Forest Fling.

Fawn got to go to the Forest Fling for real this year -- and he was so excited about it! That day BWF also celebrated its 50th birthday so the kiddos had fun all day long. Pops graciously agreed to keep Small Fry after his preschool was over so I could volunteer at Forest Fling -- it takes a lot of mamas to pull that afternoon off. I signed up for drinks and worked the first two hours. Fun but exhausting! Was so glad when my shift was over so I could just hang out with my little man.

Free the Beasts!

Snow Cones and Mash Injuries.

Rock Wall.

Love my little BWF Ranger.

Check out the green and gold hair.

More Easter Fun.

After church we came home to see what the bunny brought. The boys got fun stuff this year -- chocolate bunnies, bug catcher necklaces, Spiderman blow up toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle slime balls, Lego mixels and books. Then we headed to my parents' house for Easter brunch. Delicious! The boys cleaned their plates. It was an extra special morning for me because my grandfather has not been well and I had not really spent time with him since Thanksgiving -- way too long! After brunch we headed home for some R&R (Fawn and I had already had a really long day!) and an Easter egg hunt. Then it was off to the Nichols for more egg hunting and a casual Easter supper. Fun day all around!

The chocolate bunny is always a huge hit.

Favorite family shot from Mimi and Pops' house.

Small Fry got in on the action.

Evidence of sharing and brotherly love.

Speedy, competitive egg hunter.

Exciting find.

Happy boy.

Handsome boy.

Nichols cousins.

Cutest nugget ever.

Family shot plus Small Fry's ring light.

Love my (big) babies.

Easter Morning.

Easter day began right and early for Fawn and me, as we decided to attend Covenant's sunrise service at Vulcan Park. It began at 6:15 -- so a very early morning indeed. And it was freezing! You just never know what you are going to get in terms of Easter weather in Alabama. Fawn wore his pajamas and a fleece jacket and I was just slightly more put together in my leggings, boots, sweatshirt and fuzzy vest. It was so cold that as soon as we got to Vulcan and were in the cold wind he borrowed my fuzzy vest. I didn't know what to expect in terms of crowds but to say it was crowded is an understatement. There were no parking spaces when the whole crowd arrived and it was standing room only. It was a relatively short service of readings, hymns, and prayers and a wonderful way to celebrate our risen Lord. There was even a little fun thrown in for the kids -- Mr. Dan hid Easter eggs on the backside of Vulcan for them to find at the conclusion of the service. 

Then we were off to the church. Fawn quickly changed clothes in the car, while I opted to change in the nursery bathroom. We met Small Fry and Buck for the pancake breakfast -- again a packed house at Covenant and a great way to celebrate Christ's resurrection in fellowship with other believers. Church was lovely, and Fawn stayed to enjoy the entire service. Then we headed home to see what the bunny brought the boys.

Before venturing indoors to the bunny's bounty, I was able to capture some Easter morning pictures of my boys.

Sweet brothers.

Love them so.

Sweet smiles (and a tooth gap!).

Bunny ears.

So silly.

Blessed by the bond between brothers.

Handsome Daddy and his boys.

My love buys and me.

Low Key Spring Break.

We had an awesome, low key Spring Break this year. Fawn was coming off a terrible run of migraines and I was really looking forward to some down time for him. Small Fry loves being at home too, so he was happy to stay put. And Buck had a huge mediation on Tuesday, so we had to get through that before we could head to the farm.

For the first weekend of Spring Break, I was home with the boys while Buck entertained some friends from Arkansas at the farm. Small Fry had a pretty rough bout of croup, but once he was on steroids it cleared right up. I have to say he is such a fighter with an amazing survival instinct. He literally assaulted the X-ray technician. I hate that he kicked her, but she was not being kind or displaying even a hint of patience with him and he was being threatened. Not to mention the last time he was in that room, he was getting his broken collarbone X-rayed. I don't know how we are going to rein him in, but I also know that since the very beginning of his life he's had a self protection instinct that I find astonishing. From forcing his way out of every single swaddle but one (and we know "how to swaddle"), to kicking like mad during the days of heal pricks for his jaundice, to rolling over at a mere ten days of life, by golly he's got it and he uses it.

But, back to Spring Break...the first Saturday of Spring Break I woke up with not one but two monkeys in my bed. Small Fry had to sleep with me because of the croup. And poor Fawn had a nightmare and crawled into bed with us about midnight.

There were three in the bed.

We kicked off Spring Break with a trip to Heavenly Donuts and some play time at Spain Park then some errands, which included a new Under Armor hat for Small Fry (to accompany the one we bought for Fawn the day before).

Boom.

Daddy got home Sunday and enjoyed some quality time with the boys. On Monday the three amigos were at it again. We walked to Magic Muffins for breakfast, and then we went to Lifetime to swim in the indoor pool and Fawn had a swimming lesson. After we finished swimming we headed to Byrd Park for playing and an Easter egg picnic. Fawn spent the afternoon with Lulu shopping for new spring clothes. On Tuesday, after we made resurrection rolls, we picked Mimi up to join the fun and went to the J.Crew outlet in Leeds for some new spring clothes (we found our Easter wear! Just in the nick of time!) and then went to Leeds Park. It is by far the boys' favorite park in Birmingham and we had an awesome morning playing there. I packed them a picnic in Easter eggs again because it is one of their favorite treats. Tuesday night we went to Regions Park for an Alabama/UAB baseball game. We sat through almost an hour and forty minutes of rain delays, but once the action started the boys loved it. And Small Fry even made the dance cam.

Waiting out the rain delay.

Wednesday meant it was finally farm time! Whoop whoop! So we spent our morning getting groceries and packing up but still managed to squeeze in another swim at Lifetime and Easter egg dying before we hit the road. The farm was fabulous! We got to spend some good time with Pak and Doc, which the boys always love. There was turkey hunting for the Hughstons, fishing, riding around, and boating. Fun times for all!

He was a calm driver (the first day!!!)

River rat.

Driving is serious business.

Excited to be headed back for more river cruising the next day. 

Barge on the Tombigbee.

Quite the driver.

This one on the other hand turned the wheel so fast he said he was trying to flip us. 

Better driving.

We pulled up next to a cattle farm and the boys went to explore.

Another great Spring Break staying close to home. We made lots of memories and spent some awesome time together!

iJack.

Snuggle time. I don't know why he isn't wearing a shirt!

Snack time at Magic Muffins after gymnastics

Playing a math game at BWF Family Night.

Gymnastics selfie.

Swimming with Miss Brittany.

Grandpals Day.

Fawn was a lucky boy to have all four grandparents accompany him to Grandpals Day at BWF. They sang songs in the auditorium and then went to the cafeteria for breakfast and then back to the classroom for a tour. Fawn got to read to them and show them around. He said it was a special day -- and his grandparents thought it was pretty awesome too.

Signing his name on the fancy board.

Mimi and Pops.

Lulu and Doc.

Lots of love for this special kindergartener.

Easter Happenings.

Like with the Advent, it was so different to lead up to a holiday with Fawn in big school. We just didn't have the time to focus on the season for weeks and weeks. And like with Advent, that was actually wonderful. We spent the weeks of Lent reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible. While if you do it every day you make it to the resurrection on Easter, we were a bit off schedule. We only made it through the Old Testament and then read the stories from Palm Sunday to the giving of the Holy Spirit. I think it was a great exercise for all of us, though, and I see the Word of God finding a place in their little hearts, which is such a joy for this mama.

We did brave the Overton Park Easter Egg Hunt for the first time. It was so well done and a huge hit. They went all out with the Easter eggs -- there were TONS of them. Plenty for all the children to go home with a stuffed basket. After the hunt there were all sorts of carnival games and face painting to enjoy. Not to mention a visit from the Easter Bunny.

While most children were dressed in their Easter finest, my boys were dressed like this.

Fawn got a NC on his face for North Carolina. At the end of the season he got super into UNC basketball, memorized the fight song, watched basketball games, and declared his undying allegiance to the Tar Heels.

Spring Break was the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Fawn got to participate in the waving of the palm branches at Covenant. Just precious to watch those children. We also made resurrection rolls, and the boys were really into it this year. And we dyed Easter eggs. Plenty of preparation for an awesome Easter Sunday.

They were more excited than they look to decorate eggs! It was so hot -- almost 90 degrees! I threw the eggs away because I was a little worried about food poisoning.

I just love the smile with the missing tooth.

And this guy melts my heart.

He is just so cute.

A truly blessed Easter with these two.