Easter in Utah

So, I am about to make up for the appalling lack of pictures on the blog lately. I tried to limit myself, I really did! But Max is just too cute. Anyway, we spent a very special Easter in Utah. We got to be with Joe's entire family for the first time in who knows how long?! (Most, but not all, were together for Christmas.) And we got to spend some good time with my family, too. We weren't planning on going anywhere for Easter, but I am so happy we had a reason to.

We started out by decorating some Easter eggs with my family. We like to draw on the eggs with marker and then use some dye. Some of us really get into it. This year however we were doing it very late at night and although I made several eggs there are just two I am going to document.
This is Max's egg. I decided to draw things that Max really likes. We have a basketball hoop and basketball, microwave (he loves pushing the buttons), slide, lips (he likes to give kisses) . . .
Dog, book, heart (cuz he loves us), light bulb (he is obsessed with lights), and cheese (his first word and favorite food).
Also, I made a egg for my brother with a picture of his kitten, Drogba (named after his favorite soccer player). And my mom used the eggs for placecards on the table for Easter breakfast. Is she cute or what?
On Saturday morning we had a delicious breakfast with my family. We had a fun assortment of things and I thought everything turned out amazing (even if there were a few unanticipated adventures).
Then it was time for Max and his cousin Bella to hunt for eggs! I knew Max would be adorable wandering around the yard with his little Easter pail, but I didn't know he'd catch on to the idea so fast! We showed him an egg, told him to put it in his pail, and he was off. He started spotting eggs all over the place. It was so cute!!

This is Max's happy face that he makes ALL the time. What a funny boy.

As Max was reaching for an egg he couldn't really get to, the rest of his eggs spilled out.
But it turned out ok because as he was picking them back up he discovered that lo and behold these things open up and there is food inside! (For this hunt, we did cheerios and goldfish.)


Max got some fun things in his Easter basket - crayons, a cute Easter cup, sunglasses, bubbles, fruit snacks, and an outfit.
This was his first experience with bubbles and of course he LOVED them. Waiting with anticipation ...

Max is obsessed with this little Buzz Lightyear thing my parents have and played on it all the time. He even wanted to push cousin Bella.
Later in the afternoon we got together with Joe's family for a BBQ and another hunt! Max was ready.
He seriously was so cute wandering around and finding his eggs. He kept saying "Whoa ... whoa!" the entire time (which is a new thing).
Our best attempt at a cousin picture. Not sure what Max is doing with his finger in the air but you'll see that pose again.

And this time the eggs had candy. Although we didn't actually feed him any there was many a time we reached into his mouth to fish out m&m's, jellybeans, and chocolates (still with the foil wrapper on) that he had found somehow.

Five Dastrup sisters and two sisters-in-law!! How fun is that?? I love them so much.
Here we're showing off the darling aprons Joe's mom made for each of us. They are all different and SO cute!
An Easter family picture. I told you you'd see that pose again.


Max and his Vati (Grandpa). I always feel so bad for Max when we go back home because they are such great pals.
Um, how did my baby get so BIG?? There is almost no baby left at all!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was reuniting with sweet Reese! She is 5 months older than Max and they both have an unbelievable amount of personality. They were cute together and gave hugs and kisses (well, sort of) ... when they weren't screeching and yanking away each other's toys.


While Joe headed back home to work Max and I stayed and hung out a few more days (plus an extra day because Max was throwing up the day we were supposed to leave). We were thrilled to enjoy a nice afternoon amid some chilly days.




One of Max's favorite things to do at my parent's house was DANCE to my dad's juke box. Holy cow, the boy never stopped. He has his squat and bounce move down! Also he likes to run around like a crazy person, turn around in a circle, wave his arms frantically, and move from foot to foot. After a lot of dancing we were able to discover he has a favorite beat that is not too fast, not too slow.

Aunt Kate also taught him a bit about foosball.
Giving "bones" after a job well done.
The end.