Getting Ready for Easter

We're getting ready for Easter around here which means several things:

1) Time to dig out the Easter basket for some egg hunting. Last year, C had no concept of what was happening. This year she discovered there were prizes hidden inside the eggs, and it was game on. She'd find an egg, pull out the prize, drop the empty shell on the ground and move on to the next one! She had a hunt at preschool, and then we had some friends over to hunt eggs in our backyard.

2) Easter pajamas

3) Bunny cake

4) Egg dying (in tutu)

5) An Easter tree (a little cheesey but it reminded me of ours growing up so I wanted Collins to have the same fun memory)

Now on to the beach for the actual holiday!

Fun Weekend Things

This weekend we were excited to...

get a visit from Poppy and Nana (and the Easter bunny)...

unleash some energy on Reeves's new trampoline at her birthday party...

discover that beyond the playground at Banbury Park is a pretty cool creek...

and celebrate Brian finishing his first Spartan race. He came home covered in mud and bruises but had a great time completing the challenging run/obstacle course.

Spring Break 2013

Can you call yourself a Spring Break-er if you're in your mid-thirties and TWELVE whole years removed from college??? We felt a little silly (and old), but still labeled ourselves as such during a really cool girls trip to Charleston this past weekend.

This photo was taken on a rooftop bar as we enjoyed a gorgeous view of the Charleston bridge, the breezes from the first warm weekend of the year, girly cocktails, and laughs with friends- it doesn't get much more fun than this!

We spent the weekend watching the ACC Tournament, shopping, eating, and celebrating Rachel's birthday in charming Charleston. So much fun!

We picked up two Tar Heel wins while in Charleston...and our special "Go-to-Hell Duke" shot actually worked- they lost!

Brian and Collins spent the weekend at Wrightsville Beach with Donna and Marty. Besides fighting a cold and a rough 2-hr road trip down there ("I meltdown" Collins told Gigi and Grandpa upon arrival), Collins had a great time at the "big beach". Brian sent me these really cute pictures.

It was a little rough coming back home yesterday to a cloudy, cold day and a Tar Heel loss in the finals. Spring Break was officially over...good thing my baby arrived just in time to cheer me up!

Dressing Up

Accessorizing is a new favorite activity. Collins likes to wear two to three necklaces at a time and usually throws in a tutu, hat, or wings to add an extra punch to the outfit. Here's this morning's ensemble...cute!

Dirty Girls

Don't tell me that little girls don't like to get dirty. Reeves headed straight for a mud puddle today at the park, and Collins excitedly followed suit. They had a great time getting their matching dresses and boots quite dirty!

Playmates

We try to get together with friends as much as possible, both for Collins's sake and for mine. But up until recently, it's all been parallel play for the kids where they play close to each other but not with each other.

For this reason, it has surprised me lately when Collins has actually interacted with her friends and acknowledged their presence as a playmate. We were so excited this week when Collins grabbed Olivia's hand and they started going down the slide together. Once she did that, they did not want to let go! So cute...

Fashion Faux Pas

"I want to wear dress."

I hear this every morning as we go through the battle of getting dressed. We simply do not have enough dresses in the closet to fulfill this request on a daily basis although thankfully a tunic equals a dress in Collins's mind.

This baby has some pretty strong opinions at age two about what she will and will not wear. It frightens me for what these conversations are going to look like when she is 13! Mom said she went through this with Alli and her advice? It doesn't really matter what they wear as long as they're happy. :)

So that's why I did not put up a fight when Collins insisted on wearing last year's too-small beach cover-up to Harris Teeter this past week. You win some- you lose some!

Bargain Shopper

Plucked from the dollar section at Target, Collins knows a good deal on an Easter bonnet when she sees one.

A Good Day for a Kite

Windy March didn't waste any time rushing in this year- it is brutal outside today with that wind. Collins made a cute rainbow kite at school today- a good day to test it out!

Park City Fun

We are back from our ski trip, and I have to say an adult vacation is a wonderful thing! As much as we love our baby, it's such a luxury to have three days to yourself to do exactly what you want to do. For Brian- skiing is the most fun activity ever so he was happy if he was whizzing down a mountain. For me- I'm happy if I'm sitting in a hot tub, getting a massage, drinking a glass of wine, and reading a book. Lucky for us, we got to do all these things and more! Despite all the fun, we really missed Collins. The real question is did she miss us?!?

Not really! She was too busy having late-night dance parties, showing off her moves at gymnastics, dining out, and taking full advantage of all the attention from the grandparents. I think she was glad to see us again, but I think I think it was definitely a case of "out-of-sight, out-of-mind"!

Here are some highlights from Park City...the view from Tee's place (and the hot tub!)...

 

 

The view from the mountain (the pictures do it no justice- it's stunning in person)...

 

 

 

 

 

We had some incredible meals starting with fireside dining at nearby Deer Valley Resort. Four courses waiting for us by the fire starting with a large plate of cheese...

 

The only thing that could have made the evening more fun is a sleigh ride. :)

 

 

My reward after surviving a day of skiing...a large waffle right on the slopes.

We all loved the Western bistro we hit the last night on Main Street...

It was an incredible vacation (despite the lack of snow). We were lucky to get to go and equally as lucky to come back to this one!