March

This year, once again, we began and ended March with a bang. Last year, we bought our first house. It's crazy to think it's been a year. We have updated it so much, but yet, there's still so much I still want to change.I'll post those changes in another blog post.

This month, Spencer's parents came home from serving a mission overseas, so it was nice of them to spend a couple of days....there was a lot of requests from all siblings to visit, so it was nice for them to make a little time for us. Dom really enjoyed their company. He kept showing them his new toys and we went to the railroad museum. The days were a bit chilly, so we mostly stayed inside. They helped us repaint some of the trim and helped me paint our dining room chairs and table.  Ethan was a little taken back since he hadn't met them, but he was looking around for them the day they left.

Making an origami fish

Coloring eggs...his first time. 

Could it be??? They are both looking at the camera and
smiling??? This is one for the records book. 

Spencer got to go to San Diego with his brother for a birding trip...hopefully the last one of the year...one can only hope (sigh). They were suppose to do a cruise thing, but it got cancelled due to the weather conditions...so they just walked around and found their birds. But he had fun...he always does...now....when do I get my vacation?!? Meanwhile, the kids got a postcard in the mail for a free Lego toy at our local Walmart. When we showed up the lady was hesitant to give one to Ethan cause he was so little, but I was like "the postcard is in his name...will u honor it this time?" and then she gave in, but not without tell me that he was to be under supervision when he played with them....aargh...whatever.

Ethan has to have everything Dom has...so this worked out for him

Dom had two parties in School- one for St Patty's Day and the other one for Easter. I got to attend both. For St Patty's Day, they followed a trail of pennies, the leprechauns had left behind...which led to a pot of chocolate coins, the kids got to take that home. But all that week before the party, the little leprechauns were being naughty and causing mischief in the classrooms. Ms C would tell Dom in the mornings when I dropped him off "Dom...look at this naughty leprechauns...look at this mess"...and there would be like chairs turned upside down, or 4 leaf clover confetti everywhere. Dom actually believed all of it. He was so nervous that he was going to run into one. He actually told me that. He said "momma, the leprechauns are naughty...I don't want them to come home with me".

Following the trail all over school

Pot of chocolate gold coins at the end

snack time. These kids get the biggest cookies
for snacks. No wonder Dom never eats when he
comes home. 

Dom had a blast in school (he always does). He got to have an Easter egg hunt. But came home the day before to tell me why we actually celebrate Easter. I really do love that school. I kinda want him to go a religious school, instead of being stuck with the public school system. I like how they pray before they eat their food, and they give birthday blessings, and they sing songs about Jesus...it's neat. Now I understand why so many LDS families take their kids there. It's nice to know that whatever Dom learns in church coincides with whatever he is learning in school...that's getting harder to do these days.

ready for the hunt

he dashed for them. they told him to only get 12...he might
have gotten a few more. But I only let him keep them, because
everyone had more than 12. 

so happy with the loot

snack time...again, big cookies for snacks

checking out the loot. 

We also had two other Easter egg hunts. One, at my mom's, and one at our house.  Our church starts at 2:30pm (it sucks, I know...I blame the university ward)...so we did it right before dinner, but after church. I had never given my kids so much candy. Dom kept saying it was the "best Easter ever". My kids only eat candy  in Easter....and usually at Christmas time I only buy one bag orfcandy for all of us, and fill the stockings with that, the rest is fruit or fruit snacks. I was able to shop right after Easter and found some cute stocking stuffers for Christmas this year. I know..it's way early. But I do have two December birthdays AND Christmas...this is the only way we can make it work. We spend a little every month saving up toys, and that way November bill is not ENORMOUS. Toys usually go on sale in January (those were the Easter toys I bought the kids- seriously, didn't spend more than $20 per basket) and then July (when stores move inventory)....and then black Friday sales.

Easter morning. 

Easter Sunday picture for the brothers. I love Ethan's model pose. And
Dom....is always goofy.

There were no hunts in our ward...because they were trying to separate the bunny from the resurrection...which I personally think it's bogus..I think they just didn't have enough volunteers OR it just wasn't in the budget. separate religion and secular? what about the ward Christmas party where Santa showed up to take pictures with the kids?

Easter egg hunt at Guelita's house...look at all those
eggs!!!!

Having M&Ms for the first time...I think he liked them.

My little bunnies. Dom was just bummed he had to wear "two shirts".

Whatever...however, I do understand what a huge undertaking that would have been, since pretty much everyone in the ward has 6 kids...most of them in primary...it's a big primary. In our primary program, we couldn't seat all the children up in those seats, they had to ask for the first three middle rows and first two side rows (in sacrament floor) for the little ones to seat on. So, I can imagine you would probably need hundreds of eggs.
It was Ethan's first time Egg hunting...had no clue what was going on. he's so used to being run over by Dom, he hardly cared...he stayed out of the way. He literally found his first egg (pink) opened,....ate all 5 M&Ms....and sat down. Meanwhile, Dom was snatching them all in his bucket...haha...they were overflowing so bad. I was able to find some hollow chocolate eggs with surprises and snatched a couple for each kid. I'm pretty sure Dom ate them all. So, next year, I think we will do a lot less eggs, or just do the baskets and maybe fill the eggs with something else...like the story of the Resurrection. It's like a puzzle...find all the pieces, and piece the story together...I think Dom would like that, and Ethan will be older next year. I just need to find those parts...OR I bet I could make my own.

Easter egg hunt at our place.

Ethan is not very good at them. he only takes one and opens it. 

He wasn't sure what he was suppose to do

I had mentioned last month that Dom had stopped using night pull ups. He's been doing so awesome. I think since last month he's only had like three accidents...but he has been sleeping horrible. I think he wakes up at least three times. So I decided to rub his feet with some oils...desperate times call for desperate measures...and so far (the past 4 days) it's been so much better. o, it maybe all in my head, or it may actually work. I'm not sure. I also stopped giving him the IPAD at night. We relax in the dark right before bed, in the living room, and i massage his feet...he loves it. He also mentioned that the new bunk bed was scary to him. I asked him if I gave him his old white bed back, if he would sleep better and he said yes. After a whole day and an almost broken toe of moving all kinds of furniture parts around....Dom had his old white bed back...and lo and behold, we have not had any problems since. So, i guess my kids won't have bunk beds. I guess I'll have to buy just two twin beds. Whatever, I just know a combination of everything has worked, and I have my bed back all night.
 But anyways, Daddy promised him a big surprised if he would stop doing it for 7 nights straight....and now, here's the surprise.....

He was excited. Ethan just ran out the door, that's why he's not
in the pic...he's in the driveway somewhere and Dada had to
go get him....ay nino!

Can you guess where we are going?!?

Heck yea!!!! We're going to Disneyland! Mickey wrote to Dom telling him he had an airplane ticket waiting for him. What an awesome way to start April....see you later friends, I will write all about it when we get back...all my tips and tricks. Happy birthday to me and Happy potty training to Dom!!!!