Easter With Family (part 1)

During Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh's west coast visit, we were fortunate enough to have them here with us during Easter weekend. It certainly wasn't planned... and I wouldn't exactly call our family Easter fanatics, but it was really nice to have them here to partake in some really fun Easter activities... as one big family. 

We started off the weekend by hitting up

the local Easter egg hunt at the town center.

Allen certainly wasn't overly excited about hunting for eggs, but definitely interested in what each egg had inside... and took it very seriously.

Even Baby Jack got in on some of the action!

Neither were quite in the mood...

so this was the best we could manage.

There were a ton of people there

and lots of interesting things to see around the park...

So Moe-Joe & Allen led the way to make sure we saw everything there was to see... while Dad-Oh & Jack brought up the rear.

Allen loved seeing the fire truck up close!

But one of the best parts, and probably Allen's favorite,

was all the interesting animals they had for us to see and pet!

Allen liked all the furry bunnies

and hopped around like he was one...

But his favorite (okay, maybe not his... but definitely mine!),

was seeing & petting the sweet little key-den they had.

They even had an Alpaca there!

...Which Allen & Moe-Joe made friends with.

Allen was just as happy as can be...

just sitting there watching all the animals run around.

Meanwhile, Jack stayed out of the hot sun and hung-out by himself thinking, "I don't get it!? I'm way cuter than all those funny looking animals... and there's no crowd of people around me!?!?"

"So an 'Alpaca', huh? Well, you kinda look like a camel to me.

Either way, you sure are funny lookin'!"

It took a little bit of convincing... but Moe-Joe finally got Allen to go inside with her, with the baby goat the first to greet them.

Allen was great... not overly terrified to pet the animals, and certainly not the obnoxiously care-free annoying kid who scares all the animals away either!

And last but not least... a dry pool full of turtles!

After finding all the eggs and petting all the animals we could that morning, there was only one place left for us to go to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and the amazing weather... the park!

"Are these people really my family??? They're absolutely nuts! I've got to make a break for it... it's now or never!!!" 

It was a perfect afternoon to do some kite flying...

So Allen took control and flew his kite high!

And while Allen was busy flying kites and playing at the park, Jack was busy hanging-out and playing with his Moe-Joe!

A blanket and some shade...

Pretty much all these two needed to be happy!

But eventually everybody kind of wore everybody out...

so naturally, nap time ensued.

Allen & his Daddy posing for the camera.

Speaking of posing...

doesn't get much better than this!

Whoops... looks like I spoke too soon!

That baby sure is crazy!

Sunshine, shade, family, park, and In-N-Out???

Best (Easter) afternoon ever!!!

Remember Us?

After Jack was born and Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh left to go back home in January, we weren't real sure how soon we were going to see them again. Of course we all were hoping for a lot sooner than later... and I'm sure to Moe-Joe even a few weeks felt like a few months! Nevertheless, it ended up being almost three and a half long months before Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh made their way back to SoCal to visit their newest Grandson again. It felt like an eternity to us, so I can't imagine how it felt to Moe-Joe! Needless to say, she was absolutely beside herself to see and hold Jack again... but unfortunately, I don't think Jack remembered who she was. 

It took a while... a few nibblings on the neck & cheek, some smiles, and of course some good conversation, but Jack eventually recognized his Moe-Joe! 

Dad-Oh had to wait his turn with Jack... so in the meantime, he hung-out with Allen and helped him with his puzzle.

As you can imagine, Jei & I could not have been happier!

Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh were finally here...

...And our kids were happily entertained!

Moe-Joe trying her best to get 'Chunkalicious' to smile.

I'm sure it was a long wait, and one heck of a drive from Colorado,

but judging from their smiling faces, it was all worth it!

Moe-Joe finally gave in and let Dad-Oh play with Jack...

and by the looks of it, she wasn't too happy about it!

But Dad-Oh on the other hand...

was absolutely thrilled!

He made it quite clear that changing dirty diapers wasn't gonna happen, but at least Dad-Oh agreed to feed the little guy. 

And feed Jack he did... right into a milk-coma!

The next morning, Jack just couldn't wait to play with Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh again, so he snuck downstairs, crawled up in their bed, and woke them up!

Fortunately for Jack, his eagerness to play was most definitely mutual!

Dad-Oh and his handsome boys.

I always get tasked with chores when I go back to their house... so I only thought it was fair that I do the same with Dad-Oh, and put him to work!

Meanwhile... Moe-Joe & Jack stay busy playing inside.

But it wasn't long before the two made it outside,

to enjoy the beautiful weather and the chilly pool.

Dad-Oh & Jack spend some quality time together

playing on the couch with some toys.

Moe-Joe & Allen do the same,

as they play games & learn on the iPad.

It wouldn't be a family visit without two things:

a walk around the neighborhood with the boys...

And a trip to 'The Mill' for a delicious lunch outside!

Allen loves peeking over the rail

to watch the cars & motorcycles go by.

A nice walk to Old Town, a great lunch outside, and some gorgeous weather... I don't think our afternoon could have been any better!

With all the eating, walking, and playing...

Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh take a load off and relax.

We weren't real sure what happened to Dad-Oh the following morning, but some old guy showed up in the kitchen and actually helped make breakfast... weird!  

Moe-Joe was in charge of the boys,

where playtime was in full effect.

Moe-Joe even got Jack to ride his brother's bike for the first time!

Of course being an Etheridge, he loved it.

All good things must come to an end... but Allen wasn't quite ready for all that fun to stop. He ended up packing his own bags and was all set to take the fun on the road with Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh. 

Unfortunately, mean ole Dad-Oh broke the bad news that he had to stay home, which obviously didn't go over too well and made he and everybody else all upset. 

...Which later turned into a huge pout and a,

"I'm not going to look at the camera then!" 

It felt like a short visit - as they almost always do, but it was definitely a good one. Not sure if Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh got their Baby Jack fill (I think Moe-Joe actually tried to pack Jack into her suitcase!), but it will have do until we meet again in July. Thanks Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh for visiting and for playing with our boys! We love you!