Easter 2013

Mom and Dad's Easter gifts are the first to arrive in this house.

Then we head to church, after which the kids go outside for the Easter egg hunt...

They also get to go to an ENORMOUS egg hunt at Nikki's every year (which gets more amazing and elaborate each year, of course, because it's Nikki's!), so their Easter bounty is plentiful.

We also brought Bridget to church (our rule of thumb is that our emerging toddlers only come to big holiday masses--on a weekly basis, she is hard to contain and distracting for the boys). She did a great job, and even when she needed to be removed to the "kid room" halfway through, she was pretty happy. (Although sometimes she needed to be chased down the hallway, since she's a kid who staggers away from her parents without looking back.) (God help us.)

We forgot to take an all-family picture, but it was a very fun weekend with a lot of eating! All around, a great holiday.

Bridget at 12 Months

 At twelve months old, Bridget discovered the fun of self-grooming, the joys of (lurching, and then) walking, and the truism that fake laughter often leads to REAL laughter.

St. Patrick's Day 2013

Easy-to-read leprechaun clues for Will to decipher

Starting the treasure hunt together

At the end of the rainbow...a "Jake" book for each!

Recent Boy Quotes

On St. Patrick's Day, the boys were playing hockey downstairs when Will poked his head up to ask me something. "Mom, can you come play hockey with us? 'Cause we're two referees and [shakes head, rolls eyes] no players."

That night I told him it was time to get ready for bed and added, "No ifs, ands, or buts!"
"Mom," Will said, chuckling at me, "You're the craziest ever."

Finn on 3/18, as I'm helping him in the bathroom:
"Mom! You put me on the toilet and you DIDN'T put me gently!"

Later, I asked him if he wanted to get a haircut soon. He replied, "I want a haircut. I want it BALDED."

At the end of March, I asked the boys over dinner what they liked most about themselves.

"I love everything about me, because I love myself!" Will answered cheerfully.
"Okay, but what do you like the best about yourself?"
"Because I'm so nice all the time!" he concluded (somewhat mendaciously, I might add).
"What about you, Finny?"
Deadpan, Finn replied, "Because I'm so tiger-y."