Basketball Weekend

Easter weekend was also basketball weekend.  On Friday Grandpa Ranger and Erik took Kade and his friend Charlie to the Globetrotters game.  Then Saturday was the Alumni tournament at the high school.  Secretly I was kind of hoping Erik's team wouldn't win.  They have been in the championship game every year since the tournament started, which means we spend ALL DAY at the gym.  Turns out whether they won or lost we still had to spend ALL DAY at the gym.  Luckily they won so it made our ALL DAY at the gym worth it!!

Kade and Charles showing off their Globetrotter sweat bands.

Kade LOVED watching his Dad's team.  He soaked in every minute of the games, and more than once bragged that if he was out there they'd be winning by a lot more points!

Kade and Uncle Mike focusing on the game.

Ever since the Globetrotters and the alumni tournament Kade has been out in the driveway practicing his dribbling.  I think he's finally realized that the best basketball players are the ones who can handle the ball.  He's working hard on dribbling between his legs and behind his back.  

Mason, on the other hand, was much more focused on the concession stands at the game!!  He talked Grandpa into a bag of Skittles at 9:00 in the morning.

He did share a couple pieces with Kade.

I asked him to stand there and smile for me.

He did this instead...

While waiting for the last game to start, the boys goofed around in the hallway.

The old guys for the win!!!!

Harper and Mason at the end of the tournament doing their thing--being cute!

Easter Celebrations

We've gone from cold, boring weeks with nothing to post about to having so many pictures/topics I'm not sure where to begin!!  I'll start with our Easter celebrations since it was just yesterday and there's some pretty cute pictures to put up.

Last week A and S came for a visit to celebrate Easter and play for the day.  Of course the boys were spoiled rotten with lots of gifts, candy and attention!  The perfect trifecta when it comes to children, right?!

Kade's new sweatshirt he got from S.

Mason wanted in on the picture but of course he wouldn't give me a "normal" smile!

When Kade was really young he did not want a giant bunny hopping around our house while we were all asleep.  So, we started the tradition that Mom and Dad hide the eggs.  This year Kade kept asking if the Easter Bunny was real.  I told him I wasn't sure, that I'd never seen him and he probably doesn't come to our house because he knows that it used to scare him.  He told me he's disappointed in himself for being scared because now he wishes the Easter Bunny would start coming.  Maybe next year...

Easter morning before the hunt.

I realized I was photo bombing the picture in the reflection of the fire place.

That's better.

Showing Dad the goods.

Boys in their "dress up" clothes.

This is as dressed up as I cared to get them and it was hard enough to get them to put those clothes on!

This would've been a good picture...

if Kade didn't look so creepy.

Love.

Erik took these two pictures, hence the finger in the corner.

We went to Erik's parents after church for lunch and another egg hunt.

Unfortunately these are the only 2 pictures we have of the day.

Daycare and school were closed today so Erik took the day off to hang with the boys.

I gave Kade a list of outdoor jobs to do and they knocked off 3/5 of the list!

#1 was removing this nasty dog house and kennel.

Done and done!

Kade was so excited for Demo Day on the dog house, check out that tool belt!

Snack time!  

Tooth #4 gone!

Tuesday night...

Wednesday morning.

This time the Tooth Fairy left 8 quarters.  

Judging by his reaction you would've thought he got a million bucks!  

Love the age when more is better even when it's the same amount!

A couple Sunday's ago, I was laying in Kade's bed with him at bedtime when he told me to feel his gums.  I hadn't washed my hands recently so I told him no.  He insisted so I felt...nothing.  But I pretended I had felt something and just kind of brushed it off.  Then he said he's sick of having that bump in his mouth because he plays with it when he's sitting in school.  That got my attention so I turned the light on for a closer look.  I tried to hide my "Mom Fear" face when I saw a big bubble of yellow puss underneath his tooth!  I don't think I did such a great job though because he immediately started freaking out.  I got Erik out of Mason's room because I'd never seen anything like it and neither had Erik.  Thank goodness for Google because we found out right away it was an abscess.  Thank goodness for my Mom Friends (one of which is a hygienist) so we knew we had to get him in to the dentist next day.  They had an opening right away in the morning, got the tooth out (no antibiotics necessary) and he was back to school by 9:30.  Total tooth loss count is up to 3 now, with a front tooth currently hanging on by a thread! 

He told Erik he wanted $100 from the tooth fairy.

He got $2.

When he mentioned the next morning that it wasn't $100 we told him he actually got 200 pennies.  That seemed to satisfy him.

And then there's this guy.

Sweet stache, buddy.

Pucker up!!!!

Spring Break

Kade had Friday off from school so Erik and I took the day off as well and made plans to go to a waterpark.  Erik's sister Jenna, and her family, were able to join us as well!  We rented a cabin and spent 5 hours at the waterpark on Friday and then another 3 hours on Saturday.  Everyone had a blast! 

Kade and Violet, 2 peas in a pod.

I don't know why but I just love this picture of Kade.  

Can't believe how big he is getting!  The last time we were here, he was about 2 years old!

These are a couple pictures from the last time we were at this waterpark.

Who is that handsome little man?!?!?

Anyway, back to our mini-vacation...

This might have been the one and only time Mason let someone catch him as he jumped into the pool!

Violet, Mason, Jay and Isaac

It is impossible to get a 3 year old to actually look at the camera, or smile on command, or really do anything you ask of them!

Isaac

Violet

Kade spent quite a bit of time shooting hoops, 

which should come as no surprise to anyone :-)

Mason enjoying the hot tub

I told him to smile for me and this is the goofy grin he came up with.

The kids were SO EXCITED to discover their sleeping arrangements!

Remember what I said about a 3 year old doing what you ask?  Yeah, I told them to stay where they were (they were all laying on their beds) so I could take their picture.  Of course, Mason immediately got off his bed.  What a turkey!

Sitting in their beds lasted all of 2 seconds.

Let the fun begin....

Looks like a very serious conversation happening.

These 2 know what to do on vacation!!

It was a such a beautiful evening, we actually got to enjoy the outdoors for a little bit too!

After the sun set, we headed up to the game room.

Each couple spent exactly $10...

...and the kids got enough tickets to "win" 2 starbursts and a teeny, tiny racing car.

Oh well, the kids had fun and the pictures are cute!

The morning after their epic sleepover.  

In which both of these handsome little men ended up sleeping in between their parents! 

The drive home.

Unfortunately our fun weekend ended on a poor note, Kade and I came down with a nasty stomach flu.  Sunday was spent laying in bed or hanging out in the bathroom.  We both stayed home from work and school today and are spending quality time hanging out on the couch.  But, at least there hasn't been any more urgent trips to the bathroom!