Easter 2011

Happy Easter!!

The Easter Bunny visited our house last night! There were eggs hidden all over our living room this morning. Luckily there was only one jelly bean in each egg because Ellie was on the hunt this morning and found them all! Cole was more interested in finding the hidden baskets. He found Ellie's under the piano, his in the play kitchen dishwasher, and Daddy's in the coat closet. They were packed with toys and treats...the Easter Bunny spoiled us again!

After breakfast we got all dressed up to go to church. The kids looked adorable, so of course I had to get a picture. Ellie did NOT want a picture, as you can see. I thought her blankie would make it better, but all she wanted was for Mommy to hold her. Cole was a good brother and comforted her. She was finally happy when I laid her down for a nap. Poor baby ended up having a fever so she stayed home from church, then she threw up her yummy Easter dinner :(

We had a wonderful Easter day! Well, except for the sick baby and throwing up part. The eggs, baskets, treats, and new clothes were all fun, but the best part was remembering our Savior and all that he has done for us. We are so grateful for our Savior and that He lives! And we are grateful to have this wonderful time of year to celebrate His life.

Easter Eve

A bunch of our DMU friends got together for an Easter Egg Hunt this morning. We met at Wildwood Park to play and hide our eggs. It was FREEZING!! But we toughed it out.

After some playing and warming up we were finally ready for the hunt to begin!

My kids are like their Dad in that it doesn't take much to make them happy. Therefore, neither of them are competitive hunters. Elise would pick up one egg, open it up, eat the candy, then be pushed to the next egg by me :) Cole was more worried about stepping in all the "dog poo" (the field had just been aerated so there were dirt clods everywhere) than actually finding eggs. My competitive side wanted them to fill their baskets before the other kids took all the eggs, but then my mom side decided it was better not to have all the candy that comes in the eggs. Who really cares how many eggs you get as long as you enjoy the hunt!

We all ended the hunt happy and freezing. We warmed up with cuddling and lots of donuts!

It was the perfect egg hunt!

After naps we decided to go to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. The line was about an hour long, Ellie got scared just looking at the bunny, and Cole was more interested in the floating ducks nearby. So we saw the ducks up close, the bunny from a distance, and of course had to ride the train!

We had a great Easter Eve!

Now it's time for the Easter Bunny to go fill some baskets and hide some eggs ;)

DMU Easter Party

The Easter festivities have begun!

Daddy's school had an Easter party today, and we had a blast!

Cole was so excited to see the Easter Bunny! He talked about it all day long. He couldn't wait...until he actually saw the Easter Bunny. His first comment was "He's wearing shoes. That's just a guy in bunny clothes." I guess he was expecting a real bunny. Apparently that would have been less scary than a very tall man in a funny looking costume. Cole kept his distance at first, then finally mustered up the courage to give him a high five!

This was the face I got when I asked Elise if she wanted to see the Easter Bunny. I guess she's not a fan of grown men in costumes either.

After we met the bunny man it was time for the crafts:

You can't have an Easter party without an egg hunt.

The kids were really into it for a minute...

...until they realized there was candy in the eggs, then they were just into the candy!

And this is what Ellie looked like the rest of the night:

stuffed cheeks, chocolate all over her face, and her big belly popping her buttons!

What a great way to start off the Easter holiday!

Party Crashers

Ben has been out of town this week so I have been trying to keep us too busy to miss him. It almost worked :) My friend Karen told me that Maple Grove Elementary was having a carnival today if we needed something fun to do...so we crashed the party!

Cole and Ellie had a blast playing all of the games, sliding down the bouncy slide, and eating cotton candy. There were even clowns making balloons for all the kids. Cole got a dog, El got a rocket, and I got a nose :)

When the awesome carnival was over we hit the playground for the after party.

What a perfect afternoon! Thanks Karen...and Maple Grove Elementary :)

Barber Shop

El got her first real haircut today. I've given her trims before, but we decided it was time to chop off the mullet so we took her to a professional. Thanks Ashley!

18 Months!!

Aaaaaah!!!

My sweet little angel baby has turned into a rambuctious, funny, ball of fire toddler!

And we are loving it :)

Elise is known around here for her funny faces. She never pulls a princess smile. Her facial expressions are always full of personality!

This one is her classic "Cheeeeeese" that I get whenever she sees a camera

Ellie is a Climber. She climbs on everything and can get to anything! Her favorite place to climb to is the freezer where she will snag a popsicle and beg me to open it. My favorite place she has climbed was into her dresser drawer...it was not where I expected to find her when I heard her yelling from her room :)

Cole Clone: El loves her big brother and does EVERYTHING Cole does, which is not always a good thing. Thanks to Cole Ellie loves trains and airplanes, can roar like a dinosaur, has mastered tantrums, loves to tickle, and gives the best hugs.

Ellie is a Daddy's Girl...especially when he lets her play with his Ipod :) This little girl has her daddy wrapped around her little finger and can get away with almost anything when he's in charge!

She may not act like a princess, but this girl loves her "Pretties".

She loves to show off her cute accessories and to hear people tell her she's pretty :)

Her favorite things are shoes, especially her cute rain boots.

At 18 months old Ellie is 33 in long (86 %ile) and 25.3 lbs (64 %ile)

Elise still loves to read (like her mommy) and will bring books to my lap, which I love.

She loves to rub Cole's head and give him kisses.

She is always making funny noises and then laughing at herself (just like her daddy and brother).

El constantly brings me her shoes and begs to go outside.

She is always moving, even in her high chair. She just can't sit still.

Ellie is great with sharing, but won't let anyone push her around and take her things.

She doesn't talk much yet, but she has her animal sounds down :)

Her favorite word is "uh-uh" which she sometimes says even when she wants something.

Elise is simply my smart, busy, funny, loud, loving, stubborn, sweet, sassy, tough, beautiful girl! Love you Ellie bug!!