Easter

Easter was pretty fun this year. The kids couldn't wait to color and hunt eggs...and get presents from the Easter Bunny. We went to an egg hunt the weekend before Easter that was actually a fundraiser for a sick baby in our little town. I was so impressed with the huge crowd and all the volunteers. There was fantastic face painting, crafts, raffles, pictures with the Easter Bunny, balloon animals, and even the always popular bouncy house!

I think there were hunts for 4 different age groups.

Synnove had more eggs than she could fit in her basket!

On the Saturday before Easter, I took the kids to my Grandma's house for what I hope will be a new tradition! Back when I was a kid, my cousins (Wendey and Wesley) and I would always go to the annual egg hunt at the Warrenton High School and then head over to Grandma's house for all-day egg coloring, candy eating, and egg hunting. This year, it was fun to see our kids participating in the same fun. Unfortunately, Wesley's kids were sick and couldn't make it. It was a gorgeous day, and all the mess was able to stay outdoors.

The kids really enjoyed mixing and sharing colors...and they all got along!

My favorite part...basket filling time!

Bright and early the next morning, the kids found their gifts from the Easter Bunny. They had been begging for Hungry Hungry Hippos for months...and they finally got it! They just HAD to try it out as soon as they got back from church!

Our church had a special service at the Astoria High School Auditorium with special speaker Josh McDowell. I hadn't heard of him...but from the buzz around town in the weeks before, I realized he was kind of a big deal. Even Adam knew who he was...I was clueless. Anyway, he spoke on the resurrection and shared tidbits from his own horrific childhood. It was a great service. Afterwards we headed to Ridgefield, WA for our annual family dinner at Aunt Kathi and Uncle Steve's. Unfortunately, I didn't capture any photos, but the kids enjoyed hunting eggs with their big cousins along with Lyndel and Kevin's little one, Bristol and her brother Trenton.

Needless to say, the kids have enough candy to last them till next Easter!

Visit with Cousins

My sister-in-law, Amanda, was in NY last week, so my mom-in-law watched Samantha and Carter. We don't see them too often, so it was a nice to have them visit for a couple of days last week. Grandma Patty had promised Synnove some new additions to her "fairy garden" that they started last year, and she wanted to do some fun crafts with the kids all together. Faith and her two kids came too, so we had a full house! The kids enjoyed all the company and played for hours outside. Patty had planned to stay the night, and thought that both Faith and I knew. Communication isn't a strong Brown-family characteristic...lol! I wasn't doing anything for the next couple of days, so it worked out fine, but Faith was a bit bummed that she didn't come prepared to stay as well. She had an appointment the next day and didn't want to be all frazzled. Still, she stayed till almost 11:00 that night visiting and loading up on coffee for the drive home.

Quite the fairy garden, if you ask me. Notice, Synnove is watching Grandma work...lol!

Samantha playing peek-a-boo with Cash and Synnove and Soren through the window.

The next day, Patty and I spend a lazy morning visiting while the kids played outside. My fridge wasn't full enough to create a suitable lunch, so we headed to town to have sandwiches at the Wheelhouse. Coincidentally, Patty and I both were in dire need of oil changes, so we got that out of the way and headed to the beach.

The weather was surprisingly beautiful! I took them all to Fort Stevens to explore Battery Russel before finally ending at Peter Iredale Beach for a quick run through the sand. I actually wasn't planning on going, so I didn't have my camera with me. I could have got some really great photos of the kids playing in the little pools created by the shipwreck. Though the beach isn't far, it's rare for us to actually go there. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was pregnant with Soren the last time I was at Peter Iredale. Peter Iredale Beach is less than 5 miles from my Parent's house. I suppose knowing that it's there is enough for me :)