Our Top 10 Easter '08 Memories

10. Coleman and Cooper got to participate in three Easter egg hunts this year. One church egg hunt, one neighborhood party and one with family. That's close to 40 candy filled eggs for each boy! Kinda makes your sweet tooth ache, doesn't it?

9. We colored easter eggs for Family Home Evening the Monday before Easter. The boys got a big kick out of "coloring" the egg with the invisible crayon and then dipping it to see what they drew.

8. On the way to Easter egg hunt #1, I got a flat tire only to be scooped up by a sweet neighbor. When asked if I needed a ride home, I told her no because Will was supposed to meet me at the park after his Praxis test at BYU. Well, Will's test ran long and he didn't show so I ended up walking 1/2 a mile home in the freezing weather with Cooper in my arms and Coleman dragging along behind me. I made it as fun as I could by racing the boys and singing songs but it was pretty miserable. Here's a video from before the long walk home-

7. Easter Sunday fell on a Stake Conference day and in our book that means NO CHURCH! I know that's so bad! Even non-religious types go to church on Easter Sunday, right?! Well, hopefully we didn't miss out on too many blessings by playing hooky...

6. We had dinner at June's (Will's sister's) house. That means great food and lots of it. Also, the boys were completely occupied by other kids and we actually got in some adult conversation. There was much to do about Obama's pastor. Any opinions?

5. I usually allow myself one Cadbury creme egg as a special treat every Easter. (I know they are sickeningly sweet, but I love them!) This year I think I allowed myself 1/2 a dozen! Guess I can't have another until the year 2013! It's probably for the best.


4. On Easter Day (when we were supposed to be at church) I cleaned the entire upstairs of our house. Let me tell you, that's quite a feat. And I'm happy to say that it has stayed clean since! If only the Easter bunny could do windows...


3. Coleman did such a great job playing with all the other kids on Easter at June's house. Typically, when there are a lot of people around, he just sorta shuts down and tries to be alone (it's an autism/overstimulation thing) but this year he was right in the thick of things. We were so proud of him! There were a lot of kids there! See for yourself!2. The Easter bunny was very generous this year and got the boys some pretty cool stuff. Coleman's Test Tube Alien is a constant reminder of just how generous the Easter bunny is. It's sitting by the kitchen sink in all it's test tube glory. This thing is creepy and Coleman loves it! Cooper got some Spiderman body wash and since he loves anything Spiderman, he was more than thrilled.

1. The best part about Easter 2008 was not the candy or toys or the Easter egg hunts, it was all the quality time that our li'l family got to spend together. I'm cherishing every moment because I know they grow up fast and our lives will only get busier and busier. So Happy Belated Easter from our family to yours!

Coleman's Birthday Slideshow!

My baby boy is 6! Coleman's birthday party was on Saturday but we had his birthday party on Friday hoping to beat the weekend crowds. We booked a party at Jump On It which is this neat place that has wall to wall trampolines and also an area with blow-ups, video games and some private decorated party rooms. My goal this year was to have his party somewhere other than my house so I wouldn't have to stress over cleaning, decorating, games and all the other stuff that comes with birthday parties. I stress enough over the cake (not too mention make a huge mess preparing it.) This year was the most stress free party yet and I think Coleman had more fun than ever. He had 7 cousins and 4 little friends (and parents, too) come to celebrate with him and he couldn't have been more pleased.

After an hour and a half of all the fun a kid can handle we all made our way to the party room to have cake and open presents. Coleman wanted an El Tigre themed cake. El Tigre is a new cartoon that plays on Nickelodeon. It's not very well known and it was near impossible to find toys for the cake but I finally found a set of McDonald's Happy Meal El Tigre toys on eBay. the cake was a fairly simple vanilla sheet cake filled with cookies and creme filling and frosted with chocolate fudge buttercream. The piece de resistance was the volcano that sat atop the cake. I formed it out of rice krispie treats and iced it with the same frosting as the cake, then I poured "molten lava" (tinted red icing) around the sides. At the time of presentation, I added a bit of dried ice and hot water inside the top of the volcano to give it that about-to-erupt cool factor. It was a total hit and my brother says I get an A+ for my science project! Thanks Chad!

Thanks for all who came and shared this party with us! It means so much to me to have so many people who love and care for Coleman. Truly.

And what a blessing he is to us. I mean how many people can say they have an actual super hero living with them! Thanks, Dr. Chalk, for always keeping us safe. We love you!

The goodie bags are ready...

Coleman is turning 6 this Saturday and I just love my boys' birthdays! They are seriously my two favorite days of the year! Tonight I put together the goodie bags for Coleman's li'l guests. We've got something really exciting planned for his party and, of course, his cake. More to come later on those. Just thought I'd post a teaser. Happy *almost* birthday Coleman!