Easter Fun.

I know Easter is past, but I wanted to share some of these cute events.

The Easter festivities started out by the ritual of dying Easter Eggs.

The kids very much enjoyed it, although Zachy thought it was more fun to put his hands in the cups rather than the eggs... but we managed. Gracie had lots of fun with the eggs and did very well.
Next up was the visit to the Easter Bunny. On the Saturday before Easter the community center in town had the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Gracie is old enough this year so her and I went and took along cousin Rochelle and Aunt Denise. It was a good thing Rochelle came with, or I don't think Gracie would have sat on the Easter Bunny's lap... it would have been the Santa Clause adventure all over again.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with the egg hunt, but managed to pick up a few. We had a blast and look forward to next years hunt.

Easter Day... more fun.

Gracie playing with the Memory game she got as a present for her birthday.

She got a match!

Photos outside. Marty had to work on Easter so we are minus a Daddy :(

We tried to get a photo of the Malecek grandkids... but this is almost impossible with the little kids. When one is cooperating it is a sure thing that the next is screaming! Oh, well, someday they will all stand still.

Zachy and his Papa.

"Papa" is his favorite word. He says it ALL THE TIME!

What is Zachy up to?

He has figured out if he finds himself a stool, such as the booster chair, he is a little taller and then can reach the candy that is on the table! Pretty smart boy.

Throwing Rocks.

Over Easter weekend it was so BEAUTIFUL outside we took a walk down to the stream below our house with some of the cousins/Aunts/Uncles.We found some nice rocks and Gracie and Zach had a blast throwing them into the water.

Auntie Lisa, Gracie, and Cousin Bridgette.

GRACIE: 3 YEARS OLD!!!

My little girl turned 3 years old on Tuesday. We celebrated on Easter Sunday since some of the Malecek family was around. Gracie had a "Princess Cake" and Gracie absolutely loved it. Grandma Joe's birthday is just a few days before hers, so we put his name on the cake too.

Gracie so proud of her cake.

Grandma Betty sure knew what she was doing, because her gift was this medicine kit.

Gracie absolutely loves it. She sees Mommy's stethoscope and blood pressure cuff sometimes, so she knows just what to do with it.

Uncle Mick is getting a full medical exam by Miss Gracie.

Complete with ear check, blood pressure, and heart check.Miss Gracie determines Uncle Mick will probably make it for a few more years!

Best Friend

If you ask Gracie - "Who is your best friend?" She will answer with "Paigie!"

Paige is Gracie's cousin and her apparently Gracie's Best Friend. Isn't that cute? I am not sure Gracie really knows what a best friend is, but non-the-less, still very cute. I try to influence her to change her mind and have her say "Mommy" is her best friend, but she will have nothing to do with it. I have made it to the category of "2nd Best Friend" a few times.

Blocks

So I found these cardboard blocks for the kids. They were suppose to be a gift maybe for Gracie's birthday or maybe a Easter present, maybe next Christmas... but I wanted them to play with them so bad that I opened them up, put them together, and gave them to the kids right away. I think part of it was I wanted to play with them too.
We are having lots of fun 'building towers' and then destroying them.

Silly Gracie.

Chalkboard

For Christmas the kids got a homemade chalkboard from Grandpa Sohre. We got it hung up on the wall the other day and the kids are enjoying it lots. Reminds me of when I was back in 1st or 2nd grade and we used chalkboards in the classroom. Boy that seems like so long ago.

Gracie says she is drawing a picture of Willie. I think she did pretty good! Ha Ha.

Not sure what Zachy is drawing, but he is having a blast. Until he tried to eat the chalk. That wasn't so good.

I thought I would include this picture of Gracie with her TWO cell phones... I think this is a preview of what is to come for her generation. Oh, heaven help us!

Cousins.

Last weekend we had the joy of having Auntie Shelly, Cousin Jesse and Joe visit along with Grandpa Sohre. The routine before they leave in the evening to drive home is to take baths and put PJ's on, just in case you know, they fall asleep on the 1 1/2 hr drive home. Little Jesse and Little Gracie are chasing around in their towels after the bath and I couldn't resist not taking a picture... I know someday when they are like 13-14-15-16 years old they will be so embarrassed that they once took baths together and ran around in their towels. They will say "Mom how could you...?" And myself and Shelly will say... "because you guys were so darn cute!" Look at how happy they are. Hopefully they are always good buddies.

Artwork by G & Z.

Gracie's Artwork.
Zachy's Artwork.

The Malecek family has produced true Artists!

I ventured fingerpainting with the kids the other day.

I have had the paints for probably about 10 months. I actually had boughten some once for the intention of Gracie and Zach and then I gave them away as a present. I look at the paint and think it would be so much fun for the kids to get their little fingers all gooed up in paint and to make a creation. Then I look at the paint and think what a mess this will create and that I will have to clean it up. Well Monday I must have been in a very good, creative, and daring mood because... the fingerpaints finally came off the shelf in the closet, out of their package, and had to pleasure of being smear on paper by 4 little hands and 2o little fingers. The fingerpaints finally got to meet fingers!

I was thinking this project was going pretty good.

My kids had surprised me and we were having fun...Until.... this happened...

My little Zach. How cute is he?

At least it is washable fingerpaints and clean-up was again not near as bad as I had anticipated.

The kids had lots of fun and we now have their masterpieces hanging up in their bedrooms.

GO VIKINGS! LET'S WIN THIS GAME!

Marty and I went to the 2nd round play-off game today at the Metrodome:

MN Vikings Vs. TX Cowboys... and the VIKINGS WIN!!!

The Dome was packed and was a'roaring today and we stood for 3/4ths of the game.

How exciting. Let's hope they can do this next weekend at the Superdome!

Hankies were a-flying!

(Something funny happened here with Marty and I. I was using the cell phone camera, and I don't think it saves pictures to well...)

The kids of course needed to get into the Vikings SPIRIT too.Gracie and Zach didn't come to the game with us.

They got the pleasure of staying with Auntie Denise and Uncle Jim and Cousin Rochelle.

They had fun.

GOOD LUCK MINNESOTA VIKINGS!!!!!