Easter Party

 This past weekend in preparation for Easter we held our 2nd annual Easter Party.  This one was particularly wanted as we are eagerly awaiting Spring's arrival given the 4 nor'easters in March alone.  As usual, John pulled out all the stops to create an Easter inspired spread.

John's bread bunny was the hit of the day and very yummy as well.

 Spring quiches

The desserts are typically my addition to any of our get togethers.  This year I tried a Peep trifle.

The trifle was a huge hit as well.

 Easter wouldn't be Easter without dyeing eggs.  Instead of the traditional dipping in colors, we elected to try three different options.  The Eggmazing Egg Decorator was all of the kids favorite.  We ran out of eggs way too fast though we had over 4 dozen eggs to dye.

 We tried using shaving cream with food coloring.  The kids enjoyed getting messy.  I'm not so sure the adults enjoyed the messy part as much.

 My favorite was dyeing eggs using old silk ties.  John picked up a bunch of second hand ties.  We cut them up into squares.  The raw eggs are wrapped in the silk cloth, covered with fabric and tied together.  The eggs are then boiled as one would do to make a hard boiled egg.  The boiling water has vinegar added to enhance the dye on the egg.

Even Coco agrees the silk tie dyed eggs were the best.

 The party would not be an Easter party without an Easter egg hunt.  Ready, Set....

 GO!

 

 Our final activity was pin the tale on the bunny.  I drew the bunny silhouette.  Izzy was the artist who made him colorful.

 

 As there were a few extra bunny tales, some of the adults joined in as well.

We had a tie for the winner... what is the odds.  Furthermore, Olivia and Amalia are sisters!

We had a most EGGcellent time!

Karate

After discussing starting an extracurricular activity, Micah excitedly choose karate.  John has joined him as dojo requests an adult to join if the child is less than 7 years of age.  It was fun watching both of them follow their sensei's commands which includes Japanese counting.

I know Micah is enjoying karate as he puts his gi back on after bath.

Pierce 3rd-6th Grade Play

 Izzy recently participated in her school's 3rd-6th grade play... Beauty and the Beast.  The 3rd and 4th graders compose the chorus during the play.  They also have one showcase number on stage.  They were the wolf pack that the Beast saves Belle from.  Izzy had so much fun that she's dreaming of which lead role she could be when she's old enough to be one of the main characters.

John, Micah, Victoria and I took in the opening act.  We were blown away at how talented the kids were and the set.  Our favorite main characters were Lumiere, who kept a French accent even when signing, Gaston, who was such a cute boy fitting the role perfectly and Maurice, who was played by our neighbor Fenno.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Living in Boston means tons of green on St. Patrick's Day.  It seems that everyone is "Irish" on this day.  The kids were proud to say they have "Irish" in their blood thanks to the Ryan side of the family.

A Wrinkle In Time

I challenged Izzy to read A Wrinkle In Time before seeing the movie.  She took me up on it but counter-challenged that I read it too.  She beat me by 4 days.  Her treat was to see the movie just with mommy.  We both agreed the movie was a far cry from the book.

Micah's 1st Lost Tooth

The day has finally come that Micah has lost his first tooth.  Not just one tooth, but 2!  He was waiting and waiting since these have been loose for quite some time.  He lost both of them at school... literally and figuratively.  We had zero teeth to put under his pillow.  Nevertheless, the tooth fairy found him anyway. 

Super, Crazy, Exciting Week in February!

There was one week in February that was cram packed with activities and celebrations.  By the end of the week, we were all exhausted!

MONDAY:  100th Day of School

Micah and Victoria's school assignments were to create something that represents 100.  Micah choose to make a centipede with 100 legs.  Victoria choose a necklace with a 100 beads.  I was completely not surprised by her choice.  We also made 100 days of school t-shirt for them to wear that day.

 Micah's "100 Super Days" shirt with 100 super hero stickers.

 Izzy's "I Survived 100 Days of School" t-shirt

 Making the centipede's body.

 Sticking on 100 band-aids.

 Micah and Victoria's finished projects.

Our shirts are ready!

TUESDAY:  Fat Tuesday

We decided to celebrate by having Fajita Fat Tuesday at home.  For dessert we had John's version of a king cake complete with a baby to find.

Micah has good luck for the rest of the year!

WEDNESDAY:  Valentine's Day

Micah & Victoria's teacher requested non-candy valentine's.  Izzy's valentine's didn't arrive on time.  Therefore we got creative and folded these origami heart the night before.  She wrote her valentine's message on the inside.  Ironically the valentine's we ordered arrived that day after school.  Luckily they can be saved for next year.

The girls wanted hear braids for school



FRIDAY:  Engagement

On Friday John and I got engaged!  I know the night did not go exactly as he planned.  But it will be memorable because it did not.  John planned on having us go out to eat after school on Friday.  We went to the Union Oyster House, the sight of John and I's first date.  We sat at the Kennedy booth which, in hindsight, is only reserved for special occasions.  John had confided in Izzy what was going to happen weeks before.  He told Micah that night.  While eating our appetizers, Micah blurts out "John, when are you going to ask mommy to marry you?".  We all sort of pretended that we didn't hear him.  Therefore, he asked again slightly louder.  When it came for dessert time, John gave the kids their own gifts.  When he gave me mine, Micah leaned over and said "its a ring!" before I even opened it.  One of the waitresses asked John if he was going to get on one knee.  Izzy promptly stated, "we're not a traditional family".  I thought that was so true and fitting for us and for this night.  I loved everything about it and was touched by John's desire to include the children.