The Kids Behind The Blog {April}

I love the month of April! The days are longer and warmer, Spring is in full bloom and Easter is right around the corner. It definitely makes me happy after a dreary winter, and the promise of the (slightly more) carefree days ahead just lingers in the air!

My kids have Spring Fever, too, but they kindly took the time to answer a few questions before running out the door! Here are their answers to April's edition of The Kids Behind The Blog:

What is your favorite thing about Spring?

Liam (Age 3): "Play!"

Liliana (Age 5): "My favorite thing about Spring is...going out to play!"

Alexandria (Age 10): "It rains, and it's nice and pretty outside."

Dylan (Age 12): "The warm weather."

Mom Thoughts: Well, this is going to be a straightforward interview...

If April showers bring May flowers what do May flowers bring?

Liam (Age 3): "Mama!"

Liliana (Age 5): "Honey?!? Because bees and butterflies come and get honey from the flowers!"

Alexandria (Age 10): "Ummm. Leprechauns? I don't know!"

Dylan (Age 12): "Fun outside."

Mom Thoughts: SERIOUSLY? Not a single one of you said pilgrims?!? 3 out of 4 of you told that joke over and over and over and over again at Thanksgiving!

What does a flower need to grow?

Liam (Age 3): "Shhhhhh..."

Liliana (Age 5): "Rain."

Alexandria (Age 10): "Water."

Dylan (Age 12): "Water."

Mom Thoughts: Obviously Liam wants me to shut up.

Do you like that it's starting to get warmer or do you like the cold and snow better?

Liam (Age 3): "Outside!!!"

Liliana (Age 5): "I like when it's hot."

Alexandria (Age 10): "I like that it's starting to get warmer."

Dylan (Age 12): "I like that it's getting warmer BY FAR."

Mom Thoughts: A sure sign that we need to move south!

What do you want to do over your Spring Break?

Liam (Age 3): "I don't know."

Liliana (Age 5): "Hmm...let me think about that. You bet! I like to have playdates with my friends! Mom, can we actually do that with Charlie?"

Alexandria (Age 10): "I want to lay in bed and rest my arm. I want to get this thing off."

Dylan (Age 12): "Swim, play basketball, jump on the trampoline and hang out with friends."

Mom Thoughts: I like Lexie's plan. Hey, kids, let's all lay in bed and rest our arms!

What is your favorite thing about Easter?

Liam (Age 3): "I don't know. Jump jump jump! Sneeze!" (Or in his own words, "I duh-know. Ju Ju Jup! Sneeeeeeeeeeeee!")

Liliana (Age 5): "My favorite thing about Easter is having an Easter Hunt!"

Alexandria (Age 10): "That we get presents from the Easter Bunny." *Smiles.* "Yeah. Just because I'm ten years old doesn't mean I'm not allowed to believe." (She doesn't.)

Dylan (Age 12): "That I get to spend time with family and friends."

Mom Thoughts: Liam clearly wins for best answer of the day!

These interviews are one of my favorite things to do each month! I love how Dylan and Lexie are good sports and still participate, even though they are cool tweens now. I just love hearing all of their thoughts, and I love to record their answers, exactly how they say them!

I'm linking up HERE for The Kids Behind The Blog. 

Easter Egg Mini Meals: Food for Kids

As a first time mom, I quickly discovered that Dylan would eat ANYTHING if I just served it in a muffin pan! I could easily introduce a new food as long as it was served alongside his favorites. From that point on, muffin pan meals became a regular part of our mealtime routine!

For over a decade, I have been serving some snacks and meals to my kids in muffin pans, and they are always a hit! Eventually, I discovered a fun twist for Easter: Easter Egg Mini Meals! I shared this idea on my blog before, but it's such a beloved tradition that it deserves to be shared again. Since I'm currently serving Easter Egg Mini Meals all week, the timing was perfect for another post!

Easter Egg Mini Meals are easy and inexpensive to make, and kids love them! 

All you need is an empty 1 dozen egg carton and a dozen plastic eggs. Wash the plastic eggs and the egg carton prior to use, and you're ready to go!

Fill each egg with a different food, seal the eggs, place them in the carton and serve. The first time I handed an Easter Egg Mini Meal to my kids, they were completely confused, but the look on their faces when they opened the eggs was priceless!

Anything goes for fillers, but finger foods are definitely the cleanest and the easiest! When I'm serving a mini meal, I don't close the plastic eggs after I fill them. I do, however, close the plastic eggs when I'm just serving snacks. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

Breakfast Mini Meal:

• Scrambled Eggs
• Hardboiled eggs (small eggs fit perfectly inside of the plastic eggs)
• Mini Waffle Sticks
• Mini French Toast Sticks
• Mini Pancakes
• Cut Sausage Links
• Cut Fruit
• Granola
• Dry cereal
• Yogurt Melts
• Raisins/Craisins
• Dried Fruit

Lunch/Dinner Mini Meal:

• Cut Vegetables
• Pasta
• Cut Turkey Dog
• French Fries
• Small Chicken Nuggets
• Mini Pierogies
• Cooked Vegetables
• Cheese
• Dried Fruit/Raisins/Craisins
• Nuts (kids over age 4)
• Beans
• Fish Sticks

Snacks Mini Meal:

• Graham Crackers
• Fruit Snacks
• Sandwich Crackers
• Animal Crackers
• Pretzels
• Chips
• Jelly Beans
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate Chips
• Popcorn (kids over age 4)
• Cut Fruit
• Cut Vegetables
• Cheese (Shredded or Sliced String Cheese)
• Goldfish 
• Dry Cereal
• Puffs
• Yogurt Melts
• Mini Cookies
• Nuts (kids over age 4)
• Mini Pepperoni
• Oyster Crackers
• Candy

Easter Egg Mini Meals are a big hit with the younger crowd...

...but guess what?  Big kids love them, too!

Easter Egg Mini Meals are the perfect addition to school lunches!

I pack one in Lexie's lunchbox every day during the week leading up to Easter! Dylan is now too old for this lunchbox tradition, but Lily is already talking about how she can't wait until I send one to school with her. (I, however, CAN wait!) And Liam just might be enjoying one at school tomorrow!

I send these in addition to their lunch and fill them with their favorite snacks, and occasionally, a treat!

Easter Egg Mini Meals are PERFECT for on the go!

The egg carton and the sealed plastic eggs make this a perfect choice for an on the go snack or meal! Leftovers can be easily contained to eat later, and clean up is a breeze. Lily and Liam enjoy them for our picnics at the park!

Easter Egg Mini Meals are a hit with kids of all ages! 

What would you put in the eggs?

Capturing Childhood One Moment at a Time {March Moments}

March truly felt like a whirlwind! It arrived - and left - in the blink of an eye. It was a busy month for my family, but I pulled out my camera every day. Capturing each special moment was one of my goals this year!

Over the course of the month, my beloved Nikon D90 began to show its age. I started noticing little glitches here and there, and the usual sharpness of my photos just wasn't there anymore. I knew it was time to replace it, but I decided to keep using it while I do my research and narrow down my choices for a new camera. It's a big (and expensive) decision, and I want to make the right one!

Despite the glitches, it got the job done. I managed to capture some really sweet moments with Dylan, Lexie, Lily and Liam!

The first day of March felt more like a lamb than a lion.

Our sweet baby bunnies grew so quickly! They literally quadrupled in size within a few short weeks. The one on the right is the baby I kept, and the one next to it is Lily's.

We had an indoor ice cream picnic. (My kids are just a bit obsessed with Arctic Zero!)

We finally celebrated Lexie's 10th Birthday by having a small party with our family and a small party with friends!

We spent the month hand raising bunnies to get them ready for their new homes! They were all so sweet!

It snowed! And Liam still hated it with all of his might.

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day!

Liam discovered the fun of Hide and Go Seek. He's quite good!

Our entire family celebrated World Down Syndrome Day!

We thoroughly enjoyed the rare lazy mornings.

We went to Dylan's 6th Grade Open House. It's hard to believe that this is his last year in elementary school! When I think about it, I seriously start tearing up.

The babies continued to grow and the time to say goodbye was quickly approaching.

Lexie's 4th Grade Open House, which was the following day, was a bit more exciting. In case you missed it, Lexie fell at the end of her Open House and broke her wrist REALLY bad. She spent 12 hours in two different hospitals and it they ended up putting her under to set her wrist. She was incredibly calm and mature. She's definitely the toughest person I know!

The time arrived to start giving our baby bunnies to their new homes. We were all so sad!

We spent much of the month outdoors. Keeping up with this little whirlwind is a struggle!

We started to focus on the two baby bunnies who were staying behind to live with us. They were both introduced to bathtime. My bunny loved it!

And just like that, the month came to a rapid end! It was busy, it was fast, it was stressful at times, but it was certainly memorable. (I have no doubt Lexie will EVER forget her 4th grade open house!) But most of all, it was full of moments that make childhood so special!

How did you spend the month of March?