Cadbury Hangover

Easter has come and gone. Eggs were dyed and hunted. Chocolate was consumed. Toddlers were wired from sugar highs.

When you stop and think about it, the idea of knowingly searching for plastic eggs filled with chocolate and candy that are hidden virtually out in the open is a pretty exciting notion, especially for two year-olds that are known to get excited at the mere possibility of watching the same Diego episode for the 212th time. So it goes without saying, Easter was a hit for Owen and Gus.

Amy & I took the boys to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday at our church. Yesterday, our neighbors had an egg hunt for the boys after they woke up from their naps. By last night the boys professed their love for the Easter bunny more willingly than for their mom and dad, who make them take baths and stop eating candy. Mean old parents.

When we weren't hunting for chocolate, there was definitely some time devoted to basketball over the weekend. Amy was gracious enough to take all three kids and give me an evening off on Friday so I could go to the RBC Center to watch the first round of NCAA tournament games. The games themselves -- UNC blowing out Mt. St. Mary's and Arkansas beating a lackadaisical Indiana team -- were uneventful. But to get out and tailgate on a great spring day and follow that up with four hours of live basketball is treat enough for me. I was a happy camper.

There were some great games over the first weekend although my beloved Cats bowed out in the first round. Western Kentucky posted an upset over Drake on Friday which still holds up as the best game of the tournament so far. Going to games in Bowling Green as a kid to watch the Hilltoppers is to this day a great memory so I was very happy to see Big Red make a surprising run to the Sweet 16. Another team closer to us in the Tar Heel state, Davidson, also advanced to the tournament's second weekend by knocking off Gonzaga and Georgetown in front of a partisan UNC crowd in Raleigh. Having surprise teams advance in the NCAA tournament reinforces why the NCAA and the Final Four are the greatest event in sports. I love it.

Tess is getting better as time progresses. She still has some congestion and coughing, but she is much, much better than two weeks ago. She has started smiling which generates a whole host of goofy, funny enticements from Mom and Dad who are doing anything and everything to coax a gummy grin from our little girl. We'll try to get some pictures or video up soon.

Amy goes back to work part-time today. We have learned over the past couple of weeks since GJ left that we are very likely going to need some part-time help in the mornings so Amy can get some work done. We have reached out to a few people and have had some conversations with candidates. Ultimately we want someone to come to the house as we're just not ready to drop off a six-week old with someone else right now. Plus, having someone come to our house calms a parent's fears of horrible nanny stories that surface from time to time. But we are hopeful that the routine will get worked out soon, and we will find the right person.

Finally, the boys don't know the excitement that is about to be coming their way. Amy & I have met with a local guy that builds playsets that fit your yard & landscaping. When we took up the project in the backyard last fall, the hope was to create a space for the boys so we could expand our living space outward, which is really just a nice way of saying we wanted to be able to kick the boys outside when they are making us parents pull our hair out. Either way, if all goes well we should have a playset up by the end of the week.

Chocolate, candy eggs, swings & slides -- wouldn't it be great to be a kid again?

Cheers!