Happy Easter! Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Although Spring was slow to arrive, the Easter season made us hopeful that warm weather couldn't be too far away. We started with the 2nd Annual Rubin Easter Egg Hunt, which has quickly become one of our favorite events of the year.  Sweet kids, good friends, and SO many eggs!

Joergen, Ian, and Liam get ready to hunt!

And GO!

Poor Liam, who just couldn't find any eggs :P

A visit from the Easter Bunny!!

With everything so up in the air with our church music program, and a rather small (but mighty!) choir left standing, I was at church probably more than I was home throughout Holy Week.  Since I was singing at the Easter Vigil, and again on Easter Sunday, we decided to have our own egg hunt on Holy Saturday morning.

Easter weekend was sunny and cool- but thankfully not cold.  The snow had melted and spring was truly on its way.  The boys had so much fun dashing around our yard, searching for eggs.  It was hard to believe that just a week ago they were bundled up in coats and hats!

Right after church on Easter Sunday, we headed to York to celebrate the Risen Lord... and Grandpa's 64th birthday!

Happy Easter! And happy special drink from Grandpa!

Genevieve looking classy and fabulous in her Easter pink and pearls!

Colin and Joergen engrossed in their new Avengers planes from Nana an d Grandpa

Nana and Grandpa with the grandkiddos

Nana and Grandpa hosted an egg hunt for the kids that afternoon.  Liam and Joergen were pros by this point!  Watching those 4 gathering eggs around the yard made me want them to stay little forever.

Me and the birthday boy

Big G and Little G

After Easter dinner, we celebrated Grandpa's birthday with a gorgeous fruit tart.

Make a wish, Grandpa!

Colin and Uncle Tim waiting for a slice

Remember how I said the weather on Easter weekend was so mild and beautiful?  Well, what better proof of that than a clothing-optional game of ball in the backyard!

I think we are ALL ready for spring!  It was so nice to get to be outside, enjoying the weather and each other.

And one last thing: Genevieve may only be 2, but she already knows that shoes make the outfit :)

Late Winter Snow

Just when we thought we had escaped winter without any major snow... 

March came in like a lion...

... and left like one, too.  Seriously- this was taken right after the first day of Spring!  Joergen wanted it to be spring so badly that he started mowing the snow.  Give this kid some grass already, Mother Nature!

At this rate, no one will need to even dye Easter eggs-- you can just toss plain ones right in the snow and they'd be hidden :-\

Joergen is 4!

Continuing with the season of birthdays... next up is none other than our sweet baby J!  (Who would probably greatly prefer that I no longer call him that!)

Joergen's birthday fell on a Thursday this year, so we celebrated as a family that day before having his birthday party that Saturday.  Liam was so excited to give Joergen his present that he woke him up first thing on his birthday morning to do so.  I love their sweet and generous hearts!

After school and work, we played outside for a bit before presents and cake.  Joergen proudly wore his birthday crown from preschool and couldn't wait to try out all of his new tools from GG and especially his bug catcher from Liam.

This picture perfectly sums up Joergen at 4 years old.

Present time!

Joergen was so excited for his gift from Mom and Dad-- a pirate ship!  He had played with one at the Sullivan's house several weeks earlier and had been talking about it ever since.

What's a birthday without a treat?  We had cupcakes that night to save the big cake for Saturday (but I don't think the birthday by minded one bit).

Make a wish!

That Saturday, Joergen was ready to party.

Ninja party, that is.

And so was everyone else!

Our York and NJ families arrived that afternoon, along with several neighbors and even a visit from my college girlfriend Carly and her sons James and Nate, who were coming through town on their way back home to New York.  Liam and James picked up right where they left off at the ND game last fall.

Joergen wanted a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, and it of course had to be a ninja cake.  Yes, sensei! 

Will, Liam, Joergen, and Colin

Joergen had lots of help opening his presents, and lots of fun playing with his new toys!

It was an awesome day, and we can't thank everyone enough for celebrating with Joergen!

Now, in the weeks leading up to his birthday, Joergen had made it very clear that part of his birthday celebration had to include a sleepover with Colin.   Well, hearing this, Liam felt upset for his poor cousin Genevieve, who would surely be heartbroken if not invited to Joergen's sleepover!  Fair is fair-- so Liam had his own sleepover in NJ with Genevieve, while Colin stayed with Joergen here in KoP.

First, Joergen had to teach Colin how to "properly" holster his weapons.

a.k.a., shove them down your pants.

Then, they giggled until they fell asleep.

And finally, the next morning, they dressed like Storm Troopers and made hand guns out of pop beads.

Now that's what I call a party!

Happy birthday to our sweet, imaginative, big-hearted, curious, funny worker-man Joergen.  We love you to the moon (to which you'd reply, No Jupiter!) and back!