The remnants of the Saturday evening egg decorating extravaganza that Madysen and Speed were way too cool to participate in.

On Easter morning, Emma was the first awake (as always), and she took pictures of the Easter Bunny baskets. (This first picture was taken with the ToonPAINT app that I quickly became obsessed with and then soured on just as quickly.)

After Madysen, Speed, and Layla returned from church (Emma stayed home and in her pjs because that’s “the rules for egg hunting.”  Pay special attention to Emma’s marbled eggs with eyes and Layla’s Madysen and Speed eggs. (I’ve included some ToonPaint versions, which intrigue me but seem completely pointless, which explains most of my days.)

The decorated eggs were hidden in the backyard where Layla and Emma went in search for them.

We also had over 100 plastic eggs stuffed with candy of everyone’s choice. Speed had chosen Blow Pops, which didn’t fit well in the eggs. So Holly broke the sticks to make them fit. Surprising how much a broken Blow Pop stick can impair one’s enjoyment. Anyway, Madysen and Speed hid the eggs inside the first floor. Speed’s effort at hiding declined aggressively over the 3 minutes he invested, which is why there were 20 eggs laying in open site in the dining room.

One final ToonPAINT. I think my ToonPAINT dalliance is over.

After 3 days of ice covering most everything, I awoke to 5″ of beautiful powder sitting coyly above that ice. Very devious.

But the great Justin Verteen has this great Snowlapse:

For the holiday break, I was not up for any travel (in case you wondering about the c-word thing: I’m doing okay, but I’m at about 50% of my pre-C-word speed), so we generally stayed around town.

The kids helped Holly decorate the tree by hanging their ornaments.

Speed is a great tree decorator

Madysen gets her ornaments in prime position

The finished tree

Madysen and Emma made and decorated Christmas cookies–and then delivered them to Madysen’s friends. I think I got one. Weak. Sauce.

No idea how these taste

Yummy deformed arm cookies

For whatever inexplicable reason, I’ve become one of those guys who spends many hours at the public library. So I took Emma and Layla one Saturday morning–after feeding them delicious Cafe Brazil breakfasts–but they had no idea how long we’d be there. They managed.

We are all fans of breakfast

Three days before Christmas, I deluded myself into thinking that the mall wouldn’t be so bad. I was so wrong. And for the second year in a row, I had someone swoop into a parking spot I was waiting on. I told the old man what I thought of him.

People--specifically this guy--suck

We made it to Christmas Eve to watch A Christmas Story and opened the Christmas pajamas sent by Nana and Pop. Nana might notice that neither Emma nor Layla are holding the correct box in the picture below. We discovered this only after Layla opened her gift, who promptly blamed Emma for grabbing the wrong boxes.

Christmas Eve pjs

Emma is the only Christmas early bird in the house, but she waited on me before she plunged into her stocking. A couple hours later, Layla, Speed, Madysen, and Holly (in that order) emerged from their slumber so that the festivities could get underway in earnest.

Emma oogles her Santa present--at 7 a.m.

Can we open them? Huh? Can we? Please?

Funny story about Layla’s gift to me. Holly had told me that I was going to hate one of my gifts. Layla’s was the last gift I had to open, and my earlier gifts were not of the hate-able kind, so I was puzzled as I unwrapped it. Layla had made me a nutcracker out of a Pringles can at school–and it is really well done. But my face clearly did not show joy since I was trying to figure out what was hate-able about it. Turns out, nothing.

My new nutcracker

After Christmas, Holly took the girls to Norman to see her parents for a few days (where, among other things, Layla ate a pound of ribs on her own and the girls went “sledding” at Bricktown Ballpark, which makes no sense to me). Speed went to San Antonio with Aunt Kim to see OSU whip Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. It seems it was just an excuse to eat ridiculous large food items–a 37″ pizza, a 48 oz chicken fried steak, a gigantic cinnamon roll, and the ginormous donut below.

That's a big donut--and better tasting than you'd think

Even Madysen says she is disappointed that the Letter remains unwritten. This will have to suffice for now. Merry Christmas.

Update: I guess Holly was holding out on me. I happened across a handful of photos on her iPhone of Papa taking the girls to the Science Museum Oklahoma (the Omniplex when I was a kid).

Budding astronauts

Can decide whether these seats look super comfortable or super uncomfortable

Emma smells something

Holly’s most recent house project–and there are many, many currently in various stages of production–is putting up a ballet bar, with wall mirror, in the girls’ bedroom. The bar, unfinished, arrived late last week. So her weekend sub-project was staining and sealing the bar. And she cajoled the girls into holding the bar still while she stained it. It was fun to watch her spend hours sanding to even-out imaginary uneven spots.

But don’t tell Emma because she denies the very idea of the water being cold. Luckily for you, Madysen has been keeping track of Emma’s pool activities on Twitter.

water tennis with em. friday nights don’t get much better that this. http://yfrog.com/0zznoj

yes, i do know the litle mermaid, thanks for asking. http://yfrog.com/5fjuuj

“it is so much warmer underwater than it is where people live. i want to be a fish when i grow up!” -epm.

Though not really related to the pool, I though this was funny.

so i just left emma listening to jb. i came back to find that she had changed the [sic] and was rapping along with eminem. that girl…

Layla and Emma decorate

Madysen decorates it up; Holly critiques/advises?

Madysen's completed eggs

Layla's eggs

Emma's eggs

When everyone woke up on Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny had left eggs all around the yard and put some recently found frogs into a container and provided a supply of crickets to serve as frog snacks. Emma was a little underwhelmed by the container.

Nothing says Easter like frogs eating crickets

Speed and Layla hunt for poorly hidden eggs

Layla

Speed

Emma and Madysen

As you know, we live in Dallas and it is currently the first week of March. So why then is it snowing at our house? And twice in one week? Okay, so there was no accumulation at our house on Monday evening and the Thursday night snowfall was pretty paltry (pictured), North Dallas got a couple of inches both days–and did I mention it’s March . . . in Dallas?

Since Layla finally figured it out this summer, we had practiced a few times, but it always ended with her blaming me for one thing or another (pushing her too fast or too slow, not holding the seat correctly, getting mad at her, whatever). But no longer. She can ride!

Glad we got that out of the way. A little video evidence:

And by the way, Layla would like you to know that she is getting quite good on her ripstik:

Anyway, sheesh. By Christmas morning, there were plenty of presents under the tree, the stockings were stuffed (in fact, overstuffed), and Santa had left a Wii for all the kids (me included?). Emma and Layla were up first riffling through their stockings, and then they headed off to awaken Madysen and Speed to get the show on the road.

At 6 a.m.; how am I the first one up?

For whatever reason, Layla is combing through Madysen's stocking excess

Stocking hysteria in action

Once Holly emerged, it was time for the main attraction with Emma and Layla doling out the presents a la Santa.

You have a lot of donuts presents

The wrapping paper carnage was high and deep.

The rest of the day was full of leisure–some taking naps even–getting acquainted with new Webkinz, Ripsticks, Scooters, lacrosse gear, camera, iMac, etc. (And I Can Play Guitar and I Can Play Piano that did work–even the two additional ones we both the following day.) But the Wii drew everyone together. Layla quickly set herself apart as the best bowler (and looks like a good golfer too). Emma is an enthusiastic tennis player. Speed takes boxing most seriously. And I whipped Madysen is a game of baseball. Holly abstained.

But one present that didn’t make it under the tree was Rock Band–a Guitar Hero plus game–that combines a guitar, drum kit, and karaoke. I found it the following day, and the Wii has been largely forgotten. Even Holly has played both guitar and drum. Singers we are not–though I have scored 100% on several songs. And Layla and Emma are getting quite good. Rock Band–if I may borrow from Chuck Klosterman for a moment–ROCKS!

Emma on drums (with Madysen on kick pedal) and Layla on guitar