Son Of A Daughter Of A Sailor

Nana & Pa-Pa came to visit this past weekend. And, they brought a surprise with them! Actually, two surprises. First, Aunt Jennifer came with them. Her schedule is always so hectic that it was awesome for her to have a moment to relax enough for some family time. O & she got along pretty well, although he has something against the name "Aunt Jen" or "Jen Jen" or "Jenny", as he refused to say pretty much any variation of her name. Oh well, there's always next time! My parents also came up in their new car. They bought a Prius and it's really funny to picture them tootling along in it in Lawton, OK! They are probably only one of three people that own a hybrid in my hometown. :) Lawrence is rubbing off on them!
Oliver had a great time with Nana and Pa-Pa. And, that allowed Mama and Dadda a night out.
We went to see Jimmy Buffett  in concert in Kansas City. It was our first "parrot head" experience, and I think it was a success. There was MUCH people watching to be done - next time we will have to attempt more adventurous costumes. That's about it for the excitement this past couple of weeks.
Life is pretty full these days even without special events plopped in every now and then. Both Matt & I are just in awe at the new words that come out of our son's mouth every day. He is at a really fun (and demanding) age. In fact, this week he has started saying "Matt" every so often when he wants to get Dadda's attention. What is THAT all about?!!! I try not to giggle but it's really funny. Just as long as he doesn't start calling me by my first name!

Easter Eggstravaganza!

We could not have asked for a more gorgeous day for Easter this year. To start this post, I feel compelled to say/write out loud that I am so blessed to be surrounded by my beautiful family and fabulous friends, and know that as wonderful as this life can be, it is nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in heaven, thanks to Jesus who beat death and gave us Easter so we could take special time out to remember his love for us.
Moving on, our Lawrence crew is turning Easter into an annual let's-get-together-and-eat-alot fun fest! We went over to the Clothiers for a fabulous meal with lots of Griffith, Coles, and Clothier food contributions. I attempted a "Skinny Girl" White Sangria recipe, which, while pretty, unfortunately, did not have time to marinate long enough to get out the true sangria flavor before we partook of it. But, it was really pretty! (Pic below). And yes, I did bring alcohol to Easter. And you would too if your son had yet to take a nap before commencing the hoopla! ;) Also, just a sidenote, 5 hours later, the stuff turned out to be pretty darn tasty! (See Pinterest for the recipe).
Oliver had a ball per ususal hanging out with Noah and Charlie, and  the boys were pros at hunting eggs this year. His Easter outfit was courtesy of Aunt Jennifer, who bought it for him last year and maybe doesn't know so much about toddler sizes, but it couldn't have been better timing to break it out and see if it fit for this Easter! :)
And, speaking of a ball, Oliver is pretty obsessed with any type of sports ball these days. Bouncing basketballs, kicking soccer balls, throwing tennis balls and watching baseball! Yes, baseball! Matt took him to a KU baseball game this week b/c our friend Cory is the new Jayhawks baseball announcer. And, Oliver was enthralled! He cheered and clapped the whole time and was especially entertained by watching the pitcher and catcher warming up between innings (is that when they do it?). Anyways, I sadly did not get to go to the game due to Zumba, but sounds like we will be going to LOTS of KU baseball games this year and in the future. Sigh. Baseball? Really? Oh well, the sacrifices we make for our children. :)

We love Lawrence!

Hi Easter Bunnies,
Spring has sprung and has blessed us with some fabulous weather in Lawrence lately. It also brought us March Madness, which ended with a bang here in Lawrence. True, the Jayhawks did not bring home the title, but they got darn close, which made for some fun weekends watching basketball! Matt & I hung out with some friends downtown on Saturday to watch KU beat Ohio State. We left Oliver in the capable hands of some ex-Stepping Stones staffers who are awesome baby sitters. He had his own celebration, hanging out with Noah Clothier and one of Noah's friends (who shall remain nameless, b/c I did not get a release from his parents but am posting his photo). He had a blast trying to keep up with the bigger boys. We got the cutest photo of them from the sitter, shown below. I also managed to get a pic of Mass Street right after KU won. It was sheer madness - but luckily nothing got too out of hand, that I heard about anyway. There is also a pic of Oliver enjoying the nice weather and checking out his new balance bike courtesy of Aunt Heidi.
Easter is next week. Can't wait!