The Zoe and Silas Show

3/31/13: Nothing makes a kid happier than chocolate for breakfast! The day started with an Easter egg hunt, After the excitement and chocolate settled we made french toast waffles for breakfast. It was in the mid-50s after breakfast so S&Z spent the rest of the morning playing on the porch. Papa had to work today but Grandma D. came over for Easter dinner. She brought bags full of goodies which kept the kids busy while we made dinner. We used my great grandma's china and ate a delicious meal of panko-crusted chicken cordon bleu, mustard roasted potatoes , and roasted asparagus. I found one last lonely undiscovered egg after S&Z went to bed. I can already hear the shrieks of excitement whenever it is discovered... Happy Easter 2013!!!

Palm Sunday was traditionally celebrated on Derek's mom's side of the family. Everyone would get together and his grandfather would make malasades, which are awesomely delicious Portuguese fried dough. Derek's cousin Joyce and Aunt Doreen have carried on the tradition. Due to work schedules we've had to miss out on the fun the last few years, but Derek was off this Palm Sunday so we all headed down to Plymouth to spend some quality time with the fam. The weather was gorgeous so we spent most of the day outside. Joyce is amazing and so generous and put on a huge egg hunt for the little kids. The kids played soccer and football and ran and ran and ran in the sun.  Until little legs got tired and a rest was needed :) Joyce's neighbor has horses so the day ended on a high note. It was a lovely day spent with family, and hopefully the kickoff of some warm spring weather!

3/30/13: Saturday was a gorgeous day to attend a party at the zoo. Our neighbor friend, Josef, is turning 5 this week! It turns out that he and I share the same birthday on April Fool's Day! The kids got to meet a couple of snakes at the party. They could even touch it if they so desired! Zoe went for it, but Silas passed. The kids ran around outside and everyone had a great time! Happy Birthday, Josef!!!

3/29/13: Showing Daddy her Boston Red Sox hat. She's worn it every day this week since we explained that it blocks the sun from getting in her eyes.

3/28/13: While there are many awesome things about Derek's recent iPhone purchase, the top one is being able to FaceTime with him while he's on his dinner break at work. During the week we only see each other for 5 minutes in the morning so it gives us a much-needed chance to touch base. And S&Z get to tell him about the rest of their day, and then say goodnight. Just awesome.

3/27/13: Showing off his UND Fighting Sioux hat.

3/26/13: On Tuesday night we finally told S&Z that Uncle Larry died. I had been putting off having this conversation with them because a) I knew I would burst into tears if I tried to do it last week, and b) I didn't know what to say to them. It turns out the hospice website has some good tips for talking to children about death.  Overall the conversation went really well. We said that Larry had died and tried to explain in really simple terms what death is. Zoe said that she felt sad and that she will miss Uncle Larry. Silas had two big questions: 1) from what did Uncle Larry die? ("cancer"), and 2) where did Uncle Larry go? ("we don't know, but he's not here with us anymore"). After we talked a little more about what happened and asked if they had anymore questions, they decided to draw pictures for Uncle Larry. Along the top of Silas' picture he made a lot of scribbles that said "Dear Uncle Larry, I love you soooo much. Love, Si...

3/25/13: The end of the day magnet wrap-up.

3/24/13: We spent a beautiful Palm Sunday in Plymouth at Derek's cousin Joyce's house. It was sunny and in the 50s, and we all soaked up the warm spring sunshine. While the big kids played a game of football, Papa showed Zoe a few moves. Joyce organized a huge Easter egg hunt, the kids had so much fun! More pictures of malasades and the egg hunt coming soon!

3/23/13: We went to Lakeshore Learning today to pick out a birthday present for our neighbor friend Josef. Silas made a stop at the market stand while I shopped. We've officially outgrown our beloved wagon but it's still parked in the porch until we sell it or give it away this spring. On our way out the door today S&Z made a pit stop to make a quick phone call. I've been feeling really sad today about Larry, so I did what he would want me to do - I cooked up a pot of comforting soup. Asian Chicken Noodle has been my go-to this winter. Services to say goodbye will be on Wednesday.

3/22/13: Silas is not always such a good napper so we have kept him in the pack 'n play in the guest room for quiet time even though they have been sleeping in beds for a few months now. He asked me yesterday if he could sleep in "grandma's bed" so I decided to go for it and see how he would handle it. After two days of napping on the guest bed I'm hoping we've made the transition! Cutie pie on our way to the library. Auntie Eliza is in town for spring break so she came over for dinner last night. S&Z were soooo happy to see her! We had lots of new library books so they put her to work before bed :)

I find things all over the house in pairs. Twin love.

3/21/13: We have lots and lots of gender-neutral pajamas that both kids wear, but we do have a few pairs of gender-specific pj's as well. Tonight Zoe wanted to wear the alien pj's that Terry gave Silas for Xmas, so Silas decided he wanted to wear the frog pj's that Zoe got from Terry. They negotiated a pajama swap and then  S announced "I look like a girl" and  Z walked around saying "I look like a boy". Over and over and over. Not sure how well this is going to bode with the hubs...

3/20/13: We got S&Z electric toothbrushes the last time Derek went to BJ's. They love using the "spin-y toothbrush"!

3/19/13: Reading "The Feelings Book". We've got very heavy hearts around here this week :( We went with Derek's parents to Larry's apartment to gather up some paperwork on Tuesday, and that was really hard. Services won't be held until next Wednesday, so I went back to work yesterday. The kids and work are good distractions.

3/18/13: We found out on Monday morning that Uncle Larry had been admitted to the hospital over the weekend.  I am incredibly thankful for Vanessa's generous heart in offering to take S&Z for a few hours onto her already-full plate. Julia was sick yesterday and I wouldn't have been able to visit Larry in the hospital without having someone to watch the kids. They had a total blast with Thatcher and Oliver, baths and all! Larry lost his painful fight with cancer shortly after we left the hospital last night. I am so thankful that we were able to say goodbye, along with Larry's dad, Derek's parents, and countless friends. The world will not be the same without his loving and generous heart... November 10, 1954-March 18, 2013