Easter Weekend

I'm gonna be honest.  Easter weekend was not our greatest weekend ever.  Nothing really terrible happened (except for the FAMILY WEDDING that we missed because of bad traffic!!) but it felt like all of us were just out of whack and it made for a long, tiring, stressful journey through the Bay Area and back.  But we did get to see most of our extended family and our kids got to have a blast with their cousins.  And the sun shone for a few minutes each day.  If this was my kid's list of Good Things About The Weekend, they would most certainly add that they got to eat more sweets than ever before, but since this is not their list, that little fact is most certainly on my list of Why The Weekend Was Particularly Harder Than Usual.  

Egg Hunt #1

Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Gary's house

These boys are getting closer every day.  I think that they are finally starting to understand the amazing-ness of having a best friend for a brother...or is it a brother for a best friend?  Either way, I am loving it too!

Shannon and I planned our baby girls so well.  One for each Grandma!!

The loot!

Baby Kaia, 2 months old and cute as can be!

Taking inventory....veeeery serious work.

Ryder, Grandpa and Summer

Grandma Ellen always has an available lap for Elliott and he knows it!

Sweet, sweet boys. Sweet, sweet cousins.

Baby Kaia did not want to look at me and my big, black camera, 

but that is ok because I still got to look at her :)
 It is so fun to see the girl version of Jacoby and Ryder!

Who says it is no fun to dress up boys?!  My mom went all out and bought my boys Easter outfits.  

Let's just say that it was a lot easier to get them dressed than it was to get them to stand still for a single picture.  Oh well.  They don't stand still in real life so I guess it is more realistic :)  But boy, were they cute!

Kisses from Uncle Doh

And as always, lots of love from their other cousins!!

Post Egg Hunt #2

After church pictures courtesy of Uncle Doh.

Disclaimer:  I did not dress my son in dirty clothes for church.  

This shirt was BRAND new when I dressed him that morning.

Our best attempt at a family picture.

Clearly for documentation purposes only :)

after church shenanigans

Get away vehicle? 

And then it was back to my parent's house for the afternoon.  

My dad has been working in LA for 3 weeks, flew home to be with us on Easter and had to leave before dinner was over to catch a flight back to LA for 3 more weeks.  

Thankfully, Summer did her part to make his hectic visit worth it :)

Therapeutic cheek squeezers? :)

So, here I am.  I am the mother of two little boys and now I have a daughter and it is her first Easter Sunday and I get to dress her up in her most beautiful, frilly dress complete with layers and a bow...and this is what she does.  My sweet and silly girl just cannot keep still! 

Wiggles and all, I sure am enjoying this baby girl of mine. 

Lately, whenever we get together with my sister's family, Elliott and Henry find each other and just go around quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) getting into things. They remind me of Curious George who was a "good little monkey, but always very curious!!"  What a pair :)

Egg Hunt #3!!

Notice how Oliver is generously allowing Henry to look at how many eggs he has found, but careful not to let him get too close. 

Emma!!

 No clothes on a cold afternoon, CHECK.  Shoes and socks to protect all the cuts on his feet, CHECK.  Band Aid on face, CHECK. Happy just to be alive, CHECK.

Yup...that is my Ellie Bellie!!

Family picture time!!

So, if we are all the kids...

...then, who are all these little people?!! :)

And what trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house would be complete without a trip down to the creek?  

Being too little for the rope swings has it's perks:  

This little pumpkin got some time with Grandma all to herself!!