Easter and MN vacation

As usual, I am slipping back into my old routine of blogging only 1-2x a month.  I'll try to pick it up a bit.  The first week of April we journeyed back to MN, spending a few days in Redwood and a few days on the farm before heading back.  I really have to send myself an email reminder or something to remember to take pictures because I have so few!

Riding the mower at Grandpa and Grandma's

There was a turtle walking across the yard

The kids were intrigued but I didn't get a good picture

Sierra LOVED her smoothie from Caribou

She was so giddy with her OWN drink!

 There are a couple of pictures from Easter Sunday (the last day in MN)

The bunny prints and poop were there again this year.  

But I wasn't up in time to take any pictures of the kids finding their baskets :)

 Thayden playing a game on the iphone.

Get out! I need my privacy!

Getting ready for Easter brunch

The kids each got a butterfly garden from the EB

Our family on Easter

Sierra maxed out on pictures after 1

Loving DD

 I have a tradition of doing an Easter egg scavenger hunt when I am home for Easter.  I think I started this back when I was in high school, but was probably only home for Easter 1 or 2 times in the past 9 years with college in California and medical school.  This year I tried to make up for lost time by hiding 10 nests of eggs around the farm and one of the eggs in the nest hid a clue (a rhyme) that would lead them to the next nest.  They all had to participate as a group (at least, that was the goal!)  I think all the kids had a good time anyway.  Inside the eggs were filled with toys, tatoos, etc rather than candy so Thayden wouldn't feel left out.

The results of the Easter egg hunt

Sierra reading a new book and Thayden trying to ride his new scooter

Thayden is still on his special diet and doing well.  He hasn't added much in because of our vacation and just getting back into the swing of things.  About 2 weeks ago he informed me he wanted to be a vegetarian (eating his meat is always a struggle, but how does a 4-year-old know what a vegetarian is?)  Although we didn't agree to full vegetarianism, I agreed to buy some tofu and introduce soy so that could potentially be a meat substitute.  He loved it.  And didn't have any behavioral issues with it, so soy is a go.

Tofu stirfry

As far as behavior, we still struggle with inattention and mood swings but I think it is not atypical for a kindergarten-age kid.  We do notice the days when he doesn't get a nap (or lack of sleep the night before) inevitably are worse.  Last week (prior to trying the tofu) he had a horrible 3 days in a row where he was sent to the office, missed recess, etc.  We do not know what triggered that and it is so frustrating.  In the midst of those days I am very close to calling this diet quits!  But overall, I see much more good in Thayden than before he was on the diet.  For example, one evening he was as nice as can be to his sister, offering her his food when she was upset she didn't get guacamole, sharing his toys, and talking her into cooperating with Mommy for something she was being stubborn and independent over.  He spoke in such a nice voice, asked Mommy nicely for things he wanted and thanked me, and was just such a sweet boy - and this lasted the entire evening.  He got a special reward that night and he was very pleased.  Before the diet, it was VERY difficult to even find one behavior that was worth rewarding let alone hours of good behavior!  We have a whole stash of rewards in our closet for positive reinforcement so hopefully we have more days like that!