So I have always known how much I am like my mom. I notice it more and more the older my kids get, but it is nothing really new to me. But yesterday, I also realized how much I am also like my dad.

My dad has the habit of beginning a project and quickly going crazy with it. Don't deny it, dad. You know it's true. No one could ever possibly deny that you do the project well. Very well. It's amazing how much you accomplish and how awesome it looks afterwards. We just have always felt you kind of go crazy with it. It's like, he decides that he's going to sweep out the garage. That's how it begins, but pretty soon everything -- cars, cabinets, toys, tools, etc -- have been emptied out of the garage and he is putting up drywall, texturing and painting, and then building shelves on every wall. Ok, this isn't an actual example, but situations like this have happened over and over and over again. He just gets carried away.

So yesterday, I decided I was finally going to redo the caulking on the floor around the bathtub in the kid's bathroom. They had begun ripping up the old caulking just for fun. What else are they gonna do with all their free time? I mean, really? And with how much they splash with their bath routine, I knew this would quickly become a problem. So I ripped up the old caulking and cleaned up everything like I should, and put down new caulking around the floor of the tub. This took me quite a while but I finally got the hang of it as I finished. Then I saw a few spots around the tub that could use some re-caulking, which I also did. Then I proceeded to do the bathroom sink, the back of the backsplash on our kitchen countertops, the sink in the master bathroom, and to finish it all, I scraped and pulled and removed all of the caulking around the tub in the master bathroom and put new caulking around our tub. It took me hours to complete all these tasks. It was early day for the kids, so they were home and needed my attention. I had laundry that I needed to take out of the dryer and fold and put away. My dishes were so backed up and piled all over the countertops. I have a goal to exercise every day, and I had not exercised yet -- obviously not showered or anything that comes after exercising. Plus, I was getting closer and closer to beginning my piano lessons for the evening. I had thrown a quick lunch together for Wally and Richie, but I hadn't eaten anything, and I was getting more and more onery the more obsessed I became with completely re-caulking our home.

After doing our tub, I decided it was time to be done (It probably helped that my baby Russell was starving and demanding to be fed). It wasn't until later in the day, however, that it suddenly occurred to me that I am just like my dad. I began what should have been a simple and relatively quick project. But it turned into this huge ordeal and took hours out of my day, successfully eliminating my opportunity to exercise or finish the laundry. In my defense, I do think I did a good job -- just like my dad.

Yesterday we had just a small square of cheesecake leftover from Gabe's birthday dinner at their house on Sunday. I asked Wally and Richie if they wanted to eat it with me. OF COURSE. So we got it out and Wally asked if we would be cutting it up into three sections. I said, no, let's just each get a fork and eat what we want, for some reason thinking it would be a similar experience as when Scott and I share something. It was not. As soon as I gave them their forks, Wally and Richie attacked this thing like their lives depended on it. I mentioned to slow down, but they both kept going full speed, not taking time to swallow or hardly chew before another bite was shoved in. Wally even grabbed little pieces with his fingers that were taking too long with his fork and shoved them into his mouth. Finally, I just put down my fork and started laughing until my sides hurt. Next time, I will make sure I cut it into sections. Do boys always eat with such desperation??

Last night for FHE, we made our Easter baskets! The kids were so excited all day. Every year, we cut out part of milk cartons and decorate them into Easter baskets with construction paper! I'm sure someone with more creative talent could really put some impressive stuff into this project, but I just make it as simple as possible for myself. We always always did Easter baskets this way when I was a kid. I remember LOVING it. I think we all did, although I remember in my later years, Justin pulling out an old ice cream bucket and slapping it on the table with a "There. I'm done." haha. Maybe it wasn't as fun for teenage boys as it was for me. It saves money, but I feel like even more important, it's a fun Easter project that we all get to do together!!! :)

This year, Erin made a kitten, Zach made a Batman/Robin depending on which side of the basket you looked at, Wally made a Spiderman Bunny, Richie made a Buzz Lightyear, and Russell's was Easter eggs hidden in grass. Scott did Richie's and Russell's, and I helped with Wally's. Erin and Zach did theirs by themselves, and did a very impressive job, I might add! Lindsey was out with friends last night, but I am gonna try to talk her into doing one later. Scott wasn't super thrilled that I assigned him two of them this year, but he did a really great job, don't you think?! We all had fun, laughing and joking. Russell fell asleep in his swing at one point and Wally took it upon himself to walk around monitoring how loud we were talking. "SHHHHH! Whisper! Russell is sleeping the whole way!!" was all we heard anytime a comment was made. No tears or anything this year, just lotsa fun. :) We had Easter candy on the table for our treat, which I think helped in the excitement of it all. Scott jokingly complained about the candy I chose as he ate handful after handful. Here are some pics.... I took a pic of Zach's from each side.