Thursday, May 1, 2014

On Easter morning, Alaina woke us all up at 6:30, excited that the Easter Bunny had come!  Connor's reaction was a more subdued, "I need more sleep!" after an important conversation the day before.  When we left the Easter Egg hunt, Alaina rode with Uncle Ryan, so it was just me, Harrison, and Connor in the car.  He said, "Mommy, tell me the truth.  Are you the Easter Bunny?".  I was taken aback and felt as though I HAD to tell him the truth because of how he phrased the question.  I told him that we fill the baskets and hide the eggs.  I told him that he is now part of a special club that is responsible for making Easter fun for the kids who don't yet know the secret, and that he could help me hide eggs for Alaina that night.  He seemed content with that answer, but it was definitely sad to see his completely different response to the festivites the next morning.
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We reveled in Alaina's joy, now that WE are now part of a special club with people who have kids who don't believe.  I think I preferred the other one!
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She waits for Peeps all year long!
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After checking out their baskets, the kids scoured our house for eggs.
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A few minutes into the fun, Harrison decided to join us and check out his basket.
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Oh my goodness, that's cute.
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Alaina's basket was full and she had trouble holding the rest of her eggs.  A good problem to have!
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All three of my kids on Easter morning!
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I think my very favorite thing about having Harrison in our family is seeing how much the kids love him and how much he loves them.  Sometimes it feels like he is the glue in our family!
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Om nom nom.
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Didn't you know that high noon is now the best time for portraits?  Really, it's anytime that the baby is awake, fed, happy, and the older kids are occupied.  So, on that day, it was noon or never.
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April is Papa's busiest month with work, and he and Nana are usually the ones to do the heavy lifting for holiday dinners.  I didn't want Nana to be alone on the holiday, so I invited her over for dinner.  Then Ray found out that his work was closed, so he was going to come.  It didn't make any sense to not have Ryan and Amanda over, too, so even though we had planned on having a quiet Easter since the day before was so busy with the hunt, we threw that plan out the window and had everyone over.  I found this bunny cake on Pinterest, and as I was making it, I kept thinking I was doing it wrong because the batter was more butter than anything.  It turned out to be the most dense, flavorful cake I've made so far, but at a zillion calories a slice, it will be reserved for Easter!
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Amanda brought us flowers, and didn't even know that hyacinths are my favorite!  My kitchen smelled so good for the next week!
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All ready for company!
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Who knew the company was THIS special?  I guess Ryan didn't have any other sunglasses, so he showed up in these.  How could you not laugh?
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Nana brought the kids more candy, and you can tell by the gummy sticking out of the mouth and the shaky hands how strung out on sugar all the kiddos were.
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This seasoned vet, who would live on sugar if we let him, was a pro at hiding the sugar high.
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There are actually similar glasses in a Star Wars game that Anthony and Connor play together, so it was only natural to wear them while lightsaber fighting.
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When we started to sit down for dinner, the kids were all very excited to have sparkling cider in their wine glasses.
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...and just as we got the kids settled down with their plates, the ice cream man trolled by.  Look at Alaina's manic expression!  Luckily, he was a block away so we avoided any direct contact!
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Kid table
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The (almost) whole gang
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We had a great Easter!  Things have been busy with the moving-to-the-new-house-process.  Even though it's brand new, it is VERY dirty from the construction and EVERYTHING needs a deep clean.  I've found razor blades, rusty nails, screws, and metal rods in the carpet, so I've been going over ever inch with a fine-tooth comb.  Hopefully the cleaning will wrap up this weekend, then next week I can start moving stuff over, with the official move date of May 17!  We've got a busy month ahead with the move, Derby Day, Connor's bday, and Alaina's bday so send me good vibes and lots of caffeine!

Precursor to Easter

It's always when the holidays hit that being away from family is the hardest!  With Easter being Alaina's favorite holiday, I knew that she would be feeling pretty sad about missing the annual Broadhead Easter Egg Hunt, so we decided to make our own fun!  Amanda and Ryan had their kids that weekend, and we held the hunt over at our friends, the Jones', house since they have the perfect backyard for it!

Gotta start with seasonal treats!  I'm such a little Suze Homemaker now. :P
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The night before the hunt, we dyed eggs over at Ryan's house.
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People are always making comments about how tranquil and subdued Harrison is when I'm wearing him in the Beco.  He's just as happy as a lark in there!
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Off topic, but these days, uninterrupted adult conversations are pretty hard to come by, and Anthony and I usually jump at the chance to catch up.  We lost track of time, and when Anthony went to go finish making his cup of coffee, all of the Coffee-Mate clumped up instead of dissolving because the coffee was stone cold.  It looked so gross, and moments like that just make you laugh because THIS is parent life. :)
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On the day of the hunt, everyone was dressed up in their best and ready to get some candy!
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Bob and weave!
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Anthony and Harrison enjoyed watching the hunt from the deck.
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There's nothing cuter than a two year old hunting for eggs!
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Amanda hid 6 golden eggs, one for each kid.  Connor was the first to find one!
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Anthony didn't realize that there was an egg hidden on the bannister, and Harrison snatched it right up.
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Golden egg, part 2!
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Harrison had his first encounter with grass.  As you can see by his face, he wasn't sure if he liked it at first.
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Nope!  He definitely did NOT like it. :)
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He was also not a fan of taking pictures in bunny ears.  I guess he figured his Dumbo ears were costume enough (I have to make fun of his flappy ears as much as possible before he understands what I'm saying and I give him a complex)!
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Wishing everyone a (mostly) Happy Easter!
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