Easter 2014

We dyed eggs with Stacy, Aaliyah and Violet. We like all of the pastel colors, but only the pink and purple cups had a line.

Lydia made designs with the white crayon.

 This year we went to the local grocery store's Easter Egg Hunt. It turned out to be a lot of fun for Abigail. The 2-3 year olds found their chocolate eggs in the paper products aisle.

Lydia enjoys decorating her cross cookie with care.

 We also went to our church for a kid's message, an egg hunt in the playground, and adorable cutout cookies.

 The girls found eggs in our basement among the toys, in the play tunnel, play kitchen, Barbie's car, etc.

(Hiding them in the basement made it possible to hold off the hunt till after church.) 

 Of course, the sorting of candy commenced immediately after (just like after trick-or-treating). But there were also puzzle pieces in some of the eggs (my favorite egg idea!); so putting the puzzle together was another fun activity.

 At Grandma Linda's, the girls broke out their new paints from her.

 Abigail, Lydia, Aaliyah...so cute!

Lydia "scooching" Abigail outside after a lovely brunch at Blackwolf Run with Grandma, Stacy & Greg, Sarah & Matt and his dad, step mom, brother and step brother.

After that we stopped at Aunt Debbie's house to see all the cousins and 13 second cousins all together. I think at this point we don't even try to get a group picture. What fun anyway!

Today's Craft

Baptism Birthday

Happy happy happy day...

was the day you were baptized, Lydia Marie!

Shower Surprise

I have to tell you a little about last week so we can better appreciate the surprise I got in the shower this morning. Well, everyone in the household was sick. One morning Dad got Abigail when she woke up and let me keep sleeping, but then he had to shower and get ready, so Abigail ended up screaming, and I mean SCREAMING bedside into my ear to go downstairs. I was so exhausted I was willing to pay damage to my hearing for five more minutes of lying in bed. This is just a taste of what last week was like. Okay.
This morning was a stark contrast:
I was up out of bed, had my coffee and cereal, and even read the newspaper. Through it all, the girls were both still snug in their beds, well when I say snug, Abigail's legs were actually hanging off her bed, but they were both wonderfully asleep nonetheless. So I decided to take a peaceful shower. In the middle of washing my face though, the bathroom door creaked open, I think I see a little hand, and it's Abigail. But she's not here to insist, "hold me, hold me" or "downstairs, downstairs" or "I want yogurt." Instead she breaks into an incomprehensible HAPPY rant. It was a relief; it made me laugh. She continued with this happy babble till I was ready to go downstairs. It was my pleasant shower surprise that I find symbolic of the fresh break into Spring. Winter is so last week. ;)

Abigail's Birthday Celebration

 

After some birthday cake

and presents

(Lydia couldn't be excluded)

 Abigail was a happy camper

and a happy two year old!

A Beachy Influence

Lydia's teacher said writing has just "clicked" with Lydia.

 She's writing her name in the sand in Florida.

 And back at preschool she's writing her name on paper beautifully, along with stick figures.

And for the first time smiling stick figures! 

"This is a picture of me at the beach. I'm standing in the water."
I'm sure this type art will pile up quickly, but these first drawings are like treasures to me.

Sea Shells

 One of Lydia's favorite things to do was go on a shell hunt.

When we went at low tide, there were a lot of critters.

 Lydia would find a shell and have to ask me, "Is somebody using this one?"

 "Yes, someone's living in that one. Set it back down."

 But then I let one hermit crab crawl on my hand. I told her it felt like a ladybug crawling on my hand. Lydia warmed up to letting it crawl on her hand, with mine underneath.

Then Lydia got brave and let one crawl on her hand by herself.

 Never fear, there were plenty of unoccupied shells to gather in her bucket.

We took them back to the campsite to wash and dry them.

Her favorite are the purple spiral shells.