Happy Easter!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11:25-26 

We changed things up a little this morning, and went to the early service at church. We saved Easter baskets and brunch for after the service. I think it really helped keep our hearts focused on the true meaning of the day. I love that Eli finally understands that Easter is not about candy, bunnies, or eggs. He blew us all away by going through his Resurrection Eggs all by himself and fully explaining the events leading up to the empty tomb. He's been studying this at school for the last few weeks, and really seems to understand more than we expected. 

 The Easter Bunny did hide their baskets, and they both enjoyed the hunt to find them! Layla quickly gave her new hair accessories to her brother, and made her way into the jelly bean stash. 

 Love this sweet bunny girl!

 And boy!

We had a wonderful brunch after church, and will have a traditional Easter dinner together tonight. Three cousins are on the way here for a visit, and it's all I can do to contain Eli's excitement! 

T-Ball Time

You can imagine the excitement in our house when we found out that Eli was old enough to play t-ball this Spring. He barely made it. Like if I would have delivered him two hours later on the night of April 30, 2009, he would be sitting out this season! He's obviously the youngest one on his team, and at times it shows, but he's done well keeping up with the older boys so far.

Saturday was opening day, and I know it brought back such fun memories for Danny.

 Danny wore the #10 from the very earliest days of his baseball career. Imagine the added excitement when we took Eli's uniform out of the bag to find a #10 on his jersey!

Some of his teammates waiting for the opening day parade to start.

 

 I LOVE this boy in a baseball hat. 

 Coach Craig is always messing with Eli and they get to laughing so hard at each other. 

Sadly, the rain began to fall about 10 minutes before their first game was suppose to start later on in the day. We had to wait a few days to see these guys in action, but it was well worth the wait! Monday night they finally got to play. It was freezing cold and windy, but it really didn't seem to bother the boys.

 He takes his Gatorade drinking very seriously, and was sure to re-hydrate in between every inning.

 All smiles!

 He enjoys batting and running the bases more than playing the field so far. He hit the ball on the first swing each time, and ran his little heart out!

I wish I had a picture of him trying to steal third. It was hilarious!

He cut his finger on the fence early in the game, so he became a little distracted by that, but overall it was a great first game! 

Layla Grace - 14 Months

Time for an update on our little lady. She's changed oh so much in the last few months, and I want to remember everything about this sweet stage! She's talking, walking, and keeping us laughing all the time.

-She's learning new words everyday. Here are some of her most used words: Daddy, Bubba, Bow, Shoe, Two, All done, Bye Bye, Hi, Pop Pop, dog dog.
-She still uses sign language for more, please, and all done (while also saying the word).
-She's getting better at parts of the body. She knows her toes, noes and hair.
-She LOVES to sing. She sings along and knows the motions to itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, head and shoulders, and If you're happy and you know it.
-We have another book lover on our hands! She picks out her book, and then drags it across the room to her person of choice.
-She's just mastered standing up unassisted. It was so fun watching her learn this new trick! She would just laugh and laugh every time she'd fall, until she had it mastered.
-She's just learned to fake sneeze. It's the best when she copies people in restaurants and grocery stores.
-When she gets a boo boo, she pats it over and over with her hand to show you where it hurts.
-She's pretty rough and tumble when it comes to keeping up with her brother. She loves to wrestle, and wants right in on all the action.
-I could only dream of this while she was an infant, but she really is such a great sleeper! She sleeps long and hard at night, and takes two long naps during the day. Can't ask for much more!
-She loves bath time, and takes off doing laps around the tub when it's time to get out.
-She may give me a run for my money in the climbing department. She hikes her little leg up and tries her hardest to get on the couch, in the tub, on boxes, etc. Life is about to get interesting!
-She's just learned to get herself on and off her ride on car. She does it over and over again.

-She loves to pull the pillows off the couch, or grab her blanket and pretend to sleep on the floor. She always thumps one leg on the ground while doing this.

Sweet girl, you are SO loved, and we treasure each day with you. 

Time Away

The kids and I just got back from a two week stay at Mimi's house in VA. We took advantage of this time of transition in between houses, and hit the road! We missed daddy terribly. I was nervous about the drive. Very nervous. Little miss was AMAZING in the car. She absolutely put all of my fears to rest, and was a happy camper on both trips. I didn't realize how much she'd grown and changed just since Christmas. She was perfectly content watching movies and reading books. Praise!

It was so nice to have an un-rushed visit with family, and I was able to see almost every single friend I've been missing. There were days of constant company, in and out, one after the other. I was able to just sit and catch up for hours with sweet friends. I was in desperate need of that! We had multiple play dates with my high school gals and their kiddos. The shopping...oh the shopping! I got my fix. I went to all of my favorite malls, some several times, and had my favorite shopping partners with me. My mom and I got a full (kid free) shopping day in Virginia Beach, and it was heavenly! I had fun shopping for the new condo, and enjoyed having my interior decorator (Aunt Liz) right there with me.

 Eli pretty much lived in a tent for two weeks.

 My mom took Eli to surprise my grandparents at their church one Sunday. Wish I could've been there to see their faces light up!

 Layla practiced her Itsy Bitsy Spiders.

We were able to meet my friend Brady's little boy, Brad. His daddy is deployed right now, but I loved the time I got with his sweet mommy.

 They definitely have one thing in common...food!

 Aunt Liz came to say her goodbyes, and gave Layla a few good final laughs.

It's a shame they had no one to play with all week!

 Papa Tom introduced Eli to the movie the Sandlot. I didn't think he'd be interested at all, but boy was I wrong! He danced, and laughed, and just carried on! He memorized way too many lines from the movie. All of which I hope he doesn't pull out at his first t-ball practice tonight. 

I'm always thankful for the special memories that are made during our time there. As usual, Eli didn't want to leave, and has asked everyday when we'll be returning. Soon enough, buddy!

Mimi Turns 60!

 Our long visit in Virginia fell at just the right time. We were able to be there for my mom's big birthday week. She turned 60, and we definitely needed to be there for that big celebration! We turned it into a birthday week, which seems appropriate to me! We started off with a traditional dinner at my Grandparent's house with all the family. Two homemade cakes, and an unbelievable spread of Grandma's specialties. To.die.for!

 Layla was only interested in Cleo the basset hound. She followed her around for hours and payed no attention to anyone else.

 Eli hung tight with us Uncle Patrick and absolute favorite partner in crime. They get in some serious trouble together. Especially at the dinner table. 

Layla trying to sneak a kiss :)

 My grandparents have the best old instruments. Patrick pulled them all out for Eli to try.

 It's a shame my two came out looking absolutely nothing alike.

 Doggy watching.

 Cake time! 

 We had homemade Blueberry and Red Velvet cakes. 

 Eli had both. And no dinner. :)

 Both of my kids are tight with their great-grandaddy.

 The girls. My Aunt Karen was struck by a nasty stomach virus on party day. 

Photo bombers.

The kids helped Mimi with her present opening on her actual birthday, and then we had a babysitter come for the night. 

 We had a lovely dinner at the Town Point Club in Norfolk. Just me and the old folks! :)

Thankful that we were there to celebrate this momentous birthday with her! I hope I'm as cute and spunky as she is at 60! I can't even begin to express how thankful I am for this mom of mine. 

Children's Museum

Last May we took Eli to the VA Children's Museum. He literally hasn't stopped talking about it since then! He calls it the "Nuseum." Just a few short days after arriving at Mimi's house, we were back for another fun afternoon! Thankfully, it wasn't crowded. Eli ran from room to room, and was sure to not miss a single thing! 

 The train exhibit is always his first and last stop. This tunnel that puts you right in the middle of the train display is always a favorite.

Aunt Liz was able to come with us again. She doesn't miss much when we're home, and we love that!

Layla LOVED the trains. She learned to say "Choo choo" while we were there!

Eli's been missing his train table (in storage), so he got a quick fix.

Eli is thankful that Mimi lives in an area with so many fun things to do.

 Layla was itty bitty last time we visited the museum. She got right in on the action this time around!