Easter 2009

I did post many pictures as soon as we got back from our visit in Lloydminster, but, as I moved files around in Photobucket, the slideshows all became corrupted. So, I'll re-post a few favorites from our weekend with the Brand family.







We visited from Friday lunchtime to Sunday afternoon. The kids played phenominally well. I don't think there was a single argument the whole time.

The snow had melted, and left a multitude of puddles everywhere. Who can resist a good splash?






The girls really enjoyed eachother, and played without incident. They each sought out, and played with, the others little brother several times as well.

Ethan really wanted to be included in the girls play, but found himself on the outside most of the time. Eventually, he and Evan got into playing together, but it took a while. I think Evan found Ethan's energy and passion a bit overwhelming at times. Evan is probably the most relaxed and laid back kid I've ever met. Ethan is, well, the opposite of that. It was really interesting to see the two of them approach the same situations with such different personalities.

While all the big kids played around him, Benjamin would quietly play and occupy himself with his toys for a suprising length of time. That boy has mastered independent play! He worked on crawling and started to consistently move forward over the weekend. He loved the new-found freedom of being able to get at even more toys. He also liked to explore under their desk and was found a couple of times doubled over and squashed underneath. All in the name of exploration!

We had a perfectly done prime rib roast for Easter dinner. Steve found this technique for cooking the meat that claimed to work perfectly every time. It did not fail this time, and was beautifully done.

We went to the park a couple times, and on Sunday, we took the kids to the pool. I think swimming was the highlight for our kids. They are still talking about the waves and the big slide. I wish we had a pool a bit closer to us. It would be so nice to ge them into lessons and take them regularly to play in the water.

After the kids went to bed, the adults played 'Settlers of Catan'. Ryan and I had played a couple times before (years ago) and we enjoyed revisiting the game. Ryan and Jen were the victors. I came close, but not close enough!

I am thankful that we have good friends only a 3 hr drive away. It was a really good weekend.