Daddy Waffles

Eric's been gone for five days so E.J. was so excited to see him when he woke up this morning. We thought it would be a special treat to make banana nut waffles for daddy. Look how happy EJ is when Eric came down for waffles!



The finished product!

Omaha Zoo

EJ and I drove Eric to the airport for a morning flight and before heading back home, we decided to check out the Omaha Zoo. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day in Omaha but that didn't stop us. We went to many of the indoor exhibits. EJ loved the Scott Aquarium. He ran sprints next to the glass to keep up with the penguins swimming and loved looking at all the fish. He was a little timid in the "shark tunnel" where the sharks swim overhead but then he saw "Bruce" and wasn't scared anymore. Bruce is the shark from "Finding Nemo"--so funny what connections little ones make.









The anemones were spectacular.



We also made it to the Cat Complex where we saw lions, tigers, pumas, and cheetahs.



With all the fun was some silly behavior--like hugging fire hydrants! A super fun day with all the animals and my silly little monkey!

Springtime with Grandma

We just enjoyed a fun visit with Grandma Carol. Her and EJ went to the zoo, museum and baseball games. Here they are before church on Sunday.

Puppy Love

EJ loves our neighbor's new puppy. Seeing this picture makes me want to get him one but then I remember how crazy our life is and I snap out of it! He can visit the puppy two houses down any time he wants some puppy love!

Tricia in Town

Trica came out for the weekend and we took a road trip to Manhattan, Kansas for some baseball. EJ couldn't wait for Tricia to arrive at the "airplane port" and wanted to help her with her suitcase.




On our way through Kansas, we saw the Original Pony Express Station in Marysville.





Before Saturday's game we went to the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan. The trees and flowers were beautiful and we had a great time seeing the animals. EJ fed the goat with me and he fed the geese and ducks with Tricia. They also had fun on the zoo playground.





Look at this sweet baby chimp with his mommy. They were a highlight of our zoo trip. It was so fun to watch them play together. The mom was so tender with her young.



Trees like this one were everywhere in town. I'm not sure what kind of tree they are but they were beautiful. Kansas State's primary color is purple so I assumed that the trees were planted for that reason.

More Baseball

Baseball season is in full swing (yes, I get the pun) and we've been spending a lot of time at the ballpark. I try to get to the field early so EJ can see his dad before the game. Then we play at the playground before the big kids come. You can tell this picture is before the game because EJ's shirt is still white. By the time the game is over his shirt is full of ice cream, snacks, dirt and whatever else he can get into during the game!



EJ loves to climb and is getting more brave in his attempts to conquer the playground. I thought he looked so big in this picture. At 2 1/2, he wears size 3 clothes and is 38 inches tall.





Here's EJ running the bases with Eric and Erin, though you can't see her real well. Andrea, Erin and Karis met us at the game. It was a warm spring day perfect for baseball.

Happy Easter!

What a special time to celebrate what Jesus accomplished on the cross! His death and resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity. Many people have claimed deity but they are long gone, buried in various parts of the world. Only Jesus claimed deity and still lives today because he was resurrected. I don’t know about you but I won’t believe in a dead god, but rather, One who is living and offers life abundantly! John 1:12 says, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” You may not know every detail about Jesus, God or the Bible, but in the words of journalist Lee Strobel, you ““Don’t have to know everything to know something.” So let that “something” today be the fact that Jesus was the son of God and he rose from the tomb. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

A fun Easter for EJ & I!!



The festivites started on Saturday when EJ met the Easter Bunny (see photo above.) He did much better this year and didn't cry but he didn't want to get too close either. On our way home Andi texted and invited us to her church for an Easter egg hunt and games. Andi greeted EJ with some popcorn from Colby Ridge and a bag to collect his eggs.







Half the fun was showing Andi all the eggs he collected! Isn't she an adorable bunny!




He loved playing this game and had a hard time waiting in line for his turn each time.



On Easter morning EJ came down to see the Easter table with a CARS Easter basket full of treats.



After play time and hot crossed buns for breakfast, we got ready and headed to church. The service was wonderful and several people commented on how cute EJ's derby hat was. It's my answer to all the cute little girl dresses!



When Jeff and Andi heard Eric was out of town, they insisted on us joining their family for Easter dinner. It was a wonderful feast! After dessert we headed outside to enjoy the warm spring day. Without planning on a workout, Andi got her strength training taken care of lifting EJ to the basketball hoop. She also got her cardio done by throwing pitch after pitch to EJ and our other neighbor, Evan!





We ended our night by visiting with the grandparents on Skype. When I was putting EJ down we recounted our fun day and I promised him that Daddy would be here when he wakes up in the morning.

Baseball

Our baseball weekend had highs and lows. High temps and low temps as well as high scores and low scores. On Saturday, it was freezing but we couldn't miss the "tunnel walk" where the Junior Home Run Club members get to do high-fives with the starting line-up as they run out onto the field. EJ is a very young member of the club so pitcher Jordan Roualdes helped him out. As you can see from the picture, he gravitated toward the middle of the "tunnel" so Jordan had to keep on top of him. It was so cute!



Sunday was a different story. The sun was shining and it was nearly 70 degrees. Finally a beautiful day for baseball! The team beat OK 10-0 in the first 7 innings and since it was a "getaway" day the run rule was in effect. EJ had a great time playing on the field with Andie after the game. Hopefully, Kale Kiser wasn't to upset that EJ took his bat for a little of his own "BP" since I forgot to bring EJ's bat. Andie was a very good friend to EJ when she put a batting helmet on him!






We sufficiently wore EJ out and we got home just in time for a nap. He wasn't going down without his ball. I waited until he was in a deep sleep to get this shot. Such a precious little boy!!

Spring is Here!

It's hard to believe it's officially spring as the temps have been quite chilly. My parents were here for a visit and we had lots of fun going about our usual March activities. Mom, Dad & EJ went to a game this week while I was at work and the next day Mom and I took EJ for batting practice to see Eric. It was too cold and rainy to stay for the game. Unfortunately, we missed Adam Bailey's grand slam. He's hitting .456 right now. Amazing. Our little pool shark! Since he was a very little tike, EJ has loved pool tables. Mom and I found this mini one on clearance at ZGallerie. It's been a big hit! On one of the nicer days we had I took the guys to Dairy Queen for some ice cream cones. Mom, dad and I did a dozen projects around the house that I've been meaning to get to. I SO appreciate all their help! Since we won't be together on Easter, we decided to do Easter eggs a bit early. EJ did a great job and only dumped out the orange dip all over the table. Thankfully, we had a whole roll of paper towels ready for action. I love this picture because it reminds me of when dad used the little metallic dipper that comes with the dying kit to lower the Lightening McQueen plastic wrap into the boiling water. The dipper got stuck between the egg and the wrapper and it wasn't going anywhere! EJ got to use one of his favorite phrases when he saw it..."it's stuuuucckk!" Finally, we got to celebrate my birthday. Mom helped EJ make my birthday cake. He did an outstanding job creating the cake and loved "frosting mommy." He was eager to help me blow out the candles and wanted to do it over and over again. The video at the bottom shows him singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out the candles!