You want people around you who love you as you get old and are dying? Treat the people around you decent.

I had pretty much the same conversation with my dad about his mother.

Oh, Julieb, I'm so sorry. I'm sure that the holiday AND the prospect of dying relatives is stressing out your dad something awful, even though I'm betting he knows your quite rational reasons for being angry.

I haven't done the slightest bit of Easter-celebration, but that soon should change once I get myself dressed and Out of the house.

Emmett was the Easter Cheer-bunny this morning. Waking Matilda up and whipping her into a chocolate consuming frenzy. He hid the Easter eggs in the back yard. While she staggered around in a muzzy, just-woken state he hopped around and pointed out all the eggs until she got very excited about the hunt. We came back upstairs for pancakes, and they played with their new stuffed animals (Matilda got a kitty named Waffle. Emmett finally got his finger monkey, named Pancake.) Then he helped get her dressed her Easter dress (he tied the bow, and got her shoes on) and she shot off to church with JZ.

Now he's watching an Arrested Development marathon.

Oh! I knew there was a reason I wanted to go to a drug store after church, but I couldn't remember what it was -- CANDY. Der. Maybe later.

Me, I LOVE hearing about Sarameg's house and The Zmayhem Easter morn and Liese's scary water and Kat's totally deserved toddler smackdown and all the news shared here.

As for me, my Uncle J is very ill. He has been fighting off cancer for three years now and it seems to be winning. His family is meeting this morning to discuss options and I am googling plane fares to Chicago. Not a great way to spend easter morning, but he has fought the good fight and lasted much MUCH longer than anyone expected.

No brackets needed, y'all. Just being able to enjoy all of your Passover/Easter stuff is comforting enough.

Offf. Julie, I am so sorry. And Scrappy, many hugs.

Uh, juliana, wanna come out to Baltimore in a week or two?

Oh my gosh, of course!! And if she came the weekend of the 25th she could come to our very last show!

Hee! If I had the plane fare, I'd totally come and be the chauffeur/negotiator/soothing-type person. That would be a blast!

Considering Owen had a birthday party for a classmate, his own birthday party and we got Easter baskets, I think the kids are sufficiently candied up. As is their mother.

The Birthday Boy is anxious about his cake.

Olivia surveys her Easter loot.

Happy belated birthday to Owen! He's such a handsome dude.

In other funny-and-sleezy at the same time news. Denny Neagle was a major league pitcher.:

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So the other night we facebook friend Denny Neagle, just because. He did throw parts of two seasons for our favorite big league team. Then he was traded to the Yankees and things went downhill, but it is a moot point.

Our girlfriend calls the next morning and asks “Who is Denny Neagle?”

Immediately we are thinking that this cannot be good. We ask why she would like to know that. Aparently old Denny boy took the liberty to ‘friend’ her on facebook immediately after we friended him. She noticed that her and Denny’s only mutual friend was us. She didn’t know who the guy was from a random stranger.

...She went ahead and accepted the request. And then Denny boy showed that he’s still up to no good. Next thing we know he is offering up “pokes” to our girlfriend. He doesn’t do that to all of his facebook friends. He didn’t poke us. Denny, we feel left out man. It’s alright though. You’d just think that a guy who signed a $51 million dollar contract a few years ago could do better then poking a ‘fans’ chick on an online social site. I mean dude, go buy yourself some ass. Oh wait you already did that. Bad advice.

This is what we get for facebook friending anyone who has had ties to Major League Baseball.

Me, I LOVE hearing about Sarameg's house and The Zmayhem Easter morn and Liese's scary water and Kat's totally deserved toddler smackdown and all the news shared here.

I would totally subscribe to this magazine!

Happy birthday, Owen!!!

I am not going up home for Easter, which I'm a little sad about, but I am making myself some ham and I bought some peeps and Cadbury caramel eggs. And I will relax and eat them up (not all the peeps and chocolate) and watch Amazing Race & Little Dorrit after I finish getting everything I need to do this weekend done. So, I better get started on that.

Hugs and commiserations to all what needs 'em.

Matilda and Emmett stories are, as always, incredibly cute.

Owen and Liv look SO big.

Lewis and I skipped out on the zoo excursion and instead went to the outlet mall for some necessities. Glad we did, too-- one of Abby's favorite stores, Limited Too has rebranded themselves as Justice, why, I know not, but it worked out great for us, since they were selling all of their old Limited Too branded clothing at STUPID discount. We're talking 2.99 for stuff that last summer and fall would have been near the twenty-five or thirty dollar mark.

Since a lot of it was fall/winter stuff, I got it a couple of sizes too big and honestly, some of it looks so cute and comfortable, that if the girl doesn't want it, I'll keep it to beat around the house in.