't have a trip to the zoo without a little carousel action.

Hank decided at the last minute he wasn't too cool to ride the carousel.  He told me to destroy this picture.

Max may be a little big to be hitching a ride in the wagon.

The day was capped off  by a delicious ice cream treat.  I'd say it was a pretty perfect zoo day, exhausting no doubt, but pretty perfect.

This next picture is a bit out of order but I stole it from Jeri's facebook and her delicious St. Patrick's day party just had to be documented.  She always goes above and beyond to celebrate our Irish heritage...oh wait, pretty sure we're not Irish but oh well!  It's fun anyhow!  

I'm feeling pretty lucky as I write this post to live near almost all of our family.  It's pretty remarkable and something I'll never take for granted.  Family is where it's at!

Happy Birthday Mama!

This picture deserves a blog post.  The stars aligned and I managed to get a perfect picture of all 3 of my boys with their grandma on her birthday.  These kids adore their grandma and it's pretty clear in this picture.

Sam couldn't wait for Grandma Jackie's birthday party.  He ran right up to her and gave her a big hug when she got to our house.  These two have the sweetest bond.

After a rough couple of weeks with illness, I'm so glad my grandparents were feeling well enough to join the party.  My mom hit the jack pot when it comes to in-laws!  

The Ross Family perfectly posed for this pic.

  Dan kept the 2 year old crowd entertained.

I just can't resist a candle blowing picture.  Makes me giggle every time.

Randy was working in Cedar City and sadly missed the party.  I'm not sure how I lucked out having this incredible lady by my side for life but I'm grateful every day for her.  My mom is the person in my life I can tell everything to and I know she will always give me a supportive and loving response.  She's always been there for me and I appreciate it more and more as I get older.  Just knowing that part of her DNA runs through my body gives me the strength to handle anything that comes my way.  I know she dreads her birthdays but I can honestly say she's getting better with age.  She's never been more beautiful inside and out.

I love you more than words can say mama!  I hope you had the best birthday.