Easter Smiles

 

Easter weekend 2024 was... okay. 

Egg hunt #1 was in our backyard on Saturday, which is a bit of a tradition even though I think the kids have outgrown it (they were mad that the eggs were stuffed with tiny items that I thought they'd forgotten about, but which looked familiar to them!).

The kids woke up to stuffed baskets on Sunday.

We went to St. Mary's Catholic Church for a very full mass on Sunday. Iver did a great job altar serving, and Niall messed around annoying us for the whole service. 

A potluck brunch followed the service.

Egg hunt #2 was around the grounds of the Parish (= the kids' school). They had their (a bit ghetto but better at holding lots of eggs) sturdy plastic bags stuffed by the end! 

We finished Sunday with friend, play and another egg hunt at Shannon's house (alas, no photos). 

We had sunny (although windy) where the kids enjoyed playing in a bounce house and playing football in the springtime weather. 

And, from 1986 (I would have been four!) this is a little note that my mom sent me: 

The kids were way too sugared up but had a fun Sunday. He is Risen!  

Hood Ornaments

 

Niall is a climber-- he loves trees and cars (!), often clambering up onto my (parked) car roof. Iver was an incredible infant climber, escaping from his crib around 13 months. 

The kids both climbed onto the hood and wanted to be photographed yesterday after school pick up.

Cute hood ornaments, I must say! 

Different types of runs

Kelvin and Iver (who got season ski passes this year) wanted to get back to Mt. Shasta, and this was the easiest weekend to swing it with other events on our calendar.  They, along with Brian, Gavin, and Hudson, headed out after school on Friday (it was early dismissal for parent-teacher conferences).

The first day (Saturday) they skiied was really snowy! 

Blizzard conditions don't stop these ski bums, who did run after run down the mountain.

(It was sunnier on Sunday)

I had planned to do a Six Rivers Running event through the Arcata Forest this weekend, which Iver/Kelvin did (2 miles) last year and was aiming to run the 5.5-mile course. The weather again was cold and rainy (although not a downpour), as it seems to have been for all the scheduled races this year, and Jenna and I headed there together, while Niall hung with the other kids with Sean at their home.

Jenna, a former college cross-country runner, finished in around 50 minutes, and is one of the women's leaders on the circuit.

My goal was to finish in an hour-ish, without falling in mud or getting seriously hurt.  As I mainly run (for exercise, not time!) on the very flat roads and sidewalks around the Hammond Trail in McKinleyville, I struggled with (and had to walk up several) of the steep forest hills. However, I finished in 1:01, which was not too shabby... 

... except it's a little demoralizing to get passed (and beaten) by runners a few decades my senior, one of who looked to be a septuagenarian bearing walking sticks 😅. (Official race results here).

Better keep training!

A Wee bit o’ Irish Fun

The kids have been doing lots of Leprechaun crafts this week.

Niall (6): Leprechaun pop-up card (via Art for Kids Hub)

Iver worked really hard on this Leprechaun Trap. 

He actually spent the night with a friend and didn't get to wake up to the trap-- but some gold was gone, some footprints were found, and there was no Leprechaun to be found!

Leprechaun left a rainbow (with marshmallows and froot loops) and some Lucky Charms... 

... as well as green toilet water and green milk!

(Niall, our Irish-named kiddo, remarked, "I think the leprechaun is not tiny. I think he's a big man. Otherwise, he couldn't have made that Froot Loops Rainbow. Those 'footprints' are the size of someone's thumb prints!")

In other Irish fun:  I recently watched and really liked the Netflix coming-of-age series Derry Girls, about a group of  teenage Catholic schoolgirls in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in the nineties. 

And one of my favorite mystery writers, Irishwoman Tana French, has a brand-new book out which I've been devouring this weekend.

Grand! 

"Concerning Behavior"

 

I was prepping the kids last week to take them for their first "well child" visit in a couple of years, as we wanted to check Niall's growth percentiles and to see if their doctor was concerned (he is <1% weight, 3% height and 6% BMI, and there are no major red flags but something we'll keep watching). Iver wondered why he had to go to the doctor if he wasn't due for shots and anything. I told him sometimes we talk about medical and behavioral concerns at well child visits, and that I might mention some behavior concerns (mainly defiant attitudes and intense outbursts of anger, although this is improving) to his doctor. He was very embarrassed and didn't want that to happen! 

"I'm concerned about YOUR behavior," he said.

Me: What do you mean? What behavior, specifically?

Iver: Your reading. You're always reading!  It's concerning!  Extremely concerning!  YOU should go to the doctor!

Hygge

We continue to get bombarded with winter rain in these parts, (with frequent hail this past weekend and snow up the hill) making outdoor play impossible.

The kids love to snuggle around the heater vents in the mornings when the house is heating up (so does Pepper).

We also spent quite a bit of time this weekend in our family dino jammies... 

... doing indoor activities like reading, art, and origami!

Hygge, indeed! 

Dragon Art

 

How to Train Your Dragon is a book series (Cressida Cowell) and a cute animated movie involving the relationship with Viking villagers of Berk and dragons, which we and the kids watched recently. Niall has loved reading (being read to) the subsequent books in the series (there are many!) and has been inspired to do "dragon art." 

Iver was very interested in drawing using Art for Kids Hub around this age, and his brother has taken after him.

Dragon pop out card!

Light Fury dragon

Niall is also a pro at Origami and made this dragon "Toothless," complete with stuck-on colored eyes! 

I love when these kids are inspired to create, which is something at which I don't think I've ever been good!  And it is the year of the Dragon, after all!