We've Been Busy Since Easter

We've gone for walks, except for the last time (when we drove), to LuLu's for ice cream, french fries and hamburgers...

We volunteered at the March for Dimes event in Modesto and Jon and Layla completed the Walk for Babies which was just over 4 miles long while Anyah and I gave out Non-profit information.

We've done A LOT of playing outside, taking full advantage of tricycles, scooters, sand boxes and most recently, the new water toy from Jen. The girls are a little scared with it turned on all the way but love playing with it like this...

Plus these two Easter Cuties are enjoying playing with their basket goodies and the wonderful gifts Anyah got for her FIRST birthday. I have a lot to talk about but sadly, I worked 8 nights in a row last week and my house looks like something out of a hoarder's TV show. So first, let me do some dishes, laundry and toy pick up and hopefully after that I'll meet you all back here with a full pepsi with ice and we'll get around to talking about things and stuff...

Easter

I had planned out an Easter with frilly pink dresses, overflowing well thought-out baskets and Easter Egg Hunting at Nannie's house. Then I got pregnant and the well thought-out basket overflowed into a Minnie Mouse themed basket surrounded by a pile of eggs that wouldn't even fit in it because I didn't plan well. The weather and the theory that Papa (who has a cat) was coming to lunch at Nannie's house put the frilly pink dress on hold for the practical overalls, pink converse and pig tails. The Easter Egg hunting though...that worked out just how I imagined (and lunch- lunch was good).

Sometime in the next week or so I'll post pictures of her opening her Easter basket this morning at the foot of our bed. I'll show you the way that she sorted all the candies, ate the M&M's, fed her new stuffed Minnie the jelly beans and ignored the rest. I'll post the pictures of her hunting eggs with Daddy and playing T-ball in Pop-Pop's back yard. I have pictures of spinning in circles with Nannie and eating a hotdog with a fork like a big girl.

I have lots of pictures and wonderful memories of Layla's last holiday as an only child. Evident in every picture is my 9 month along pregnant belly. By this time next year I'll have one crawling around trying to suck on eggs and one hunting them... a lovely thing indeed.

Don't Call it Bunny Day

101 pictures, $100 dollars and 99 bad jokes later...Easter is over. The planner in me is already acknowledging the next holiday on the list and the mommy in me wants a nap.

Easter was a lot more fun when I was 4 and there was no work. Although, apparently it gets fun again when you become a grandparent and you get to sugar up a kid for a whole day and laugh at them.

Layla had a lot of sugar yesterday. The result was the two fold, it was the first time she ever yelled in the house just to be loud, and there was a lot of running in circles.

The most memorable moment from Easter though would be my child fully clothed in her Easter dress getting into a bowl of water in the back yard to play. And, because I am cool mom, I just took pictures and let her do it. You're only little once.

Pictures will be up on Layla's site soon. In the meantime, here is one to hold you over (pre Easter dress...but during the bunny ears phase).

Easter's a Comin'

I spent a lot of time this month asking other people what Easter was like where they grew up. I had great Easters as a kid but they were usually spread across three houses in three towns in one day and so I always felt scheduled and a little rushed.

I was not really sure what Easter at home was going to look like, but I think I've figured it out.

Layla will get a modest basket from the Easter Bunny this year, filled with both educational toys and junk toys, as well as a movie and some candy that mostly Mommy and daddy will eat. There will be a matching Easter dress with little white sandals. There will be the hiding of the plastic eggs and then finding them (no dyed eggs this year, she's too young). For this year, there will be talk about Jesus amoungst the adults but until next year we won't try and get Layla to listen to why we all gather together to celebrate. But, we might go to church.

Lastly, there will be food. My dad & his girlfriend will stop by, maybe my mom, a friend or two and maybe a cousin. And we'll all eat. And we'll laugh... mostly we'll probably laugh about how stressed out I was about Easter until right before it ACTUALLY happened.