our easter morn

Easter Sunday was great with out little family of 3.5


Cooper enjoyed his basket and the initial go to item was goldfish.


But after church he went for a piece of chocolate and intently worked to get the wrapper open. Love this boy.


And now he's a professional hunter. By his third hunt for the week at Grandma Pip's, Cooper had this thing down (although he didn't need anymore candy). Finding eggs was quite a treat. And he had the holiday figured out, I think half his calorie intake for the day was sugar - which will be closely monitored better tomorrow ;)

hunting with a sucker

We did a small hunt with Cooper by our house but he thought he'd switch things up this round by hunting with a sucker in his mouth. Totally makes any activity better right? :)


A bit of candy and some new Hot Wheels. This kid doesn't go anywhere without one in his hand these days.

chocolate dutch baby

I was getting a little bored with breakfast lately and tried out the Chocolate Dutch baby from Martha's Everyday Food mag and it did not disappoint. Who doesn't like a little dessert-like breakfast once in awhile.


Chocolate Dutch Baby
Serves 6

3/4 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose four
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 TBs butter
3 TBs powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a blender, combine milk, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and granulated sugar.


Blend until foamy, 1 minute.


In a large cast-iron skillet (or non-stick skillet) melt butter over medium heat.


Pour batter into skillet and immediately transfer to oven.


Bake until puffed and set, 20 minutes.


Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

hunting with friends

Cooper had his first hunt with friends from church. I carried the bucket the whole time but he figured out what to do and gathered quite a few eggs. The real prize came after he found out what was inside...jellybeans.

zoo round 2

What's better than your own annual pass? A friend with one too! We met up with Hadley girl for some more zoo fun.

zoo-per

Dad had the great idea of going to the zoo AND getting an annual pass. Somebody loves his boy.


Checking out the elephants, definitely a favorite.


Lion friends


He gave the giraffe a kiss after this pic.


Popcorn snack break


Steve's favorite - naked mole rats - weird eh?


Coopers favorite, running around the 'mole rat' playset



Watching the Panda eat lunch, how sweet is this. I think it's my favorite thing at the zoo right now.

there's a girl in my room

Cast of characters today - Cooper and Hadley. Playdate commenced and I grabbed my camera just to mess around with it and many smiles were had by me watching these two.


Cooper still in 'learning to share mode' kept his eye on her playing with "his" stuff for a quite a bit. It cracked me up.


And the careful watch continues. Hadley just kept playing and finding new things.


He finally got comfortable and the fun ensued.


They chatted and chased...


...shared some drinks


...gave me some smiles


...shared a kiss, oh my


...Hadley returning the moves (love Coopers face in these)


what a great afternoon this turned out to be, she'll be back I'm sure

bubbles, seagulls, and high sixties

The real draw for me and Coops to join the bike week trip was for the beach. Although it wasn't as hot as I was hoping for, we still enjoyed a few hours of rays even if it was only high 60s.


After a few minutes of sandtoys Cooper was headed for the water.


We got to hang with cousin Benson and the Olsons. Benson was being buried while he also enjoyed eating handfuls of sand (unfortunately not caught on camera). Kurt was a brave soul and jumped fully into the ocean while also dragging Paige in halfway - crazy brother.


Paige and Benson enjoying some licorice.


Cooper liked chasing the seagulls until he noticed the bubbles in the ocean. The bubble fascination is alive and well in this boy.


He would run out with the waves and let them chase him back in. Classic childhood game, very fun to watch.


He didn't mind the temp and played around with the wet sand for a bit as well.


Licorice and the beach, good combo.


Steve met back up with us at the end of the day to see the fun he was missing at the beach. Cooper was his little sidekick right away.


Me holding the three boys, not a glamorous pic but I was holding Benson and Cooper wanted up too and the baby inside was already included in the deal so we snapped a photo.


The Olsons took off to Orlando and we hit up dinner on the river at Aunt Catfish's. Cooper loved the toys in the waiting area and pier before we were sat.




Yummy fish, hush puppies, and cinnamon rolls made it a great end to the day.

east coast kids

Kurt and Paige happened to be on their way to spring break in Orlando and made a stop at the beach in Daytona since we were going to be down there at the same time. We enjoyed lunch at Subway before the bikers took off for more fun. It was nice being able to meetup with my new east coast sibling even if it was just for a few hours.