Easter 2013

 The sneaky Easter Bunny hid the baskets, and drew a map on how to find them! Leah was so excited to use the map, though she really didn't know how to read it at all. 

 I made the girls take pictures before the festivities began. They were pretty excited. 

 The Easter Bunny hid eggs in our house and in our yard! The girls had fun collecting the eg  gs. Leah was really good at finding them this year! Juliet was a pro at opening the eggs. Every time I turned around, she had cracked open an egg and was trying to eat what was inside. I only let her eat Mini M and Ms. She really liked them! 

 Leah kept opening eggs and trying to nonchalantly eat the contents of the egg. She said that the mini peanut butter cups were her favorite treat.  

 Juliet quickly lost interest in egg hunting, and wanted to focus exclusively on eating the eggs. 

 Then the hunt took us outside. Leah had fun collecting more eggs! 

 We used the map to find the baskets. Leah was really excited to find the baskets, but she really wanted the "Boots" (from Dora) doll that was in Juliet's basket. She quickly recovered when she saw that she had got the Dora doll. After we found the baskets, Leah started singing the, "We did it" song that they sing at the end of each Dora the Explorer episode. It was adorable! 

Leah was really excited about the "rainbow ribbon wand" that Dora uses during gymnastics. 

 Books, Books, and more books! 

 Juliet got some new sippy cups, some headbands, a blanket, and lots of new books (a ton of "touch and feel"---her FAVORITE!). 

 Juliet really likes her Boots! 

 Leah got 2 puzzles, lots of books, some Dora DVDs, a dress, and some teacups. Daddy said he was going to write the Easter Bunny a strongly worded letter about "reigning it in next year". 

 Leah hugging her Dora doll! 

 J. Boo got "Pat the Bunny"! We had this book for Leah and she loved it so much that she wore it out. Juliet got the deluxe version. 

 J. Boo liked the tag from her blanket the best. 

 Daddy made pancakes for breakfast, and Juliet LOVED them! 

 After a nice breakfast, she practiced her walking some more. 

Our first Easter as a family of 4!

We had a great morning.

Happy Easter! 

Twas the Night Before Easter

 And Leah in her princess dress and J. Boo in her leisure suit were getting ready for the bunny...

 And hoping that he would bring them something quite funny! 

Signs of Spring

Happy 10 Months

 Jelly Boo,

I apologize for having your 10 month post be a bit (over 2 weeks....) late. You were sick and I didn't want pictures of you when you looked miserable. 

 You being sick is kinda the story of your 1st year. You poor thing. Between having a Mommy who is a Kindergarten teacher, a sister who just started preschool, and putting your fingers in your mouth whenever you are tired....you get sick a lot. This time it was a crusty nose, coughing, and an inability to sleep anywhere but upright in the rocking chair at night. Poor thing! You kicked it, though, and are back to being the happiest baby on record.  

 This month you started to walk! You walked right around your 10 month birthday! We thought Leah would beat you on this milestone, but you pretty much tied her. At first, you preferred to crawl instead of walking, but now you prefer to walk (unless you know you need to get somewhere fast--like a toy that Sissy is going for). 

 You have 8 teeth, and no signs of any more. You love to eat. This month your favorites were cottage cheese and toast with baby food smeared on top. You also love beans! You still nurse. You like to nurse before bed and nap time. You wake up 2-8 times a night to nurse (twice on a good night, once an hour on a bad night). When you are sick, you are up often. Typically, it's twice a night. 

 You are so happy. When you get really happy, you throw your head back and smile and do a happy growl/squeal.  

 You still say Mama and Dadda. No new words this month! 

 You don't love it when I put headbands on you. You pull and pull on them until you get them off. We'll have to work on that. 

 This month you moved into size 6-12 month shirts. Size 3-6 pants months still fit you, though. 6-12 are too big (except for a few select pairs). You wear size 3 diaper. 

You continue to think that your sissy is the coolest person on earth. Sometimes she gets a little too rambunctious  though, and you have to get Mommy to protect you.  You like for Mommy to hold you, too. You would prefer to be carried around as Mommy does her chores. 

We love you so, so, so much, Jelly Belly Boo Boo!

I can't believe you are almost 1 (tear)!

Love, 

Mommy

Walking Bean

Our J. Boo is a definite walker. She went from 3 steps to 8 steps, to countless steps. In less than a week she went from walking only when we made her, to having walking being her preferred mode of transportation. She gets excited when she walks. This little video was taken more than a week ago, she's even better now!

Cat Nap

This is how we roll most days: Leah selects a princess dress to wear. At nap time, she selects 4 books (up from the 2 that had been the norm for the past 2.5 years) for me to read her. After reading all the books, she refuses to let me put the books away, or even on her nightstand. Instead, she has to sleep cuddled with her books. 

On this special day, Brain jumped in the bed. I tell Sassy that she has to stop petting him and go to sleep. She says, "I will just move my body so it is right by him. I love my boy Brain". 

I love how she is cuddled up with Pete the Cat, too. 

Easter Egg Hunt 2013

 Leah was so excited for our annual Easter Egg Hunt with the Z's. Leah couldn't wait for the egg hunt, asking me many times throughout the week, "Is it after nap today?" 

 Juliet was excited, too. This was her first Easter Egg Hunt experience. Last year she was in the belly. I remember looking at Robin and Anna and being annoyed that I was still pregnant and Robin had her baby out. Ha! 

 These girls love each other so much. 

 Leah had fun collecting eggs. 

 The picture on the bench is our yearly thing. Lukey looked skeptical.  

 This year we put all the kids on the bench. They were cooperative. 

 Juliet was smiling at Lukey and reaching for him. She really liked him. Leah may have some competition. 

 Anna looked cute, though maybe slightly disappointed that her Mommy took out her Nuk. 

We saw animals, too. This wasn't as scary for Leah as it was last year. I think going to school on a farm helps her with this. What she enjoyed most, though, was the carnie games inside The Summit. After the hunt, we went to Mexican Fiesta, which I have also decided is an annual tradition. Juliet choked on a chip and scared me half to death (I hit her on the back a few times, and it came right out). No more chips for her. She has to eat the guac off a spoon from now on.