Easter!

We were WAY excited about Easter this year. We're talking multiple egg hunts and egg dying sessions, lots of Easter decorating and baking, a countdown to the big day, and our first go at hosting Easter dinner at our house.

Alli came over to help us dye eggs and make a lamb cake...I'm pretty sure the ones that Baba used to make in this pan were much better!

Saturday night Collins left out some treats for the Easter bunny...

And the next morning was rewarded with a basket full of goodies. She said, "How did the Easter bunny KNOW I wanted this bike seat for my doll? Mommy didn't even tell him!!!". :)

Addie bear got up and wasn't super interested in her basket (except for tossing it down the stairs)...

Reading their new books and eating their chocolate bunny was priority #1...

Pictures after church (have to show off the new Easter dresses!)...

For Easter dinner, Collins wanted to have a "welcoming party" for the guests...

Collins asked Gigi to make her a bunny cake MONTHS ago which would have an been easy enough request if Donna had not been in so much pain from her hip. Although she was scheduled for hip surgery the next day, she made it happen which was a major accomplishment!

She did a great job!

Dad and Heather sent a whopper of a Easter basket from Hickory....more candy than you have ever seen!

After a tasty appetizer, on to the egg hunt! Collins was bound and determined to beat Aunt Alli and Addie...

She won of course....

Her prize was a Peep...

On the dinner menu: ham, deviled eggs, potato gratin, spinach strawberry salad, and homemade yeast rolls...

My favorite part was dessert of course and these yummy mini cheesecakes...

 

Addie's favorite part was wearing her bunny cake...

And the grand finale of the Easter dinner- the kick ball game! Brian made fun, but don't mess with an old Easter tradition from the Hick! Collins was all for it!

Addie cheered on from the sidelines, and Alli was dubbed the winner thanks to her outstanding efforts... :)

Addie is "SO BIG!"...

 And Alli definitely got the photo of the day...love this one.

 

This Easter was really special!

Fun in the Sun

We can't make ourselves go inside. The Spring weather has been BEAUTIFUL around here, and we are soaking up and enjoying every minute of it.

Just to be outside, I encouraged the graffiti....

and the opportunity to sit on the front porch and drink lemonade...

and climb trees...

And you know it's getting warm out when you hear the first tunes of the ice cream truck....I am not kidding you that Collins heard them and sprinted out the door towards the road screaming and in tears because she thought they were passing by our house. Her reaction seriously alarmed me...we have got to get this girl's sweet tooth in check!

The flowers and trees are amazing right now...

 

We have resumed our daily trips to the park...and Addie is obsessed with swinging!

and taking rides in the BOB. Both girls trance out while I push 90+ pounds to the park! I am starting to love this work out believe it or not. 

And since it's been warm, this has been the girls' favorite spot...

This was such a neat moment...they were playing together (without me) and having a really good time! Can't wait for more of these moments as the warm up continues!

Spring Break

We spent the majority of Collins's Spring Break in Hickory. Mimi pointed out that it won't be too long before Hickory is an un-cool Spring Break locale for her so we need to live it up while we can. :)

We had a great time hanging out with everybody. The weather was not very Spring-like, but that didn't slow us down. Here's our weekend in pics!

Spent a rainy morning at the Science Center...both girls loved the tree house.

Collins loved swinging and blowing bubbles on the porch with Poppy...

And painting on his new toy...

We had a fun outing Saturday morning...Poppy and Nana arranged for us to go see their friend's goat farm in Happy Valley. It was called Ripshin Farm and although they don't sell goat cheese anymore, they had all kinds of animal for us to see. Such a charming place...

Meet Fergus...

Dad, Heather, and I tried the goat milk...not bad!

 There was a horse farm right next door...we so enjoyed our little field trip to the country!

 

And look what we found came across on our way home (not like we were trying or anything)...the last standing Circus Hall of Cream! Mandy had mentioned that she thought there was one in Longview, and she was right! Not the exact restaurant I remember so fondly, but a close second. I appreciate everyone putting up with my mission to find it. :)

Then over at Mimi's house, it was an afternoon of Easter fun. Baba came over armed with a cute Easter treat to make...

They also read Collins's new book, "The Berenstein Bears- The Real Easter Story" multiple times. Collins was fascinated by the true story of Easter and had LOTS of questions. It was special that Baba got to share this story with her. 

Egg hunt!

 Look who is trying really hard to walk! Mom and I practiced with her a lot, and she started taking 5-6 steps by herself at a time. It won't be long...

 

Between all the Grandparent time, basketball watching, and Easter fun, where else would we want to spend Spring Break besides Hickory? The perfect choice.

Addie at 15 Months

Wild and wonderful...to sum it up! She has turned into a handful all of a sudden, but I don't even care because she is so cute and fun. I told Brian we are in trouble because when she does something she's not supposed to she gives us that grin, and I just laugh. She's THAT cute. Sigh...

According to the doctor, her challenging 15-month-old behavior is very normal. Let's just say her behavior at her check-up was not the best, and I was physically and mentally exhausted by the time we left. Of course they look so peaceful here, but things went downhill fast...Addie does not like to get her height measured! She was 30" tall (37%), 23 lbs (57%) and 18" head (94%). We are still struggling with her excema so the doctor gave us some helpful advice on how to improve that. 

She should be growing like a weed because she eats like a hungry man. You would not believe the food that this baby shoves into her mouth. She screams at us until we get meals on her tray and then she is as happy as can be! Pizza is her favorite so far. :)

 

She is not walking yet, but I am not worried because she is taking her walking toys for a spin, cruising around the furniture, and she is taking 5-6 steps on her own now! She is really close!

Her hair...always the subject anywhere we go and meet new people. They are always so impressed by the amount and the curls! This was shot on the first humid day of Spring after her nap...

Addie can really play now. She is interactive with Collins (except when forced to dress up like a fairy and be in a rainbow fairy dancing show)...

She really enjoyed her first trip to Marbles...

She makes us walk her out to the backyard so she can play in the sand table...

And she loves to be mischevious and hide from us...

and close doors on us, and brush her teeth, and stand on the picnic table, and climb on Collins's bed, and crawl right out the front door...oh Addie you wear us out, but we love you so!