Easter Sunday

We had a great time celebrating Easter today. We had a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, and hash browns before having an abbreviated Easter egg hunt for Joshua. We had placed two or three eggs in several places around the living room and dining room for him to find (since its raining outside). However, he sat down and ate the contents of each egg as he found it! So, we picked up the rest of the eggs to dole out the candy over time. He sure does like mini M&Ms and jelly beans!

We enjoyed a local worship service and lots of family fun today. Joshua refused to eat a Peep, looking at me and saying, "Bird?". He's right- the Peeps do look like our canary, Peaches. I don't think we should eat them, either! I made my first solo attempt at Bunny Rolls. I would like a refresher from my mom next time she visits. I could only remember how to make one of the bunny shapes. The other thing I discovered it how time-consuming they are to make! She must have gotten up at 4 or 5am to have hot, fresh bunny rolls for us each Easter morning. How thoughtful of her. Mine were pretty good for a first attempt, but Mom is still the Queen of Bunny Rolls by a large margin.

Joshua like the little bottles of bubbles and his new baby animals coloring book a lot. Mike & I helped him color one of the pictures before Joshua decided it was time to pick up all the crayons. He is the most organized little guy I've ever seen. He doesn't seem to be growing out of this phase that he enjoys organizing things by placing them in containers. He's also doing a super job walking and climbing. He's a whole lot of fun for us.

Fun Visit with Old Friends

One of the great blessings that happened this year, was our friends Devon & Ed moved from Maine to Illinois. So.... not only are they much closer to visit, but we can also see Angel, Tom, Ava, and Quinny when they come to visit! About a week ago, Angel let me know they'd be driving to Illinois & Devon invited us to crash the family visit, too.

Joshua and I drove the three hours to Bloomington, IL yesterday and had a wonderful time. Joshua slept for most of the drive there, which was some kind of miracle. Angel, Devon, and their friend Hanna are so much fun to talk and laugh with. Tom and Ed are always a treat, acting as if they've been close brothers since childhood. Quinny looks much more like a toddler now and is as sweet as ever. Ava is nearly five and charmed Joshua thoroughly. He played with her almost constantly, laughing about her tickling him, chasing her (as she let him keep catching her), snuggling together to play the Dora game, learning how to write letters from her, using a Leap Pad game. Another huge treat was seeing baby Wesley. He's a very happy baby and clearly loved watching the three older kids play as he snuggled with every adult in the house, one at a time. I loved being able to spend time with everyone!

Joshua & I slept at a nearby hotel last night & he was a fun slumber party buddy! He woke up super early because he wanted to play with the kids again as soon as possible. (Notice the time on the clock.) We played in the room first with several cups and an ice bucket. Did you know how much toddlers like those? Then, we played on the hotel's carpeted stairs on the way to the lobby. Next, we went window shopping (I love 24 hours stores). Then, we went swimming at the hotel pool, Joshua took a long bubble bath and played with the cups again, I got ready, we ate breakfast, and headed over to Devon & Ed’s house again. All by 9:30am. I felt like a well-trained Marine.

Joshua & I came home today to be home in time to get Daisy from the boarder. Amazingly, Joshua managed to sleep most of the way again, so the first time wasn't a fluke. He must have the same car-sleeping gene as his Uncle Jeff, who somehow slept for every car trip I remember when we were children. I'm already counting the days until Angel & the kids stop here on Friday on their way back to Maine! I look forward to seeing Devon, Ed, & Wesley more, now that we know we live so close to each other.

More teeth, indoor camping, & a cleaning buddy

Our sweet little guy is cutting LOTS of teeth lately. Here is a cute picture of him showing us where a new one is poking through. Sometimes, Joshua tells Mike when part of his mouth is sore & needs Oragel. One morning last week, he said, "Oragel" to me. Can't get much more clear than that!

We bought Joshua a little play tent for Christmas. at the time, he was a little too young to be interested. Now, at the ripe at of nearly 18-months, Joshua loves the tent. He likes to read books or bring in little items to take in and out of a bucket or cup.

When we were little, my mom used to have us 'help' her with cleaning. Apparently, my brother Ken was particularly good at dusting bookshelves with a sock-covered hand. I'm not sure what my brother Jeff's favorite way to help was, but it seems like he washed dishes alot. Up until I left for college, mom would ask me to be her "Cleaning Buddy" & we would team up to finish chores in record time. It looks like I'll have a Cleaning Buddy, too! Joshua snagged the sweeper to sweep the dining room floor for me. He's so sweet.