Hannah's 2nd Attempt at the Animal Game

For the past couple of nights, Hannah's been getting out of bed after tuck-in time, and coming ever-so-peacefully into Jack's room to tag-along for his book.  Then I re-tuck her in, and she goes to sleep while we snuggle with Jack for a bit.

Tonight, we decided to give her another go at the animal game.  Based on last time, I tried to give her a little help.

Me (whispering into Hannah's ear): A ladybug.

Daddy: Does it live in the ocean?

Hannah (looking at me): No.

Jack: Is it a spider?

Hannah (looking at me): No.

Daddy: Does it have fur?

Hannah: It's yucky.

Jack: Is it a spider?

Hannah: I want a horse.

Me (whispering into Hannah's ear): No, it's not a horse.  It's a ladybug.

Daddy: It's yucky... Is it a bug?

Hannah: It's a horse.

Daddy (trying to act like he's really going out on a limb): Is it a horse?

Hannah (completely surprised that Daddy guessed her animal): Yes!  It's a horse!

Our Easter

We had a good day yesterday.  The weather was nice, although a little cooler than we would have liked.  Regardless, we got to dress up in our Easter best, which I adore.  I love coming up with coordinating things for my family to wear on events and holidays.  It really does bring me great joy, and I love the way it looks in pictures.

The kids woke up way too early to see what the Easter bunny had left for them (of course!) - they were so excited to dig through their baskets.

Hannah is in constant motion, so it's hard to get a non-blurry photo.

The Easter bunny was especially pleased to have found this rare gem.  Hannah was thrilled - and so were we!  Now we know the words to her favorite song.  See for yourself:

{Video: Hannah's New Book}

To make Jack smile (and be confident that he did, indeed, find all of the hidden eggs), the bunny left a note

Hannah added some of her new toys to her little critter dollhouse, with Mommy's help

My loves

I took a few photos with my tripod before we headed to Grammy and Grampy's.  Everyone usually groans when I pull out the tripod at family events, so I decided to give them a pass on this day.

We used some of my new spring table setting things, and they were so pretty!   I promised Jack and Hannah that when they grow up, they can each have one of my bunnies for their own houses.  They've already decided which one is theirs.  

Dinner was so yummy!

Grampy's beautifully colored and placed Easter eggs

And the coolest nephew ever, digging his Easter eggs filled with baby snacks and his Peter Rabbit book, not-so-much

It was definitely a good day.

Silent Sunday

Happy Easter, Friends!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Today was a perfect spring day, and we had a great time with the littles getting ready for Easter.  This morning, we headed to the annual egg hunt in the front of our community.  They were both so excited, but when it was our turn to visit with the bunny, Hannah wasn't interested.  Jack posed for a picture, though!

They were in separate age groups for the hunt, so Hannah went with Daddy and I took Jack.

He was scanning the yard for the golden egg or a jumbo-numbered egg.  When the hunt began, he ran past what felt like hundreds of eggs in search of a prize egg before I suggested he start to gather a few for his basket :)  Nothing if not determined!

They agreed to pose for a picture before we headed home for lunch.

Hannah took a nice nap, and then after snack we headed outside to practice riding bikes.  Jack's been working on balancing on a glider bike, and today, after some coaxing, he felt ready to try his Spider-man bike with pedals and no training wheels.  And he did it!

We were so proud of him - truly a happy moment for Brad and I.  We both took videos, and Jack was beaming from ear to ear.

{I can ride a two-wheel bike now.}

He still has a little trouble pushing off, but once he gets going, he's pretty solid.  He can't wait to go back out tomorrow.

And Miss Hannah?  She rode her tricycle all the way around the block.  When we got home, she said she was tired, and I bet she was!  Those little legs of hers had to work pretty hard to go all the way around.

After we came inside, Brad colored eggs with the kids and I frosted our Easter cupcakes.  They were so excited to choose their colors and watch the eggs transform.

Hannah thought for a second that maybe she'd give a hard-boiled egg a chance, until she saw what they looked like, and then she quickly changed her mind.  Jack loves them though - which, being the picky eater that he is - makes us very happy :)

After dinner and bath time, we were tucking Jack in, and he asked about the egg hunt that the Easter Bunny may leave for him and his sister.  He turned to us, and asked, "Will the bunny leave a note telling us how many eggs there are?"

"What do you mean?" we asked.

"So we'll know how many to find?"

We swear.  That boy?  We think he's so smart.

And OCD.

But mostly smart.  Made us smile, for sure.

What a good day.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

{report cards could wait}

Patience is a Virtue

Several years ago, I sat in the pediatrician's office and listened to her suggest ways to get Jack to eat vegetables.  Things like trying hidden veggies (carrots in spaghetti sauce, spinach in spinach and artichoke dip, etc.), sweetening vegetables with brown sugar and honey, and finally - many, many attempts.  She told me not to force anything, just to continue to offer what we eat, and that eventually, he'd eat it.  Maybe he'd even like it.

I left pretty skeptical.  Clearly, she isn't as familiar with Jack's resilience as we are.

But we tried it.  For a very long time, we tried it.  I've written plenty about our dinner woes.

But tonight, Friends?

Tonight, all on his own accord, Jack decided to eat the things he didn't like first.  Baked beans.  Usually, they make him gag.  He still made a few funny faces, and I only gave him three tiny spoonfuls, but HE ATE THEM ALL.

FIRST.

AND THEN HE SAID HE LIKED THEM.

He may have been lying.  But he said it.

And then?

He ate all of his kielbasa and all of his cheese stick and all of his fruit.

We didn't beg or argue or ignore.

Not once.

It was AMAZING!!!

So how long did we have to wait for this miracle to occur?

Only five years, ten months, and two days.

Exactly.